Fine Threads From Fish's Mouth

[IzzysGuppies]

Hi,
The normal bits: 60l planted tank, not tested tonight, but two days ago ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, nitrate trace and pH is normally 7.8 Set up for just over a year.

Current occupants 2 male guppies, 3 dwarf neon rainbows, 5 glowlight tetras, 1 Panda cory, 1 dwarf cory and 1 pitbull plec.

At the begining of August my daughter added some new fish to her aquarium, including 6 rainbows, we lost one soon after, but I had noticed as we were floating them that he had a bump/sore on his head, it had seemed to be getting better, but then he suddenly died. Last Thursday / Friday I noticed the smaller male had stringy poo, I normally do the water change on a Sat (sometimes the sun) and thought I'd address it then, though wasn't too sure which way to go with it, but it had died during the night before I did the water change. I assumed from internal bacteria. (Also had a tetra die what must be about 3 weeks ago, not sure why it died, and whoever was spawning was still doing so at this point). I was concerned that one of the tetras was swimming apart form the others and was a bit fat I thought I would add Melafix into the tank after changing the water, also one of the rainbows had developed a slightly tatty tail, and so it has been added every day except for today. Today I noticed that the female rainbows with the tatty tail has lost much of its tail compared to yesterday and that the other female had stringy poo, the one with the stringy poo helpfully swam to the front of the tank and as it was sideways on I noticed fine thread like things coming out of its mouth when it breathes.

I didn't add the melafix today as I am also concerned about our remaining dwarf cory (started off as 5) as it had an upside down moment, which I have not seen this one do, but it is what the others were doing when they died, which they did at various stages after getting them which for the first 3 I had put down to stress (one had been upside down in the bag before we even left the shop and two other hadn't taken well to being caught or re-released). (I must stress that the shop I get the fish from has got experienced staff and have always given me good advice even when I've not been getting anything)

Now, I've been looking on the internet and searching forums to try and work out what this rainbow has and what to do with it. Whether what is has means that the tank should be treated or just that fish, as I'm worried it has the stringy poo almost exactly one week after the last one died. The only other thing that has changed in the tank is that I took out the 2nd filter to put in another 25l tank that I set up 2 weeks ago as a fry tank with what I think are rainbow fry, but I have kept a close eye on the main tank's stats just in case it affected the balance and all appears to be well. In the fry tank we have 4 fry, 3 must be about 6 weeks old and the other maybe 1 week younger.

I do have a tiny 5 litre plastic tank, but no way of heating it, I can put a bubble stone in it, but filter is more tricky.

If anyone has any ideas that could help, we would be really very gratefull.
Many thanks in advance,
Lisa and Izzy

 

[WILDER]

What's the make of the test kit you are using?
What do you feed your fish?

The bump on the head did it look hard of soft like filled with fluid.
Was there any redness to the lump on the head region.
Did the lump ulcerate away the skin.

Do any fish look skinny or bloated.
Do any fish produce clear mucas poo, or red poo.
Is the anus of the fish enlarged, or red and inflamed.
Do any fish have sunken in bellys.
Do any fish swim on there sides.
Do any fish have bent spines.
Any worms prutruding from the anus.

Have you seen any fish nipping other fish.
Any white, pink, red edging to fins.
Any red streaking in fins.
Do the fish look cloudy with excess mucas.
Any holes in the fins.
Do the fins look raggy or uneaven.

Are fish able to maintain balance in the water.

White strands of cotton coming from the mouth area can be columnaris. Columanris is bacterial.

 

[IzzysGuppies]

Hi and thanks Wilder,
The test kit is the API liquid one,
They are fed Tetra flakes, Tetramin tabs and the occaisional hikari wafer circular thing, frozen bloodworm every so often. They are fed 2ce a day and not fed on a wednesday.
I do 25% water change every week with a gravel vac over half the tank.
The rainbow with a bump was the first to die out of the rainbows, it did look like he had a sore bump, sorry its not a better description. He died about a week after getting him and after he looked like he was getting better. That left 5 rainbows. the one with stringy poo week before last didn't seem to have any other symptoms apart from not swimming with the others for much of the time, the tetra that died the week before had looked a bit bloated, but I still have one that is fatter than the others, so not sure if it was a fat one or not, but couldn't say about the poos as I have never seen a tetra poo! When I set up the fry tank 2 weeks ago today I did do a 75% water change or thereabouts as I needed to slide the main tank over a bit to fit the new fry tank into the space, and I am now thinking it may have been this along with a raised incidence of bacteria that stresses out the two I described above.

Updating this from my original post, I separated the rainbow with the rapidly deteriating tail and it was dead this morning. Its tail looked thinner with whitish patches on Thursday eve, much shorter with red at the base of the tail on Friday, moved it sat morning as realised it was also very fluffy and had shrunk even more, this rainbow had been eating ok as far as I remember.
The other rainbow with the stringy poo is still with us she is keeping to herself from time to time, but there is now only this one and a big male left. Her fins look a bit clamped in comparison to the male but she is still eating, not quite in the same fashion as the male who resembles a pihrana! I've been trying to watch her mouth, this morning I'd have said I could still see one 'tread' coming out as she breathed out, but I couldn't see any a little while ago.
I have doen a 15% change today, but not added anything as yet to the tank for meds, not sure what to do. I had been adding Melafix until thursday last week due the symptoms in my original post. Meds I have at home are: Melafix, Pimafix, Esha2000 and Interpet anti bacterial No 9. I am truely devistated about these rainbows, they have been so wonderful to watch and I am almost certain it is their fry that are happily swimming in the other tank and growing well.

Thanks again for any help offered.
Lisa and Izzy

 

[WILDER]

You can add some pimafix with the melafix.
Or do a water change and add the esha 2000 med. You can use melafix with the med but it needs diluting down with a water change.

Improve the fish diet with more frozen foods like frozen daphnia, and brime shrimp.
Introduce some green veg into there diet like lettuce, cucumba, sproats, green cabbage, broc, spinach peas.

Feed some shelled peas for now.

 

[IzzysGuppies]

Thanks Wilder,
I did a 25% water change today, will that be enough to change to the esha? there has been no melafix since thursday.
Is Esha going to be better than melafix and Pimafix?
Forgot to say that the fish do get peas- shelled, blanched and squished about once a week or so.
Do I need to cook the other veg or do they have it raw?

I presume the frozen bloodworm is safe, but there does eem to be a coincidence with starting to feed it again and getting problems, but for the main part, I have just blamed it all on coincidence.

I watched the fish closely at feeding time this eve, and although the rainbow in question did get excited I am not sure she ate much if anything.
Thanks again,
Lisa

 

[WILDER]

It depends on the strain of bacteria you are dealing with. If it's mild any of the meds you have should work.
If it's a bad strain you really need antibiotics in isolation.

I think I would use esha med over melafix myself. Melafix is only good on cuts and wounds.