Dead Harlequins - Advice Please

[Doryfan]

Hi all, hope you can advise!

Have a Rio 240L with, until Friday, the following healthy & happy fish: 1 small angelfish, 7 harlequin rasboras, 8 lemon tetra, 5 platies and 6 panda cories. Ammonia & Nitrate both 0, nitrate 10.

Friday afternoon, I bought 3 more harlequins. 1 died on Saturday morning, mouth completely gone, just a hole! Then 2 more Sunday morning, again mouth gone. All looked fine the night before so whatever's happening, happens fast.

Phoned up the LFS on Monday, she said that something must have attacked them, theirs are all fine etc etc. No more deaths since Sunday and all looked OK so assumed the new ones just had a problem.

This afternoon, 1 more dead harlequin (no symptoms that I could see), 1 missing and yet another is looking dodgy (top lip doesn't look right, the bottom is white and big). All were fine this morning, noticed just a minute ago.

Any ideas what could be causing this? Could something be attacking them? Seems strange as now it's the ones I already had that are having problems. All other fish are absolutely fine!

Many thanks

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like they have a very bad strain of mouth fungus, once it start to rot the mouth away there no hope.
The ones where it hasn't started rottting away yet I would add a bacterial med to the tank.

http/www.articledepot.co.uk/article-29320.htm

 

[Doryfan]

Many thanks for you reply & the link. Harlie's top lip is gone and the bottom is bad - he's just hovering in the middle of the tank and looking really bad.

Onto treatment, I have melafix - would that be suitable to treat the tank?

If it is suitable, instructions say dose the tank for 7 days and then do a water change. Only thing is, weekly water change is due on Sunday - should I leave that change until the treatment is finished?

Many thanks again
jen

 

[WILDER]

Melafix is no good the strain to bad.
Myxazin and pimafix, but if you haven't got them in stock you could add some melafix for now.
Turn temp down by two degrees to stop the bacteria multiplying so fast.
Good luck got to stop it in it's tracks fast.

 

[Doryfan]

Melafix now in, temp turned down (will have to monitor that cos juwel heater controls aren't the best!). I'm going to put harlie out of his misery

Will get some myxazin and pimafix tomorrow morning.

What do you think about Sunday's water change? Leave until treatment finished?

I couldn't believe the LFS telling me something had attacked the 1st three - I asked her which fish it was likely to be, she told me probably the existing harlies!

Anyway, many many thanks for all this Wilder - really appreciated!

jen

 

[WILDER]

Never know harlequins to be aggressive.
They do tend to have problems with there mouths, i've lost harlequins to open mouths.
Remove the melafix with a water change before you add the new meds, then leave the water change till the tretment is up.
Good luck.
Dosn't sound like fish are attacking to me it all in the same area, the mouths are white which is mouth fungus columnaris.
http/www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/hdcolumn.htm

 

[Doryfan]

That's brilliant - will do water change tomorrow as soon as I get home with the medicine.

I've never seen the harlies be aggressive at all and the new ones were accepted with no problems. I'm sure we would notice aggression problems because we watch the tanks so much!

Thanks for the good wishes and for all your advice - will let you know how we get on!
jen

 

[WILDER]

Take a look at there harlequins when you go in, as I don't believe the lfs there just fobbing you off.

 

[Doryfan]

Just noticed that the male platy is not looking right but it's affecting his tail fin only at the mo (pale & ragged), not his mouth. With the harlies, it started with their mouths so hoping platy has a chance. Everybody else clear at the mo.

I went to a different lfs - further away, but the mood I'm in with the 1st lfs, definitely worth it! The shop didn't have any pimafix but did have myxazin.

Plan now is do a water change (20%? more?) to try to dilute the nasties & then treat with melafix and myxazin together. Does this sound ok?

Got everything crossed that the treatment works!

Many thanks again!
jen

 

[WILDER]

You have a bad bacteria in your tank its affecting the others now.
Use the melafix then but would of rather had the pimafix.
Good luck.

 

[Doryfan]

A lemon tetra has it now on its back. Platy is hanging in there and not looking any worse - tail not great but behaving normally (greedy, nosy lil beggar and still following the girls!)

Should I keep trying to get pimafix or as I've now started the treatment stay with melafix+myxazin for the 7 days?

Thank you so much for your help, Wilder - really appreciated.

Will keep you posted, jen

 

[WILDER]

You can tell the lfs it wasn't aggression a bad strain of columnaris.
Keep going for now with the meds, but try and get some pimafix it better on columnaris then melafix.
http/article.discusnews.com/cat-02/columnaries.shtml
Turn temp down another degree.

 

[Doryfan]

Thnx again Wilder!

Will do with temp and will try again for pimafix tomorrow.

Will also be speaking with lfs as you advise. It's not the disease that bothers me, i'm sure they want sick fish as much as I do - it's more the attitude. Still can't understand why she just said something's attacking them and dismissing my question about disease. I was asking for help! Hey ho, live 'n' learn...

I'll keep you posted.

 

[WILDER]

Good luck.
Best thing to do is invest in a hospital/quarantine tank this way it stops desease going into the maint tank.

 

[doresy]

holy s**t, sorry to hear about this.....harlies are one of my favs not experienced enough to offer help.....only my condolences