Please Help! :( Parrot Fish, Bacteria Or Fungus Medicine Needed?

[Jackiee]

My one and only female Parrot fish is really sick.
About a week ago, she started getting small white cotton-ish patches on her arm fins, but none of my other fish did. Then within a few days after that showed up on her, my tank had a toxic outburst of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) that came about rapidly, within 10 minutes of the smell beginning, it filled the house.
I think this happened because one of my platys died a couple weeks before and I could not find it for anything to get it out of the tank.. I immediately ran to the local grocery store to get 15 gallons of distilled water to do a 50% water change for my 29 gallon tank. By time I got back (20-30 minutes) all my fish were dead besides my parrot fish, my veil tail angelfish, and a small platy. I did the water change, and my parrot fish recovered the fastest, then the platy. My angelfish never recovered and died the next morning.

A few days later, my parrot fish broke out with white cottony growths all over her, and it seemed as if her slime coat was coming off. The platy once again appeared fine. This went on for a couple days when I decided to add salt to her water. one tablespoon per 5 gallons. but i didn't read about gradually adding it into the tank, i dissolved it first in a cup full of the tank's water and dumped it all in at once. I think the platy was sensitive to the salt, because he began swimming rapidly and spinning around. I found him dead the next morning.

My parrot fish is now the only fish left in the tank, so i went and bought Pimafix because I thought the white cotton stuff on her body/fins was probably fungus. By time I got back with the medicine, she was in the corner of the tank, laying upside down on her head and barely breathing. I did a 25% water change and added the Pimafix into the tank.

The second day, she was now laying on her side, breathing rapidly, but wasn't much improved besides some of the white growths on her had decreased.
It's the third day now, and she's finally gotten the strength to flip over and is laying on her belly, breathing rapidly, but not moving from her spot. She wiggles every now and then as if she's trying to move, but doesnt have the strength. But now, It looks as if her tail is rotting, her eyes are sunken into her head, and there's still a white growth on her forehead. She WILL NOT eat.
I'm afraid it might possibly look as if her head between her eyes is sinking in too, and she might get hole in the head from malnutrition of not eating..

The water is fine, i've been testing and retesting with the dip strips. Temperature is also constant at 78 degrees. I'm wondering if what she has is more bacterial than fungal, and if i should switch medicines and maybe try Melafix? please help! I do not want to lose this fish !!


Here's a picture of her healthy:

Here's the ones I just took of her:

 

[Jackiee]

anyone? please help?

 

[RushingChamp28]

Ok here goes. Be patient im typing a long response here.

 

[Jackiee]

Will do, thank you.

 

[RushingChamp28]

Alright-

First off, I do not want to sound like a jerk, but you should really invest in a LIQUID test kit for pH, Ammonia (NH3/NH4+), Nitrite (NO2-) and Nitrate (NO3-). In the end, they are far more accurate than test strips, and with something such as Ammonia, even a fraction of a part per million (ppm) can be the difference between fish living and dying. I use an Aquarium Pharmeceuticals test kit, you can probably get one for under $20 US, it will save you alot of trouble down the line.

By the water being "fine", I'm assuming you have 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, which is an absolute must. Nitrates should be under 20 ppm.

In general, most fish diseases like the ones you are describing (white/grey patches, hole in the head, fin rot) come from the fish being in less than perfect water conditions and stressing it. The smell you describe from your fishtank also points toward dirty water as the cause, usually this smell is associated with anaerobic bacteria breaking down waste in the tank, generally from fish poop/dead fish/uneaten food/etc building up in the tank, many times in the gravel bed.

First, I would stop adding medicines and do a 50% water change. From what it sounds like, the cause of the infections on your fish are bacterial (some bacteria, such as F. columnaris is falsely labelled as "fungus"). In the past, I have found that the medicine Binox (by Jungle) has worked well; its active ingredient is Nitrofurazone, which can be used well along with aquarium salt in a normal dosage. Make sure you do not have carbon in your filter as it will remove the medicine from the water. Add the correct dosage from the bottle (1 tsp to 25 US gal/5g to 95 liters). After 2 days, change 50% of the water and redose with 1/2 of the first dose you put in before (so that the amount in the aquarium remains the same after the water change), you can also redose salt in the same way. This should help to quickly remove excess nitrogen waste in the water, as well as maintain the fully effective dosage of the medicine.

I don't want this to sound like the ultimate cure, but there do not seem to be as many problems with nitrofurazone resistant bacteria as with other medicines that are heavily used, and this process has worked quite well for me in the past. This medicine WILL DESTROY MOST LIVE PLANTS, so be aware that if your tank is planted, you may need to get new plants after you are done treating. Also, the medicine will turn the tank a bright yellowish color, which is normal.

Let me know if you have any questions.
Evan

 

[FreedomFighter]

Is your substrate just pebbles or do you have any sand??

Because this does sound like a buildup of anaerobic bacteria causing a lethal dose of toxins to spread into the tank, creating the sulphurous smell and insta killing nearly everything in its path.

 

[Jackiee]

Alright thanks, and you're definitely not sounding like a jerk.

I had a liquid water testing kit at one time, but it would tell me my water was completely fine, then i'd go get it tested at the LFS when fish would die/get sick etc. and there would be stuff wrong with the water, so they told me i'd be better off buying the strips which are almost $20 a box. And yes I mean that my nitrites are 0, my nitrates are well under 20ppm. my ph is constant at 6.4 (it's never been much higher). But I completely disregarded the fact that these strips don't test ammonia. I regularly add Amquel plus into the water which is supposed to keep ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates at bay, so I guess I never really worry much about ammonia, I've looked up symptoms of ammonia poisoning many times on the internet to make sure my fish are portraying those symptoms and they never are. I still need to get a test for it though. I will switch to a liquid testing kit. I don't have a carbon filter in right now either, the Pimafix medicine called to take it out. I had a fungal infection breakout a long time ago and Pimafix brought my tank back to normal, which is why I tried it again this time, but it's not working the same. I'll see if any of the pet stores around me (petco, petsmart) have Binox.. I've never heard of it, but I hope they carry it. And when I did my most recent water change (25%), I used tap water with stress coat as a tap water conditioner. It raised my p.h. slightly. If I do the 50% water change, do you think it would hurt to use the tap water? It's alot more expensive to go buy 15 gallons of distilled water and haul them home, and most the time the distilled water at the store is significantly colder than my tank water and lowers the temperature. I dont want stress her anymore than I have to.

No, no sand. The substrate is all pebbles. All different sizes, some small, but most of it being medium and large pebbles though.

I did have the buildup causing the toxic gas, and the terrible smell, but after i did the 50% water change and vaccumed the gravel extremely well, the smell immediately subsided and 2 of the fish recovered. That was a week ago. Do you think the problem I'm having with my parrot fish now is directly related to the aftermath of the anaerobic bacteria? Or a combination of multiple things,

 

[FreedomFighter]

yes, quite probably, hydrogen sulfide poisoning is exactly that, poison.

Plenty of water changes, nice clean water (dechlorinated tap water will be fine) and a lot of hope, and the rest of your fish may pull through.

Edit to say, make sure you gravel vac thoroughly when doing the water changes. Your fish may get stressed by the changes, but it's better for its health.

 

[Jackiee]

well actually, the only 2 fish than lived was my parrot fish and a small platy. The platy died a few days ago after i added salt into the tank, i think he was too sensitive to it. So I only have my parrot fish now. I lost my veil tail angelfish easily to the toxic breakout which i was very upset about. They seem so fragile about things though, I've never had an angelfish recover from much of anything. But thank you. Should I not proceed with the dosing of the Pimafix then? It's supposed to be a natural antibiotic to fungal infection as well as internal and external bacterial infections (idk exactly what bacterial infections it treats though). I've been dosing the tank every day for 3 days. It says to continue doing so for 7 days. Or should I continue dosing with the Pimafix as i do daily water changes? and just replacing the amount of medicine and salt that I siphon out in the water change?

 

[FreedomFighter]

Well if it is just fungal growths on her, then frequent water changes will do a good enough job.

Adding meds will be lowering the amount of oxygen in the water, and might add to the discomfort.

But I don't think you'd be doing any harm doing a small dose after a daily water change, I don't think you need the salt though tbh. Basically, your choice.

I hope your fish makes it, would be horrid to lose the whole tank.

 

[ian]

hydrogen sulfide poisoning

??There is no evidence of this, stirring sand/gravel isn't necessary in a tank. The gasses will in fact just rise and gas out of the top of the tank. They will not poison fish and definitely not kill everything in its path!

As stated this it a fungal thing, up water changed and try some melafix.

 

[RushingChamp28]

Some LFS give wierd (read as BAD) advice, I have never heard anyone recommend strips over liquid test kits. 6.4 pH is fine for most species of fish, no worries there. If you are using tap water and you have city water or chemically treated water you may need to use a conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine, which it sounds like you are doing.

You should be able to find Binox in most stores, it usually comes in a small 2.5 oz (or similar) bottle, that should be more than enough. I have found that redosing 1/2 the original dose every 2 days with 50% water change to keep the level at its highest is better than the recommended instructions on the box, this has worked best for me in the past, you can also use the aquarium salt at the same time if you have it. If for some reason you can't find Binox, the most important part is nitrofurazone, the active ingredient.

I never use distilled water to change the tanks, especially if you are using water conditioner you shouldn't have to spend the extra money on it. I live in the country and have well water, so I don't have to use either, which is nice, but if you are in the city you may have to stick with the water conditioner just to be sure.

I would make sure that when you change water you are doing heavy gravel vacuuming, this is definitely an important detail, to make sure you are cleaning all the waste that settles into the gravel. As soon as you can get that out of the gravel, it will remove the clogged up, sedimented nastiness that the anaerobic bacteria need to "eat". No waste food = no BAD bacteria = no toxic rotten egg smell and no fish H20 quality issues.

 

[FreedomFighter]

hydrogen sulfide poisoning

??There is no evidence of this, stirring sand/gravel isn't necessary in a tank. The gasses will in fact just rise and gas out of the top of the tank. They will not poison fish and definitely not kill everything in its path!

As stated this it a fungal thing, up water changed and try some melafix.

So a fungal infection killed 95% of a tanks inhabitants in 20-30minutes? Sorry to be blunt, but pull the other one mate.

 

[ian]

Show us some evidence, and please don't be disrespectful, ie "pull the other one mate".

This will be the first case of" sulpher wipes the whole tank out" that I and many other have heard of.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Well if you show me some evidence that a fungal infection can wipe a tank without any signs of evidence on the deceased fish, in about 20 minutes, then i'll believe you.

I had a buildup of said gas wipe out most of my marine tank at one point, the place stunk of sulphur and my 6 fish were gone in minutes. Can't prove that though. Also if you google hydrogen sulfide there are plenty of reports stating that their tank got wiped at the same time as the sulphurous smell was present.