Ruby (ACF) is bloated

[Collegekid]

Ruby ate half a reptomin stick today. It's the first she's been able to eat since she bloated so I'm pretty excited and cautiously optimistic.


What antibiotic should I use on my male? Are his symptoms more in line with parasites or should I just assume he's being affected by the same microorganisms as Ruby?

[celticstarb]

It's most likely that they have the same pathogen. But it is possible he may have something else. I would treat him as you are treating Ruby, and watch for signs of other issues.

I'm glad Ruby was able to eat some. That is definitely a good sign. Did you add any marine salt to her hospital tank?

[Collegekid]

I haven't added any salt at this point because I haven't seen it mentioned on any websites I've gone to, so I'm a bit concerned about it's safety.

[celticstarb]

Marine salt is a safe preventative for fungal and bacterial infections. It is such an accepted practice that the sticky "Trouble in the Enclosure", on this forum, asks how much is added (question 20.) In many places such as Britain, escaped populations are found breeding in brackish water.

I started adding Instant Ocean after talking to a few researchers that keep frogs for oocyte collection. Salt hardens the water, which is very beneficial to the frogs. It also helps them maintain a good slime coat and lowers pathogens.

I've been adding salt for years. Coupled with good maintenance, I haven't had a sick frog since adding salt.

[Collegekid]

Just wanted to give an update. Ruby is doing really well. A week ago I really thought I was going to lose her but she's nearly back to normal. I have not run a second round of antibiotics on her yet because she has been consistently improving so I wasn't sure it was necessary. She's able to eat (though seems to have a difficult time finding food, I need to put my finger on top of the floating pieces of reptomin for her to eat it) and swim. Today I put the water in her tank back up to its normal height and she has no trouble surfacing. She does still appear to have some trapped fluid under her skin. If you look at her while stationary you wouldn't notice it but when she swims her back still jiggles.

My male is still having his strange episodes so I think I'm going to go ahead and medicate him. I'm wondering if I should put my female in with him and medicate both of them. I'm not sure if her remaining fluid she has is caused by bacteria that survived the first treatment making a comeback and bringing the bloat back or if it is just fluid her body wasn't able to remove. In that case antibiotics won't be helpful.