Can’t work it out

[Fishfinder1973]

Well the fish deaths have stopped,but the tank isn’t out of the woods yet.

I’ve put the problem down to columnaris,but I’m not sure.
There is a weird cycle happening and it’s hard to work out what’s going on.
So the fish develop these white marks,but after a water change the marks totally disappear,then after a week or so they get the white marks,but again they disappear immediately after the next water change.
It’s almost as if there is something leaching for either the sand or rocks until I do a water change. I have hardly been feeding them lately in order to keep the water as clean as possible for as long as possible.
I would have thought if the fish have columnaris that a water change wouldn’t clear the white stuff away immediately,or at all.
Is this possible?

 

[Naughts]

Can you post a picture of the white marks?

Some diseases stick around. At the moment I am running one of my tanks as a 'closed system' (no fish in or out) as I suspect a disease was introduced. Maybe when all the fish have lived out their lives I'll clean or replace everything and start again.

The water changes could be enough to reduce the pathogens and perk up the fish but long term it may not work as any other stressor could tip the balance?

 

[Alice B]

Pictures, please.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

Pictures, please.

There’s a photo in the first post

 

[Uberhoust]

What changes when you do a water change?

1. Ph?
2. GH?
3. Bad Bacteria Loading
4. Mulm loading
5. Fish's behavior

If it is a bacterial or viral vector, then perhaps changing the water lowers the bacterial levels to the point that the fish can fight it off but as time progresses the number of bacteria increase leading to new growths on the fish. Similar if the general pH or GH changes might lead to different responses either from the disease-causing organism or with the fish's response to them. Similarly, the mulm in the tank might be a reserve for the pathogen that is adversely affected during a water change.

 

[Alice B]

There’s a photo in the first post

looks like columnaris in the pic

 

[Fishfinder1973]

I haven’t been on the forum for a while now and I have plenty of threads to look through and catch up on,which is great.
So an update on the columnaris outbreak in my 109G. The disease is still there,but,and it’s a hopeful but more than anything,but 99% of the remaining fish are doing good,especially the fish that suffered and survived a serious ich outbreak around a year before the columnaris. I say 99% because there is the one fish that has columnaris,and that’s one of my two bronze corydoras. I’ve had him since I set the tank up over 3yrs ago and I’m gutted for him,and it is a he. His dorsal fin has all but disappeared meaning he can’t swim right,but he is eating and that’s good. No other fish has the disease that I can see,so here’s hoping for a miracle.
All in all the disease killed all the 19 fully grown denison barbs,all 7 ruby barbs,all but two of the melon barbs,all three tinfoil barbs,the blue black panaque,the sultan pleco and a couple of green barbs. That adds up to around 40 amazing little animals. It’s been nothing short of a disaster and horrible to watch,and it’s no fun having to put them out their misery,especially as I’m an animal lover.
I blame myself for it all,I should have had measures in place for such an outbreak but I didn’t. I basically thought
“Nah! Something like this will never happen with MY tank”. A life lesson learned the hard way is a lesson never forgotten. I now have a small 60l hospital tank cycling at this moment,and although my wee bronze corydoras will die,and he will,I feel a very relieved that I have gave my fish a better chance in the future.
One last thing to say,and this has to be said.
To the forum member who accused me of being some crazy person who likes nothing better than flicking my fish on the head to dispatch them,without feelings,well here’s some words for you.
Even though you replied to my method of euthanasia,which I believe is the quickest and creates less pain for the animal,I really hope you never have to go through the sadness I’ve felt about my fish,my aquarium infact. I wouldn’t wish it on you. Someone who can reply with such hate towards someone they don’t even know and have never met is disgraceful. You should be ashamed of yourself,but then again by not even disclosing what country you live in tells me all I need to know. You could only dream of having a heart the size of mine.
You know who you are.

Hope you all have a good Christmas when it comes round.

Thanks

Ian

 

[Alice B]

Ian I feel your pain, I think I had columnaris in my 55 a few years ago. It was pretty much a wipeout. Then I went thru trusting the wrong fish keeper and introducing neon tetra disease into my tanks, which I was not familiar with, and accidentally wiping out all my fish except for guppies and my bristlenose plecos were immune. I am now a rigid quarantiner. I do feel your pain. I almost didn't set tanks back up. My 40 long set under a tarp outside for 2 years.

 

[Fishfinder1973]

Ian I feel your pain, I think I had columnaris in my 55 a few years ago. It was pretty much a wipeout. Then I went thru trusting the wrong fish keeper and introducing neon tetra disease into my tanks, which I was not familiar with, and accidentally wiping out all my fish except for guppies and my bristlenose plecos were immune. I am now a rigid quarantiner. I do feel your pain. I almost didn't set tanks back up. My 40 long set under a tarp outside for 2 years.

Thanks Alice. Going through a total wipeout,and almost twice must have been really bad,so no wonder you thought about not setting back up. You did though and in my view that’s a sign of a real aquarist,to suffer a blow like that and come back. I hope your aquarium or aquariums run good fir you in the future.
I said I would give it up but,well the negative situation brought out a negative attitude. I’ve not had a total wipeout and hopefully I won’t still. If everything ran smooth then there would be no mistakes to learn from,and at the end of the day life doesn’t work like that as we know.

Thanks for your reply Alice B

 

[Alice B]

It was bad, There is at least one fish store I'll never deal with again, with or without quarantine, but I am enjoying my much smaller numbers of fish now.