Bacterial Or Fungus ?

[fishman120]

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Tank size:125 corner flow
pH:7.2
ammonia:0
nitrite:0
nitrate:05ppm
kH:2 degrees
gH:4 degrees
tank temp:86 

Volume and Frequency of water changes:30% usually once a week, sometimes more (whenever trates get over 15/20 ppm

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: 2 teaspoons or 1 1/2 teas of Acid Buffer (depending on what the tap pH is...  sometimes 7.4, other times 8.2) to every 45 gallons of W/C. Ph gets knocked down to 6.2 to 6.4 and bounces back and stays at 7.2 after 1 day.  Filter is 200 wet/dry with bio balls, nothing else in filter (no carbon, etc)

Tank inhabitants: 8  4" Discus, period

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):none, been taking stuff out to track what the disease is. Did have fake plants, driftwood, gravel

Exposure to chemicals:none that I know of

Digital photo (include if possible)hoto link to Drive One at the bottom (4 pictures)
Below is a copy and paste from another forum to which to date I have no replies. I hope there will be someone in this forum who can can me a helping hand. 
 
Hi Everybody,
Trying to pinpoint this disease which is effecting my pleco's and catfish. I don't know if this is a bacteria or fungus, or where it came from. I have a 125 gallon, gravel bottom about 1/4" above the black plastic frame, ph is 7,4, wet n dry for a 200 gal tank, ammonia, trites are zero, trates never go above 10, 15 ppm. The water gets changed two times a week. Fish load is 9 discus, was 3 pleco's, was 6 catfish., and was 10 gold head rams. The rams were breathing fast when I got them... I noticed they were breathing fast in the LFS. Probably never should have bought them. One by one all the fish passed. The rams died 1 or 2 every day or so with no signs of disease. I don't know how long the pleco's or catfish had whatever disease it was as they started hiding, plus you rarely get to see the bottom of the fish. I lost 1 discus probably due to stress from the meds (no outward signs of disease). The LFS said it was a bacteria. I tryed Metroplex for 2 weeks. After that I used Kanaplex for 2 weeks. During this time I was changing the water every other day. Directions for Metro and Kana say to dose every other day. I changed the water just before the dosage was due, and right after the water change I dosed the tank. I did the water changes to keep the discus happy. In retrospect perhaps that was a mistake. After going crazy for a few weeks, and multiple opinions, I took everything out of the tank. Driftwood, fake plants, gravel. I took 1/8th of the gravel out every week, so as to not disturb the good bacteria. I am down to the last foot or so of gravel. I still have 8 happy discus in an almost bare tank. To give the discus a break, about a week ago, I stopped the meds and turned on the UV lamp in the 125. 

I thought whatever it was might be gone.... BUT, the pleco in my 75 gallon tank got it. He has a white spot on his bottom which I think is the start of whatever disease I am dealing with. The spot was about the size of one of your smiley faces (maybe slightly bigger). There is only 1 discus and 3 pleco's, and 4 clown loaches in the 75. The clown loaches seemed to be unaffected, but as a precaution I moved them to a 20 gallon quarantine tank I just set up. I also medicated the 75 with Metro and Kana... but that did not seem to help. Last week I started with API Melafix (for bacteria) and Pimafix (fungus). These 2 are "natural" items, not really meds. The pleco's seems to be responding... the white spot is getting smaller... I started those 2 meds last Thursday (28th).

I don't understand how the disease jumped from one tank to the other. I was very careful to wash everything that was in each with bleach after every use. When it became clear, I had an issue I purchased new nets, water change equipment, test kits, food, etc. I used rags once and washed. I was careful to wash my hands anytime I went from one tank to the other (such as feeding times). The only fish which was common to both tanks is a 4" Albino Discus from Asia. He is a nasty little thing, and I moved him from the 125 to the 75 so he couldn't run the others to death.

Note... My memory is vague, but at some point I might have taken some gravel from the 125 and placed it in the 75 to jump start the bacteria. I don't remember if I actually did, or when, but it is a definite possibility. 

Sorry for being so longed winded... I just want to knock whatever is in my tank(s) out !!! I posted on another forum but was not pleased with the 1 reply which I received. I would really like to put this to rest, as I would like to have a fully decorated tank and add a few more fish. I hope the pictures work...

Here are 4 pictures....   I had to crop them a lot for them to fit in the post.  You can find better pics on Drive One by clicking on the link below
https/onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=E ... lder%2cjpg

Thank You

 

[fishman120]

Sorry, I could not figure out how to edit my post....  The 2 pictures from the left are of fish which died in the 125 tank. The 2 on the right side are of the same pleco in the 75 gallon tank, and I am guessing he is getting what the others in the 125 had. This all started about a month ago, and I remember, but forgetting to post, that one of the discus did get a white spot on his side... it was probably about the size of a quarter. The group of discus were only in my tank for a week or so when I saw this white spot. I didn't think much of it... owing to the fact perhaps some scales had fallen off. Off course I kept my eye on it, and after a few more days, it was gone!!  So perhaps he was getting whatever the disease was, and somehow managed to fight it off. No other discus showed any whitish spots except the one I just explained.
 
Also one other item. As I began to remove the gravel, I noticed on the left side bottom silicone seal across the back was some white stuff. I will post a picture. I was told it was some kind of algae, and it was harmless. Not sure if that is true, but I will post the picture for you to see. This white stuff covered about a foot and then it gradually faded away.  As I continued removing the gravel when I got to the right side I saw the same looking white stuff starting again and getting more and more until it got to the corner same as the left side. Weird.. wonder if it had anything to do with the water circulation ??  And if it was really harmless as one suggested. Did it had anything to do with the white skin disease on the bottom dwelling fish ??
 
 

 

[fishman120]

Another edit...  (LOL)
Previously I had said this whatever it was (is) did not effect the discus...  I stand corrected. What I should have said is that they didn't get this skin eating disease (except for the one which fought it off). That said, the discus were definitely stressed by whatever the tank had. They clearly were not happy, and stuck near each other in the corners. If they ate it wasn't much. The reason I adding this is I remember that after every water change they would act "normal"... swimming around and looking happy. By the next day they were back to being unhappy and stressed. I ended up every other day changing the water so they would be happy. One day get the water ready, next day, change it. Next day make some more water.. over and over and over ! Finally after I could do no more on my own I went to the LFS for help. They thought the white stuff on the silicone seal was a bacteria bloom. As I told you, another person thought it was some kind of harmless algae.That is when I first starting medicating the tank with Seachem Metroplex, and then after that did not work I went to Kanaplex.