Fish Dying - Need Help

[krabby]

I'm not sure what is going on here. I've lost 3 Platys and a Cardinal Tetra all in the past week. I don't see any signs of ich. Fish don't look slimy or anything. Water readings are all fine. Other fish seem to be OK. No new / aggressive fish added. The fish that died were not new fish as I've had them for several months. I do regular 20% water changes to my 30 gal tank every 10 - 14 days. I haven't changed any plants or decorations recently. I'm not sure what, if anything, I should be doing anything to the water. I'm really stumped here. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[smashtime105]

I'm not sure what is going on here. I've lost 3 Platys and a Cardinal Tetra all in the past week. I don't see any signs of ich. Fish don't look slimy or anything. Water readings are all fine. Other fish seem to be OK. No new / aggressive fish added. The fish that died were not new fish as I've had them for several months. I do regular 20% water changes to my 30 gal tank every 10 - 14 days. I haven't changed any plants or decorations recently. I'm not sure what, if anything, I should be doing anything to the water. I'm really stumped here. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

It could be an internal bacterial infection. Are they eating and acting normally?

 

[krabby]

It could be an internal bacterial infection. Are they eating and acting normally?
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I noticed the last Platy that died swimming repeatedly to the top and bottom of the tank the night before he died. In hind sight, they may have been hiding behind plants more than usual. They seemed to be eating normally though. If it's a bacterial infection what would the symptoms be and how do you treat it ?(I'm in the U.S.) If you treat for that and it turns out not to be the problem, will it harm the fish?

 

[smashtime105]

Internal bacterial infections are usually hard to diagnose because they do not have symptoms that are visible. Typically, if they are not eating or they are bloated or sulking at the top or bottom of the tank (with no visible signs of infection), than it could be bacterial. They generally just don't act normally. I'm currently treating my archer fish for a bad case of fin rot, and those signs are definitely visible. However, I realized I bought the wrong medication TWICE. If it is bacterial, there are many different treatments. A lot of people like to use the mardel "maracyn" + "maracyn two" combo. They treat for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria respectively. The whole gram theory is pretty much different membranes that require different chemicals to penetrate. Know that a lot of antibiotics have side effects. Some make the water cloudy, look green, or make lots and lots of foam. I would suggest buying a $15 dollar hospital tank and getting a cheap filter/ heater . This will save you lots of money in the long run because you don't have to use as much medication. See the hospital tank thread for more benefits. Other antibiotics you could try would be marafix, which is an all-natural remedy mainly designed for healing wounds, but also has antibiotic effects. If you can find it, you could try maracyn plus or trisulfa. These treat gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in one capsule. Trisulfa is mainly for external bacteria, however. Also maracyn plus can shock filter bacteria. So my suggestion would be to get some maracyn and maracyn two just so you can treat well. These, according to mardel, do not affect filter bacteria. I have never seen maracyn plus or trisulfa available at my lfs in the US anyway though, so I wouldn't even bother. They also sell antibiotic foods, which should be good for internal infections, I have never tried them though, so don't take my word for it. I have been using only gram-negative antibiotics and nothings seems to be helping, so I am going to pick up some gram-positive stuff tomorrow. If those antibiotics don't work for you, maybe some other symptoms will show up. Hope your fish get better

 

[Spooky76]

When you say your stats are 'ok' what are they exactly ? What do you use to test them ?

 

[krabby]

smashtime - thanks for that info. I might look into the antibiotic food first. I'm reluctant to add medication to the tank since I'm not certain of the problem, but if things don't improve, I may have to give it a shot. A hospital tank is a good idea I guess, but aside from the last Platy that died, I didn't really notice any definitive sign to indicate the fish was sick beforehand.

Spooky - as far as my exact readings - ph=7.0, nitrate= 40 (has been that way for a long time), nitrite = 0, ammonia = 0, water temp is just under 80 deg farenheit. When I do water changes I add some stress coat. I used to add some salt but haven't done that since I got a Cory catfish a few months ago. I usually feed flake food. Occasionally freeze dried brine shrimp or krill.