Fish Dying - Looked Everywhere, Need Help. Lotsa Pics

[scarecrow1f9]

I'm new, I hope I posted this in the right section! I've posted this on two other popular online forums, with no positive fix so far.

125g tank / 55g scrubbies (bio-filter) / 30 gallon sump submerged scrubbies / Rena XP4 mechanical filtration

10 years aquarium maintaining, this is my first uncontrollable outbreak. The water quality is immaculate. They get 25% every 3 days normally, every day now that they are sick.

Water quality is perfect for a cichlid tank. 80 temp, 8.0 PH, 0/0/<5 water stats, hardness levels just where they should be for the tank type.

Food is a mix of cichlid excel, cichlid gold, and NLS cichlid pellets.

Fish: (when this started)

5 Acei 1.5-2.5 inch
5 yellow lab 1.5-2 inch
3 redfin hap 2-2.5 inch
13 male hap/peacock, all 2-2.5 inch. These had been in the tank a week when the problems started, though in all fairness, they seemed very healthy and showed symptoms last.

Here's how it started:

1. The very first sign was flashing. It started one day and I suspected stress from the newer fish - though everyone was getting along beautifully that I could see.

2. The next day two acei's began turning dark and lethargic. A closer look showed a pinkish/white patch at the end and base of their top fin. I DID NOT separate them as all of the fish were flashing badly.

3. I suspected a parasite due to the flashing first, flukes actually. As I've done in the past on other tanks, I did a 50% water change, raised to temp to 85 and began a salt treatment.

4. The next day they looked worse, and the area was spreading fast from behind their top fin, down around their body in a circle. The area was whitish - the scales were falling off in strings - no real fuzz though. Fish became more lethargic, appetite diminishing. Holding their bodies in a weird way.

5. I began a Formalin and malachite green suspecting fungus. I brought the water temp back down just incase it was bacteria. 25% water changes, daily treatments, as directed.

6. on day 3 of the treatments the first fish of the two sick ones died. Most of his body had lost its scales. The other one made a near full recovery, with some permanent fin damage (shown below in the green rock pic).

7. Day 4 of the treatment 3 more fish have the pinkish/white spot beginning in the exact same place. It seems obvious the formalin and malachite aren't working. I finish treatment anyway.

8. One day after the last treatment I notice the OB has black fins and black spots on his body, similar to spirulina poisoning.

9. Another two fish die of the three that became sick mid-way through the treatment. I actually euthanized them. The third recovered almost completely. This is how they looked just before:

10. I'm suspecting bacteria. I order broad spectrum (kanamyacin) and general parasite treatment. I'm still waiting on these.

11. It's now 4 days after the treatement. Another fish develops the first signs. 25% water changed daily continue.

12. The OB no longer has black spots or fins. I suspected it was a toxic reaction to the malachite and formalin.

13. Two hours later, and 4 days after the treatment - a hap has the black spots and fins:

I still assume the black spots/fins is some sort of reaction to chemicals or stress from constant water changes. They hate them.

14. Last night I am moving rocks during the water change and notice the inside portion of my rocks are beginning to look mint green. it's bright. Is this a reaction to the malachite a full 6 days later?

http/s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp67/scarecrow1f9/?action=view&current=IMG-20120104-00066.jpg

(bottom of pic)

15. Today another two have the mark. Medicine I ordered still on it's way. Anyone seen this before, it's tearing through my fish - and kills in about 48 hours. Or - it just goes away leaving them scarred.

Can anyone help? I've been to two other forums about this. it seems to have to be more than one thing, the symptoms dont all match up. Thanks!

 

[Malawi MaD]

None of the fish have a cotton wool like growth/fungus round their mouth do they?? There is a disease that malawi's are prone to called columnaris, its usually fatal if not treat correctly and quickly. Im not sure if its columnaris or not, the fish in the 4th pic, That does look very similar symptoms to that of columnaris. The black dot's on Otopharynx in the last pic are it's colouring?

 

[scarecrow1f9]

on the last pic - the fish in the middle never had black fins before - they turned black like that for about a day, today they are looking normal again. He also had small black spots that just dont show up well in the pic - like the OB above. Both went back to the normal coloring a day or two later - I have no idea if it's related or not.

As far as culumnaris, I'm assuming at this point that that's what this is - I'm hoping the kanamycin will knock it out. But it does not have the usual mouth fuzz, or fuzz anywhere for that matter.

Has no one else had their rocks turn mint green? The tank was a marine tank before this, and the lighting is reef intended lighting. I will change it out, but I've never had a problem with that setup before in cichlid tanks as long as the substrate was dark and there was plenty of cover.