Fish Are Dieing..

[n3ont3tra]

Tank is 29g

current occupants:
5 black phantom tetras
3 white neon tetras
2 panda cories
6 kuhlie loaches
2 marbled hatchetfish
1 praecox rainbow

heavily planted

2 whispers and an aquaclear
40% water change once a month
temp 78
ammonia, nitrate, nitrite aren't tested for but I'm almost positive they are normal.

The problem is the fish have started dieing. First there was algae in the tank, and I hadn't done anything different in maintenance. I cleaned the filters really well (inside of them and everything) and cleaned the glass and rescaped the tank. I got all the algae I could off the plants. I did a large water change, about 60 percent. I started running CO2 to try and help the plants a little bit. That was about two weeks ago. Now, the algae is back, on all of the plants. One rainbowfish went missing a week ago. STill haven't seen her. On Saturday, I noticed one of the rainbowfish had some black on it's body and the fins were torn. The fish was breathing heavily at the surface. I also noticed that one of the white neons was gasping a lot, and struggling to swim a little bit. It also has white on it's eye. I couldn't do anything, I don't have a spare tank ATM and no medications, either. I found the rainbowfish dead today. The neon is the same. What's causing this, and what should I do?

 

[WILDER]

How do you know your water quality is spot on if your'e not testing it.
If you have no test kits take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell them to write the readings down for you.
Should be doing a water change once a week with a gravel vac.
Gasping bad water quality, lack of 02, to parasites.
Cloudy eye old age, irration, stress, poor diet, parasites to bacterial.
Cloudy eye is not a desease in it's own right a symtom of one.
Any white specks on the eye.

 

[n3ont3tra]

testing the water now
i just figured thecories would've shown symptoms first and there's noi reason for the water to be bad the tank has been set up for over a year now.

 

[WILDER]

To be honest I have all the test kits and very rarely test which I know I should do.
I have corys too and go by them which I shouldn't.
Test the water to rule it out anyway.
Do you have enough aeration in the tank.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing as cloudy eye can be a sign of parasites..
Check the gills to see if there pale with excess mucas on them, or red and inflamed.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Nitrates are high, about 40, I need to buy another siphon thing. That's why I haven't done water changes very often. I'll do a water change as soon as I can.
Ammonia and nitrites are both zero. The 3 HOBs should give plenty of aeration, and it's only one fish that's gasping, so I think it's okay. I haven't noticed any flicking or rubbing at all.

It's really tough to see if the gills are pale - they ARE white neons, lol. But they do look a little red on the one that's unhealthy.

I also have shrimp which seem really happy so it can't be water quality.

 

[WILDER]

Does it look like the gill is bleeding, red gills, poor water quality, to gill flukes.
Look under gill flukes.
Do you have any young fish.
http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

 

[n3ont3tra]

No young fish... they're all full grown.
The gill kind of looks like it's bleeding... the spedies of fish is almost see through, and I see tiny little dots in it's body... I don't think it will live. Do you want a picture?

edit:: YEah sounds like gill flukes, but it's only the one fish. What causes it?

 

[WILDER]

Do you mean tiny red spots as that septicemia.


Red spots on skin can be caused by:
Regarding the small red dot, small pinprick like haemorrhages (called petechiae) can be due to a local lesion, a generalised septicaemia or toxaemia caused by acute viral and bacterial infections.

 

[n3ont3tra]

edit 2:: should I euthanise the fish so it doesn't spread?

 

[WILDER]

Yes gill flukes spread, all fish carry gill flukes once they get infested with them thats when you notice the signs.
Flukes have suckers or hooks and once they pierce the skin they have a nasty bacteria in there hookls which enters the fish blood stream causing bacterial infections on top.

http/article.dphnet.com/cat-02/flukes1.shtml

 

[n3ont3tra]

Okay. Thanks. I just read about Septicemia and it might be that... I'll get a picture of the fish.

 

[WILDER]

To be honest I think I would end is suffering, it in really bad shape and it won't make it sorry.

 

[n3ont3tra]

I caught it really easily and I was holding the net there so I could get a picture and it just... died... So.. I got a picture. I'll upload it in a second. How do I keep my other fish from getting it?

 

[WILDER]

Septicemia is blood poisong and very hard to cure once it has progressed even with antibiotics.
The thing with septicemia is that the bacteria can enter the tank from the sick fish.
I would do a water change and add a bacerial med to the tank just to be one the safe side with losing a fair few fish.

 

[WILDER]

R.I.P.