Urgent ideas needed

[Luca]

Hi guys, ok this isn't about discus, i'm still doing the reading, but i thought everyone with their vast knowledge here could know a thing or two about these questions, thanks for feedback.

1) My water in my 70gallon tank has just started to turn cloudy for no apparent reason. It was fine for the month or so it has been set up and i add a mini aqua clear and it plays up, this is not a lot of water flow, i can't imagine it is this filter causing the problems. I do have rather strong lighting causing quite a lot of algae but i vacuum it regularly.

2) My lemon tetras (one in particular) has a bad case of some disease. It looks parasitic, it's grey and blotchy on the middle of its body and spreading to the tail. I thought it was ich but some "white spot" cure has done nothing with claims to cure ich. Now it is possible the product has caused the cloudiness but i've been doing regular water changes a day or two after applying. Does anyone have any ideas about what ELSE this disease could be on the fish? I'm scared i'll start getting a lot of casualties, thanks,

Luca.

[Carol_Roberts]

here is copy of reply I did on your other post . . .

Sounds like a bacterial bloom in the water and either an external parasite or bacterial infection. There are all different ones. Here is a link to the articles section of the disease board
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=7567
start at chilodonella, costia, columnaris, oodium . . . what temp is your water? Most parasites can't tolerate high temps . . .

[Luca]

Hey Carol, thanks for replying,
How do i tell the difference between a parasite infection and a bacterial infection? It is particularly bad on one of the lemons (on both sides on the rear of it's body/tail) and there are a few smaller black dots on some of the other fish. It's actually black (not grey) after closer inspection. There is very little information in the links you posted about any black parasites. I'm thinking it might be bacterial now?

Secondly, how do i know if my water has a bacterial or algae bloom? I'm thinking it's algae because i've had a real problem with it growing on my gravel due to a lot of light, however my plants are growing really well and i don't want to cease my success by reducing the lighting too much. Possibly it is the ich med i put in the tank, how can i differentiate? how do i know if the algae is rotting in or under the gravel?

my water's at 27c (80-81F) and is soft, ph 6.5 / dh 4-5

thanks for the reply, much appreciated,
Luca.

ps i'm going to try today increasing temp to 28-29 (82-84F), putting in 2 tbsp salt / gallon and seeing what happens. Dang disasters :(

[Carol_Roberts]

It is even harder for me to guess over the internet whether it is bacteria or parasite. Especially since I know nothing about lemon tetras or what they are prone to. I also don't know anything about treating planted tanks . . . . Maybe someone else can help you . . . if not you might as well experiment . . . . Can your plants take heat? IF so crank it up, many parasites will die at high temps - 90+

Are you trying to cycle a filter? IF yes antibiotics will kill it so maybe just cull the dither fish and cycle with pure ammonia.

[VicM]

I need some help. My breeding pair just stopped eating. I use blood worms for their chow. Help me out please

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Vic:
The first thing I do when my discus have a problem is check the water. First test smell it . . . does it smell almost good enough to drink? If no, you have too much disolved food and proteins in the ater. Clean the tank, rinse the filter media in chlorine free water and do a big water change with water of the same temp and pH. Also test for ammonia (and nitrIte) in case filter has been compromised.

Have you added anything new to the tank? Any new fish, plants or decorations?