One dead loach others looking grim...help.....!!!

[susanb]

One of the pakistani loaches is dead and I have one otehr pakistani and two stratia loaches that are breathing rapidly. One of them has bulging eyes. PH, nitrates, phosphates, nitrites and amonia all normal..... any ideas what to do ?
In the last day or two a very irredscent green algae has formed on some of the plants any links temp 26-27. community tank but they are the biggest fish
Please help I have had these guys for a good year.

 

[suemack]

hi susan

would immediately do a water change ....bout 25% and add an extra airstone. Match the temp of the tank so they don't get any more stressed and don't feed them.

Is there any chance some airbourne chemicals could have got into the water or filter? Here we have council weed spraying that if the windows are open and there's some wind it has been known to drift and cause problems with fish tanks.

Hopefully a water change will make the loaches perk up.....please let us know how you get on. Hopefully someone else will have some more ideas

good luck
sue

 

[suemack]

just been reading up the wee bit of info I have on the algae.....apparently some of the blue-green algae can be toxic to fish. From what I can gather it would probably help to get as much of the algae out as you can, restrict the hours the tank light is on and do frequent w/changes......will try to find out more later tonight but have to go back out to work now.

sue

 

[susanb]

Thank you sooo much.
I have just completed the water change, so heres hoping they perk up. Always the possibility of outside chemicals
I will remove the algae immediately
I notice you are a kwi too we could both live in the same area that they are spraying ? I'm a JAFFA. Now that doesn't mean your allowed to change your mind about helping me ;-)
Sue

 

[suemack]

a JAFFA oh no.............. just kidding anyone who keeps loaches is ok

have they been doing any spraying for the painted apple moth Susan? I'm further north and we only have to worry about the council kerbside spraying up here?

sue

 

[susanb]

No spraying that I know of over manukau way. But I have just done another water change out of desparation. two dead rummy noses and one other dead fish today. ph 7.0, nitrate looks about 5ppm or less which is up a bit but has always been this reading. All other tests normal too ?!?! The loaches are hanging in there but still breathing rapidly and listless. I adore the loaches and have never ever had any trouble with them but somethings going on as the plants are all dying with that horrible green/blue thick algae too. Wish someone had late night tonight but I shall have to go buy lotsa new plants tommorrow and see if that helps the cycle get back to normal..........downhearted, but thanks for your help. Sue

 

[suemack]

hi Susan

what you could do tonight in the meantime is take all the plants and ornaments out of the tank and thoroughly wash the algae off them.....probably not that good for the plants but the algae is worse. Try and siphon any bits that come off as you take them out of the tank.

Contact the water board people tomorrow and make sure they aren't adding anything new (chemicals) to the water....what do you add to the tank when you do w/changes e.g. water conditioners?

Do you have an extra airpump you could attach to another airstone? What sort of filtration has the tank got?

sue

 

[susanb]

Hi Sue,
After some reading I am wondering if they have fluke gill as one or two of the fish are showing redness around gills and are lethargically almost on their sides. still that could be symptomatic of a toxin too.
To the tank with each water change I add stress coat and stress zyme. plus I have nitrazorb and purigen sachets in their at the moment. I am running two aquaclear 200 filters (120lt tank) so technically it only needs one but I thought the two would mean less risk of cycle problems and i had been told that their is no such thing as too much filtering. They have a bubble wall that gets turned off at night....do you think I should leave it on tonight ? Thought maybe if the other happy fish didn't sleep they would be susceptible too. Funny that the red honey gouramis are looking really healthy as I would have thought they were the fussiest fish I have. Will do what you suggest....will let you know how its all going tommorrow.......................................wish me luck

 

[suemack]

I'm scratching my head here......the filtration in your tank sounds excellent, wouldn't hurt to leave the bubble wall on tonight (though shouldn't hurt for it to be turned off so long as the filters are working). Do you have carbon in the filters and how long have you had the nitrazorb and purigen sachets in the tank for? What are you using as a substrate in the tank, do you have rocks, wood as ornaments ....anything that could be leaching into the water?

Don't have much info on gill flukes here but will go see if I can find anything helpful

good luck with your fishes ...have my fins crossed for you

sue

 

[Lateral Line]

Gouramis are quite adept at taking Oxygen from the air, they have the labyrinth organ which functions as a primitive lung, they come from still almost stagnant water courses. Botias on the other hand are native to running, highly oxygenated water, and are quick to turn over if the O2 levels drop.

With water temperatures that high, the ability of Oxygen to dissolve is reduced. The rapid breathing of the Botias and the apparent health of the gouramis would make me think of Oxygen in the first instance. I remember at fish shows where I was stewarding, if the sun came out and the temperature started to go up, first things that started to show distress were the loach class, we had a box full of small battery operated pumps for that eventuality.

I would make sure you have a good deal of surface movement, that the top of the tank is getting a good air exchange, i.e. it is not so close fitting that it is preventing it. Try to drop the temperature a couple of degrees, (not rapidly). If it is the weather that is heating your tank, float a plastic bottle of chilled water in the tank or set a fan up so that it blows over the surface, the increased evaporation will cool the water.

Gill flukes etc. are really very rare and affect other species as well. Algal bloom and sick plants may be related. Sounds like the plants had the advantage over the algae and were keeping it in check, but something has happened to alter that. Have you changed your lighting regime, or added anything that might account for that?

Good luck.

 

[Shizat]

Call me crazy but I think personally sometimes fish get really stressed out just like humans if they see one of their own die right in front of them. I've seen fish that have been in a tank awile together and then one dies and the mood of the tank totally changes and sometimes leads to others in the tanks dieing. Fish too can possibly feel signs of emotion.

 

[susanb]

well I have good and bad news. Rang hollywood fishfarm this morning for some advice and they said the green/blue algae is a bacterial infection and I'll pick up some medication today for that. When I checked the tank this morning there were three more dead fish but the loaches are hanging in there and looking more perky in fact after I cleaned the plants and removed dead/decaying leaves the tank looks a bit happier. they also advised a seven day treatment of melafix which I had started this morning before I rang them.....nice to know I;m doing something right....you so feel like it your fault as if I just had more knowledge on illnesses etc I would be able to help them.
I agree with what shizat says I too have seen the tank get really upset when a longstanding fish dies. have lowered slightly the temp and there is good water flow at the top with the filter type.
I'll keep you posted.......Sue