Do My Fish Have Disease

[b3cca]

Sorry if this is wrong place i couldnt see a disease section.
 
I have a 70 litre tank with 3 harlequin rasbora and 1 cherry bard ( I know I need more of each but it's not cycled yet)
 
Well basically i read maybe adding moss balls would help with nitrites or nitrates (can't remeber which) so I bought 4 of them, soaked them in old tank water and left them for a day before before putting them into my tank.
 
Since then my fish, especially one harlie and the barb seem to have an ich, the barb scrapes his sides along the tank and the harlie does a constant funny forward roll against the glass like he is trying to ich the top of his back.
 
Have been reading bout ich (ick?) and checked the fish with my magnifying glass and cannot see anything like white spots but my fish are really small it's hard to see properly.
 
Could they be alergic to the moss balls, could the moss balls have been carrying a disease that is now in my tank ?
 
I also read never to medicate unless you are sure what the actual disease or problem is, so can i do anything or just monitor them and keep looking for spots


Oh I forgot to add, i checked the water and everything seems fine
 
P.H 7.0
Temp 25 degrees
Ammonia 0
Nitrite      0
Nitrate     0

 

[techen]

It's more a chance of the moss balls carried ich over and infected your tank with it. If you think it's itch then treat for it.
 
Btw I love your icon :B

 

[Baccus]

I wouldn't blame the moss balls just yet for introducing a disease, things like ich are almost always present in tanks its just when the fish get stressed and their immune system is depressed that they will suffer from things like ich.
 
Where did you get the marimo balls? They may have been treated with some pretty harsh chemicals to remove any possible hitch hikers and or bacteria etc. Soaking the moss balls would not have removed any possible chemicals, the only wya to do that would be to rinse them really well.
 
Also are they real marimo balls? I have seen fake ones made from other mosses and artificial grass, if they are man made marimo balls then something that has gone into the making of them could be the issue with the fish.

 

[techen]

Infact, What baccus said makes more sense.

 

[b3cca]

Thnx leader, that's not an icon that is my actual photo lol
 
I just got them (balls) from the local pet store, I googled those fake ones too and mine do look like the actual real ones.
well i have taken them out again now just in case.
 
Yes i guess my fish will be stressed too, they only been in a week and i have done 3 partial water changes because its not cycled or anything but all my fish have lots more colour than when i first put them in.
 
On monday i'm buying a 15 litre tank that im going to use for quarantine and hospital tank in future.
Do you think i could move my fish to this new tank for a few days, maybe treat them with methleyne blue in there.
Also if i put them in this new temporary tank i can medicate and heat their fishless tank before putting them back ?
 
I'm constantly reading now and trying to learn, so am probably getting too many different ideas lol

 

[techen]

Leader is nawt my name, It's just a title you get for how many posts you do

 

[Baccus]

Leader is nawt my name, It's just a title you get for how many posts you do

 
Awe Techen your a leader of the fishes

 .
 
But seriously B3cca I wouldn't go shifting the fish into another uncycled tank, just keep perservering with your current tank, keep doing water changes and checking your ammonia levels. If the fish scratching is from a chemical used to "treat" the moss balls is the issue then a large water change of the tank will be in order.
You could also ask the shop where you got the moss balls, where they sourced them from and if the supplier might have treated the moss balls with anything. Different countries have different allowable chemicals for treating live plants and even fish.

 

[b3cca]

Oh ya techen, I realise now. sowwy
thanx baccus
 
I just been googling and reading and reading too much info and getting too many mad ideas I think.
I'll just carry on as normal then and wait to see if it gets worse or better before doing anything drastic.
 
well they all still eat and like to surf into the filter jet so have plenty of energy and i think the harlies have adopted the barb now too. he stopped chasing them and now schools and hangs with them maybe he thinks he's a rasbora now lol.

 

[b3cca]

Well i went back to the store I got my barb from and all the tanks apart from four say " fish undergoing medication and are not for sale"
Well this includes the tank I got my barb from, and 4 cory were now dead in the bottom of it.
So if these tanks all need treating maybe my barb had it as he was in them tanks last week.
 
Well I wasn't brave enough to ask the store workers what was wrong with those fish, so my Mum is going to come with me and find out excactly what they are being treated for. My Mum says I can take the barb back as it has a 2 week return but theres no way I'm sending him back there to his death.
 
All my fish are now rubbing the tank a lot , GRRRRRRRRRRR dam you horrible pet store people

 

[Baccus]

Can you see any evidence of white spot or ich yet? One of the simplest treatments is raising the water temp (but do it gradually so you dont shock the fish), the higher temp speeds up the ich live cycle. And any medications for ich can only kill the free swimming protazoens in the water not the actual infection on the fish.
Definantly find out what the shop is treating their fish for and which medication they are using.
Just be aware that for tetra species of fish along with catfish, loaches and fry many medications need to be used at half doses.

 

[b3cca]

Hi baccus,
 
No they still look fine, I looked with magnifying glass and even shone my torch on them. They look a bit shiny on their top/back but I think thats just normal for Harlies from other pix i looked at. I looked on google at pix of velvet and ich and they definately have nothing like that visable
 
They actually look lots better than when I got them, way more colour and eating normal with loads of energy so i changed 25 % water yesterday and I'm going to do the same again today.
 
i wont add any meds until i'm certain as they seem healthy still anyway and hopefully it was like you say maybe just an irritation from those moss ball things so another water change could be all it needs

 

[Baccus]

Good to hear that they seem to be on the mend.
 
For your own peace of mind still ask the shop what is wrong with the fish they are treating. And have a good look at their fish in case the stores fish do have ich.

 

[b3cca]

well i found a nice couple who run pond supplies and plants etc and they just started a small tropical fish section sooo I'm going to only go there now.
 
Think you were right bout the moss balls and chemicals, as since i took them out and have done daily 25 % changes they all seem back to normal now.
 
Thnx for taking the time Baccus and techen

 

[Baccus]

No worries it is all what we are here for to help others and be helped

 .
 
Glad to hear that you have found a good supplier, they are worth their weight in gold

 

[b3cca]

ok, well one still rubs sometimes and I noticed he/she has about 2 scales missing from one side, only small but looks like it could be turning into an open sore ?
Still no sign of anything on them, no white spots, no velvet that I can see and they are still full of energy and eating like pigs lol.
 
I am changing at least 50 % water per day, 25 % in the morning and 25 % after school because my ammonia is now around .25 when i wake up.
 
Every water change I use API stress zyme plus and API stress coat, half a capfull of each. I got a water printout from our water company which shows we have soft water with average P.H of 7.0. No Nitrates or Ammonia and only small amount of Amonium, so far as I know this water sounds perfect for my rasbora and cherry barb ??