Several Issues In Tank!

[kristins1877]

OK so about a week ago I posted in the killifish forum looking for an ID on 2 fish and it was noticed that my fish MAY have a spot or 2 of ICH on its tail. I checked the fish and indeed it and one other fish appeared to have a few small specks on their tail that could have been ich. All of the fish seemed healthy and were swimming with no problems, but to err on the side of caution, I raised my temp and used a liquid ich med for the reccomended 3 days, and did a large water change. NOW...

1. The original Killifish was missing most of its tail, belly completely sunken and in couldn't swim. I euthenized it, it looked beyond help
2. My second killi appears to have only what I could call "bells palsy" of the mouth... One side of his upturned mouth is drooping
3. One of my corys is having trouble swimming upright and when he does he just rests at the bottom.
4. One pleco just laying at the bottom, not "sucking" or moving much, only moves when disturbed by another fish.

All of my water parameters are within normal ranges when I took a sample to my lfs.

Does anyone know what in the world could be wrong? I feel like the medicine created problems that weren't there before?

 

[Repeat]

What liquid medicine did you use? Also how fast did you raise your temp?

 

[kristins1877]

I used Quick Cure. I have 40 gal but the store rec I use a little less - 30 drops a day for 3 days. I raised the temp from 78 to 80 and about 8 hrs later I raised from 80 to 82.

The rubbernose pleco has moved from the spot he's been in for the past 2 days. He's now about 6 inches away and turned the other direction but is still just "there". The cory is just sitting at the bottom of the tank, looks alittle pale and is breathing heavily and fast. Everyone else looks great - angels are swimming alittle erratic but I think that may be because I increased the flow on the filter alittle

 

[WILDER]

Do you mean the mouth deformed.
Any whiteness to the mouth or fluffy bits on the mouth.
Sunken in bellys can be not feeding enough, internal parasites, to bacterial.
Lost any fish to looking skinny.
Check the anus of the fish to see if its enlarged or red and inflamed.
What does it look like when the fish go to the toilet.
Lost any fish to bent spines.

 

[Athena]

When you took the water sample to your lfs, did they test using the paper strip method or did they actually do a proper liquid test? If it was the paper strip method, then those results could be wrong as the test strips are not as accurate as liquid tests. I know everyone says it, but I've tested this out for myself and seen what a difference using liquid kits make.

Anyway, that aside - those few white dots you saw on your first sick fish may not have been whitespot disease at all - if a fish has flukes you can sometimes see a few tiny whitish dots on finnage under the light.

If the fish had flukes and not whitespot then treating for whitespot wouldn't have cured for flukes (well, unless your meds state they cure both) and in the process your fish have become stressed by the meds and increased temps. As you know, any stress at all can lower their immune system, bringing on secondary illness - usually bacterial infections.

Bacterial infections can present symptoms of sunken belly, listlessness, faded colour, clamped fins, inability to swim normally, increased gill movement etc.

Without actually seeing the fish it's hard to say for sure what each of them is suffering with, but it does seem to have started from that first treatment for whitespot, from what you've described.

If it was me, I would do a gravel clean, 50% water change, begin an anti-bac treatment and slowly reduce the temp back to normal over next few days. In the meantime, keeping a watchful eye on any further symptoms that might lead to a better diagnosis (e.g. any flicking, rubbing, ulcers, slime etc - and also check fins/gills for any sign of whitish, blurry dots).

Regards - Athena

 

[kristins1877]

They did a liquid test, using 4 vials, they put different drops in each vial. I included some pictures of the medicine package as well as the pleco and cory (the killi wont stop swimming at the top - seems fine other than his lip which doesnt appear to have any fungus or growth on it, Just looks like Elvis with a curled lip) The cory is swimming for small periods now but not normal behavior. Swims straight up to the top of the tank, back down to the bottom and rests. Seems to have better color than yesterday. The pleco hasn't changed. The meds say it treats minor gill fluke infections as well as protozoan parasites as well as ich. I did a 50% water change last night and cleaned the gravel (now looking at it I could have done a better job) and cleaned the filter components (they were out during treatment).

 

[kristins1877]

Do you mean the mouth deformed.
Any whiteness to the mouth or fluffy bits on the mouth.
Sunken in bellys can be not feeding enough, internal parasites, to bacterial.
Lost any fish to looking skinny.
Check the anus of the fish to see if its enlarged or red and inflamed.
What does it look like when the fish go to the toilet.
Lost any fish to bent spines.

The mouth looks like one side is drooping and partially opened, nothing around the mouth
The only sunken belly was the small killi that I lost last night, everyone else is quite plump and I feed 3 or 4 times per day (flake, an algae pellet every 3 days, crushed dried baby shrimp, and freeze dried bloodworms for the dwarf puffers)
Anuses appear to be OK, no redness and toileting seems normal
No bent spines

 

[WILDER]

I would add a bacterial med to the tank.
Keep an eye on the fish mouth.

 

[kristins1877]

Thanks, will buy some in the morning (hopefully they make it through the night).

 

[kristins1877]

OK the rubbernose plec had to be euthanized - belly sunk in (Im assuming cuz its been atleast 4 days since he last ate) and was just laying to the side. My cory all of a sudden perked right back up and is happily scavaging the bottom of my tank with the other, like nothing happened. My killi's mouth is still drooped but he's eating just fine (kind eats to one side since it falls out of the drooping side) but he has his normal color and is acting normal. I nought some maracyn packets to use for the next 5 days and then do another large water change and see what happens...

 

[WILDER]

Bless him R.I.P.
Good luck with the rest.
Keep us all updated.