Dying of old age?

[LJC123]

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?

I posted a questionaire last week about 2 sick discus we had and while one has greatly inmproved, the other hasn't so I am reposting just for her.

We have an adult Red Turq that we raised from 2" and is now 6" & 7 years old. Her name is Blue and we love her as a pet. About a month ago she started showing her bars, then she began getting darker and darker, then later clamping her fins. She barely eats and is pretty skinny.

About a month ago, we moved our flock into a 75g temporary tank to rebuild their 92g corner to install a drip irrigation system and to fully plant it as well. Their previous home (the 92g) had only sand and plastic plants but we've always read that they are so much happier in a planted tank and we really wanted that ourselves so we finally decided to do it. We moved everybody to the 75g and tore down their 92g, cleaned everything, plumbed it for the drip irrigation, and planted it. We added the Discus back after cycling the tank at 1 week substrate, 1 week plants, 1 week hardy fish, 1 week more fish, then Discus.

While in the temp tank, our oldest RT started displaying her bars constantly (she's always been emotional that way when stressed) but there wasn't much we could do because we needed to cycle their new home for a couple weeks. It was nail-biting to wait but everything we read and admonished that we wait and cycle just as we did.

After moving, cleaning and plumbing the 92g, we added Miracle Grow, Eco-Complete and sand @ 1" each. We had done several water changes to clear out any impurities from disturbing the substrates during planting and cycled that for 2 weeks before we added our 12+ Tetras to help with the cycling and they are all doing well. Then after another week we added our 6 Chocolate and 6 Honey Gourami's and they are all doing well. Before each addition, we did water changes and added Stress Coat and Stress Zyme. We also moved filters around to help with bio-stability.

After another week and another WC, we moved our Discus back into their original 92g home.
Immediately our oldest RT turned completely black, clamped up, and just plain looked like she was dying. That was 3 weeks ago and though she's still alive, she's always dark, has very angry bars like I've never seen on her, and barely eats.

We gave her 2 weeks to get used to the changes, then decided to move her to our hospital tank, where we keep the lights low and have plants around the edges to provide a visual buffer from activity in the house. It has the sand bottom and plastic plants that were in their old tank, to bring her comfort, hoping some quiet time would do her some good. She is no longer clamped or as dark, but still has those wicked bars and is very picky about eating. We've noticed that when she does try to eat, she closes her mouth before she's close enough to the food to capture it, then she just gives up. We just tried giving her eartworms, which she usually goes nuts for, but the same thing happened. She will usually take them from our hand but she isn't even able to do that.


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).


bars out, dark, partially clamped fins, trouble eating, (possibly near sighted or blind?)


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

"75% daily WC's, Stress Coat & Stress Zyme per instructions, Prazi once per instructions (1 dose, no charcoal, no WC for 5 days). Today we will do a large WC, then reduce the temp and return her to her home tank tomorrow where she will be more comfortable & with her. family


Tank/Water

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

"92G corner with 12 Tetras, 6 Chocolate & 6 Honey Gourami's, 2 Balloon Rams and 4 Cory's & 2 2" plecos for clean-up."


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

"Constant drip irrigation, weekly 50%. Hospital tank, daily 75%, except for last 5 days during Prazi treatment.


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

"6 weeks this round, 2 years since we bought it used. Miracle Grow, Eco-Complete and sand @ 1" each. Cycled 4 weeks total."


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

"We live on a well so we don't do anything to our water before adding it to our tanks. We had learned that our fish are much happier once they acclimated to our water as is (usually a constant 7.4) instead of us struggling to maintain a better ph with additives and all that."


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 83*

- ph L-7.6 or less, H-7.4

- ammonia reading 0

- nitrite reading 0

- nitrate reading almost 5.0


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 100%

- municipal water ____

- RO water ____

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

"New plants & the Cory's"


10. Please tell us what you feed your fish and how often. This can be critical information for solving the problem so be as specific as you can.

"Blood worms or beef heart with Tetra Crisps or Flakes (for the Tetras) in the morning and usually brine shrimp with crisps or flakes in the evening."


11. 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.

IMG_0900.jpgIMG_0903.jpgIMG_0896.jpg

[Second Hand Pat]

I posted in your other thread that I thought this fish is have issues with seeing the food and suggested hand feeding her. You could try and push cubes of FDBWs on the side of the glass and see if she can find that.
Pat

[Cosmo]

+1