Fish Disease Problems! Help!

[sumocopter]

Hi,

I'm fairly new to this tropical fish game and am experiencing my first problems, I'm completely out of my depth and really need some help.

My aquarium has been running now for nearly 4 months, I last added fish a month or so ago and have the following fish:
7 neon tetras
3 mollies
5 zebra danios
6 five stripe barbs
1 sucking loach

Recently I noticed one of the barbs was covered in white spots, looked about and found out about white spot disease and started with some treatment. It's now 10 days or so later and the white spots have spread to most of the barbs and a couple of neons. Also one of the barbs now has almost no tail left!!

I have no idea what to do or whats going on! Please help!

 

[Davo86]

Hi, if you can fill this in as much as possible it will make it easier for us to see why the whitespot is not being contained

Tank size:
pH:
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp:

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Volume and Frequency of water changes:

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:

Tank inhabitants:

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

Exposure to chemicals:

Digital photo (include if possible):

 

[sumocopter]

Tank size: 60 litre

I've got a quick test kit which shows
pH:6.4
kH: 3d
NO3:25mg/l
NO2:0mg/l
gH:>10d
tank temp:24C

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
Barbs - several covered in small white spots, others have sots on top and tail fins
Neons - one fish with a couple of spots on its tail

Volume and Frequency of water changes:
10 litres every other week or so

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
Just chlorine control when I change water
(I'm going to sound like a right novice here) A blue and green filter, previously a carbon filter but the instructions on the white spot treatment told me to take it out (how long can fish live happily without their carbon filter?)

Tank inhabitants:
As above... and some snails

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
Most recent were the 6 barbs just over a month ago

Exposure to chemicals:
White spot treatment over the last 10 days

Digital photo (include if possible): to follow

 

[Davo86]

ok firstly start to gradually raise the temp to close to 30C, (the whitespot parasite cannot survive at higher temperatures)
to compensate for the high temps though you will need to increase the aeration in the tank

do you have an ammonia reading? Ideally you need to be changin 10L per week minimum IMO

fish don't require a carbon filter and really only needs to be added for a short time after you have been treating in order to dissolve any excess treatment, at all other times it is best not to have one, Is this a Juwel tank? with the green blue black and white pads? if so it is best just to swap the black carbon pad for an extra blue fine pad

Also which treatment are you using?

 

[sumocopter]

It is a Juwel tank, yeh. Sadly I don't have an ammonia reading, sorry.

How do I increase the aeration in the tank?

Also, any idea whats going on with my tail-less barb?

I'm using one called 'white spot treatment' contains malachite green 4% soln, acriflavine 0.005% and quinine sulphate 0.004%

Thanks for your help so far, I'll put the picture up as soon as ive shrunk them a little

 

[sumocopter]

OK, photos are proving a bit of a problem, I can email them your way if you would like

 

[Davo86]

OK, photos are proving a bit of a problem, I can email them your way if you would like

aeration can be increased by using an air pump (you may already have one on if so you don't need to do anything) or by positioning the filter outlet so that it creates its maximum flow at the waters surface

is the tail rotting away or does it look like a clean cut so to speak? provided its not visibly rotting and it is not right down to the bone, then it should grow back if the tank water remains clean,

is that treatment a particular brand? IMO The one to use is called WS3 and is made by King British,

 

[sumocopter]

Its not a clean cut but theres no white or pale areas, just looks like its frayed...

 

[Davo86]

Its not a clean cut but theres no white or pale areas, just looks like its frayed...

barbs, danios and neons are all fin nippy species so I'm just guessing its down to that,
melafix (along with clean water) is the best cure but that really can't be added until the whitespot is gone

 

[rabbut]

The green nitrate removal sponges can adsorb medications and prevent them from working. If your green sponge is still in, remove it and start again as a fresh round of medication after a 50% waterchange

 

[sumocopter]

50% waster change? why so much? sounds a bit extreme!

Cheers for all your help guys, I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks again

 

[sumocopter]

About my barb with a shortened tail, hes struggling to swim now, just sort of thrashes but goes nowhere, and there is (on second inspection) a small white area just in from the frayed edge. Whats the best thing to do?

 

[rabbut]

If the tails have gone, euthanasia is perhapse the most humane option, as it would take a small miricle to pull it round. If he still has fins, you will have to mix medications to treat fin rot and Ich/Whitespot together, and that can be risky. Melafix would be the safest to use, allong with say Protozin by Waterlife (I've mixed these two before with no issues, and Melefix states it caqn be used with other meds), and would treat both without adverse reaction. Do not make a habbit of mixing meds, the process with many is risky and tanks can wipe as a result of mixing some meds.

The green nitrate removal sponge will interfere with the treatment by removing it. You don't know if it is saturated or not, so you have got to assume it is and that there are trace ammounts of medication left. A 50% waterchange dilutes down any traces of medication left in the system, and makes it safe to re-dose/change medications, after removal of the offenting filter media

All the best
Rabbu