Help! Major Problem I Think?

[Spishkey]

my dear partner thought he would try and do me a favour cleaning out the tanks while i was at work yesterday.
anyhow he moved all the fish from my quarantine tank into the community tank. (i had said id be moving them in a few days, but he thought he'd do it last night, he didnt realise it was a quarantine tank)
the fish in question were 6 adult cory sterbai who had been put there as a precaution. the tank they were in had been hit hard by an unidentified infection which was killing the baby corys very fast.

now all looked well in the tank this morning but now looking closer i would say 30-40% of the fish are behaving strangely. some are hiding in the moss, or laying low at the bottom, gills look bright red which is sending my alarm bells in my head ringing. not symptoms like the baby corys showed though.


could something have been transported over with the corys that could infect a tank so fast?? or am i just being a bit paranoid? or could it have been another problem which has been there but ive not noticed until now? i did post about this tank a few weeks back as some of the mollys had been flicking. but there was no sign of ich or any other problem at the time.

also there have been some major roadworks in our area lately and im beginning to wonder is this the cause of all my recent problems??

tested water, its spot on for that tank ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5 temp 24/5

i dont know if im worrying over nothing, maybe these fish have always had red gill covers but i dont know, somethings not right.

if i tap the lid they all come rushing to the surface expecting food, but as soon as i walk away, the ones that were hiding, go back to hiding.

oh god i dont know what to think. what could cause red gills?

 

[Colin_T]

The red gills and shy behaviour usually indicate a water quality problem. It could be a major change in PH or GH that has caused it. If the fish came from water with a PH of 7 and were put into a tank with a PH of 6.5 or 8, etc, then it might be the problem. The same thing with hardness, if there is a major different in general hardness (GH) then they could be stressed from the move.
If you have roadworks going on in the area, then chances are the water supply has become contaminated, or the water corp has added extra chlorine/ chloramine to compensate for any dirt that might get disturbed in the pipes. Adding a double dose of dechlorinator might help, and increase the surface turbulence/ aeration if possible. The more oxygen in the water the faster the fish will recover.

 

[Spishkey]

have fished out two dead adult cories this morning, my god what the hell is going on with them? first all the babies now the adults are dropping it cant be the roadworks as surely the other fish would be affected too??

 

[Colin_T]

What did the dead fish look like, ie: flared gills, yellow belly, etc?
What do the other fish look like and what else is in the tank?

catfish are more sensitive to chemicals than other fish like cichlids and tetras. This is because they don't have scales and chemicals get absorbed straight through their skin.

Try doing a 75% water change but use 3 times the dose of water conditioner. There might have been something (a chemical perhaps) that got into the tank and is affecting the catfish. A big water change should help dilute it if there is. Overdosing with water conditioner will make sure there isn't any chlorine in the water and some water conditioners have additives like Aloe Vera that help the fish.
Make sure you have a clean bucket for the water change. Run the tap for a couple of minutes before collecting the water. Dechlorinate the water before it is added to the tank. Cut back on feeding and check the filter to make sure it is working properly. Add some carbon to the filter but rinse the carbon before you use it to get rid of the black dust in it.
Make sure your hands are clean before doing anything in the tank. Rinse them well with straight water beforehand.
If you have another thermometer then use it to check the temperature in the tank to verify the temp is correct.

 

[Spishkey]

another dead adult cory today







*cries*

 

[WILDER]

Red gills can be bad water quality, bacterial gill rot to gill flukes.
If there was toxins in your water due to roads works these are the signs.
Darting around the tank or erratic swimming.
Turning upside down.
laboured breathing or gasping at the surface of the tank.
Sometimes have excess slime coat,.

 

[Spishkey]

Darting around the tank or erratic swimming. yes
Turning upside down. no
laboured breathing yes or gasping at the surface of the tank. no
Sometimes have excess slime coat,. no



any idea what to do next??

 

[WILDER]

If the fish are not flicking and rubbing I would follow colin advice.

 

[Spishkey]

i did all that yesterday (last night) i have seen one cory flicking in the sand, but it looked more like a fit than rubbing. that cory is still with us though. i also started a second treatment yesterday of a broad spec anti bacterial medicine. last dose tomorrow. someone in the cory section is saying to try an antibiotic treatment? where would i get that?

 

[WILDER]

Best to issolate fish to a hospital when using antibiotics as they wipe the benefical bacteria out in the filter.
Not sure what meds are available in belguim.
There a jbl med called furanol.
Scroll down to jbl 16.
http/www.jbl.de/dl_documents/uk/uk_WWW4.pdf

 

[Spishkey]

i would have to treat the whole tank as i have no idea whos infected thanks for all your help wilder

 

[WILDER]

If you medicate the whole tank with antibiotics you will have to cycle the tank again.
If you have other tanks you can kick start the tank again with some mature filter sponges from other tanks.
Good Luck.