Someone Please help

[Drlife202]

I dont know what is wrong but I have had 2 female Guppies die, a female platy die and also a black neon tetra die. 2 days ago, me and my mum saw the female platy acting strange, we had just brought 6 neon tetras. Then within an hour the female platy died. My mum noticed that her tail seemed to have roted so we thought this could be fin rot. My mum also noticed my other male platys tail started to have rotted as well. We already started on a treatment with melafix as we just adding 6 new neon tetras. Anyway, we thought that we would do a 7 day course of melafix and see how it goes. But this morning, I woken up to find a female guppie dead, we took it to our LFS, and the staff person on said she isnt experianced to look at it under the microscope but she had a good look at the dead body, the fish was pregnant and could of died under a pregnancy problem but we told her about the other fish dieing and she sugested keep doing the melafix stuff. Also she tested the water for us, the PH was fine etc but I think it was the nitrate was a problem, she said the tank needs a water change of 25 %. So I came back home and did that, the fish look ok at the momment but could this be more then a fin rot? the female guppies tail was fine so I realy dont know what is going on here please help me

I'm not very happy as my best female platty died of this mystrey thing aswell

 

[jams.alaskan]

Hi there, what was the nitrate level that your lfs detected? That would help us, did they also test for nitrite and ammonia? How long have you had the tank set up? If you can answer these questions it may help folks here help you to track down the problem. I'm sorry for your loss.

ALASKA

 

[cichlidmaster]

Finrot is a bacterial infection usually brought on by poor water quality.

You state the pH was fine, but don't list the Ammonia, Nitrite or Nitrate levels!!

If these are elevated, this would cause undue stress on your fish and make them susceptible to all kinds of disease problems including finrot.

Have you been doing regular weekly water changes?? If not, you need to start!!

You would also need to start the fish on a treatment of antibiotics!! I have found Tetracycline to be the best for finrot.

Melafix WILL NOT treat a bacterial infection!!!

Raise the temprature in the tank 1 or 2 degrees and add a touch of salt as this will help as well.

HTH and keep us posted!!

Good Luck.

CM

 

[Drlife202]

Thanks guys, she just said that the nitrate level or something was low and I realy needed to do a water change. From now on I will do a weekly water change. Melafix does treat bacterial infections dont it? I readed on the box about it. I dont know what the nitrate level the LFS detected but she just told me to do a water change.

 

[cichlidmaster]

OK,

First,

There is no such thing as to low a nitrate reading!! Her advice about the water change was right on though.

Second,

While the box may say it treats fin and tail rot, it has been my experiance it does not!!

Especially in advanced cases!! If what your fish have is fin and tail rot and they are dying, then you should start a treatment with Tetracycline.

JMO!!!

CM

 

[Drlife202]

Thing is dude, only my platty died of suspected fin rot, the guppie that died this morning well we dont know what she died of, the women at the LFS didn't look at it under the microscope. So like I said i'm confused...

 

[cichlidmaster]

Your absolutely right, my apologies.

I went back and re-read your initial post and you did state only one fish died of suspected fin rot.

As to the cause of the guppy death, it could have been she got egg bound, but does this explain the second female guppies death??

Let's go back to the beginning:

Have you been doing regular weekly water changes?? If not, then I suspect your water parameters are way out of wack!!

This could be the problem for the deaths as well!!

IMO you should start with a 25% change, get your water tested for the following:

1. Ammonia
2. Nitrite
3. Nitrate

Either buy kits for these three things (so you can test regulary) or take a water sample to the fish shop and ask them to test for them.

Make sure to write the findings down so you can list them here.

This will help us with a better diagnosis of what may be causing your fish deaths.

CM

 

[Drlife202]

As of today I will be doing weekly water changes, I haven't been doing weekly water changes but since you guys and since she told me to I will do it every week from now on. Hopefully tomorrow my mum will take me to the LFS to get the water tested, they test for PH as well. I tested the PH myself but I think they can do it better then me.

Thanks for the help guys!!

 

[cichlidmaster]

Good luck and please let us know what the results of the tests are.

CM

 

[Drlife202]

Thanks for your help cichlidmaster I will let you know what the results are!

 

[Drlife202]

Hi again guys, I did a water change and took a water sample to my LFS, he was very good, he said my water is spot on now I did a water change. He recommended I carry on doing my Melafix course and see what happends after the 7 days see if any fish die etc.

Thanks for all the help guys, I didn't get the results of what he said but he said the water was spot on.