Everything Very Sick!

[fish2000]

Tank size: 116 litres (92 x 42 x 30cm)
Tank temp: 26
Volume and Frequency of water changes: every 2weeks
Full filter set plus carbon and UV lighting.
Slate decoration, sand, bogwood, ceramic pots and LOTS of plants.

Tank inhabitants:

ORIGINAL inhabitants
1 male siamease fighter + 2 females.
1 German Ram
2 Canadian tetra (1 r.i.p due to cloudy eye, white cotton growths and overnight behavour change)
3 striped tetra
2 Chinese algae eater (1 r.i.p - unexplained death)
2 Honey Gourami
10 neon tetra (r.i.p 8 to mouth growths and unexplained deaths)

NEW inhabitants (as of 1 week)
10 baby Zebra Danios
2 Fire dwarf Gourami
2 blue dwarf Gourami
2 scissor tetra

I have dosed with strong Anti-parasite and crustation Interpet as was adviced but this seems to be doing nothing (apart from my fighters).
I fear it may have done more bad than good.
I have removed the carbon filter and every sigle plant and switched off my UV lighting as i know this can react with the medication.

-My female fighters can be seen flicking them selves against the edge of the tank/sand/rocks.wood. And one has tiny sores and growths on her body. She did have small cotton wool growths on her but since adding the anti-parasite liquid these have disappeared and the sore seem to be closing.
-My German ram has stopped defending her corner of pots (which is her teritory) and instead remains inside the smallest one all day, everyday. Her mouth has a growth under her chin and a small growth just inside her bottom lip. She is not eating.
-One scissor tetra has the same symptoms as the German Ram.
-My neon tera (those that are left)stay underneath the filter and refuse to come out. As soon as I noticed the growths on the neons I removed them from the tank so as not to infect my other fish but overnight more would become infected.
-My 3 striped tetra do not swim about in the open spaced of the tank anymore instead stay at the bottom by the sand protected by the rocks.
- 2 of my Gourami are acting odd, hanging near the surface, slow movement, sitting on the bottom of the sand for long periods of time before moving off.
-My 10 danios dart about more than usual, almost jumping out the water
-My canadian tetra stay swimming at the back of the tank in the flow of the filter, change of behaviour from their usual bold selves then one literally overnight grew cotton growths across one side of his body and his eye clouded over and died.
-My last algae eater seems to be okay although hides alot more than usual.

I have another tank, this time a 55 litre gravel tank which i have removed my healthy male fighter into and was wondering if i should move anything that does not seem infected into this tank?


Have had the tank for 8months with very few problems and decided to add some new fish 2 weeks ago. Once introduced I added General tonic Interpet as I usually do when adding new fish and for a few days they were fine then everything began changing in behaviour. I have added the odd fish to my collection of the last 8months without hassle or problem or infection but this time it seems to have gone wrong!!

Any advice as to what to do? I cant dose the big tank anymore until next week but i am afraid that more fish will die in the mean time!
Very unsure about how to approach this problem!

 

[karin]

To help we need to get your water stats. Do you have a test kit? You really need to have a good liquid test kit like an API Master Test kit. Remember that you are a water keeper first a fish keeper second. It sounds like there is a problem with ammonia or nitrite. This causes burning to the fishes skin, and depletes oxygen in the tank. This can happen on new or well established tanks for a number of reasons that don't matter at the moment.

I would start by doing an 80% water change immediately and then continue with 80% water changes daily until you have a test kit. Then your goal will be to maintain zero ammonia and zero nitrite at all times. These are poisonous to fish and likely explain the changes in behavior that you are seeing. Then you can start sorting out the rest of this tank

You also have problems with your stocking. Not trying to be mean but you have to research these fish more and find what fits in a 116 L or about a 29 gallon tank. I can't figure out what you have left but it sounds over stocked. Also schooling fish like tetras and danios need to be in "schools" or 6 or more of the exact same subspecies. Finally fish like chinese algae eaters get way too big and too aggressive for a 29 gallon and need to be rehomed. Also do not keep female and male bettas together unless you want fish deaths.

 

[Jammiedodger]

Karin, I agree on what you are saying about overstocking and water checks, as poor water and/or overstocking are both reasons for the fish being ill, but if you can't keep male and female bettas together how do they breed? I have a fluval edge containing 3 female bettas and one male, this tank has been set up for around six months and I have had the bettas since before then, only males fight one another.

Fish 2000, 60% regular water changes (weekly) are necessary, and research is the key to finding out what is wrong with your fish, look into cottonwool disease (Saprolegnia/Achyla), remedies are readily available for this, adding a small quantity of aquarium salt could also help.
Alternatively, mouth fungus, gill rot or neon disease could be responsible.
As for what to do, moving any fish from the infected tank will likely kill them with stress and/or infect your other tank so leaving them, treating them, and water changing are the best cure I can see here.
If you can provide me with water test results or images I could be a lot more helpful, hope the fish pull through!