Emergency, fish dying.

[Ben2522]

Do the water change and gravel clean now.
Add salt now.
Raise the temperature now.

If this is white spot or velvet or any protozoan infection, the sooner you start treating, the more chance you have of saving the fish.

Hi again, sorry for all the replies. When I sartrd cycling I pre-notes this issues for diseases so bought some ich x. This is what I have downstairs now:

 

[Byron]

Hi again, sorry for all the replies. When I sartrd cycling I pre-notes this issues for diseases so bought some ich x. This is what I have downstairs now:
View attachment 105026

Do not use this. If you do have ich, as Colin said, raise the heat to 86F (30C) and that will deal with it. These chemical concoctions are usually more bad than useful.

 

[Ben2522]

The tiger barb in the pictures does not have velvet. The yellow reflection is light coming off the scales.

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Male loaches are smaller and slimmer than females. The females get bigger and fatter because they take more food and develop eggs, which makes them fatter.

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Fish rubbing/ flicking on objects in the tank, clamped fins, and breathing rapidly are all symptoms of an external protozoan infection. This combined with the fact you recently added some mollies, suggests an external protozoan infection.

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Chemical Medications that contain Copper or Malachite Green will treat velvet, white spot or any other external protozoan infection. However, chemicals are toxic and can kill the fish if you overdose.

Malachite Green (aka Victoria Green) is carcinogenic/ causes cancer.

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Raising the water temperature to 30C is the safest way to treat velvet or white spot and you don't need chemicals. Salt is the safest treatment for other external protozoan infections.

30C is fine for all tropical fish as long as there is plenty of oxygen and clean water.

Thanks for the detail. The yo-yo loach though it’s only the small ones who are being odd? Look like dying off to me. So your saying that raising temp and adding salt to the aquarium will solve it regardless of what it is?

 

[Colin_T]

There's no guarantee the salt and heat, or any medication will fix the fish. But their symptoms suggest an external protozoan infection and salt and heat are the safest methods for treating these diseases.

If the fish continue to die after 2 weeks of salt and heat then there is something else going on with them.

 

[Ben2522]

There's no guarantee the salt and heat, or any medication will fix the fish. But their symptoms suggest an external protozoan infection and salt and heat are the safest methods for treating these diseases.

If the fish continue to die after 2 weeks of salt and heat then there is something else going on with them.

Ok cheers, heat has been put to 30 and will get salt tomorrow. Will let you know how that goes lol.

 

[Colin_T]

Do a huge water change and gravel clean the substrate before raising the temperature. The water change and gravel clean will dilute any disease organisms/ parasites in the tank and buy the fish a couple of days while the heat takes effect.

 

[Ben2522]

Do a huge water change and gravel clean the substrate before raising the temperature. The water change and gravel clean will dilute any disease organisms/ parasites in the tank and buy the fish a couple of days while the heat takes effect.

Hi, thanks hoovered tinge substrate yesterday evening so should be ok on that one. Will do a 80% water change ASAP. In terms of salt dosing. It’s a 240 litre, what would you reccoment? I’m concerned the loach won’t do well with the salt?

 

[Ben2522]

There's no guarantee the salt and heat, or any medication will fix the fish. But their symptoms suggest an external protozoan infection and salt and heat are the safest methods for treating these diseases.

If the fish continue to die after 2 weeks of salt and heat then there is something else going on with them.

Oh, I have a bristlenose catfish in the tank also. They don’t like salt?

 

[Ben2522]

Last question. Will the plants die because of the salt?

 

[JuiceBox52]

Last question. Will the plants die because of the salt?

Not unless it is super sensitive plants. Most plants will be fine

 

[Colin_T]

Hi, thanks hoovered tinge substrate yesterday evening so should be ok on that one. Will do a 80% water change ASAP. In terms of salt dosing. It’s a 240 litre, what would you reccoment? I’m concerned the loach won’t do well with the salt?

The substrate needs to be done again because the parasites are continually reproducing so even if you did it yesterday, there will be more today.

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Loaches and catfish tolerate salt a lot better than Malachite Green or Copper Sulphate, which are the main ingredients in chemical medications used to treat white spot and other external protozoan infections.

As for the dose rates I suggested (2 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres of tank water), that is safe for all fish, plants, snails, shrimp and filter bacteria.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

 

[Ben2522]

The substrate needs to be done again because the parasites are continually reproducing so even if you did it yesterday, there will be more today.

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Loaches and catfish tolerate salt a lot better than Malachite Green or Copper Sulphate, which are the main ingredients in chemical medications used to treat white spot and other external protozoan infections.

As for the dose rates I suggested (2 heaped tablespoons of salt for every 20 litres of tank water), that is safe for all fish, plants, snails, shrimp and filter bacteria.

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.
When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Thanks

 

[Ben2522]

Hi. No more fish death so far fter 2 days of temp rise and salt. How long can parasites survive like this? Yoyo and barbs still flashing on objects this morning?

 

[FishkeeperLinz]

Hi. No more fish death so far fter 2 days of temp rise and salt. How long can parasites survive like this? Yoyo and barbs still flashing on objects this morning?

Raising temperature to 30° doesn't kill the parasites - it speeds up their life cycle. It's the salt that kills them. What you want is to maximise the amount of time parasites are exposed to the salt, which is why temps are raised.

 

[Ben2522]

Raising temperature to 30° doesn't kill the parasites - it speeds up their life cycle. It's the salt that kills them. What you want is to maximise the amount of time parasites are exposed to the salt, which is why temps are raised.

Yes understood. How long will the parasites take to die from the sale? the full 2 weeks?