Good As Gone?

[CaptainMako]

Hey everyone, this is going to be a desperate slew of information thrown at you if you want to undertake helping me.
I'm terrible at keeping things simple and to the point, so I apologize if there are unnecessary details about this post. I've rewritten it at least two times to try and give you some ease.


By tomorrow, I will have had my first fish tank for a week. I was given this tank by my girlfriend, who kept the fish in very low quality conditions.
The tank itself is a one-gallon Petco issued tank, plastic all around with an undergravel filter. There are six fish, dalmatian mollies that are around 6 months old if I heard right. I am told different things by them so I honestly have no idea.
I have always been fascinated by ichthyology and fish keeping and wanted to get into the hobby, so when it was offered to me I took it. I had done my homework the best a newbie could have.
After about a week, what was supposed to be a not-so-smooth but educational and still enjoyable first time experience has turned into a nightmare.

I had taken the tank conditions from poor to what is apparently pristine. Great temperature, dechlorinated, small amount of aquarium salt, blah blah blah. But issues started coming up rapidly. It's easier for me to just list everything than writing about it individually.

Tank

One gallon
Plastic
Undergravel filter with a new airstone
Substrate
Small tiki head decoration (I had put a fake plant in instead, but when one morning I woke up to discover the previously crystal clear water now murky, I thought the plastic was leeching chemicals or something.)
Kept around 72 degrees

Fish
6 Dalmatian mollies
1-6 months of age
One is possibly pregnant or just very overfed, I can't tell
Sexes unknown

Chemicals in use (Using appropriate amounts if I did math correctly)
API Stress coat (dechlorinator and apparent stress reducer)
API Aquarium salt
API Pimafix (Fungal treatment. Only used once to treat the velvet because I thought it was fungal, and then discontinued, as it turned my filter into a sud fountain.)

Problems
Copper spots.(Concentration and location varies on each. Figured it was velvet. I don't understand how it could be pigment if the parents were white and black mollies.)
Occasional violent throttling of the head back and forth. Like they're in pain.
The overfed/pregnant molly has light pink discoloration around the mouth.
White growths all over the head, above the eye, with string-like things hanging off of the fins. (This problem is new as of this morning, only one fish has it right now.)


I'm sorry if any of this was unclear or confusing. I'm very frantic right now. Help would be greatly appreciated.
I know the one gallon tank is not big enough, I haven't gotten the chance to get out and purchase larger until sometime today. We are upgrading to 30 gallons and purchasing a filter and heater with it.
What i'm looking for is someone more experienced than I am to try and explain and confirm any of these issues, and tell me what I can do to treat them effectively. I don't know how many problems will be negated when I upgrade to a larger tank.

I know the first fish-keeping experience doesn't go perfect and I know I couldn't do anything to treat these fish if they were sick before they were given to me, but still.

Thank you very much,
- Shaun

 

[fluttermoth]

Hi Shaun; sorry for taking so long to reply!

Do you have any way of testing the water? If you can take a sample to your local fish shop and have them test it for you, that would be good (but get them to write down the actual numbers for you; don't just let them say, "oh it's fine," or ,"oh, it's a little bit high") but it would be better long term if you invest in a proper liquid reagent test kit (not the strips; they're so inaccurate as to be more or less useless).

We'd want the figures for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate most importantly; pH would be useful, but not so urgent.

How did you clean out the tank? If you used tap water to wash out the filter media then the chlorine will have killed off your good bacteria, leaving you in a 'fish-in' cycle situation. There is all sorts of information for you to read through in the Beginner's resource centre here; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

As an emergency, first aid measure, do plenty of water changes using warm, dechlorinated water and look at re-homing some of those fish as you are very badly overstocked! One of the useful rules of thumb for beginners and stocking is; one inch of fish to every gallon of water (please note, that 'rule' only applies to the standard, small bodied tropical fish and not to anything that grows to over 4 or 5 inches).

Most fish diseases are ultimately caused by poor water quality; get that sorted and you're halfway to being home and dry.

So, in summary; do some water changes, reduce your stocking and get some test results and get back to us with how things are going; hope this has been of some help.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Good advice above, and the stocking is extremely overstocked unfortunately.

With your stocking you may be forced to do daily or every-other day water changes to keep on top of the waste buildups, or invest in a larger tank. Sorry to say.

I hope things look up soon because you sound like you're going to be good at this, but you've been dealt a bad hand.

 

[CaptainMako]

Hey everybody, thanks a lot for everyone's input.
While I was gone, we ended up going to the local Petco and made a steal. 60 percent off a 30 gallon tank set. A filter, heater, hood and everything else was also included.
I was cautious and careful, but we're now in a completely different boat, no pun intended. I still have some questions relating to these white growths, which I think might be ich. Here's what I'm using now. I worked pretty hard and fast in that short amount of time since this morning. Everything has been thoroughly rinsed with hot water.

Tank
30 gallons
Quietflo Filter
100 watt heater (If I remember right)
Cleaned substrate
3 smaller soft plastic plants, 1 much larger
Lava rock with a hole hollowed in the center
Buddha statuette, plenty of holes and hollow on the inside
Small 'zen' hut, also hollow with holes
About 75 degrees, (the heater is set and maintains this temperature)
Little less than a tablespoon of API aquarium salt in the tank currently (the actual instructions recommend around 6 tablespoons, that seemed like way too much of a change for them)


Chemicals
API Dechlorinator/stress coat
API Pimafix (Previously sudded up my filter, but now works better with more water and upgraded filter)
API Aquarium Salt
API Ammo Lock (Using later when I get high ammonia readings)
"Lifeguard" freshwater disease tablets (Apparent cure-all, tried using one and it didn't dissolve, I don't have the patience to wait for it)

The fish are now just enjoying the 29 gallons more than they had. They ignored me when I tried feeding them, so I'm letting them just get used to the environment before I try it again. They love the current caused by the filter and have already figured out the layout of the decorations.
The one fish whom had the (what I presume is ich) growths on it is much slower and lazier, and I think one of his gills is sealed shut.
The rest do have small ich spots since I saw this morning, but I'm going to try this Pimafix regiment. This is where my new questions come in.
Does anyone have any experience with Pimafix? If so, what were your results?

I'm not taking the velvet possibility into consideration anymore, but these growths are obvious and I presume it's ich. They are puffy like hair and mostly on the face or spots on the 'trunk' of the body. Does it sound like ich to you guys? And what would you recommend to treat it?

Lastly, I'm accepting the possibility that whatever disease is afflicting the fish could finish them before I can cure them. But what do you guys think? Am I too late, are they dead?

Thanks a lot guys, I'm sorry for the drastic change.

 

[myrtle]

Doesn't sound like Ich to me. Ich normally looks like grains of salt stuck to the body. Sounds fungal with the fluffy white patches. Fish can be susceptable to fungus when stressed so the small tank and bad water quality could have easily caused this. You've done the right thing first by upgrading the tank. Can't help with the med though if it says it treats fungus it should do the trick. You may lose a fish or two but hopefully you've done enough to save the majority.
Good luck

 

[FreedomFighter]

As said above, you've done a crackling job upgrading the tank, but my what an upgrade!

Indeed this sounds like a simply fungal infection, regular water changes and the extra space SHOULD sort it out, if it's still there in a week or so without getting any better then we'll look at a med, possivbly sooner if things turn for the worse.

I suggest you take whatever filter media you had from the 1gal and you put some or all of it into the filter for the 30gal if possible, this will help seed your new filter, and make your tank a much healthier and manageable tank.

You're going to have your work cut out for you over the next week or so, but with a seeded filter and daily 20% water changes your tank should be good!

 

[CaptainMako]

Hey everybody, thanks again for everyone's advice and support, I'm feeling much more confident about it now.
I apologize if this is a double post, I had typed another long reply out but my internet is on the fritz. So if I'm inactive in the next few days then I will be on top of trying to fix it.

Anyway, just to minimize what I had said before if it didn't post.
The fish are adjusting to the new tank very well, four out of the six seem pretty healthy.
They usually are seen in pairs and are enjoying having room to swim in now.
The only question I have is that sometimes, at night when they should be resting, they all hang out around the heater. The room they are in now does have temperature issues at night, but the heater seems to combat that when I check the temperature frequently.
Of the other two, one is the smallest and weakest of the entire school, and is also a bit stupid or very sick. He would rest upside down in the one gallon tank, but be perfectly fine upon tapping the glass and spurring him. He has a little trouble withe the vague current the filter creates, but he gets around.
The other is the one with the fungal growths. He strays away from the rest and is usually skimming the surface or hanging around the heater. The heater functions and keeps the water at a great temperature, but still. I think he skims because of one of his gills being sealed shut. I haven't seen him eat much in a while either.

The tank itself is also fine, everything runs great. But now to the Pimafix again.
It's main focus seems to be fungal, so it should be right up my alley.

The dosage is an approximate amount for your tank, daily, for 7 days. It mentions a 25% water change either on or after the 7th day, I can't remember.
It instructed me to remove the carbon filter, I understood why, so I did. But it doesn't specify for how long. While the medicine does cause the filter to sud just a tiny bit, even after me stirring it lightly as soon as I pour it in, it isn't a lot of sudding at all. It stops after a while.
I just wanted to know if I should keep the filter out of the tank for then entire 7 days of treatment, or if I would be able to install it back into the filter after the sudding has quit for a while.

Thanks again everyone for your help, I was able to sleep easier last night knowing I could get knowledgeable and reliable help fast here.
I will keep you posted, I plan on doing an ammonia test sometime this afternoon, I will share the results.
-Shaun

 

[myrtle]

You can put the carbon back in the filter after you've finished the medicating. I should think that the water change should be done the day after the last dose and that's when you put the carbon back in.
Regarding the fish hanging out by the heater; mine also do this. I tried moving the heater to see if they moved with it but they continued hanging in the place the heater used to be so I figured it was the place they liked not the heater! Something to try anyway just to see.

 

[CaptainMako]

Just an update all.
The Pimafix already seems to have some effect, that, or I'm feeling optimistic today. There seem to be just a few less growths on the most afflicted molly, he's definitely more active than he was before.
I just did an ammonia test less than 5 minutes ago, I knew it was going to come out low but it was just a check. A big zero.
So I'll hold on the Ammo Lock for awhile and keep treating them. Finally I'm getting some genuine enjoyment out of having fish.

As for the heater gatherings, I think my fish have the same feelings as yours myrtle. Even if they're not around the heater they're still somewhere to be found on that side of the tank some of the time.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Just an update all.
The Pimafix already seems to have some effect, that, or I'm feeling optimistic today. There seem to be just a few less growths on the most afflicted molly, he's definitely more active than he was before.
I just did an ammonia test less than 5 minutes ago, I knew it was going to come out low but it was just a check. A big zero.
So I'll hold on the Ammo Lock for awhile and keep treating them. Finally I'm getting some genuine enjoyment out of having fish.

As for the heater gatherings, I think my fish have the same feelings as yours myrtle. Even if they're not around the heater they're still somewhere to be found on that side of the tank some of the time.

Hey great news, you're on the right road buddy

 

[CaptainMako]

Hello again everybody, just wanted to give an update after a few days.
The fish seem to be doing well, the Pimafix has pretty much rid them of the fungal infection but I'm going to continue the treatment until Friday.
The tank is holding up decently without the carbon filter but I will need to return it soon. Family just loves to feed the fish when I'm not around and they usually overfeed. This (and my paranoia) is going to make me clean the entire tank out this weekend.
The heater is odd though. It turns on frequently and I think I have found the appropriate setting, but whenever I take the temperature it is usually in the upper 60's, where it should be somewhere between 75 and 79 degrees. This is probably just because of the overnight chill, but they all hang out in the area of the heater now. One of them has gotten very territorial of it.

But it still doesn't seem like I'm out of the woods just yet. Remember those copper spots I mentioned? They have flared. Where they were originally they are now more concentrated and spread out. It looks like orange dirt is stuck to them. Is this velvet? There's nothing in the tank that could really rub off on the fish and cause something like that. I'm just getting paranoid about it. And if someone is able to help me diagnose, could you also give me the name of a product I could use to treat them? The actual product name as opposed to copper sulphate or something.

I'm about to preform the first 25% water change and then dose them again.

Thanks again, you guys have helped a ton!
-Shaun