Mountain Minnow

[LongS]

Just moved two females and a male into a small breeding tank and have noticed one of the females have a red spot on her side. It doesn't really look like an open wound, more like a red dot stuck to her although its hard to tell. Haven't noticed it before in the main tank.

They have been in there just half hour, she isn't distressed or swimming funny or anything. Just this red spot.

i added some mature filter wool to the tank about the size of a ping pong ball. (only a small filter).

I did a water change on my main tank about three hours ago, then decided to move them half hour ago for breeding but just noticed that now.

Should i move her back to the main tank? It's a mature tank that has been running about 18 months i'm guessing.

Any advice?

 

[demasonisrule]

Ok...This happened to me in a danio. The cover on the filter intake somehow came off, and he was stuck in the filter all night , and he had a red spot on his side. I watched him very closely, and he seemed to have no reaction at all, and within two days, it was gone

Never really found out exactly what it was, but keep in mind that fish have immune systems also, and don't always need medications to fight an infection

 

[WILDER]

Red spots can be bacterial, to parasites.
Any whiteness to the spot.
If the fish is not showing any signs of parasite signs, I would take the bacterial route.

 

[LongS]

No, no whiteness, she is still swimming as normal?. I'm wondering if she has injured herself? or can this be down to scraping and flicking of the stones and gravel?

I'm taking out all of the minnows tonight and putting them back in the main tank. see if there is any eggs at all.

 

[WILDER]

Has the fish been flicking and rubbing.

 

[LongS]

I haven't noticed any of the mountain minnows rubbing, but i have noticed my zebra loach flicking and rubbing alot, although i'm not sure if this is a new thing or not. What is flicking and rubbing the symptoms of? and should i treat the tank?

 

[WILDER]

Need to look at your water stats.

Flicking and rubbing can be many things from bad water quality, irratation, parasites, bacterial, ph, internal parasites, toxins, etc.

Need to look at your water stats, then go from there.

 

[LongS]

The red mark has completely dissapeared wilder thanks for your concern my friend. Looks like it was just something the fish dealt with herself.

Although the loach is still flicking itself over the gravel, i have did some research and read that sometimes this can be a territory thing with loach species. So fingers crossed with that, i'll keep a close eye on the condition of the fish.

Is there anything i should be looking out for especially?

 

[WILDER]

Check your water stats just to make sure it's not the water quality that's causing the flicking.

 

[LongS]

I am posting again because i have been concerned with the health of my zebra loach.

He is flicking and rubbing off the gravel even more than before, and his skin looks as if it is scratched so much it has turned a whitish colour. His eyes even seem as if they have been damaged or scratched due to the flicking. I have a decent picture i will post soon.

There is also a male guppy in my tank that looks in a bad way, looks like fin rot, but i can't be sure. Tail is ragged but not really too bad, but he is just hanging at the top of the tank looking tired all the time.

Water stats:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 40 ppm
PH - 7.4

I did a small water change straight after my test.

Have recently added a few new plants that i washed with hot water before adding.

What should the next step be?

 

[WILDER]

I think you could have a parasite.

I would buy a med that treats alot of parasites including flukes.

 

[LongS]

Ok thank you wilder, any certain medication that you recommend? am i looking at something like melafix?

Should i treat the whole tank? i have a bristlenose in my tank, will this be ok to treat also?

 

[Hokum]

hmm if you have a guppy with fin rot plus a loach with skin damage I'd look to a columnaris out break. do you have a medication tank?

Wilder would you agree hitting the infection would be first course of action?

 

[LongS]

That guppy died yesterday by the way. the flicking and rubbing seems to be the loaches only symptom of anything abnormal. I keep thinking i am seeing the minnows do it too. but just not as much as the loach - yet.

I do have a spare but it is a very small 17 litre. maybe not the best for a zebra loach?

 

[Hokum]

I had an issue with my white clouds. it was due to ammonia in very low concentrations which my test kit couldn't detect. I'd look at that and a methyl blue bath for the loach. check though as loach can be sensitive to chemicals.