help my fish are dying

[toni tots]

it started of with just a few fish but now it is nearlly all of them they start by getting a white ring around thier mouths and then they can't eat but then it spreads up around thier eyes and thier gills I have treated the tank numerous times but it just seems to be getting worse there are five or six fish in my tank that had no sign of the disease half an hour ago but now thier lips are swollen and white now

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hi there , need a little more info first to giv us a better idea of your current situation;
a. How many fish do you have and have died recently and what types and they, what meds have you treated them with so far?
b. How many gallons does your tank hold and how long has it been set up for?
c. What is your tank cleaning regime on average and how do you go about it i.e water changes, gravel/sand cleaning, filter cleaning ect?
d. Do you know about ammonia, nitrates and nitrites, dechlorinator or how to cycle a tank?
c. What temp is your tank set at?

As to the desease, does it eat away at their mouths at all? Does it have a slightly cottony look to it and do the fish get inflamed areas on them or open sores?

 

[tttnjfttt]

It sounds you have "Mouth Fungus" Which is really caused by Columnaries, a bacterial infection.

What to do: Test your water, If ammonia and/or nitrIte are present, do an immediate water change. LOWER the temperature in your tank. This bacteria thrives in warm temperatures. If your fish will tollerate it, put aquarium salt in your tank. If not, go ahead and do salt baths on the fish who will tollerate it. You are going to need to buy an antibacterial medicine. Maracyn is a good antibiotic for this, (not maracyn 2).

Good luck!

 

[toni tots]

It is a 180 ltr tank I breed mollies but I have other fish in with them I have lost about 8-9 mollies and I have lost 1 guppy and 1 neon tetra. No I have no idea about nitrate or any of that stuff only ph levels. they start of by getting a white ring around thier mouth and then they lose thier appetite, they seem to hang at the bottom of the tank alot after about 1 hour the fungus around thier mouths spreds to thier eyes and then over thier backs it is happening so quickly i don't know what to do. it doesn't seem to be affecting my black widows, angels, tiger barbs, catfish or my bristle nose. at the start it was only affecting my big mollies but now it is mainly affecting the little mollies. I just went and had a look at my tank and there seems to be more getting infected as I speak.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Do a 60% water change imediatly with adequete dechlorinator added, it sounds like columnaris of the mouth- Maracyn 1& 2 can treat this.
Also i would advise you go to your lfs(local fish store) tommorrow and buy some test kits for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites as these are very important things to moniter in water quality and assessing your water quality will help you find any problems that may lie within it so you can address them and give you a better chance of overcoming the desease. Post us these stats as soon as you get them
Columnaris does cold like hot temps, so lowering the tank temp will help but don't do it too fast, we are talking 2degrees max a day.
Also if you can answer the other questions that will help alot

 

[tttnjfttt]

With the additional info, I would definately say its Columnaries. Because you are talking about your tank in Liters, I am assuming you are not from the United States, so I don't know if you will be able to find "Maracyn" where you live. The active ingredient in it is Erythromycin.

No I have no idea about nitrate or any of that stuff only ph levels.

It is VERY important to be able to know your ammonia and nitrIte levels, because these two chemicals are very toxic to your fish. NitrAte is also important, but not crucial to know. The only thing you need to worry about your pH is if there are drastic swings in it, and also for aclimating new fish. Take some water to your LFS, and they should be able to test it for you. Seriously look into getting a test kit, it is VERY helpful for telling you what to do. Also, read up on cycling a tank and the nitrogen cycle. How long has your tank been running (trying to guess if it is cycled)?

If you have a quarentine tank, I would suggest removing all the mollies and any other fish that are showing symptoms. If you do this, I would suggest treating BOTH tanks with meds. This way, you will have removed the biggest carriers of the bacteria, to give your other fish a better chance, but with how lethal this is, you want to wipe it out.

 

[toni tots]

my tank is set at 82 F and it had a total clean out about 3 weeks ago gravel and all.

 

[tttnjfttt]

Definately do the 60% water change now. I'm guessing that in your ammonia and/or nitrite is off the charts. When you do a "total clean out" you end up killing all the beneficial bacteria that grow in the tank to handle the fishs' waste. NEVER do this. Just vacume out the bottom and scrub the walls (if needed) weekly or every other week.

82 is really warm, even as a day to day temperature. You need to start SLOWLY bringing the temperature down. Right now, it is a breeding ground for the columnaries.