Please I need help and I need it now!

[Elisabeth83]

I cant see in any of your posts if youve recently checked ammonia. Black markings could be melanophore migration which is where the pigment is healing from ammonia burns and turns black when it is healing.
Only use one med at a time and dont change half way through as you will need to see if it works.
Good luck.

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I haven't tested for ammonia in awhile. The test strip I use doesn't test for ammonia. I have a seperate ammonia test but I dont use it often. Isn't if your nitrItes are 0 your ammonia is 0?

I just tested their water and it reads:

NitrAte - 10
NitrIte - 0
GH - 5
KH - 5-7
Ph - between 7.0-7.5

 

[black angel]

No, not always elisabeth as you could have had an ammonia spike long enough to burn them and then done a water change and brought it back to 0.
Just a possibililty though.

On the days that you arent using the meds do 50% water changes to keep the water good.
How big is the tank and is it overcrowded?

 

[jollysue]

Well, I guess not, because my nitrates with the goldies were restored to a safe zone almost immediately but my poor pretties were swimming in pure ammonia. Maybe a little overstatement.

Yes that'a exactly what I told myself--they are hardy; they can take it; they gulp air. But my poor $25 Orange Oranda was gulping a lot of air and swimming in pure ammonia.

I have repented.

Most of your questions I'm going to let others take who know much more than me.

I'm going to bed.

 

[Elisabeth83]

Ok, Well it is possible that there could of been an ammonia spike a few weeks back as that's when I got the live plants and they decayed and I got all these problems. That doesn't explain the weird black patch on the one females face though. It keeps getting larger. It's weird. I was thinking tumor but it doesn't stick out much. It's actually kind of like a brown slightly raised mole that some people have.

Ok so I should do a 50% water change tonight? But if I treat tomorrow which is day 6 wouldn't it be bad to do a 50% water change on day 7? Wouldn't I be taking a lot of the meds out?

The tank is 14.5 US gallons with 7 female bettas in it.

edit:

Well, I guess not, because my nitrates with the goldies were restored to a safe zone almost immediately but my poor pretties were swimming in pure ammonia.  Maybe a little overstatement.

Yes that'a exactly what I told myself--they are hardy; they can take it; they gulp air.  But my poor $25 Orange Oranda was gulping a lot of air and swimming in pure ammonia.

I have repented.

Most of your questions I'm going to let others take who know much more than me.

I'm going to bed.

[snapback]899911[/snapback]​

Sue I just read this:

"A fish tank kept at 68 degrees F can tolerate more then twice the amount of ammonia as a tank kept at 86 degrees F."

So I guess that explains why your goldies were ok seeing as they are in coldwater ?

edit again ) : Here's the link to that site if you want to read more http/www.algone.com/ammonium.htm

 

[WILDER]

Not the writer of this information.

Black Patches



Symptoms:

Black patches, smudges, smears, spots or markings that suddenly appear and are not natural colorings.



Cause:

These markings are the result of skin cell damage. Black markings often appear in areas where the skin has been damaged by ammonia burns, bacterial infections, parasitic infestations, and injuries. These markings are often seen on fish just after a new tank has completed “cycling,” due to the high ammonia levels. These marks are also common in African Cichlids, especially around the mouth. These are scabs that have come from digging in the gravel or from fighting.



Treatment:

No treatment is necessary. Much like scabs, the blackened areas are a sign that the healing process has already begun. Keep water in top condition and the areas will gradually fade in less than a couple of weeks.

 

[black angel]

Hows it going today?

I could only find this that may help. http/www.inkmkr.com/Fish/FlubendazoleArticle.pdf

another thing to try is adding 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar to every 10 gallons.
I read that it kills Hydra and that you dont need to do a water change after.

Can you get a magnifying glass and see if you can see if it has any tentacles on it?

 

[Elisabeth83]

They don't have tentacles that I can see. I used my magnifying glass and all I see are these tiny hair like white worms.


Well here's some new info I took a big jug of water out and was looking at the water and I could see a lot of white roundish particles floating in the water. I could also see what appeared to be the same tiny hair like worms in the water. They were hardly visible I had to sit and stare for awhile. Are the round particles eggs?

I have no idea what to do. Their fins are even worse today. I'm getting desperate here. I can barely look at the tank anymore. I just wish I didn't have to deal with this. It's causing me so much stress.

I'm freaking out thinking worms and eggs are floating all in the water

Maybe I should stop treatments and just do daily 50-75% water changes with a lot of salt and some of the garlic stuff? I'd think that would get rid of the worms and eggs

 

[Bloo]

Oh dear things really really don't sound good at all I'm afraid
I know what you mean about not wanting to look anymore - I was the same - always expecting the worst and it's not nice to see a fish deteriorating over such a long period of time
I "think" water changes might help - but then again it might also stress the fish out even more and you have to keep remedicating which again will put more stress on the fish.
It's so hard to really advise you on what the "right" thing is to do......

 

[Elisabeth83]

It's awful having to watch them deteriorate over a long period of time like you said. I just wish I either knew what I was dealing with and could medicate properly or that they would just die quickly.

I wouldn't be remedicating I'd be stopping all medications and I would just be doing 50-75% water changes everyday with the addition of salt and garlic liquid. Maybe the water changes would cause them stress but at this rate I'm feeling desperate. If the worms and eggs are in the water and the medications I am using arn't working that I'm just going to be infested with these worms. I'm just thinking that with doing such big water changes I might be able to get rid of them eventually.

I'm feeling so lost here. It's odd that this is obviously some kind of aquarium disease but I cannot find any literature on these small white worms except planaria which I know these are not.

I'm just thinking if I do switch medications what I should switch to. If I should try a general tonic, parasite medication like ich etc, the same type of medication I am using now just a different brand or what

 

[Bloo]

I'm just thinking that with doing such big water changes I might be able to get rid of them eventually.

[snapback]900676[/snapback]​

Unfortunately as long as the host is alive (your fish), so will they be
Water changes alone will never ever get rid of the parasites I'm afraid. You must medicate.

It's when I decided to swith meds that I encountered my problems and she died.
I know you're at your whit's end and I wish I knew what to tell you to do to help the situation - but alas I don't

 

[Elisabeth83]

I'm just thinking that with doing such big water changes I might be able to get rid of them eventually.

[snapback]900676[/snapback]​

Unfortunately as long as the host is alive (your fish), so will they be
Water changes alone will never ever get rid of the parasites I'm afraid. You must medicate.

It's when I decided to swith meds that I encountered my problems and she died.
I know you're at your whit's end and I wish I knew what to tell you to do to help the situation - but alas I don't

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Your right I didn't think about that Well I guess I'll just keep using the Sterazin until day 11 and if there is no improvement I will move on to another medication. Maybe the JBL Ektol fluid or maybe the JBL Gyrodactol

I'm just so frusterated and sad about this I feel like crying and giving up At least I have this forum and all of you here to talk with. It would be a lot worse if I was on my own.

 

[black angel]

All i can think of trying is this.
Take two 1 gallon bowls or containers and keep them where the water will stay warm. Add the sickest fish to one and then tomorrow move her to the other clean bowl and then empty and clean out the one she has been in and keep doing this each day. The point being that you are trying to keep the betta in as clean a bowl as possible and away from the parasites life cycle. So, as the worms come off to reproduce they are flushed away.
Well thats the theory anyway.

 

[riogal_11]

Black Angel - That really sounds like a good idea to me black angel. It makes a lot of sense.

 

[Elisabeth83]

All i can think of trying is this.
Take two 1 gallon bowls or containers and keep them where the water will stay warm. Add the sickest fish to one and then tomorrow move her to the other clean bowl and then empty and clean out the one she has been in and keep doing this each day. The point being that you are trying to keep the betta in as clean a bowl as possible and away from the parasites life cycle. So, as the worms come off to reproduce they are flushed away.
Well thats the theory anyway. 

[snapback]900711[/snapback]​

Ok you mean the fish that has the worms on it? I don't have a spare heater though and I'm not sure if the house temp is warm enough. During the day it gets up to 24.5 but at nights it can drop to about 22.

What do I do in the main tank then and the other fish?

 

[black angel]

I thought as that was the main one afflicted you could try her to see if it worked. As for the temperature then i dont know as you need to keep the bowl in the tropical region.
If it did seem to work then you couldnt put her back in the main tank again and you would need a brand new set up going where you could house the females and divide them. You would then if it worked need to do the same with the next affected female..
It would probably cost you but its going to cost you any way in replacing loved fish.

I would also try the teaspoon of white vinegar to the main tank to see if that worked.

As i'm more into treating goldies than bettas, the method is the same and called bucket to bucket. For goldfish its done when theres a bacterial outbreak and moving them from one bucket to another each day keeps the sick fish away from the bacteria so breaking the cycle.
I thought maybe on a smaller scale it might work for a betta.