Sick Bleeding Heart Tetras

[MisterGQ79]

Hey all. I have 3 bleeding heart tetras, a needle nose gar, a plecostamus, a bala shark and 4 orange (somethings)......everyone is fine besides the bleeding heart tetras. The area around their pupils is turning from gray to red and the rest of them is looking really dull. I caught one of them swimming face down and tail up yesterday but today he seems to be swimming fine. He's not eating but he's swimming around fine, the other two are still eating. Like I said, they all look pale....not much color left in their top fins....one of them looks like he has some slightly brown areas on him. Please let me know if you have any ideas! I went to the pet shop today and they gave me some salt to put in there....she said that if it doesn't get better in 12 hours that I'll have to put some other stuff in there. Help would be appreciated! Thanks.

Eric

 

[Ami]

Eric - I don't know what kind of plec you have, but some can't tolerate salt so please don't add it yet.

You should repost your question in the Emergency Thread and hopefully you'll get a prompt reply!

 

[pokagon55]

Have you checked your water quality lately? When was the last water change you did? Most of the time the reason fish get sick is because of poor water condtions. Before you start to put things in you tank from the pet store check your water condtions and post it later

 

[MisterGQ79]

Thanks for the advice Ami, but I have already added it. How will I know if it's harming him? Cool, thanks waterboy, I'll do that. But if it's caused by water conditions, wouldn't more fish than just the bleeding heart tetras be sick? Thanks.

 

[pokagon55]

Not really, the pleco. is a very hardy fish can with stand alot. As with the Gar. The tetra is hardy but with bad water condtions will die faster than the others. Now I have a common pleco the kind that will grow to well into the feet"s and that one is doing just fine in salt. Just becareful when you add the salt, make sure it is all the way desolved before you put it in. If you don't ,you run the risk of a salt burn. Try to maintain regular water changes like every week of 25%. And vac. the gravel at 30% as a rule of thunb. You can go bi- weekly. Here try this link:http/www.ratemyfishtank.com/freshwater_tank_wizard.php It will help

 

[MisterGQ79]

Hey, thanks. I got the water tested yesterday and they said everything looks good. Now the orange platys have what looks to be a coating of dirt on the top of them, some more than others....it's kinda the same look that the worst tetra has. It doesn't have a texture to it....it just looks dirty. I noticed a couple black "slivers" in the body of the gar that I don't think I saw before. I used the Maracyn TC but the platys got that black stuff on them in the face of it. Someone told me when I was treating w/ the maracyn tc to turn up the temp a couple degrees, but someone yesterday said not to turn up the temp without an anti-parasitic in the tank. They said it wasn't fungus 'cuz it wasn't white....he said it sounded like a parasite, especially since when I turned up the heat the platys got it. They gave me that copper stuff to use as an anti-parasitic and said if that didn't work in a week to switch to the other maracyn that treats gram positive bacteria. Does that sound right? Thanks again.

Not really, the pleco. is a very hardy fish can with stand alot. As with the Gar. The tetra is hardy but with bad water condtions will die faster than the others. Now I have a common pleco the kind that will grow to well into the feet"s and that one is doing just fine in salt. Just becareful when you add the salt, make sure it is all the way desolved before you put it in. If you don't ,you run the risk of a salt burn. Try to maintain regular water changes like every week of 25%. And vac. the gravel at 30% as a rule of thunb. You can go bi- weekly. Here try this link:http/www.ratemyfishtank.com/freshwater_tank_wizard.php It will help

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like it could be a parasite does the stuff on them look like a dirty grey colour on them, any excess slime or mucas on them, any flicking and rubbing against objects, any laboured breathing, check the gills to see if they are red and inflamed, any excess mucas on the gills.

Also does the dirt look like a brown dusting on them.

 

[MisterGQ79]

I'd say it looks like a dark brown dusting. The orange platys just look "dirty". I don't see any extra mucous or slime on them and they're not rubbing up against anything. No one's gathering at the top and their gills look normal. The gray area around the pupils of the bleeding heart tetras is turning red on all of them. Thank you for your help.

Sounds like it could be a parasite does the stuff on them look like a dirty grey colour on them, any excess slime or mucas on them, any flicking and rubbing against objects, any laboured breathing, check the gills to see if they are red and inflamed, any excess mucas on the gills.

Also does the dirt look like a brown dusting on them.

 

[MisterGQ79]

Also...all of the packaging on the coppersafe says to maintain normal filtration and aeration.....I've got carbon in my filter....I'm guessing if I was supposed to take it out it would tell me on the package?

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like velvet then a parasite.

http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/heal...thprotist.shtml

 

[pokagon55]

http/freshaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/...inicalsigns.htm
try this link. Does sound like velvet but there is no "flashing" It could be a bacterial infection. The redding comes along with the infection. You could google fish diseases and then try to find the symtom that best matches your concern The salt will treat 7 of the 9 parisites that are common and it will also help with the infection. If you can tell of the water conditions, ammonia readings,nitrite, nitrate,ph How often you change water, the temp. Do you match your water temp. to your water intank when changing. How much do you change. That would help. Have you added new fish lately? when....How long has the tank be up and running.

When using any meds you should remove the carbon. Also try this link http/www.koivet.com/html/glossary/glossa...tegory=Symptoms You said one fish was swimming head down tail up,that is a good sign of a bacterial infection. I would treat for a bacterial infection.....Tank buddy's has a good product that I have used for a bactreial infection. But the salt will probaly do the trick. Write back with the results

 

[WILDER]

Some parasites cause lesions that look like a fine red-gold dust, which is seen easier under a light. This very fine appearance is why this condition is called velvet disease, anyway good luck they can get parasites and bacterial infection on top of one another.

 

[pokagon55]

Some parasites cause lesions that look like a fine red-gold dust, which is seen easier under a light. This very fine appearance is why this condition is called velvet disease, anyway good luck they can get parasites and bacterial infection on top of one another.

would the fish not flash if it had a parisite like velvet? All the info that I read on this problem said that the fish would flash. None of the fish were flashing according to the person? Well anyway, I would treat for both. Because it sounds like that with the info given. Right on Wilder!

 

[MisterGQ79]

What is flashing? Is it when they dart around? My needlenose gar is a little more jumpy, the new bala shark that I put in there has been skitzo since I put him in there....The other ones seem to dart around about the same...chasing each other around. I guess the water I'm putting in is the same temp, 'cuz the thermometer never changes. I had the water checked and they said it was within normal limits. I change about 30 percent every couple weeks....sometimes near 50%. The bala shark was just put in there about a week ago but he's not showing signs of anything. The tank has been up for a month and a half. Do I need to take the carbon out of the filter for the coppersafe? Like I said, it said on the label to maintain normal filtration and aeration. Thanks!

http/freshaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/...inicalsigns.htm
try this link. Does sound like velvet but there is no "flashing" It could be a bacterial infection. The redding comes along with the infection. You could google fish diseases and then try to find the symtom that best matches your concern The salt will treat 7 of the 9 parisites that are common and it will also help with the infection. If you can tell of the water conditions, ammonia readings,nitrite, nitrate,ph How often you change water, the temp. Do you match your water temp. to your water intank when changing. How much do you change. That would help. Have you added new fish lately? when....How long has the tank be up and running.

When using any meds you should remove the carbon. Also try this link http/www.koivet.com/html/glossary/glossa...tegory=Symptoms You said one fish was swimming head down tail up,that is a good sign of a bacterial infection. I would treat for a bacterial infection.....Tank buddy's has a good product that I have used for a bactreial infection. But the salt will probaly do the trick. Write back with the results

Sorry, just saw your reply about the carbon! I don't know what to do now that I've had the carbon in and already added the coppersafe....I guess I can go see if I can get something to check the level of the copper in the water.

Well, we've ruled out the tetracycline helping it because in the face of treating the bleeding heart tetras with it the orange platys then got it. I guess it could be a gram positive bacteria? Do I need to take the carbon out for the salt to work? Thanks again.

What is flashing? Is it when they dart around? My needlenose gar is a little more jumpy, the new bala shark that I put in there has been skitzo since I put him in there....The other ones seem to dart around about the same...chasing each other around. I guess the water I'm putting in is the same temp, 'cuz the thermometer never changes. I had the water checked and they said it was within normal limits. I change about 30 percent every couple weeks....sometimes near 50%. The bala shark was just put in there about a week ago but he's not showing signs of anything. The tank has been up for a month and a half. Do I need to take the carbon out of the filter for the coppersafe? Like I said, it said on the label to maintain normal filtration and aeration. Thanks!

http/freshaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/...inicalsigns.htm
try this link. Does sound like velvet but there is no "flashing" It could be a bacterial infection. The redding comes along with the infection. You could google fish diseases and then try to find the symtom that best matches your concern The salt will treat 7 of the 9 parisites that are common and it will also help with the infection. If you can tell of the water conditions, ammonia readings,nitrite, nitrate,ph How often you change water, the temp. Do you match your water temp. to your water intank when changing. How much do you change. That would help. Have you added new fish lately? when....How long has the tank be up and running.

When using any meds you should remove the carbon. Also try this link http/www.koivet.com/html/glossary/glossa...tegory=Symptoms You said one fish was swimming head down tail up,that is a good sign of a bacterial infection. I would treat for a bacterial infection.....Tank buddy's has a good product that I have used for a bactreial infection. But the salt will probaly do the trick. Write back with the results

Sorry, just saw your reply about the carbon! I don't know what to do now that I've had the carbon in and already added the coppersafe....I guess I can go see if I can get something to check the level of the copper in the water.