11 replies to this topic

[Mazimbwe]

I have been asked to post this info.
Anyone living in Perth, who has large money/time/blood/sweat/tears, invested in their tanks should take note...

Aquatilia Healthcare
Dr Fran Stephens BVSc(Hons)
Mob: 0439901298
A/H: 92931033
E-mail: franstph@numbat.murdoch.edu.au

I have had the Doc do an Autopsy for me, cost me $30, and saved me emptying my 6x2x2 and having a big stress about nuthing.
She is in dire need of subjects who will die but have not yet died.

So if you have a fish that is on it's way out and you have seen it happen B4 and wondered why, call Dr Stephens and ask if she needs a subject to work on. Full scientific Lab(Fisheries WA, I think) analysis and every test you could throw at a fish...plus access and recomendations to the exact treatment needed.

[Melleah]

Just sent this off to her:

Hello Fran,

I have seen on the Perth Cichlid forum that you are looking for live “sick” specimens of fish.

My partner and I breed Tropheus. They are very susceptible to a strain of intestinal bloat. This spreads rapidly through the tank and we have lost several fish to this disease.

We currently have one juvenile that is afflicted with this and if you would like him he is still alive. We would be very grateful for any help in solving this horrible problem with Tropheus that seems to be worldwide. We have treated the rest of the tank with a combination of Metronidozal, Flagyl and Octazin (Spelling?) and Clout (An American imported treatment) that seems to work better than anything we have available here in Australia.

If you are interested, this disease works very fast and I am afraid this little guy may only have a day or so left in him before he dies.

Please reply to this email with details of where you would like him dropped off if you are interested in trying to help create a cure for this disease.

Many Thanks

Melleah


Fingers crossed she can help with any preventative / palative care for this!

[Melleah]

Maz,

I had this error returned on the above email I sent:

--- The message cannot be delivered to the following address. ---

franstph@numbat.murdoch.edu.au Mailbox unknown or not accepting mail.
550 5.1.1 <franstph@numbat.murdoch.edu.au>... User unknown

Are you sure thats the right one?

Mel

[Croona]

we pay or something? or is it a free research thing?

[Mazimbwe]

Mel, have you tried either of the phone numbers?
I have not spoken to her in a while and her email may have changed...Murdoch Uni may also have alternative email addy for her.

You pay for Lab Testing...$30, is what it cost me.

However, when you have a few dollars in a tank and 5 years of invested time...I would think $30-50 would be little to pay for piece of mind if one fish died or got sick...out of the blue.

[electric]

Isn't this a sort of advertise? does he/she give us 10% off

[chuckmeister]

Electric..... Scott.... <shakes his head in disbelief> .....

I requested some info for a problem that I cant diagnose myself and thought that other people may be interested as it appears to be an important service that is being supplied and at a very cheap price. <still shaking his head>
If you believe that your entitled to a 10 percent discount then I suggest you take it up with her if you ever have anything that warrents her use.

[Melleah]

Got a reply:

Hi Melleah,

I didn't know my contact details were on the web site. The numbat address became defunct a couple of years ago.

Thanks for the offer but I won't take you up on it. Someone at Murdoch Uni has done some work on the cichlid problems. The treatments that you describe are the best, but it is a problem as you never kill 100% of the protozoa that cause the problem and it recurs.

All the best,

Fran

The email address is now:

fstephen@murdoch.edu.au

Hope this helps

Mel

[odaski]

Mel, I had some problems with tropheus when I first got into them. They had an intestinal protozoa called Cryptobia. Secondary bacterial infections follwed. antibiotic therapy hepled but did not fix the problem. Antiprotozoal drugs such as flagyl help if problem caught quite early. these protozoans form large fibrous tissue lesions and the antiprotozal drugs cannot penetrate. email me if you need any help or further info

[fishnstuff]

Whilst on the subject can I have peoples remedies for malawi bloat, and the effectiveness of the treatment.
Cheers Jeff

[Melleah]

You can effectively treat Bloat using Clout.

Before you begin treatment, remove any carbon you might be using in your filters and perform a 30-40% water change. Using a disposable cup, dissolve in some tank water one tablet of Clout per ~38 litres (round up if necessary .

Pour the mixture into the tank just a little bit at a time, perhaps taking a half hour to administer a complete dosage -- so as not to shock your already stressed fish.

Repeat the same dosage for the next two days, again performing a 30-40% water change beforehand. Daily water changes are essential for Clout's maximum effectiveness. The water changes also facilitate the removal of the old, disabled chemicals.

Three days of treatment should be sufficient if the inflammation is not too severe, otherwise treat for a full five days.

If after five days, you still don't notice a change, then resume treatment again after a two day break. Once you have finished the treatment, perform a final water change 24 hours after the last dosage.

Clout is a very strong drug that was developed particularly for fish. Most other fish medications have human counterparts including Metronidazole.

In my experience, Metronidazole has only been effective at stopping the spread of the disease and not at curing fish already displaying symptoms. Clout, on the other hand, has proven somewhat more effective at curing bloated fish.

I should warn you, however, that Clout will turn the water blue and stain the silicone in your tank, as well as any airline tubing you may have. If you are not careful with it, it will stain anything else it comes in contact with.

HTH

Mel

Edit: Spelling

Edited by: Melleah at: 1/31/04 5:12 pm

[horrorhead]

i have also used nalagram on malawis,not tangs.
i think it is nalagesic acid. made by same guys as octozin.