Something is off....

[CaptainBarnicles]

A cherry barb and a praecox so far since noticing issues

 

[Alice B]

when one fish passes away, then another sickens and passes away a couple of days later, I call that a parasite issue. Worms would qualify as a parasite. Parasites move from dead host to living host. Is this the pattern you are seeing @CaptainBarnicles ?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

when one fish passes away, then another sickens and passes away a couple of days later, I call that a parasite issue. Worms would qualify as a parasite. Parasites move from dead host to living host. Is this the pattern you are seeing @CaptainBarnicles ?

I'm not sure if I'm going to be totally honest....

I've been quite ill and wasn't able to manage the tank for some months, when I finally got back to it, I'd lost 1 rainbowfish, 1 Krib and quite a few cherry barbs. After getting the water back to optimal condition and giving everything a nice clean over a few weeks, I introduced a handful of tiny cherry barbs to make up the numbers, another Krib, 3 Boesemanis and 4 or 5 Praecox.

All was well until 2 weeks after when I put in the new coconut shells and swapped from Prime to API Tap Water Conditioner...

 

[Colin_T]

I'm completely lost with this thread now. Can you sum up the issues and what has been done?

If it started with a coconut shell and different water conditioner, get the coconut out and go back to the old conditioner.

If it started within 2 weeks off adding the new fish, then it might be from them. Were they quarantined be3fore being added to the main tank?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Colin

The fish I had during my illness died from my neglect...is what I assume.

I pulled myself together and sorted everything out and added new fish to replace the ones I'd lost.

Everything was good for around 2 weeks-ish. I added 3 coconut shells and started using API the following week.

I then started noticing the fish flashing and acting off....when is when I started this thread.

I took out the coconuts and commenced with the salt treatment.

The fish improved some, but I euthanised a bloated cherry barb that had a red patch on her that I surmised was a bacterial...(that was the post that confused Colin) there has also been white poop from a few of the the fish but nothing long or stringy that I can remember, there had been a lot of plant melt from the salt treatment that the fish have been eating.

A little while after that was the bloated Praecox and the TB drama. I euthanised it.

I've been doing lots of water changes. I went back to using Prime for a reason I can't remember but when I switched back to API, the fish started acting off again.

I'm sticking with Prime.

I have 2 female Praecox getting skinny.

On Colins advice I've ordered NT labs anti fluke and wormer to treat the tank for worms...

Are we caught up? I hope I've made sense as I don't know how else to explain

 

[Essjay]

And for Colin's information, NT Labs Anti Fluke and Wormer is flubendazole.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Just when I thought we were cushty...2 bloated Praecox, female with stringy white poop and a male hanging around at the surface by himself. They're not ballooned up like the last male, but definitely not right and there's more effort with breathing will grab a video when lights come on...probably another euthanisation jobbie...heartbreaking

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

One of the last 2 female praecox. When you look at the fish head-on, the red area is raised away from the body so I'm assuming it's an ulcer/tumour. Another one bites the dust I suppose awaiting confirmation from @Colin_T and will probably euthanise...then out of a whole of 8 praecox, I'll have 2 left

 

[Colin_T]

Bacterial infection. You can try salt and if there's no improvement after a couple of days, add a broad spectrum medication or something that treats bacteria (preferably not antibiotics).

-------------------

SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Bacterial infection. You can try salt and if there's no improvement after a couple of days, add a broad spectrum medication or something that treats bacteria (preferably not antibiotics).

-------------------

SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

If you only have livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), goldfish or rainbowfish in the tank you can double that dose rate, so you would add 2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres and if there is no improvement after 48 hours, then increase it so there is a total of 4 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria but the higher dose rate (4 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will affect some plants and some snails. The lower dose rate (1-2 heaped tablespoons per 20 litres) will not affect fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.

You don't think it's TB then? Why all of a sudden would one come down with a bacterial infection out of nowhere?

 

[Colin_T]

It could be a physical injury that got infected.
How long has it been like that?

TB normally affects internal organs or gills.

Ulcers normally start off as a small white bump like a pimple, then open up into a red sore.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I noticed it yesterday after a water change