Infected - Sad Moment What Do I Do Now?

[mattyydunn]

Hi am rarther annoyed at this but my fish have gone past the point of no return for treating infections (Fungal and White Spot)


so i have came to the decision that its better than letting my fish suffer any more is that i let them go and start over again.
what do i need to do to start over again obviously the infection is now going to be in the water and on the glass, gravel, plastic plants, bogwood everything even in my filter media


i am thinking i will have to replace my filter media, and water
i am also going to have to boil all my items in the tank i.e cave, gravel, bogwood, plastic plants, air pipe, everything

is this right the right way to go about it?

 

[ZoddyZod]

so i have came to the decision that its better than letting my fish suffer any more is that i let them go and start over again.

so you are going to euthanise them? How long have you had the infections and what have you treated them with?

 

[ron4sum1]

Hi am rarther annoyed at this but my fish have gone past the point of no return for treating infections (Fungal and White Spot)


so i have came to the decision that its better than letting my fish suffer any more is that i let them go and start over again.
what do i need to do to start over again obviously the infection is now going to be in the water and on the glass, gravel, plastic plants, bogwood everything even in my filter media


i am thinking i will have to replace my filter media, and water
i am also going to have to boil all my items in the tank i.e cave, gravel, bogwood, plastic plants, air pipe, everything

is this right the right way to go about it?

If I were you, I'd treat them first. If they survive, then, excellent. If they die, there's nothing you can do except perhaps start over. You should get some aquarium salt first to "dis-infect" a bit of the microorganisms in your water. I don't know the exact mass you should put per gallon. Perhaps 2 tbsp per 5 gallons? I'm not sure (Someone help ) And then after leaving it for a bit, you can start rinsing your stuff, you don't need to boil them. You can't boil plastic plants, it'll release harmful chemicals. So doing salt, I think, is better. Besides, if you think you can boil them.. how are you supposed to boil your aquarium glass ?

You don't need to replace your media. The probable reason why your fish died is because they got so stressed maybe due to water chemistry or overstocking. You have to make sure your fish are all compatible, and are at the best possible condition of water. Now, due to stress, their immune system gets lowered, hence they get more prone to disease. There are always plentiful of pathogens in the tank, but most fish are quite resistant to them if they are out of stress.

 

[mattyydunn]

i had a betta specialist in my area which kindly do call outs to take a look at Betta's, he took a look at him and he treated him with some anti fungal stuff cant remember what he called it but he said to me that hes in a bad way and not to get my hopes up so im preparing myself for worse case and the infection for my betta has been since friday but there where no signs of it apart from not eating and im not sure about my molly with the white spot


a love my betta hes really cute so i want to give him the best possible chance he could have but if worse comes to worse im going to have to do something

my betta is currently lying on his side you would think he was dead from looking at him if it wasnt the fact he moves his back tail every few minutes and his gills are still moving and the molly with the white spot infection is currently hiding under my heater behind the plastic plant god knows if its still alive or not

 

[mattyydunn]

it dose not matter about the betta any more i have just came back from the corner shop and sadly found my Betta lying on the gravel dead

just rang Pets At Home where i got him from and i am taking him back with a sample of my water to get him replaced/refunded


really liked that betta aswell

 

[Miles_hot]

II wouldn't replace till you know that the tank is ready etc otherwise your just making more trouble for yourself...

 

[mattyydunn]

thats the thing the tank was ready i had 2 different local pet stores do a complete water test every 2 weeks. plus my own water test with a API Masters Test Kit every week and a half befor any fish went near the tank, the only thing it could have been is the fact the fish had the infection while at the pet store and i was just the unlucky one to get that fish


what do i do now because i still have 2 mollies one with the white spot infection and another one that seems to be fine no change in its feeding habbit or swimming pattern it seems ok so what do i do because i would imagin that fish infections would now be in the water, just like a human throat infection people tell you not the drink out of a bottle that somebody with a throat infection has drank out of incase they pass the infection on, is it the same for fish? what do i do

 

[laura120381]

don't put anymore fish in your tank until you have cleared the whitespot infection and stabilised the water parameters. ask the lfs to keep your replacement fish as your tank is not infection free at the moment. what exactly are your test readings atm?

sorry for your loss

L

 

[Jinty McGinty]

thats the thing the tank was ready i had 2 different local pet stores do a complete water test every 2 weeks. plus my own water test with a API Masters Test Kit every week and a half befor any fish went near the tank, the only thing it could have been is the fact the fish had the infection while at the pet store and i was just the unlucky one to get that fish [b]Your water should have been tested each day, sometimes twice a day to cycle the tank properly. Think that is where you have gone wrong it's not been cycled.[/b]


what do i do now because i still have 2 mollies one with the white spot infection and another one that seems to be fine no change in its feeding habbit or swimming pattern it seems ok so what do i do because i would imagin that fish infections would now be in the water, just like a human throat infection people tell you not the drink out of a bottle that somebody with a throat infection has drank out of incase they pass the infection on, is it the same for fish? what do i do

If it was white spot, surely all the fish would have it?

 

[Miles_hot]

Matty, I don't remember the specifics of tour cycle however it sound as if you may not have actually completed it which could mean that your fish have been subjected to ammonia etc spikes.which your testing has not picked up. This would explain how the fish were venerable to infection. As for why does one get it when the other did not - all fish are individuals with some strong and some succeptable.
Do you have a log of your testing results which might help people on here comment on the water quality RO help avoid any more issues?
Miles

 

[laura120381]

mmm don't know jinty. my cardinals once had white spot and the discus and corys were not affected. however, i caught and treated it very quickly so i was maybe just lucky. matty, what temperature is your tank set at?? i would certainly be on the safe side though....as jinty says, it would be thought all fish would be infected by now...don't add any more fish just now. post your current tank conditions (water temp filter type etc) and we'll see if we can advise you better.

L

 

[Jinty McGinty]

I got it in my cold water fish and they all had it, that's why I ask.

Hope you get it sorted OP

 

[laura120381]

yeah jinty...think i was just lucky there. i think you are right...they normally all get it!!

L x

 

[mattyydunn]

well just got back from the pet store they tested the water sample i took in all levels where 0, 7ph but there was a trace amount of ammonia which the lass in the pet store said the ammonia is most likely because of the fish that has died if thats true or not a dont know but there was not enought ammonia to cause any serious harm to the fish as it was just a tiny trace.

so they looked at my betta and i showed them photos of the infection on the back of the head and the body, and they simple asked if i wanted it replaced or refunded i took the refund so im going to have to give it a few days see how my mollies go and then find a different and more experienced knowledgable shop who actually knows more about what they are selling


ADDED - Pets At Home said to be on the safe side i should take out 50% of my water and replace it with fresh water and top off my filter with some Stress Zyme+ Biological Filtration Booster. I have some of this but should i bother listening to them?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

replies to previous comments i dont understand why only one molly has white spots on its fins, it might not even be white spots it might just be how the fish is i have never noticed it till today but there is most definitely a change in its behaviour, i have some white spot medicine my grandad used for his fish when they got it, if i treat my fish with it and it turns out not to be white spot its not going to cause any problems to my fish is it? if its not a may aswell put it in better safe than sorry

as for heating etc i use a Aquel Easy Heater 50w which keeps my tank at 26 degrees celsius which is monitored by 2 thermometers one glass and one digital LED displayed. the temp of the tank goes +/- 2 degrees eitha way depending on room temp if it drops the heater warms it back up the 2 degrees it has dropped, and i use a 3 stage filter system which use's, foam, biomax bag, and carbon bag. oxygenation comes from the filter and a APS50 Air Pump with 10mm Air Stone.

dont think i have missed anything?

 

[coldcazzie]

There's a thread here about whitespot. The general recommendations are to put the temp up which increases the speed at which the parasite goes through it's life cycle, and treat the tank with white spot meds. Are the fish flicking?

Also, it's a bit misleading to say "all the levels were at 0" and then go on to say "there was some ammonia", because then obviously they weren't all at 0 were they? Ammonia spike could have been caused by a dead fish, but if you removed it straight away then it's unlikely. Also, nitrate shouldn't be 0 in a cycled tank, so that in itself is worrying. Finally, if you have a test kit, why are you taking your water to be tested at a pet store?

The "bacteria supplements" won't do anything to help, but a water change is probably a good idea. Most fish illnesses are caused by poor water quality, and water changing will help to alleviate that.