Help! Losing Fish One By One...

[mattb]

Right before i start my tank stats are
55 GALLON.
ammonia-0
nitrite-0
nitrate-5.0

It all started off by me losing a platy around 4 days ago, no prior warning just died, no obvious signs of death at all. I thought it was probably a one off. But then i noticed my other two platies looking dodgy, not eating and generally not moving much just hanging around the surface, one was gulping in air and blowing out bubbles!? Wondering if the problem was the same as what the other platy had i 'disposed' of both of the ill platies hoping this would end the deaths.

A day passed with no signs of anything, but now today i have had two of my new pentazona barbs die on me withing the last six hours. One i watched die it was so quick, hung around on the surface, then just sunk and started trying to swim but looked off balance, was breathing heavily then died. Went to work and have come back to find another dead Have removed it from the tank and am just waiting for signs of another one going, in fact one of my guppies looks a bit off colour now. It also has a tiny bit of white poo coming out of its anus

How should i treat whatever this problem is? My thinking is maybe its some kind of parasite or infection spreading when one dies to another, as it never seems to be more than one fish ill at a time?

HELP ME!!!!

 

[WILDER]

White poo can be constipation, internal parasites, to bacterial infectton.
Check the gills to see if they are pale wih excess mucas on them or red and inflamed.
Are the fish bloating up
What do you feed the fish.
Check the anus to see if its red and inflamed or enlarged, has any of the fish gone thin.
Do you have enough aeration in the tank.
And finally can the fish maintain there balance in the water no laying to one side or laying upside down.

 

[mattb]

The one i watched earlier couldnt maintain balance no. I have a good surface ripple, no air stone and the tank is heavily planted.the fish dont look bloated, i feed them a mixture of flake live and vegetable food. Any meds i could use? Gills look normal to me. No thin fish and the anus doesnt appear red but in the case of the guppy is perhaps slightly larger but im not sure.

 

[WILDER]

Need to check that anus out as it could be a sign of internal parasites and you will lose alot of fish.
Parasites can cause bacterial infections on top, and guppys tend to fetch them with them from the lfs. as fish carry parasites and it only takes is a stressed fish.
Need to get them on some frozen foods.
If the fish couldn't maintain it balance swim bladder, but if you have internal parasites that could of been the parasites.

http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/nematodes.shtml

 

[mattb]

I do feed them frozen bloodworms and tubifix worms. Just compared the two guppies and i guess the dodgy looking one has a slightly larger anus but only just and it is not red at all. Is there any med that could possibly cure this or is it going to be a case of waiting for them all to die? Even if they do all die is there a chance the parasite could remain in the tank without fish present?

 

[WILDER]

Just keep an eye on her anus and look out for red prutruding worms, they are white but once they sucked on the victims blood they go red.

Try adding myxazin for now if you are losing fish.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=142441

 

[mattb]

Just managed to get a decent look at her from below and the anus is red. What does this mean and what is the best way to treat whatever it is i have go going on here?

 

[WILDER]

Its internal parasites then, bad news, had them, i had to strip the tank down and start again.
I destroyed the fish with them as there hard to cure and the fish were in bad shape.
Find you some more info

Look under Camallanus

http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm

There a pig worming med but its hard to get hold off, plus you need a certain ph for it levimsole.

 

[mattb]

So if i destroy the fish that has them before they die of the parasite this will still not get rid of the parasite? Will the parasite be in the water all the while looking for a new host? If i eventually lost all my fish would i still have the parasite in my tank? This is not what i wanted to hear lol

 

[WILDER]

Other fish can even catch them by sucking another infected fish poo.
Once I stripped the tank down and sadly had to put the infected fish down, i never had anymore problems.
You have to sterlise everything.
Read that skeptical aquarist link its very good.

 

[mattb]

Out of interest how would the worm have got into the tank? Through infected fish i bought or by another means?