Fish are dying, please help

[ShowDogGal]

Problem

1. Please explain the problems with your fish. When did you notice the problems and did anything unusual happen that you think started them?

Problems initially presents as ich, white pin prick spots. This responded well to treatment then I started losing fish. I have lost 3 and a 4th is likely to be dead by morning. I am setting up a quarantine tank tomorrow to separate the sickies from healthy. This is a new tank that I had set up for about 6 weeks to cycle before adding new fish. I used about 20 gallons of water from my 55 gallon tank to get the good bacteria growing.



2. Symptoms (i.e. turning dark, excess slime, not eating, clamped fins, flashing, darting, clamped gills, white/yellow/green poop, hiding, headstanding or tailstanding, white on tips of fins, rotting or fungus, blisters/white zits on fish, bloated, cloudy eyes, wounds).

White pin prick spots, slime, . Pigeon Blood has presented with what looks like an abscess on the side. This is something I have not seen before.


3. What medications/ treatments have you already tried and what were the results. Include dosage and duration of treatment.

I have treated with MelaFix & PimaFix for 8 days. I have water aging to do 25% water change on Friday.



Tank/Water

4. Tank size and ages, numbers and sizes of fish.

Tank is 125 gallon, now there are 6 discus. 1 syndontis catfish, 1 Jaguar catfish, 3 tiger striped river loaches, 12 amano shrimp, 4 nerite snails.
All have been added 3 weeks ago.


5. Water change regime (What percentage and how often).

Have changed 25% of water 1 week prior to adding fish. Have not changed since then


6. How long has tank been running? Is it bare bottom? If you have substrate, what type and how deep is it?

Tank has been set up for 4 months. Fish in it for 1 month. Substrate appx 2 - 3 inches, Live planted aquarium with plants from my 55 gallon tank.


7. Do you age your water? If you do for how long and what is the ph swing.

Water is ages 2 - 4 days. PH from Faucet is 7.6 I get it down to 6.6 before adding.


8. Parameters and water source;

Note: Water Parameters are important in diagnosing problems within a tank. If you don't own test kits for the following information, you can purchase them, test your parameters and post this info as soon as possible.


- temp _____ 82

- ph _____ Has spiked in the last 3 days to 7.6 WAS maintaining at 6.6 - 6.8

- ammonia reading ____ 0 ppm

- nitrite reading ____ 0 ppm

- nitrate reading ____ 5.0 ppm

What type of water or combinations of water sources do you use? If it is an RO/tap/well water mix, please list percentages in the mix.

- well water ____ Well Water only

- municipal water ____

- RO water ____


9. Any new fish, plants or inverts added recently.

ALL were added 4 weeks ago


10. Include any pictures or videos you have which shows the symptoms. If you can't add them to this post, please provide a link to them.

Let me know if this link works to fish photos
https://www.facebook.com/ShowDogGal/...9168881&type=3

[pcsb23]

Hello Shelley, first things first, stop worrying about pH at least for now. I've had a look at the pics on FB and can see the wound (just). It does need to be moved to a qt tank. You will need to increase your water changes, certainly in qt. Given the fish has a wound it may benefit from some salt being added, and use ANY salt, don't go buying expensive rip off aquarium salt. As long as it is NaCl it will be fine, i.e. table salt or cooking salt. Aim for 100 grams per 100 litres or 4 ounces per 25 US gallons. The salt is here to aid with osmo regulation, replace any removed with water changes.

As for the fixes, well they smell nice but that is about as far as their usefulness goes ime.

The problem you are facing here is that some of the meds we would use cannot be used with an open wound, and are discouraged from being used when using salt too! Treatment really depends on what is available, if you can get potassium permanganate I'd do a once off treatment with that but do that before adding any salt. If you can't you may bee to do salt dips to start with. http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...-Do-a-Salt-Dip I'd only do one or maybe two.

It will then be a case of re-assessing once the fish are in QT. You will need to do daily water changes on this tank of at least 50% and preferably more.

[John_Nicholson]

Listen to Paul. My main suggestion is to stop using the snake oil and to start doing large daily water changes. If you do I bet your fish will improve fairly quickly.

-john

[ShowDogGal]

Thanks Paul. In setting up the QT tank should I use water from the existing tank or fresh??

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Paul. In setting up the QT tank should I use water from the existing tank or fresh??

Use fresh water please

[ShowDogGal]

OK QT tank is set up. I have 2 patients. The Pigeon Blood and another that I thought was DEAD he was hiding in the plants. When I removed plants I found him barely alive to into QT he went also. I added Salt to QT tank as suggested. I also put in Stress coat. Temp in QT is at 85. I have light off & tank draped to reduce stress. Will do 50% water changes there daily.

NOW, for my main tank. I did a 50% water change there. IF I can get the PP can I use it in a PLANTED aquarium?? I pulled out a majority of my plants but the fishes are not happy about this.

Oh should I do anything with my canister filtration system??


Thanks in advance for the assistance!!!

[pcsb23]

Shelley don't use stress coat, it is another product that has questionable benefit. All of these types of products are designed to do one thing and that is part you from your hard earned money. Sorry if I appear cynical.

Clean water is the best medicine there is.

85 is a tad high, better to drop it to 82. Minimum of 50% daily btw, and check on ammonia, if present up the water changes. I'm guessing your well water doesn't have chlorine in? If so, just heat it and use it, the only reason to store or age it would be to drive off any excess gasses such as CO2, so all you need in the storage container is a heater and an airstone.

When you remove plants from a tank it is always better to do a large water change soon after. The fish are likely upset because the water quality will have taken a bit of a hit, clean water will fix that As for your canister filter, I'd just give the media a rinse, make sure the water is free from chlorine though, but if you can use clean water, if not tank water is fine. PP will work in a planted tank, just not as effectively as there are much more organics for it to work on. PP would be better done in a qt tank and can be used with an open wound, though it may cause some additional stress to the fish.

[ShowDogGal]

OK after a few days of water changes etc .......... QT tank injured fish is looking better!! I will keep him in QT tank for a while longer. Main tank is better also. I so wish I would have found this site sooner!!!!! I could have save major $$$$$ on the fish I purchased & on crappy meds I bought..................

I removed a lot of plants in my main tank. Can I add them back in now?? My other tanks(a 55 with Angelfish) is fully planted. It stays crystal clear. I would love my discus tank to be this way also.

[Second Hand Pat]

Shelley, would it be possible to leave the plants out and allow yourself to get a better handle on your discus?

[pcsb23]

Glad to hear the fish is doing better.

You can add the plants back if you like, but that won't mean you can drop back on water changes and maintenance. Provided you keep up with that you should be fine. Discus don't need a planted tank btw (just letting you know).

[ShowDogGal]

I RETURNED all the "snake oil" today. My QT fish is listing about a 45 degree angle today. I am changing water daily adding salt. Wound seems to be healing. Just acting not right. Temp is at 83 bu there is no airstone, only a side siphon filtration.

I will add only abut half the plants back to the display tank after a dunk in PP. I have found PP at my local home improvement store. Is this the correct stuff??? http://www.lowes.com/pd_112505-677-PF65N_0__