Flat Fish & Tank Troubles

[fishtanktenderfoot]

Hello SD community! I have not posted here for a couple of years, but I am a constant lurker. Unfortunately, what brings me back is not good... I will try to be succinct, but I know you need all the details, so here goes...

Tank is a 93g bare bottom that has had 6 adults in it for over 2 years. It was set up 4.5 years ago with 7 sub-adults. It went through a phase with tank mates (rams and cardinals) that did not last. I lost one fish over 2 years ago when she stopped eating and wasted away. It has been stable for more than 2 years with 6 fish.

I change 50-60% water every day. I have done this consistently for 4.5 years. I use 24 hr aged tap water, heated and aerated. I use Prime. Tank has eheim 2075 and magnum 350 with purigen - both regularly maintained. Ammonia and nitrites are zero and nitrates are low. PH is 7.6. I tested the water a week ago (haven't done it in ages) just to double check. Temp is 84F.

I feed Al's FDBW, Hikari frozen foods, and an assortment of pellets. Fish are fed 4 times a day and are fat.

My biggest fish and alpha male got bloated. I add Epsom (1TB/10g) to no avail. I thought his bloat looked more "generalized" than "swallowed a marble" (if that makes sense), so I did a PraziPro treatment to rule out worms. Nothing. He kept getting bigger, so I started Kanamycin (750mg/20g) for internal infection. He died yesterday. This is background because I treated the main tank. I now have 5 adults.

==> The POINT of this post (finally!) is I have a yellow fish that is dying. I want to know if anyone can identify what this is and how or if to treat? He has a bad fin and white stuff on one side only. The rest of him is clear, and his eyes are alert, but he can't swim much anymore. I treated with non-iodized table salt (1TB/10g) for 2 weeks when I first noticed him having trouble about a month ago, but then I was distracted by the fish with bloat. Should I treat? Should I euthanize him? Also, I have 4 days before I leave for a week.

I'm worn out. I hate all the trouble my fish are having!! Any ideas or input is appreciated. This forum is GREAT.

Picture is attached.

Thanks.

Steph

Goldie012519.jpg

[Second Hand Pat]

I wonder if this is old age? When I have had fish go down like this I have successfully used Furan 2 with salt. However with my fish there are noticeable slime coat loss. Perhaps a pm to Al will yield a more educated result.
Pat

[fishtanktenderfoot]

Pat, thanks for your reply. I think he was 4.5” when I bought him, so he is probably 5 years old. He also has a short gill plate and a short pelvic fin that never grew so I guess he’s always been somewhat underdeveloped. But he’s been a strong fish with a lot of personality. It could just be his time. I wish I could do something.

Steph

[brewmaster15]

Steph,
I don't think there is much you can do for this fish, I am afraid that its his time.I would Euthanize it especially since you will be away for a week in 4 days. Any medications will take longer than you will be here and theres the chance if you used one, that your biofilter will take a hit. Not something you want happening before a trip. I'm Sorry.

Two fish back to back dead would be a concern but since the symptoms are different, theres a good chance its coincidence and not the same thing. A 2 year run with no issues is a pretty good track record.

Can you post a bunch of pics here of your current fish? Just to see if anything jumps out at us?

Also... Frozen foods though not necessarily a bad choice for foods, share the liability that they spoil easily if they are thawed. If you have bought any frozen food prior to the deaths and have recently started using it. It may be the culprit if theres one.

Hth,
al

[fishtanktenderfoot]

Al, thanks for replying. I’m pretty devastated right now. But I’ll post tank pics in the next day or so. Today is day 6 of the kanamycin treatment. I’ll be doing a big tank clean tomorrow and putting the plant and purigen back in. Then just large water changes before I leave. Thanks again for all the support this site offers.

Steph