Problem

[Nick Bramley]

Hi, I've got a 90l tank with ten Neon Tetras, Three small Platies, Two Dwarf frogs, Four corydoras and a Nerite Snail. My problem is over the last week two of my Platies have started darting around and rubbing themselves on rocks and plants. I've done a fifty percent water change, turned the temperature up by two degrees and added half doses of Waterlife Myxazin. I intially thought it was the start of whitespot but after six days there are still no actuall spots but there still rubbing themselves against rocks etc.

My water stats are fine and I pride myself on keeping the tank clean, I hoover the gravel every week, twenty percent water change and wash out all my filter sponges in tank water.

Any help or suggestion would be much appreciated

Nick

 

[WILDER]

Never add meds till you know what you are treating for, it the worst thing you can do.
Darting and flicking can be due to bad water quality, parasites, stray voltage, over dose of med.
Can we take a look at your water stats.
Any signs of laboured breathing.
Check the gills over to see if they are pale with excess mucas on them, or red and inflamed.
Check the body of the fish for looking pale with excess mucas.
Added anything new to the tank.

 

[Nick Bramley]

Nitrite and Ammonia 0
Temp 26 degrees

They do look like there breathing fast and my yellow platie has a pale patch just below his top fin.

Only thing I've added is a glass paper weight, sounds wierd but looks good

 

[WILDER]

pale patches can be bacterial to parasite.
Wouldn't of expected them to dart around the tank with a bacterial infection.
Pale areas with excess slime can be skin flukes.

The paper weight does it have any mental bits on it.

 

[Nick Bramley]

The paper weight is just a glass ball with a coloured liquid inside

Thanks for your help so quickly

 

[WILDER]

Don't think its the glass ball but I would remove it for now to see if it makes a difference.
Is there any way the liquid could be leaking out of the glass ball.
Bleached out patches can be columnaris as well as parasite.
Can you load a pick up of the sick fish.
Do you have plenty of aeration in the tank.

 

[Nick Bramley]

Will remove the ball, no way the liquid is coming out, about an inch of glass between it and the tank. Unfortunately I haven't got a camera good enough to take a good picture. The filter is a wet and dry trckle system so oxygen should not be a problem.

One thing I would like to add as I forgot initally is that I've had a problem replacing one of my bulbs in my tank. It had two but one has broken and I'm awaiting a replacemt, bulb has been broken about two weeks. Could lack of light cause skin irritation? The light is considerably dimmer than it was.

Nick

 

[WILDER]

No the light wont make them flick and rub and dart around the tank.
I would check that the filter ripping the water surface.
Did any of the light fitting fall in the water.

 

[Nick Bramley]

Yes the top of the tank is rippling.

No I took the hood off and secured the light casing before putting the hood back on.

The Platies are mostly hiding but when they come out thats when there darting and rubbing. They are eating as normal

 

[WILDER]

I'm more tempted to say parasite with the darting and flicking but I'm not a 100% sure to be honest, what your fish have at the moment.
[URL="http/www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/protozin.htm"]http/www.waterlife.co.uk/waterlife/protozin.htm[/URL]
Ok if stats are good I would get this med.
Do a water change and add some black carbon to the tank to get the mxyazin out of the tank.

 

[Nick Bramley]

Thank you

How long shall I put the carbon in for?

Will the med hurt my nerite snail or amano shrimp?

 

[WILDER]

Yes best to isolate invertbrates, parasite meds can kill them.
Just run the black carbon for aday.

 

[Nick Bramley]

After the treatment of protozin would it be alright to put Carbon in again then re introduce my snail and shrimp?

 

[WILDER]

Once parasites have gone you do a water change and run black carbon for two days.
Remove the black carbon as it dosn't work after say a week anyway.
Don't add the inverbrates back till you have run the carbon for two days.

 

[Nick Bramley]

Thanks a lot for your help, much appreciated wilder