(Update) Ill eel -- please help with treatment options

[starsplitter7]

I have a peacock eel that looks like it has skinny disease. He is super active, not shy and eats like a pig. He is also a skull followed by a thread of a tail and has faded patches of color. I don't see any external parasites, and other than his obvious problems, he looks fine.

The rest of his tank inhabitants, including other eels are fine, fat and healthy.

I caught him last night and drip acclimated him to the Q tank. He explores the entire tank, has some java moss to hang in and a good filter. I have a tight lid with a 1.5 inch gap, to discourage him from bailing.

I have Lav., FLub, Jungle Parasite clear and metro (but I would prefer to skip the Metro since I have to make food, and I am not sure he will eat it). He will eat blood worms.

He is in a 10 gallon. How do I measure the Flub and Lav to get the correct amount? I assume I should remove the charcoal in the filter.

The Q tank has been set up, has an established filter and I changed out 50% of the water with a good vacuum before I put him in last night. There was a male killie in there when I put in the eel. Should I leave the Killie in there during treatment? He is fat and healthy. He was recovering from an altercation with another killie.

Thanks for any advice. Tanja

[chefkeith]

You can eye ball the dosage. You'll need about 100 mg of Levamisole for a 10 gallon tank. I sometimes find a pill, like a vitamin or an aspirin, that is a 100 mg, then just make a pile of levamisole that looks about the same size as pill.

If my pocket scale is working, I'll use the pill(s) to calibrate the scale and just weight the levamisole instead.

Yes, you'll need to remove the activated carbon from the filter.

After adding levamisole to the q-tank, you'll need to remove it in 1-2 days. Do several small (20%) water changes, then add the activated carbon back to the filter.

Wait a few days, remove the activated carbon, then you might want to alternate a praziquantel (Prazipro) treatment with that. You could just use the Parasite Clear since it contains praziquantel. Run the prazi treatment 6-7 days. After the prazi treatment, repeat with the small water changes again and add some fresh activated carbon back to the filter.

Wait a week, do water changes again, and repeat the treatments. You'll need to repeat these treatments 2 times.

During the treatments, feed the eel the bloodworms and other high protein foods. You'll probably want to over-filter the tank with atleast 2 small established filters or one big filter so that there is no chance of ammonia/nitrite spikes. Keep a very close eye on the ammonia/nitrite levels.

[starsplitter7]

Thank you so much. I wish I had a small scale, so I could weigh small amounts like 100 mg. Do you have any idea where I can get a scale like that?

The pill idea is a great idea.

Do you know if the eel can handle salt? I now have a sick guppy girl. I know from previous exerience that if I dose her with a very weak salt water, she will clear up. I would add the salt very slowly, and remove it slowly. I usually add about 1 tsp per ten gallons of water. I figure it wouldn't hurt her to get wormed, and I could run the treatments together.

I will probably move the male Killie before I start the treatments. I think I have a tank where he won't eat the inhabitants.

I wanted everyone to wait until I set up my 75, but they decided that they couldn't wait. When I set up the 75 I will consolidate some of my smaller tanks, and I would have more Q tanks.

[Diana]

These eels are predators. Depending on size, the Killie may be in danger. However, the Killie has now been exposed to whatever is bothering the eel.

Ditto the treatment for internal parasites. Switch back and forth between the meds, they each work on different groups of worms.

I am not sure of the salt tolerance of these eels as a family, or individual species. The Peacock Eel (M. siamensis) is native to soft water systems, so is less likely to tolerate salt. I would quarantine the guppy in a separate tank.
If the Guppy does better with salt, it is fine to keep her in a slightly salty water tank all the time, Guppies and many other livebearers handle salt really well. The biggest, nicest looking Guppy I ever had was in a brackish water tank.

[starsplitter7]

Thank Diana,

No worries with the Peacock eel. He is predatory towards worms and new born fry. He lives for the last two years with Killies, Neons, cardinals, and other small fish with no problems. He is only 6" and the Killie is at least 2.5". The guppy is in a breeder, because she is in danger of being eaten by the Killie.

My tiretrack wouldn't thick twice of making a snack of all three, but the Peacocks are too small to cause any problems.

Unfortunately, I am out of Q tanks.

[chefkeith]

I got my digital pocket scale on ebay for about $15. It measures from 100 mg to 500 grams. There are many to choose from on ebay.

[starsplitter7]

Thanks. I had no idea you could get a scale like that for such a good price.

[starsplitter7]

Andrea suggested that my peacock eel may not be a Macrognathus siamensis, but a Macrognathus aral. They look very much alike and both are sold under the common name of Peacock eel.

When I looked at him closely, I did see that he looked different from the other two peacock eels -- healthy looking eels.

Andrea said the big difference is the M. aral likes a little salt. So instead of treating him with an anti-parasitic, I started adding salt to the Q-tank and increased his feedings. Now about 2 weeks later, he is back to looking like normal. He has regained his weight, he no longer looks like a skull followed by a thread. His color is back.

I will add some Jungle antiparasitic, before he goes into a new tank.

[chefkeith]

That's a turn of events. Good to hear. Are you going to keep this eel? or just keep it in a different tank?

[starsplitter7]

That's a turn of events. Good to hear. Are you going to keep this eel? or just keep it in a different tank?

Just a different tank. I should be setting up the 75 soon, so I will be doing a big shuffle. He does appear to be doing very well. I am happy. I love all my eels. -- I have 5 -- 4 species.