Diagnosis Needed

[who-izzet]

you should be able to get Epsom salts from any supermarket. They are commonly called bath salts. It should state "contains magnesium & calcium salts" on the box.
2 Points to you for getting that one

You can increase the rock salt in the tank if it looks like the problem is still affecting some of the fish. Use the same dose as before 2 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres.

Ok mate, I have the Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate). I am going to do a water change in a minute. I've just got back in from work. Amazingly the males are still alive, so it has slowed down at least but they look rough and the female is sitting on the bottom. I think she will die. I put a swordtail in a baby tank in there and she has had 30ish healthy babies.

 

[who-izzet]

Ok I've set up a small hospital tank and used the same water and I've put the 4 infected fish in it. So nothing is showing visible signs now in the livebearer tank. Added 2 table spoons of Epsom Salt, I've done a 25% water change and here are all the readings.

Temp 76F
Nitrite 0
Nitrate Unkown (new test kit ordered last night)
Ammonia 0
PH 7.0
GH 11 (It says in my book it should be between 6-16)
KH 3
CO2 10

All looks good sofar. I tested the tap water before adding to the tank and it was 5.0 so I buffered it with Bicarb and left it to settle for 5 minutes and tested again. Let's see if we get some good results now then.

I couldn't believe it when I found out Epsom salt is good for constipation. I hope my tank won't be brown tomorrow!

 

[Colin_T]

I couldn't believe it when I found out Epsom salt is good for constipation. I hope my tank won't be brown tomorrow!

LOL

 

[who-izzet]

I couldn't believe it when I found out Epsom salt is good for constipation. I hope my tank won't be brown tomorrow!

LOL

Well it's not all plain sailing yet but in some fish there's seems to be improvements from just watching them swim around. Some look happy.

1 female died today, strange death. No sign of fin-rot, mouth open and body bent sideways. 1 swordtail still clamping tail and a few lyre tail mollies with white ends of fins but it doesn't look like rotting, any knowledge of what that may be? I have seen this on fish a year or two ago but none died and it just cleared, stress maybe? From what I can see no fin-rot on any fish. All fish are swimming fine apart from one clamping tail.

 

[Colin_T]

fish produce excess mucous when stressed. It is most commonly seen in new tanks where there is an ammonia or nitrite reading, or if the PH is really low. It shows up as white edging around the tail or fins and cloudy eyes.
But the clamped tail is usually a bacterial infection.

It sounds like the Myxazin and Pimafix aren't strong enough to do the job. It might be time to use something a little more potent.
Waterlife protozin is a bit stronger than Myxazin but can cause problems to catfish and loaches. The other option is Tetracycline which you will probably need a vet prescription for. Tetracycline will wipe out your filter bacteria but should take care of any bacterial infections.
Maybe try Protozin first for a week and see if it helps. Before adding it to the tank do a couple of big (75-80%) water changes. Then run a course fo Protozin.
In the mean time maybe take a couple of sick fish to a fish vet and have them autopsied.
Keep the salt treatment up, including the Epsom salts.

 

[who-izzet]

fish produce excess mucous when stressed. It is most commonly seen in new tanks where there is an ammonia or nitrite reading, or if the PH is really low. It shows up as white edging around the tail or fins and cloudy eyes.
But the clamped tail is usually a bacterial infection.

It sounds like the Myxazin and Pimafix aren't strong enough to do the job. It might be time to use something a little more potent.
Waterlife protozin is a bit stronger than Myxazin but can cause problems to catfish and loaches. The other option is Tetracycline which you will probably need a vet prescription for. Tetracycline will wipe out your filter bacteria but should take care of any bacterial infections.
Maybe try Protozin first for a week and see if it helps. Before adding it to the tank do a couple of big (75-80%) water changes. Then run a course fo Protozin.
In the mean time maybe take a couple of sick fish to a fish vet and have them autopsied.
Keep the salt treatment up, including the Epsom salts.

Ok cheers mate. It's more like the cotton wool growths now. No new dead fish but at least 3 have some cottom wool patches. I've had this years ago but it seems strange that it's one problem after another. I have Protozin suprisingly, I brought it a couple of years ago only to realise the strength of it, not used it since! So I will be weary. I've just ran 1 more treatment of the salts and myxazin + Pimafix. If tomorrow no improvement, I will do a big water change and go onto the Protozin.

 

[Colin_T]

The cotton wool growths are fungus that is infecting the damaged tissue. The Myxazin should control it, it's unusual that it isn't.

Protozin is fairly safe but you don't want to overdose with it. To work out the volume of water in the tank
measure Length x Width x Height in cm
divide by 1000
equals volume in litres

When you measure the height measure from the top of the gravel to the top of the water level. If there are big rocks or driftwood in the tank remove them before measuring the height.

 

[who-izzet]

The cotton wool growths are fungus that is infecting the damaged tissue. The Myxazin should control it, it's unusual that it isn't.

Protozin is fairly safe but you don't want to overdose with it. To work out the volume of water in the tank
measure Length x Width x Height in cm
divide by 1000
equals volume in litres

When you measure the height measure from the top of the gravel to the top of the water level. If there are big rocks or driftwood in the tank remove them before measuring the height.

Cheers mate. I came back from work yesterday to find all the fish are ok apart from one with the cottom wool, which died. All the other fish now look good. The cotton wool cleared on the other. I will run 1 more day of the Myxazin and Pimafix I think and perhaps some salt but the fish look so much better now. I've studied them and I cannot see 1 fish with anything. The guppy that was swimming at the back is swimming about again and the Swordtail has more life in him.

 

[Colin_T]

maybe run the Myxazin and Pimafix for a couple of days just to make sure. And keep the salt levels up for a while too. Just in case there's anything nasty left in the tank.

When you start doing water changes to dilute the salt out of the tank, only do small 10% water changes each day. Do this for a few weeks and then start to do bigger water changes.

 

[who-izzet]

maybe run the Myxazin and Pimafix for a couple of days just to make sure. And keep the salt levels up for a while too. Just in case there's anything nasty left in the tank.

When you start doing water changes to dilute the salt out of the tank, only do small 10% water changes each day. Do this for a few weeks and then start to do bigger water changes.

Ok, I will continue the dose for a few more days. There is a big improvement, you can see the difference in the fish. They are actually exploring the tank, chasing, mating etc. Nice to see fish all over the tank rather than at the top or near the bottom.

The white went from the fishes fins too.

 

[who-izzet]

All is good, no signs of anything. Just another 12 baby guppies from a young female. I seen her eat 5 the little devil!

Looks like the problem is over. Done the last course of treatment today and will start on the water changes. Looks like the Protozin wasn't needed in the end.

Many thanks for the people who have helped. Lets hope I can have a disease free tank now. Checked the Nitrate with my new test kit.

Nitrate = below 1 but not zero so a few water changes should put that back to 0

 

[Colin_T]

A nitrate reading of 1 is not an issue. Nitrates can go up quite high and not be a real problem. Obviously we try to keep them as low as possible.

However, a nitrite reading of 1 is a problem but should go pretty quickly when the filters settle down and you do some water changes.

remember to only do small 10% water changes to start with. You need to lower the salt levels in the water slowly.

 

[who-izzet]

A nitrate reading of 1 is not an issue. Nitrates can go up quite high and not be a real problem. Obviously we try to keep them as low as possible.

However, a nitrite reading of 1 is a problem but should go pretty quickly when the filters settle down and you do some water changes.

remember to only do small 10% water changes to start with. You need to lower the salt levels in the water slowly.

Still good apart from one female guppy who has gone thin. I've noticed her poo is see-through, there is a reason for this that I've had a problem with a couple of years ago. Is this a parasite? It's actually like a see-through, white-ish colour. Trying to rack my brain now, well what I have of one!

 

[Colin_T]

Fish losing weight over a course of several months can have worms but it's usually an internal bacterial infection if it happens suddenly.
Internal problems are the hardest ones to treat because you have to get the medication inside the fish.

 

[who-izzet]

Fish losing weight over a course of several months can have worms but it's usually an internal bacterial infection if it happens suddenly.
Internal problems are the hardest ones to treat because you have to get the medication inside the fish.

Do you think I should get this tetracycladine from the vet?

The fish died but there is another 2 looking slim. No fish are itching anymore. They lose weight and it looks like their gills stick outwards, probably do to being so slim. It's the same tank as the one that had the problem, the other 2 tanks are great. All the other fish look very good apart from the other 2 female guppies. I thought maybe she had babies but the see-through white poo is a bad sign.