All my fish are dying!!!

[maggiespaws]

Hi,

I need help. I have an 18" by 14" by 12" tank which has been running for over 6 months. Everything has been fine and I stocked my tank with the following:

6 x X-ray tetra
6 x Blue Neon
4 x Black Widow tetra
2 x Oval shaped rainbow fish (sorry, not sure what they are called)
1 x Plecostomus (or Rufus as we call him) who is approx 4.5" in length

A few days ago, I noticed that their fins were rotting and opaque in colour = fin rot. Hence, I did a 50% water change and treated them with 'No8 Fin Rot' medication.

Since then, I have lost all of the Black Widows, 5 x Neons and my Plecostomus is acting very sluggish. The Rainbow fish seem to spend quite a lot of time swimming at the surface of the water, as if they are starved for oxygen. I cleaned the filter etc in the dirty water when I did the change.

I now also have what looks to be white 'fluff'/bloom floating around in the tank and is stuck on the sides. Is this a result of the medication? or is it because the Plec isn't eating, or is it the root cause of the problem.

I've lent out my water testing kit and will get that back today. I will post the results once I have them.

Please help

Thanks
Lisa

 

[RobbieM]

For a start it looks like your overstocked.

If the finrot is not treated before it reaches the fin base the fish will die.

Poor water quality is probably the cause here, with your tank being heavily stocked, the filter may be suffering.

How often do you change water and how much at a time?

All treatments starve the oxygen in the water so it is important to have plentey of surface movement.

Iam think you catfish will survive as they are hard as nails.

 

[jpd1489]

could be ich.....white stuff sticks to the side of the tank when you have it

 

[suemack]

hi Lisa - sorry to hear bout your problems with your fish.

What sort of filtration have you got on the tank and how often have you been doing w/changes in there?

Firstly add an airstone - even 2 to raise the levels of O2 in the water and improve the circulation.
IMO do daily w/changes till the fish are looking less sluggish.
cut back or even don't feed the fish for a day/couple of days and if you do feed make sure to siphon out any uneaten food

some test results would be really helpful to give a better idea of what's going on in the tank ....oh and the type of filtration

regards
sue

 

[maggiespaws]

hi Lisa - sorry to hear bout your problems with your fish.

What sort of filtration have you got on the tank and how often have you been doing w/changes in there?

Firstly add an airstone - even 2 to raise the levels of O2 in the water and improve the circulation.
IMO do daily w/changes till the fish are looking less sluggish.
cut back or even don't feed the fish for a day/couple of days and if you do feed make sure to siphon out any uneaten food

some test results would be really helpful to give a better idea of what's going on in the tank ....oh and the type of filtration

regards
sue

Thanks for everyone's help/suggestions.

Things got a little hairy during the time I first posted. I've since lost all but my Plec and the 6 little X-Ray tetra. Once I got my water test kit back I tested the water and it came out fine.... The tank is 18" x 12' x 10" and I had stocked it according to what my local fish store told me I could put in it (around 20 small fish).

I usually do a 50% change every 10-14 days, as instructed by my local fish store. I have a healthy oxygenating plant in the tank as well (complete with rootball).

I can only put it down to lack of oxygen - although why things changed all of a sudden when the tank had been running fine with all the fish in (for about 6mths) I dont know. I have since bought an air stone (unfortunately not early enough to save the rainbow tetra - damn easter weekend) and all now seems to be fine.

From what I've read about finrot, it's a secondary disease - so there must have been something else to cause the problems in the first place before that.

Rufus survived and that's the main thing I guess (I've had him the longest - he's the only surviving member of my first tank now) as did the x-ray tetra which my fiancee thinks look like little 'sharks'.

I think I'll hold off for a while before I buy new fish.

Thanks for your help