Good General Purpose Treatment for Sores?

[Kengar]

Can someone recommend a good general purpose treatment for sores (in addition to good water/proper nutrition)?

I have a yellow flanked wrasse (cyrrhalubrus cyanopluera), received five days ago, in a 30 gallon quarantine tank. Hang-on filter is well established. Was used on the tank for six weeks while main tank was fallow (after being seeded initially in main tank), to address ich in main tank. Old fish (desjardini tang, four gobies) went back into main tank before new fish were put in quarantine. New fish in quarantine are pair of true perculas, two rainford gobies, two hector gobies, and a lawnmower blenny in addition to the wrasse.

Wrasse was missing a few scales when he went into the Qtank, but now there are raw-looking patches where skin itself seems to have rotted away or been scratched away. (I'm assuming that none of the other fish will have attacked the wrasse.) I am fine with doing two buckets (approx 9 gallons) of water change every other day to maintain high water quality, but would like to add some sort of salve-type solution to the water to help protect the fish. Can anyone recommend something? I was thinking of Stress-Coat, but other/better suggestions would be appreciated. (Today's 4 bucket water change did appear to help fish's overall vitality.) I was also planning to get some Selcon tomorrow in which to soak food to help things along.

[Kengar]

anyone?

[eskymick]

Melifix by API generally works well.

[rlcline76]

I agree, melafix and enhance the diet with garlic and vitamin supplements.

[Kengar]

I found Malafix at PetSmart on line and read good reviews, so tried it, starting yesterday morning. The wrasse seems to be doing better this evening.

[Percula9]

If Melafix doesn't work then antibiotics is indicated.

[Kengar]

The fish seems stronger, though scales/coloration are definitely lost. Garlic seems to pique the eating response. I'll monitor and go to AB's if needed. My concern with AB's, however, is knocking out the bio capacity of the filter (Whisper hang on). Any recommendation for something LIKE AB's that DOESN'T harm the bio capaciyt?

Thanks for the all the input.

[eskymick]

It sounds like a vitamin enhanced diet along with the Melifix is doing the job. Be patient.

As a last resort, I believe Maracyn-2 is safe for the biological filter.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[rlcline76]

Yeah maracyn or maracyn 2 might be OK. I would finish the melafix treatment first and then do a decent water change before messing with any other treatment, though.

[Kengar]

the wrasse didn't survive. the scales all sloughed off the flanks on the last half of the body, both sides, leaving exposed flesh. I'm not really sure what it was, but it sure did kill the fish

[JHemdal]

Sorry for the loss. Where you running hyposalinity in your QT? How do the other fish look?

Jay

p.s. - don't add a full dose of Maracyn I to a tank with a biological filter, the erythromycin it contains will nuke the beneficial bacteria. Maracyn II is usually o.k.

[Kengar]

no hypo. the other fish were all gasping for o2 by the time i found the wrasse. three gobies and the target mandie didn't make it. i changed out 25 of 30 gallons to save the onyx perc's, which did the trick. put in two packets of Maracyn-2 powder, too, to help make sure they were okay.

[rlcline76]

Yeow! I am so sorry to hear of you loss. Have you tested for ammonia?

[Kengar]

wasn't an ammonia issue. the filter was well established, having gone seven weeks with other fish while main tank was fallow to eradicate ich therein.

[LisaD]

Today's 4 bucket water change did appear to help fish's overall vitality.

are you sure it wasn't an ammonia issue? did you actually test? I am asking because:

1) you indicated a water change seemed to help, and

2) while the filter may have harbored nitrogen fixing bacteria, it most likely did not have enough for the bioload in the QT (whisper filter?). It appears that in a 30 gallon tank you had:

wrasse
three gobies
target mandarin
onyx perculas

When I put fish in QT, I have bare bottom tank with a few good sized pieces of cured and fed live rock from an established system in the tank. (I "feed" the rock with frozen mysis, even when fish are not in the tank, to keep up the populations of beneficial bacteria.) If I need to medicate, I remove the live rock to an aerated sterilite container or bucket.

[Kengar]

the filter was a double-sized filter rated to 60 gallons, with additional filter pads (total of four) in it. it had carried more, larger fish for seven weeks.

[LisaD]

I understand that, but did you actually *test* ammonia and nitrites? if not, I still say there is no way you know the issue was not ammonia. if you were doing large water changes, and they helped, then that is an indication that water quality was not all it should have been.