Fish Dying Please Help

[trevorjdaniel]

Hi There,

I was wondering if anyone can help please???

I have lost 1 fish yesterday and looks like I will loose another today...

Bit of background...

It's my first aquarium.
It's 60 litres.
Its been up and running since March this year.
Never had a fish lost before.
I do a 25% water change weekly.
I feed twice daily Aquarian Tropical Flake Food.
The light is left of most of the day. Only put it on for a few hours in the evening.
No new fish or plants have been added for a number of months.
I dont have a water testing kit.

So, this is the story.....

A few days ago I noticed that my original female molly had one of her eyes sticking out and the scales around her eye was seeming to rot away....

I kept and eye on her thinking this was related to an injury by the male constantly chasing her around the tank. And to be honest, it did appear to start getting better...

BUT, then, yesterday morning, I noticed a blue fungus like spot near the tail fin of one of my other fish. - See attached image...

I then rushed onto the internet to try and investigate what was happening... It looked like I needed to get some medication so I took the attached picture and rushed out to my local aquarium store. They looked at the picture and listened to my explanation and recommended a bottle of "Myaxin 0 Fin Rot & Ulcers" It claims to be able to treat Fin & Body Rot, Ulcers, Cloudy/Pop Eye and other bacterial infections.

I brought this back yesterday and added 4ml as instructed...

Anyway, I got up this morning and came down to feed the fish and very sadly, I found the white molly dead. Very very sad. One of my original fish and a mother of 3. And, as if that wasn't enough. My other sick fish looks much worse. It's now sitting on the bottom breathing very lightly and very often loses her balance and rolls onto her back.

Can anyone help me find out what I have done wrong and what I can do to try and save the rest of the fish if they are in danger of catching what killed the Molly?

Thanks in advance

Trev

This site only allows a 100k upload so here is a link to a high quality picture...

http/www.ibbd-fasthosts.co.uk/HPIM0495.JPG

 

[newcastlelas]

Hi There,

I was wondering if anyone can help please???

I have lost 1 fish yesterday and looks like I will loose another today...

Bit of background...

It's my first aquarium.
It's 60 litres.
Its been up and running since March this year.
Never had a fish lost before.
I do a 25% water change weekly.
I feed twice daily Aquarian Tropical Flake Food.
The light is left of most of the day. Only put it on for a few hours in the evening.
No new fish or plants have been added for a number of months.
I dont have a water testing kit.

So, this is the story.....

A few days ago I noticed that my original female molly had one of her eyes sticking out and the scales around her eye was seeming to rot away....

I kept and eye on her thinking this was related to an injury by the male constantly chasing her around the tank. And to be honest, it did appear to start getting better...

BUT, then, yesterday morning, I noticed a blue fungus like spot near the tail fin of one of my other fish. - See attached image...

I then rushed onto the internet to try and investigate what was happening... It looked like I needed to get some medication so I took the attached picture and rushed out to my local aquarium store. They looked at the picture and listened to my explanation and recommended a bottle of "Myaxin 0 Fin Rot & Ulcers" It claims to be able to treat Fin & Body Rot, Ulcers, Cloudy/Pop Eye and other bacterial infections.

I brought this back yesterday and added 4ml as instructed...

Anyway, I got up this morning and came down to feed the fish and very sadly, I found the white molly dead. Very very sad. One of my original fish and a mother of 3. And, as if that wasn't enough. My other sick fish looks much worse. It's now sitting on the bottom breathing very lightly and very often loses her balance and rolls onto her back.

Can anyone help me find out what I have done wrong and what I can do to try and save the rest of the fish if they are in danger of catching what killed the Molly?

Thanks in advance

Trev

hey av just went through the same thing as you and nobody really help me.
I think its because we dont have a test kit to be honest anyway .. i just lost another fish 1 hour ago but my other dalmatian molly looks good for now.
i have been treating my tank for 3 days. i suggest that what you have is not fin rot though it looks like white spot if it looks like a fungus. you would be better off with waterlife Protozin thats what am using at the moment but, i was a bit to late to save 2 of my fish and 1 baby fry i have (the fry was not good from the start he never seem to grow ).

but since you have been using Myxazin i suggest not to use other med's for at least 4 days (says on the bottle)..

but don't take everything i have said just wait for an expert to give you some advice. but this is my opinion i just hope somebody comes and helps you

Leann

 

[trevorjdaniel]

She's just passed away. Gone to the great aquarium in the skies... RIP

What do i do now? Do I keep treating? None of the other fish are currently looking ill...

Trev

 

[newcastlelas]

She's just passed away. Gone to the great aquarium in the skies... RIP

What do i do now? Do I keep treating? None of the other fish are currently looking ill...

Trev

Yes dont stop the course of treatment. as if it was a parasite they can become free born then can infect your other fish.. hope things get better for you. let us know how it goes

Leann

*I forgot*.. Sorry to hear that.. R.I.P

 

[Colin_T]

The clamped fins and bent back are typical signs of bacterial or protozoan problems. Waterlife Myxazin will deal with bacterial and fungal problems but if a protozoan parasite is causing the trouble then Waterlife Protozin is a better choice. But try the Myxazin because it is pretty good stuff.
Treat the tank for a week and it should have fixed the problems.

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

Before you treat the tank it’s a good idea to do a 50% water change and complete gravel clean. This will reduce the gunk in the tank and allow the medication to work more effectively. It will also lower the pathogen count in the water and mean there are less nasties around to infect the fish.
The filter should also be cleaned. The filter materials should be washed in a bucket of tank water and not washed under tap water.
Remove carbon from the filter before treating otherwise it will absorb the medication out of the water.

 

[trevorjdaniel]

i am trying to think back to what has changed and why these fish died.

when i look closely at my plants they all have strange black "weeds" growing from them..

can you see them in the pic? any ideas?

high quality pic is here:

http/www.ibbd-fasthosts.co.uk/HPIM0500.JPG

 

[Colin_T]

The black stuff on the leaves is either filamentous algae or black beard algae. They are both a real pain to get rid of. And by the looks of the plant it isn't a true aquatic so probably won't last that long underwater. True aquatic plants can't support their own weight when removed from the water, marsh plants can. Hygrophillas, Swordplants & crypts are exceptions and will grow in marsh conditions and under water.

 

[trevorjdaniel]

unfortunately... now my male white molly has developed a lump on its side...

I have continued to medicate the water with Myxazin

Did it a water test 2 days ago and all looks fine.....

can you see this?

Trev

 

[Colin_T]

The white lump could be due to a couple of scales coming out. If so then it will be fine and new scales will grow over the area in a month or so. However, due to the other problems you have had in the tank it could also be the start of an ulcer.
The male molly looks healthy besides the white lump. Keep an eye on the lump and if it starts to go red in the middle or look a bit like a pimple, then it is probably an ulcer and will need a different medication.

You mention that you do a water change each week, but do you gravel clean the tank as well? If not the problems could be caused by a build up of gunk in the gravel.
The filter is the other thing, if it hasn't been cleaned recently it could be adding to the problem. Filters should be cleaned about once a month. If the filter has a lot of gunk in it then the clean tank water will just get dirty when it passes through it.

How long have you had the current container of fish food? You should try to use up the food within a couple of months to prevent it going stale. You might also want to add some other food to the fish's diet to try and build up their immune system. You can buy frozen fish foods from the local fish shop, or just buy some raw prawn & fish from a bait/ fishing shop or supermarket. Keep the prawn frozen until needed, then defrost a bit, remove the shell, and cut it into little pieces, (I use a pr of scissors for this). Feed a few bits at a time until the fish are full, then remove any uneaten food.
Mollies & platies also need some vegetable matter in their diet. You can buy a vegetable flake, or try feeding them some peas. You can partially boil the peas to soften them up, then squish the peas up and feed a bit at a time. You can try other fruits and veges as well, with the exception of onion & potatoe. Try different things and see what the fish eat.
You can add Vitamin C & Betacarotene to the raw prawn. These are natural anti-oxidants and will help the fish build up a resistance to diseases.

You might also try de-worming the fish. Intestinal worms can weaken a fish and make it more susceptible to diseases.

If the fish continue to develop problems and die over the next few months they could have Tuberculosis (TB). This bacterium sometimes gets into tanks and affects the fish. If more fish continue to die you might want to take one or two down to a fish vet and have them autopsied. Unfortunately vets cost a bit of money but many countries have government run animal health labs that do this for free. Check with your local department of agriculture and see what they have in the way of a fish health lab and if they do autopsies on aquarium fishes.

 

[trevorjdaniel]

The white lump could be due to a couple of scales coming out. If so then it will be fine and new scales will grow over the area in a month or so. However, due to the other problems you have had in the tank it could also be the start of an ulcer.
The male molly looks healthy besides the white lump. Keep an eye on the lump and if it starts to go red in the middle or look a bit like a pimple, then it is probably an ulcer and will need a different medication.

Hi Colin, Thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately, I have got up this morning to find the molly hiding at the surface at the back of the tank with all its fins clamped. This is the first time EVER he has not been at the front of the tank scrabbling for food. I really think he's getting worse.

You mention that you do a water change each week, but do you gravel clean the tank as well? If not the problems could be caused by a build up of gunk in the gravel.
The filter is the other thing, if it hasn't been cleaned recently it could be adding to the problem. Filters should be cleaned about once a month. If the filter has a lot of gunk in it then the clean tank water will just get dirty when it passes through it.

Yes, I do a 25% water change each week. No, I haven't been cleaning the gravel. However I I have just bought a gravel cleaning thingy from Ebay and it should come tomorrow. But, when i remember putting the "substrate" in, I remember it being a mix of a lot of soil and a lot less of stone so I am worried I will suck out the soil which should remain in there?

I also clean the filter each time I change the water. I clean it in the water I have taken from the tank. It's a very small pump/filter and i don't think it would last a whole month between cleans. It seems to get choked after more than a week.

How long have you had the current container of fish food? You should try to use up the food within a couple of months to prevent it going stale. You might also want to add some other food to the fish's diet to try and build up their immune system. You can buy frozen fish foods from the local fish shop, or just buy some raw prawn & fish from a bait/ fishing shop or supermarket. Keep the prawn frozen until needed, then defrost a bit, remove the shell, and cut it into little pieces, (I use a pr of scissors for this). Feed a few bits at a time until the fish are full, then remove any uneaten food.
Mollies & platies also need some vegetable matter in their diet. You can buy a vegetable flake, or try feeding them some peas. You can partially boil the peas to soften them up, then squish the peas up and feed a bit at a time. You can try other fruits and veges as well, with the exception of onion & potatoe. Try different things and see what the fish eat.
You can add Vitamin C & Betacarotene to the raw prawn. These are natural anti-oxidants and will help the fish build up a resistance to diseases.

You might also try de-worming the fish. Intestinal worms can weaken a fish and make it more susceptible to diseases.

Yes, I think the flake fish food I have is definitely stale. It's nowhere near as flaky as when I bought it. I will go out today and buy some fresh. But it's only about 6 weeks old and I always replace the lid as soon as I have fed them.

If the fish continue to develop problems and die over the next few months they could have Tuberculosis (TB). This bacterium sometimes gets into tanks and affects the fish. If more fish continue to die you might want to take one or two down to a fish vet and have them autopsied. Unfortunately vets cost a bit of money but many countries have government run animal health labs that do this for free. Check with your local department of agriculture and see what they have in the way of a fish health lab and if they do autopsies on aquarium fishes.

I will keep a close eye on the Molly today but I am not hopeful. It is starting to look more and more like the symptoms that killed the female molly over the weekend and the red fish shown above in the photo.

Am I destined to loose all my fish one by one???

Very Sad Trev

 

[Miss Wiggle]

when you go to the fish shop by a good liquid based test kit, in my experience about 75/80% of all aquarium diseases are caused/triggered by poor water quality, if you don't have a test kit you can't monitor what's going on with the water and you could be storing up all sorts of problems for later. when treating disease the first thing to check is water quality, you need to keep it super clean when medicating.

Imagine you were in a hospital with a serious illness, now imagine that the floor's not been cleaned in months and there's muck everywhere and the air is full of exhaust fumes...... it's not hard to imagine how that environment would inhibit recovery is it?!

If you can't find a decent liquid based test kit in your local fish shop then have a look on ebay, can normally get the API Fresh Water Master Test Kit for between £15 and £20. Take a sample of tank water to the fish shop and ask them to test it for you, don't ask them what's wrong with it just say what are the readings for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, write down the numbers and post them here. This is the single most important thing you can do right now IMHO.

We are not fish keepers, we are water keepers, look after your water and the fish will look after themselves.

 

[trevorjdaniel]

Water readings using a liquid based testing kit from Nutrafin.

ph = 7
NH3/NH4 = 0 mg/l
NO2 = .1
NO3 = 5 mg/l

They all look fine to me?

Thanks Trev

 

[Miss Wiggle]

the NO2 is not fine, it should be 0 at all times. I know 0.1 doesn't sound like much but it really is very dangerous, it's most definately enough to cause the health problems that you've had so far.

You should immediately do a large water change (50%) to reduce this, test it again 1 hr after the water change, if it's not down to 0 then do another water change and so on.

You'll need to test daily over the next couple of weeks to see if you keep getting this reading, any day that you get the reading do water changes to get rid of it, if it keeps coming back then there's something wrong with the tank that needs fixing, common problems are overstocking, underperforming filter, poor maintenance, overfeeding etc, I'd suspect the alck of substrate cleaning is a problem. It sounds like you bought a substrate for good plant growth, can you let us know what it was please?

 

[trevorjdaniel]

Hi Wiggle,

I have just done a 50% water change. As you suggest, I will wait an hour and check the NO2 again.

I cannot remember what the substrate was that I originally put in, but it was the one that the shop recommended. All I know is that it was made by a company called COLOMBO and came in a bucket with a green lid. I have Googled it but couldnt find it.

I'll update you on water quality in a few hours.

Many thanks for your help.

Trev

 

[Miss Wiggle]

no probs, I'd suggest making a post in the planted tank forum asking about the substrate, if you include a link to this topic so they can get the full background to the query, if they can work out what it is you'll be able to find out how/if you're supposed to clean it