Fish Emergency

[Phantom Thief]

About last week, i bought 5 cardinal tetras, to school with my current 7 cardinals. Now 4 of them have died. Also, my dwarf gourami has been showing signs of distress by lying down on its side down there. However it is fully capable of going up for an occasional breath. I have also lost 2 glowlight tetras.

Here is what i had:
12 cardinals
10 glowlights
2 gouramis
3 cories
1 angelfish

Now:
8 cardinals
8 glowlights
2 gouramis
3 cories
1 angelfish.

Its a 65g which has been running for six months. I just did a 35% water change. Also, the angel is still a juvinile and does not bother the other fishes.

Thanks for any help given.
P.T.

 

[Ben]

chek the warmth of the water cuz i got 5 glo lights and did everything ur supposed to(i,e let some water in....then 10 mins later let more in) and as soon as i let them in they died. the next day i bought a thermometre and my water was 87 degrees farihite!!

 

[Phantom Thief]

I don think it is temperature problems. But goddammit 3 fishes died in the night. 1st gourami looked sickly. Second gourami looked ok beforehand, but went berserk and flipped over right in front of me. And the perfectly healthy-looking angelfish was perfectly dead looking in the morning. I dont know what it is, but if anymore of them die, i might as well stop keeping fish...

P.T.

 

[cutechic]

I'm sorry, I don't know what the problem could be. Sorry to hear about your fish

 

[sinistral]

Sorry to hear about your losses PT

I'm interested to hear what your tank parameters are. Water changes are good. Did you notice anything unusual about the appearance of the dead fish? Growths, discolorations, ragged fins, missing body parts...?

I hate to ask you those things when you're right in the middle of the crisis, but with the information you provide, maybe there are things you could do or we could suggest that might help.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi PT

It's good to see you back again, but I'm sorry to have it be under these circumstances.

There is another thread with similar circumstances and it also involves gouramis. I find this unusual because gouramis are pretty sturdy fish. They don't ordinarily just keel over.

You've been doing good water changes on a regular basis, haven't you? Do you have good oxygenation--water circulation? Have you noticed any other symptoms on those fish or any others recently?

Please look for any other clues and post them. And please don't get discouraged. I know you are a careful fishkeeper, but sometimes these things can just happen to anyone.

 

[Phantom Thief]

Thanks guys.

Yes, i have been doing regular water changes. The water pump pumps the water through the filter 4 times an hour, which i believe is the suggested flow. The fish, physically, were always exactly the same as they were. I dont know how to explain it, they just kinda die just like that. The gourami that went berserk was perfectly ok before that. It just suddenly swimmed round and round real fast, upside down and loop-the-loops, then just keeled over and the gill flaps stopped moving . The other one lied on its side, just going up for breaths, also just stopped breathing suddenly . The other fishes, i did not witness them die. Also, BOTH of my gouramis died within 5 minutes of each other. Looks like i might have to start my whole tank all over again...

P.T.

 

[CFC]

The dwarf gouramis Colisa lalia that are available in the trade now days are of a very poor standard and most are riddled with fish TB and god knows what other bacterial infections, this is so bad that many of the lfs near me refuse to stock them.

Once a fish infected with fish TB has been added to the tank the disease spreads like wild fire throughout the tanks inhabitants and can kill with amazing speed, a fish can be healthy in the morning and dead by lunch. Unfortunately there is no cure available for general sale though something may be available from a vet, however this is likely to prove to cost more than the entire stock of the tank .

I would treat the tank with the strongest anti internal bacteria medication you can get your hands on, if its available to you Interpet #9 is a very good anti internal bacteria medication. After treating leave it a couple of months and see if you have any more deaths, if all is clear then you can start to restock the tank but if fish start to die again then im afraid nothing short of a complete cull and sterilisation of the tank and all equipment will help.

 

[Phantom Thief]

Oh boy...

But my gouramis have been with me for quite a while now. Does the disease remain dormant? But it certainly has spread like wildfire, and kills quick too. Worst come to worst, how do you completely cull and sterilise all the equipment?

P.T.