Had 6 Tiger Barbs - Now Down To 2

[Rikki]

My husband and I are new to this, but we did do our research and we set up our tank as advised. A few days later, we had one barb with ICH, so we started treatment. Then I noticed another with the flashing/spots. On the second day of treatment, all the fish in our tank (except for the female betta) were barely moving, staying near the top of the tank. We have (had) 6 barbs, 1 scissor tail rasbora, 1 red dwarf gourami, and the betta. As of this morning we have lost 4 barbs. And it looks like another is soon to follow.

It is maddening, I tell ya!!

The medication we used in the tank was specifically for ICH, and to be used for 3 days. Today we are going to do a 25% water change. Our tank is 25 gallons. We have a filter/pump for a 50 gal, along with a stone pump, which I put in yesterday. I checked the ph - that is fine, there is no amonia present, nor nitrates.

Should we just wait to see what else dies before doing the water change? Reason I ask is because there is still medication in the tank, and like I said, one more barb looks like it's knocking on heaven's door.

We had also wanted to add our 3 platys that are in a smaller tank into the 25 gal., but know I think we should wait.

What are your thoughts? Anybody?

PS (I am starting this thread b/c I hi-jacked another with my problems (although I didn't know what that meant at the time LOL)

Thanks for reading

 

[Lynda B]

Anytime you have a sick fish, put that fish in an isolation tank. There are too many fish diseases that will rapidly spread through the entire community. If you can do that at this time, isolate the sick ones.

No, absolutely do not put any new fish into this tank.

How long has your tank been up? What are your readings? I don't think it's cycled yet because you have a 0 nitrate reading. Have you been cycling this tank with the fish in there?

 

[Rikki]

The tank has only been up for 7 days.

 

[scorphonic]

The tank has only been up for 7 days.

So its just cycling then? Their immune system is always being attacked during the cycling process and only the hardest fish survive. Of course if they are attacked by opportunistic bacterial infections then their immune system is going to be under that bit more stress. Try your best to keep the fish you have remaining alive, if they all die then carry on the cycling process using artifical means. Treat the tank with Ich medication even when there are no fish there to eradicate all traces if it is possible. Best of luck with it.

 

[Rikki]

Thank you for the replies.

We now realize we were a bit impatient with the new tank and adding fish....we will do our best to keep the ones left alive.

 

[Lynda B]

We learn as we go..... this is a hobby with an enormous learning curve. Monitor them really carefully. Take a lot of water tests with the drop kit, not the strips. Change water as needed and hopefully you can save some of your fish.

By the way, if you had ich that early on, it means the fish store sold you fish with the disease. I'd bring the fish back to the store. You should have a 21 (at least) day guarantee.

Good luck to you!

 

[-germ-]

Doh!!!
I never realised the tank wasn't cycled, more fool me....
Trust me i've been there (4 times) buy some seachem prime tomorrow... Link is in my sig underneath this post.
Between using this and water changes you'll have no problems.
Other thing, check your products, have you used anything amine based? Slime coat providers etc.
If not you have another option.
People may tell you not to add things to your tank but i can assure you that without it life will be alot harder for you and your fish, plus it is regularly used as a dechlorinator and no ones mentioned any 3 eyed body morphs from its use.
Get a good size one, 2nd or 3rd up from the smallest....
Any q's pm me

 

[scorphonic]

Doh!!!
I never realised the tank wasn't cycled, more fool me....
Trust me i've been there (4 times) buy some seachem prime tomorrow... Link is in my sig underneath this post.
Between using this and water changes you'll have no problems.
Other thing, check your products, have you used anything amine based? Slime coat providers etc.
If not you have another option.
People may tell you not to add things to your tank but i can assure you that without it life will be alot harder for you and your fish, plus it is regularly used as a dechlorinator and no ones mentioned any 3 eyed body morphs from its use.
Get a good size one, 2nd or 3rd up from the smallest....
Any q's pm me

I am one of those that say never to add in anything to your tank that is not absolutley necessary...but that seachem prime looks the job!! We all need to add a dechlorinator so since this fits the bill then its not a bad purchase!!

This is where I would draw the line though...all your tank needs is water (Doh!!), Heat for tropical, solid and biological filtration, water movement at surface, dechlorinator for water straight from tap and food for fish!! (and the odd medication if it is absolutely necessary for a sick fish)

 

[-germ-]

I agree wholeheartedly but would also add purigen to the list, considering the toxic build up in your tank is due to a unnatural situation and purigen simply removes this build up then it can't be all bad...
Tried it, it works wonders, for example; i've had to set up a small hospital tank 7 days ago for a battle wounded young colisa labiosa, rather than risking too little media with a cutting from one of my main filters, or risking reducing my main filters capacity, i simply added this, i'm also overfeeding him slightly to bulk him up before his attempted return. The water stats are still perfect. No ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. This stuff'll even clear up nitrate added to your tapwater.
Its a godsend to have as a back-up plan in the event of an emergency hospital tank set-up or in the event of running out of dechlor, loads of the planted tank lovers use it and again; no problems.
Although it can't be used in conjuction with amine based products...
I despise the manipulative, dishonest and sometimes plain negligence of most aquarium product producers but see SeaChem as very much an exception to this rule.

 

[three-fingers]

Purgien is very useful for hospital tanks a similar situations, but as far as I'm aware not a good idea in a tank you are trying to cycle.

In this situation, wouldn't using purigen would mean the filter bacteria have no Ammonia/Nitrite to feed upon and the tank will never cycle?

I would also recommend you add one of the actually useful 'bacteria bottles' to speed up the cycle, in particular Tetra SafeStart is probably the easiest useful one to come by .

 

[AmberMc]

Sorry for your losses... Best of luck.

 

[-germ-]

Yes but if used and maintained correctly then the cycle itself can be avoided. Obviously it requires more work, especially through regular testing but asides from this it shouldn't prove a problem.

 

[Rikki]

When we set up the tank, we added a tap water conditioner and a slime coater. Then on day 4 we noticed the white spots so added an ICH treatment for the next 3 days. That's when we lost all the fish.

There are 3 left in the tank - gourami, scissor-tail, & betta.

So how much % of water should I change?

The fish aren't eating. Well, maybe the betta, at the bottom of the tank. The gourami stays at the top and hovers, and the scissor-tail moves ever so little.

Thanks for the responses. Wow, there is just sooo much to know.

 

[-germ-]

Do at least 25% daily if not more, did you buy some SeaChem prime? You are cycling fish in which is considered not very good (how patronising did that sound) as it often results in fish deaths, it is unlikely the ICH killed your fish.
Please read whats coming its extremely important to the future care of your tank.
The main issue in your tank is you have no cycle, this cycle is;
The Nitrogen cycle;
Basically if you think about it fish are living in an enclosed space with a limited (depending on the fish keeper) amount of fresh, clean and toxin free water. The fishes poohs, wees and the food added to your tank creates ammonia, ammonia is highly toxic to fish.
In your filter you probably have a sponge, this sponge (aside from filtering debris from your tank) does nothing else when new. It needs to build up nitrifying bacteria, at the moment it is a mechanical filter ie it removes waste and nothing else, once you have the bacteria it becomes a biological filter and all is good. Nitrifying bacteria (more specifically Nitrosomonas bacteria) breaks down ammonia into nitrite which again is toxic to fish.
Eventually the nitrite is broken down into nitrate (via Nitrobacter bacteria) which can be toxic to fish but only in extremely large quantities, the level of Nitrate is easily dealt with through good tank care, ie. a weekly water change of 25% or more and good gravel cleanliness....
Once you have these bacteria; aside from illness, water changes, cleaning and feeding your tank is in a way maintaining itself.
The only way to keep the toxic ammonia and nitrite down, until you have allowed necessary bacteria to build up to a suitable level, is via water changes. These as well as removing some of the toxic build up, dilute the build up left in your water with the added fresh water making your tank alot safer for its inhabitants.
So water change, water change, water change during your fish in cycle.
In addition to this; There aren't many good cycle products on the market, most are a useless waste of money. IMHO the best thing to prevent a tragedy during your cycle is SeaChem prime yahoo this stuff succesfully detoxifies nitrite and nitrate and also converts ammonia into its more non-toxic form (ionized)....
The bad news/good news is you can't use purigen due to the use of slime coat products, which is a more complex and time/money consuming system.....
Hope this helps, please message back so i know this hasn't been in vain, my head hurts.

 

[Rikki]

Do at least 25% daily if not more, did you buy some SeaChem prime? You are cycling fish in which is considered not very good (how patronising did that sound) as it often results in fish deaths, it is unlikely the ICH killed your fish.
Please read whats coming its extremely important to the future care of your tank.
The main issue in your tank is you have no cycle, this cycle is;
The Nitrogen cycle;
Basically if you think about it fish are living in an enclosed space with a limited (depending on the fish keeper) amount of fresh, clean and toxin free water. The fishes poohs, wees and the food added to your tank creates ammonia, ammonia is highly toxic to fish.
In your filter you probably have a sponge, this sponge (aside from filtering debris from your tank) does nothing else when new. It needs to build up nitrifying bacteria, at the moment it is a mechanical filter ie it removes waste and nothing else, once you have the bacteria it becomes a biological filter and all is good. Nitrifying bacteria (more specifically Nitrosomonas bacteria) breaks down ammonia into nitrite which again is toxic to fish.
Eventually the nitrite is broken down into nitrate (via Nitrobacter bacteria) which can be toxic to fish but only in extremely large quantities, the level of Nitrate is easily dealt with through good tank care, ie. a weekly water change of 25% or more and good gravel cleanliness....
Once you have these bacteria; aside from illness, water changes, cleaning and feeding your tank is in a way maintaining itself.
The only way to keep the toxic ammonia and nitrite down, until you have allowed necessary bacteria to build up to a suitable level, is via water changes. These as well as removing some of the toxic build up, dilute the build up left in your water with the added fresh water making your tank alot safer for its inhabitants.
So water change, water change, water change during your fish in cycle.
In addition to this; There aren't many good cycle products on the market, most are a useless waste of money. IMHO the best thing to prevent a tragedy during your cycle is SeaChem prime yahoo this stuff succesfully detoxifies nitrite and nitrate and also converts ammonia into its more non-toxic form (ionized)....
The bad news/good news is you can't use purigen due to the use of slime coat products, which is a more complex and time/money consuming system.....
Hope this helps, please message back so i know this hasn't been in vain, my head hurts.

Thank you for your response germ, it is not in vain...we will be following exactly as you have directed. That is so great of you to do. We understand the process now, so hopefully the rest of the fish will survive. They seem to be doing better since I did the 25% water change earlier today.

I will update in a few days.

So glad I found this site!