HELP ASAP!

[AquaQueen]

I just got home late last night from being gone on vacation for a week and left my fish in the hands of my father (who had salt and brackash water tanks for years) only to find that the tank light had been left on and I have lost 2 fish. They were covered in a cottony like stuff! I have 3 fish left and the female looks like she is bleeding inside (she is a female swordtail). I had had to start an ick treatment before I left and my dad was supposed to add the rest of the meds while I was gone. I had originally thought my one fish had ick. I saw a couple white dots on him and he had been rubbing on stuff in the tank on and off for awhile. Anyhow, so I guess it wasn't ick but a fungus? I am performing a 25% water change now and then what should I do? Should I get some different meds for the fungus stuff? I used the "Quick Cure" for the ick treatment. Thanks!

Other then the female I don't see any outward signs off the fungus on my other fish except for my male swordtail who has a couple little funny spots on the end of this fins.

 

[AquaQueen]

Oh and i just got off the phone with my dad and the last time my mom had fed the fish was Sunday and guess what, she had left the tank light on since then! When I got home early this morning, it was midnight, it was still on. Man I want to cry! Do you think the tank light being on that long cause the cottony growth?

 

[carppy]

I don't think the lighting caused the cottony growth, thanks are often left on for days at a time with no problems. It sounds like you have a fungus problem to me. THe best course of action in my opinion is a large water change. Make a stop at your fish store and pick up some fungus treatment. I use aquarium or epsom salt in my tanks which helps with fungus, but I don't know what kind of fish you have so I won't recommend it. The fungus could be a secondary infection so watch them closely for a while after you treat the fungus

 

[Cian McLiam]

Hi,
Leaving the light on alone will not cause any diseases or ill effects to the fish for such a period, in fact angelfish breeders sometimes leave the lights on permanently in the fry tanks as it causes the fish to grow up without the vertical stripes along the body. The fuzz you are describing sounds like fungus, which usually grows on areas of the fish damaged from other causes, ie parasites, ammonia burn or scrapes. I think from your description the first signs of Ich were already on a fish before you left, so its posible the disease attackd the gills of the other fish causing suffocation but you will never know for sure. The important thing is to make sure the tank water is healthy, do you have readings for ammonia, nitrite, Ph etc? If these parameters are unhealthy, no treatment will be succesful.
I would use the quick cure as directed on the bottle, you can also dilute the dosage for the full tank in a container of water and paint on the diluted meds directly to the affected area using a new hobby paint brush.
Can you post back with the water parameters I mentioned?

Ken

 

[AquaQueen]

Amonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
P.H. 7.8
Temp 79

So I should use the quick cure again? I had treated them for 2 days last week.

Thanks!

Oh and what I have left are 2 swordtails and 1 platy. Thank goodness I moved all of my fry to the nursery tank before treatment!

 

[Cian McLiam]

I have found adding the quick cure everyday for as long as the spots are visible and then two days afterwards most effective, you need to kill the parasites in the free-swimming stage, when there may not be spots visible. Also, turn up the temp to 82-84 during treatment and add an airstone if you have one. Carry out 10% daily water changes just before you add the Quick Cure.

Hope this helps,

Ken

 

[bgraber]

Your nitrate reading shouldn't be zero.. When the bacteria consumes the nitrite, it changes into nitrate(harmless unless Huge quantities). SOmethings not right with this picture.. But anyhow, sorry about your loss. Fungus treatment, removal of carbon media and water changes sound in order..

 

[dunc_man_fishy]

well that would be explained by the large water changes and a planted tank would uses nitrates. So the nitrates will register 0 on the scale of the test, as the tests usually are accurate to about 5ppm or so. So in fact any 0 should be intrepeted as 0 or trace.