2 Fish Died In 2 Days

[mr130gallon]

Tank size:130 USG/490L
pH:7.6
ammonia:0ppm
nitrite:0ppm
nitrate:10-20ppm
kH:n/a
gH:n/a
tank temp:76-78 F

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
my bolivian ram that died was swimming around that top half of the tank (he ever does this) and didnt eat, his color was a bit darker like when he is stressed.
my bristlenose pleco that died was acting and looking normal, now that hes dead i looked and his stomach was bloated, i dont think it was dropsy because no scales sticking out, but it doesnt have scales, its eyes are sunken in and are reddish, but does that happen to loracariids when they die?

Volume and Frequency of water changes:
usually 20 gallons every week, last weekend i forgot then the bolivian ram died that thursday, today i did about a 70 gallon waterchange then about 6 hours later the B/N plec died.(dont worry i did use conditioner)

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
just water condidtioner

Tank inhabitants:
in my signature. (will take to long for me to think of it all)

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
i added the bronze cories without QT about 1.5 weeks ago, but the i didnt notice any diseases added.

Exposure to chemicals:
none that i know of



if you have anymore questions please dont hesitate to ask.

 

[WILDER]

What do you feed the fish.

I would add a bacterial med to the tank with the sunken in eyes and they look red.

Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
What does it look like when your fish go to the toilet.
Is the anus enlarged or red and inflamed.
Lost any fish to being skinny or bent spines.

Dropsy



Symptoms:

This disease is very common among African Cichlids, and is commonly called "Malawi Bloat," even though it affects fish from Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. Dropsy is also very common within the Carp family and among Anabantids. It is characterized by swelling of the body and especially abdomen, which causes the scales to stand out with a pine cone appearance. Eyes may protrude or cave in. Reddening at the vent and/or base of fins may be observable as well as body ulcers and long pale feces. In advanced cases, skin discoloration and scale loss may also occur. Sick fish will not show any desire for food. They will often hang near the bottom, resting on the gravel, or at the top, gasping for air. In the latter stages of this disease, the fish may lose its equilibrium and hence ability to swim properly.



Cause:

Three main causes for Dropsy have been identified. The over use of salt (NaCl), prolonged exposure to poor water conditions, and improper diet, which lead to a parasitic infection. Other causes include poisoning, internal injuries and cancerous tumors. The swelling is not the disease itself, but rather a symptom, which is caused by a build-up of fluids in the body cavity due to internal organ failure.



Treatment:

Treatment of this disease is difficult, as by the time it is recognized, permanent damage to the internal organs of the fish will have occurred. Immediate treatment must be performed if there is to be any chance for survival. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and or Clout are the best medications for treatment of Dropsy. Notwithstanding, not much is known for certain about the etiology of this disease and some experienced aquarists use antibiotics to fight Dropsy. For oxytetracycline, baths of 20-100 mg/litre for five days is suggested. For tetracycline hydrochloride, treat with baths of 40-100 mg/litre for five days. And for minocycline hydrochloride a dilution of 250mg/10 gallons of water is recommended. On day 2 change all the water and add the medicine again at the same dose for another 2 days. Increase aeration during treatment. Do not use minocycline a third time in a row. Caution: tetracyclines are photo sensitive so turn the tank lights off during treatment and cover the whole tank with a blanket. If the fish is still eating, you can soak the food in a concentrated solution of the antibiotic before feeding.



For more information:

 

[mr130gallon]

What do you feed the fish.flakes, pellets and rarely bloodworms, also i gave them a potato on friday night, after the bolivian died

I would add a bacterial med to the tank with the sunken in eyes and they look red.
turns out they didnt look red, it was just the light shining on the pink tissue inside the eye socket

Any signs of flicking and rubbing. no
What does it look like when your fish go to the toilet. i havent looked at that recently, but about a week ago the BN plecs looked normal
Is the anus enlarged or red and inflamed. when i looked at the dead body i didnt notice that
Lost any fish to being skinny or bent spines. the bolivian ram was skinny since i bought it but not bent, i lost my zebra danios a few months ago due to this

Dropsy



Symptoms:

This disease is very common among African Cichlids, and is commonly called "Malawi Bloat," even though it affects fish from Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria. Dropsy is also very common within the Carp family and among Anabantids. It is characterized by swelling of the body and especially abdomen, which causes the scales to stand out with a pine cone appearance. Eyes may protrude or cave in. Reddening at the vent and/or base of fins may be observable as well as body ulcers and long pale feces. In advanced cases, skin discoloration and scale loss may also occur. Sick fish will not show any desire for food. They will often hang near the bottom, resting on the gravel, or at the top, gasping for air. In the latter stages of this disease, the fish may lose its equilibrium and hence ability to swim properly.

the eyes were caved in the BN plec when it died (normal?), scale loss was present to a small degree in the dead plec, and it had a swollen abdomen, but it may have been from eating, he eats a lot

Cause:

Three main causes for Dropsy have been identified. The over use of salt (NaCl) i dont use this, prolonged exposure to poor water conditions, i believe i have good water conditions and improper diet, ?? maybe? which lead to a parasitic infection. Other causes include poisoning, internal injuries and cancerous tumors. The swelling is not the disease itself, but rather a symptom, which is caused by a build-up of fluids in the body cavity due to internal organ failure.



Treatment:

Treatment of this disease is difficult, as by the time it is recognized, permanent damage to the internal organs of the fish will have occurred. Immediate treatment must be performed if there is to be any chance for survival. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and or Clout are the best medications for treatment of Dropsy. Notwithstanding, not much is known for certain about the etiology of this disease and some experienced aquarists use antibiotics to fight Dropsy. For oxytetracycline, baths of 20-100 mg/litre for five days is suggested. For tetracycline hydrochloride, treat with baths of 40-100 mg/litre for five days. And for minocycline hydrochloride a dilution of 250mg/10 gallons of water is recommended. On day 2 change all the water and add the medicine again at the same dose for another 2 days. Increase aeration during treatment. Do not use minocycline a third time in a row. Caution: tetracyclines are photo sensitive so turn the tank lights off during treatment and cover the whole tank with a blanket. If the fish is still eating, you can soak the food in a concentrated solution of the antibiotic before feeding.



For more information:

 

[WILDER]

Ok.
Being skinny or bloated can mean internal parasites to fish tb.

With no more symtoms apart from bloating and fish being skinny it's hard to point it towards which one.

I think for now I would treat the whole tank for internal parasites.
Keep a look out for when your fish go to the toilet.
Also have you lost any fish to bent spines.

 

[mr130gallon]

about 2 months ago i lost 4 zebra danios to internal parasites, ill treat the tank for them

 

[WILDER]

Did you redose.
What med was you using?

 

[mr130gallon]

i havent got any meds yet, ill get my mom to pick some up tomorrow if she can.

 

[WILDER]

So you never used a internal parasite med when you lost the danio's to internal parasites.

 

[mr130gallon]

no, because i didnt know why they died when they did, but now i do know why they died

 

[WILDER]

Ok.

I would buy an internal wormer then.