Mountain Minnow

[LongS]

Thanks Hokum i'll have a look for that tomorow. I try to do a water change every week of about 30%. But yesterday i done about 50% just incase.

I'll just try to do more frequent changes and see if i get better results from now on.

Do you think i should treat the whole tank then if the loach is ok with this methyl blue bath?

 

[Hokum]

It'll kill your filter bacteria, so unless you have other sick fish i'd just treat the one for now. If your going to treat in a medication tank i may go the whole hog and look at Ektol fluid, which i've had good results with. Watch your ammonia and nitrites like a hawk in a small tank. Do you have an air pump and stone you can use in the medication tank?

Treatment can take up to 5 days i think with Ektol fluid, i'd check loaches.com but i'd start with a 50% dosage as loach can be sensitive.

I would also try a light tank dosage of ammonia remover, maybe 5ml a day to see if that improves the issue. I'm assuming you cant see any other issues with the other fish or loaches?

 

[LongS]

ok i'll treat in the small tank as i don't really fancy cycling my tank again. Will water changes every day in the small tank be ok along with the treatment? i'm guessing i'll have to top the dosage up every time i do a water change?

I don't have a air pump, only a filter for surface agitation. Would you recommend getting one? i can pick one up today with the meds if needs be.

There is one guppy that doesn't look herself, clamped fins and lingering alot at the surface, i think i may treat her in the same tank. Apart from that everything seems normal. I'll keep an eye out for other fish flicking constantly as thats the main symptom. Then i can treat them too if i spot them.

 

[LongS]

My link

Here is a picture of him last week. The white scratches have got worse since then.

If anyone could tell me how to insert a picture straight on to the forum it might be better quality.

 

[Hokum]

Something certainly isn't right. Wilder would probably be the most experienced, but I think you have ammonia in your main tank it maybe a low conc but its enough to get an effect. I think it's unlikely to be any parasites unless you've added any fish recently?

As for treating the Loach, how big is it and how large (dimensions) is the medication tank? Do you have anything in the tank for the fish to hide in? In the few treatments i’ve had to run on my fish, i did the following, i used a small amount of aquarium salt and ammonia remover with an air stone to keep the nitrites and ammonia effects minimised. I used tank water to fill my medication tank so as to minimise any shock to the poorly fish.

The treatment with Ektol fluid is like treatment on day 1, then day 3 and then day 5 if i remember. I did a 50% change of water on the third day before adding the extra dosage and the same on the fifth. Without a proper filter you can’t keep the ammonia/nitrites down completely but you have to try with chemicals to minimise the stress.

Dont forget to dose at 50% the recommended amount as your treating loach.

My link

Here is a picture of him last week. The white scratches have got worse since then.

If anyone could tell me how to insert a picture straight on to the forum it might be better quality.

I can't tell 100% as it isn't that sharp but the image looks like one form of columnaris. Esp on the fins. A light dosage of Ektol crystals (another chemical) to the main tank may assist the general tank but again be careful with the loach.

Oh and no, i don't work for JBL, just all my LFS stock their stuff...

 

[LongS]

I did add a Pearl gourami about a month and a half ago, and more recently live plants. So i suppose parasites could be a possibitly. Although the gourami looks healthy...

I'm gonna try and get the loach out the main tank and get a clearer picture.

Shall be back soon

 

[Hokum]

Btw Ektol crystals are filter safe. Ok, btw is the medication tank about double the length of the fish in all dimensions?

 

[LongS]

Yeah the loach is only at a maximum 3 inches, i doubt hes even that big. The tank is about 7" x 14" x 10".

it is probably plenty big enough for a few days and has a fake plant and rock for him to hide in. I'm probably just being over cautious.

Do you think i can get ektol products in pets at home? Im in the uk. i'm not sure where your based sorry.

Also i have a carbon cartridge thing for my main tank that i never use. Will running this in the filter for a couple of days sort the low ammonia problems if there is any?

 

[Hokum]

I'm in the UK too, my local P@H don't stock JBL products. It’s mainly interpet and tetra, and i'm not familiar with them. Where about in the UK are you? If you have a Maidenhead Aquatics local they should stock JBL stuff.

Interpet do a simple methylene blue which will do the job in the medication tank, but it doesn't include the extras the JBL Ektol fluid does.

Hmm the carbon (if unused and clean) my help to begin with, but it may leech back into the water, also if your using chemicals you don't want to use carbon as it will absorb them too. Interpet “ammonia remover” is ok and try adding about 5ml a day for a few days and see if you see an improvement in the main tank. Also you'll need it for the medication tank too as it hasn't got a mature filter (which would only get hammered by the meth blue anyway)

The medication tank sounds fine for the fish. If you’re in the house all day I’d do ammonia tests every 6-8 hours to make sure the ammonia isn't creeping up. It's all you need to begin fixing the fish only to kill it with ammonia.

 

[WILDER]

Need to ask some more questions.
Live plants can fetch parasites into the tank if they haven't been steralised.

Also red pin prick marks can be a sign of parasites.


Get a magifying glass and check your fish for parasites.
Also check the scales are not raised in area's, as parasites can lift the scales.
Any excess mucas on the fish.
Any signs of darting or erratic swimming.
Do the fish swim in a jerky movement.
Is there a greyish white film on the fish, or a blue greyish film on the fish
Do the gills look red and inflamed, or pale with excess mucas.
Any signs of laboured breathing, or gasping.
Any red sores on the fish.
Any tiny white spots on the fish.
Any yellow spots, dusting of talc, gold dusting, or rusty coloured varnish on the fish.
Can you see any moving objcts on the fish.



Flicking and rubbing can be due to bad water quality, irratation, parasites, bacterial, ph.

Have you changed declorinator.

 

[Hokum]

Wilder do you agree about a meth blue treatment for the loach?

 

[WILDER]

A bath in methylene blue would be fine. But if it is a parasite the whole tank will need treating.

Just make sure when using methylene blue that it dosn't wipe all the benefical bacteria out in the filter. As some brands do.
Also it will stain things in the tank. So remove ornaments.

 

[Hokum]

Hence why i told him to use a medication tank

 

[WILDER]

Sorry.
had load of posts to answer, trying to take it all in.

The poster needs to answer some more questions, that't all.
I would just add the med in issolation, till we try and found out what the problem is.

 

[Hokum]

No problem, clamping fins and red marks makes me think of ammonia poisoning, if the fish are getting a low level exposure it will weaken the fish, hence a possible columnaris infection.