Possibly a fungus???

[pinkpixy]

I have a 29 gallon tank. A few days ago my rope fish looked like his tail was all torn up and flakey. Then when we woke up the next morning it had spread up the tail a little, and was also under his chin. Yesterday we woke up and this stuff was covering his eyes, and was about 1 and a half inches up his body. Plus he had spots on his body. Also, my Discus had a few tiny white specks on his tail.

So, I called around and an aquarium store told me it might be fungus and to try Maracyn. So, I put that in.

This morning my ropefish was dead on the bottom, and the stuff on the discus had seemed to worsen. As the morning went on I kept checking on them, and the discus seemed to be getting even worse.

Some other people told me to get some aquarium salt, and put that in. So, I did that today.

Tonight when I came home from work the Discus had white spreading up his body.

Any suggestions as to what I can do

I checked my levels, and everything was fine except the Nitrite(Nitrate?) seemed a bit high. How can I fix this?

I have a Fire eel, an arrowana, and a baby oscar in there also. I have read that many medications are not safe for the fire eel.

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

Also, I just noticed that everyone seems to be gasping for air. Except the arrowana.

 

[Jaded_Pulse]

Hi, welcome to the forums I'm sorry to hear about you're loss.

A torn up tail could have been a sign of finrot. The stuff that spread up to his chin & eyes - was it white & kinda fluffy looking? Or more like lots of little grains of salt? Fluffy would be fungus, salt would be ich, but I haven't heard of ich eating a tail away before - I'd say it probably is fungus, but I could be wrong. If it's fungus, I don't think aquarium salt does a whole lot, only meds will help. I don't know how an eel would react to that, somebody else will advise you on that.

What is your actual reading for the chemical you're saying is a bit high? & is it NitrIte or NitrAte (nitrite is much more poisonous & should be kept at 0). Either way, water changes are the best way to bring the readings down, but make sure you treat the water with a dechlorinator that also neutralises chloramine, & try to have the replacement water at approximately the same temperature as the tank water.

Also, even if it isn't for their current sizes - your tank is going to be WAY overstocked. I believe oscars need a minimum of 75 gallon tank, & I think eels & discus can get quite big too. If you aren't able to upgrade, I would return the oscar at least, & maybe the others as well & set up a smaller community tank.

Orright, hope that helped. Michelle.

 

[Clare]

Blimey,it`s awful when fish get ill.Sounds a bit like white spot to me but the fungus would of been really hard to get rid of.
Did you know that oscars grow huge and can be very aggresive.Although it is best to bring them up from young with their tank mates.
Also,discus are very specialist fish and need to be kept with other discus really.Not in a community tank.

 

[pinkpixy]

the oscar is supposed to be fine with the eel and the arrowana. i know he grows very big, we actually were about to upgrade to a much bigger tank before this disease broke out. the discus was going to stay in the 30 and everyone else was going in the bigger tank. right now though everyone is babies. like the oscar is only 2 inches. the discus is also very small. we have been keeping a close eye on everyone, and no one had been fighting. so, i was told it was fine, and that yes i was going to have to upgrade, but it was fine for right now.

i did a 25% water change yesterday, and it was Nitrite that I tested that seemed a bit high. what would be the maximum water change i could do right now?

the white stuff wasn't fluffy. it was more like a film that was flaking.

i was told pretty much the only meds that the eel can handle are Marcyn and Maracyn 2. unfourtunately i don't have a tank that can be used as a hospital tank. this is just very upsetting cause it has spread so fast, and i feel like there is nothing i can do.

it looks as if i am going to lose the discus today. he is very weak, and the stuff has spread more. i am supposed to go in a talk to the owner of the fish shop today who is a specialist. hopefully he can help me.

anyone suggestions from you guys is most appreciated.

 

[unforgiven]

sounds like poor water quality to me. People who have city water often have large amounts of chlorine in it, which causes many of the symptoms you describe. There are products on the market that dechlorinate your water to make it safe for aquarium use, I unfortunately don't know anything about them because I dont have any chlorine in my water. You're nitrate levels are also high, another factor indicating poor water quality. If you dont think it's this, try a little forma-green (not sure if this is suitable for the eel), it kills many parasites that plague fish.

your symptoms are
white patches on the skin
film over the eyes
and
breakdown of the fin membranes correct?
definitely sounds like water quality problems.

well that's my 2 cents worth.

but an arrowana I've had my dragon a little over a year in 120 gallons, I'll have to sell him or buy a bigger tank inside another year, they have huge appetites and grow at breakneck pace. An adult needs 300 gallons of water at least, they get 3-4 feet long fully grown, the oscar would be a snack if you don't have him on pellets at that size...but even as a baby as i assume yours is, he can't be happy in 29 gallons of water.

 

[Jaded_Pulse]

Hi again Good to hear you've got the tanks all planned out. If you really don't feel that it's the water quality that's the biggest problem (although nitrites are always a problem), it possibly is an actual disease, since fish can pick up diseases much more easily when they're stressed (from the water conditions). I'm not incredibly experienced with fish like some others here, so they can probably help you more, but I've had a scout around on the web, & have come up with 2 possiblilities for you (since it doesn't sound a whole lot like fungus or ich):

1. Columnaris Disease (Mouth Fungus.....it's bacterial but looks kinda like fungus apparently) - I don't think the symptoms match a whole lot, but on another forum somebody had a similar problem to yours & they were told *maybe* it was that, but I'm not convinced.

2. Discus Flu (Discus Plague) - I've never heard of this one before, but it does seem to fit the bill for the most part.
http/www.mongabay.com/fish/diseases.htm says:
"Discus Flu, Discus Plague
S: The disease sets in rapidly after new fish are introduced. The first symptoms include small white patches on the body and the disintegration of the fins. Soon, the milky mucous membrane begins to slough off in large sections and the fish turn a dark color. If a number of fish are affected, they may huddle together in the corner of the tank.
A: This seasonal, flu-like disease, that has devastated entire hatcheries, is caused by seemingly unknown causes. Scientists have found a number of species of bacteria in diseased fish. The best way to combat the disease is to keep the pH low (4-5), make daily water changes (clean the tank well), and stop feeding the fish. The lights should be turned off and decorations removed. Try treating the water with a small amount of potassium permanganate to kill off some bacteria. Some suggest using an antihistamine throughout the course of the disease."

I don't think I'm violating any copywright laws by posting that here because I included the address, but if I am I'm really sorry mods, please take it down or tell me to - I don't want any of us in trouble, just trying to help!!

Anyways, I hope someone more knowledgeable comes along soon for you. Good luck. Michelle.