Please Help, 2 Sudden Deaths +ich

[aimee]

Hello, I would be really grateful for some advice...

Last night I noticed that all of a sudden one of my zebra danios was swimming upside down, breathing fast. I thought he had injured himself as he had a mark on one side. He died overnight. But this morning another danio (white one?) is doing something similar, he can't stay balanced and has been swimming quickly in upside down circles. I imagine he's on his last legs too. I treated this mornnig with melafix because I didn't know what was going on.

On closer inspection, I think some of my guppies have whitespot. I'm afraid I don't really know anything about this disease, my tank has never had it before. Is it curable or have my fish had it?
Two female guppies and one or two males have white spots on them, but one of the females is looking particularly unwell - her tail looks a bit nipped/small and she has misty coloured scales in places (?)...

Any advice for me? I'm really worried.

Here are my stats:
Ammonia 0 ppm
pH 7.2
Nitrate 10 ppm

I'm sorry but I can't find my nitrite kit right now.

The tank is 70l with:
9 guppies
a few guppy fry (very young)
3 cardinal tetra, one neon tetra, one black tetra, two silver tetra.
2 young albino corys.
1 adult zebra danio +1 sick one.

thanks everyone in advance!
Aimee

 

[WILDER]

Once they spin, upside down there dying sorry.
Are you treating for the whitespot.
The mark on the fish was it a sore on its body.

 

[chicklette]

Yes, once they start spinning chances are extremely thin they will live. If you have ick you need to treat the tank. What is your NitrIte reading?

If you see spots on your fish you have ick and need to treat the tank fast. I use rid ick + and personally find that to be the best. I have never lots of fish to ick once I started using that product.

Good luck and I hope they all make it!

 

[aimee]

yes, those fish died and so did one of the female guppies.

I don't know what happened bit I guess my water has gone bad. I think one of them might have a fungal infection too.

I don't have a quarantine tank but someone said in another forum that I can't treat my whole tank, eg. with coppersafe for ich because of the cories?

 

[aimee]

I called my lfs and they said they stock something called WS3. Anyone used it before?

 

[WILDER]

WS3 is meant to be good so get treating.
Good luck.

 

[aimee]

Great. I've started using it as my lfs didn't have coppersafe anyway. Fingers crossed eh... I've increased the temp to 27C, is that good?

 

[Talleyrand]

Last night I noticed that all of a sudden one of my zebra danios was swimming upside down, breathing fast. I thought he had injured himself as he had a mark on one side. He died overnight.

I didn't think it was possible to kill a danio!
I have tried to rid them from tanks and have failed

I havent used medications to cure ich in years.
Just turn the heat up to the mid 80s(F) and do water changes every other day, thoroughly vacuuming the gravel every time.
About 10-12 days later the ich will be gone.

 

[aimee]

Thanks talleyrand,

I have one danio left who is one of the very first fish I got in this tank. He seems totally unaffected by everything, he's great.

I am treating with half doses of WS3 and am going to change the water in between the 48 hr doses even though not directed.

I've been thinking this through and as I have been losing fish regularly through this I think what happened is that my tank mini-cycled. I added several fish at once a few weeks ago, I should've realised this might happen, feel very stupid. I think my fish are dying from fungal infection rather than the whitespot due to water problems, so hopefully regular water changes should help?

My tank is at 27 C now, will a degree or two higher be OK for my cories?

 

[Talleyrand]

Well, if its a fungal infection I have no idea if heat will even help. I have some experience with ich because I have treated it a few times. Fungal infection is a totally different ballgame

 

[WILDER]

When you say fungal do you mean fluffy patches on the fish.

 

[aimee]

Well this is the thing, I have lost several fish in a matter of days. Most of the remaining ones look OK, except one guppy with some whitespot, and one neon tetra that looks generally poorly.
Basically I don't know if this is fungal, fin rot, etc, but one of my guppies that died had fluffy patches. Others seemed to lose their scales and go patchy and have ragged tails.
Presumably I should continue treating for the whitespot and keep changing the water to try to get things back to normal?

 

[WILDER]

Losing scales can be knocked them off on ornaments to parasites.
Fluffy look tuffs can be columnaris.
Not sure if you can use maracyn with parasite meds.
The rule it generally not to mix meds its up to you if you add the maracyn med.
I have seen a uk med called esha that you can use bacterial med esha2000 with esha whitespot med.

 

[aimee]

Thanks Wilder, that's great. I forgot to say that the poorly neon has some small, feint red marks on him (like blood under the scales) -
is there any point in using Melafix?
if so, can i use it with the ich meds?

 

[WILDER]

Malafix is only good on cuts and wounds it's an external med not good on internal bacteria.
Faint red marks under the skin is h septicemia.
I would only add the maracyn if you have plenty of aeration in the tank.
Good luck.