Lazy Fry

[jared]

I have some fry that are about 41/2 weeks old. About a week and a half ago I notice one being carried around by the current in the tank. I didn't really think anything of it because this one was a runt. The next morning it was dead and when I inspected the rest of the fish in the tank I noticed some rubbing. I had not treated for flukes yet so I dosed with prazi. Things appeared okay. A couple of days later another smaller fish was being carried about and there was some rubbing. I dosed again only this time two days in a row. All looked well and within 5 minutes of the first dose the floating fish seemed to recover. Until last night when I say yet another fish floating around. I dosed with prazi and this morining about 3/4 of them were floating around at different levels in the water, but breathing. They seemed like they were in a trance, unable to maintain their position, and angled in all directions. What is going on?
Jared

[Carol_Roberts]

Fry are also very subsceptible to bacteria. Since you are treating with prazi and they are still dying I would increase water changes, squeeze out filters in dechlorinated water and wipe down side of tank daily for the next week. If they aren't better in a day or two try stop the prazzi and try formalin.

[Barb Newell]

Hi Jared. When I have fry that age, I treat them with formaldehyde and salt every 3 or 4 days.

Barb

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

What is your w/c regime? If the water quality is not up to par, then fry can die off like that. When was the last time you cleaned your filters? It sounds like you may have a bacterial bloom in the tank that is causing some kind of gill rot in the fry. This would explain some of the fry floating in the tank due to lack of oxygen and then dying off the next day due to suffocation. If you looked, what was the color of the gill's?


-Ryan

[jared]

I do 50% changes daily with 10%tap 90%RO (my tap is really hard so I have to cut it). My total losses are still low, just two. The water appears clean, no haze or cloudiness. But I will try to up the regimen and start on formalin. Thanks for the advice.
Jared

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

Why you are using r/o water for fry?? Fry need the water to be as hard as possible so that they will grow properly and fast. Also, using that much r/o will make the water very unstable as the kH is very low. This would cause pH swings. I bet that is part of the problem. Try straight tap water and see how the fish are.


-Ryan

[jared]

Ryan, reread the first sentence of my last post man. My tap water is liquid rock. TDS coming out of the tap is 1200-1300. I use an RO mix to get reasonable parameters. Ph stable in the low 7's, tds around 200. I test tds and ph regularly. When I bought my first growouts a year and a half ago those were the parameters my fish came out of and they grew great. Formalin appears to be working, no further losses everone is swimming straight again.
Jared

[CARY_GLdiscus]

I agree with Carol,

BIOLOAD IS TO HIGH Try a bigger tank ;)

[jared]

I was thinking about it, but it is a small spawn and I didn't want there to be too few fish for the size. The current setup is a 20 gallon. These fish are just about an inch and there are only 30 or so. The next largest tank I have available is a 40. Is a 40 too big for a group this size?

[jared]

Just wanted to add that the tank was cycled before hand and there are two cycled filters ont he tank, 1 azoo sponge rated to 30 gallons and one millenium power filter rated to 20 gallons. Thanks for the help everyone. Also, just wanted to update that I treated with quickcure since advised in this thread to dose with formalin (Don't have formalin). Everyone seems fine now.
Jared

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Jared,

Well Ofcourse the quick cure will work because it is a oxidizer
And has Formaldehyde in it!


What it did was burned down the Bioload I believe in a few days Your problems will be back. unless you keep treating like barb said

;)