Help - Sick Betta Babies

[leec]

Hi All

I'm getting very desperate. Over the last two weeks my 8 week old Betta fry have been dying off. I have treated them for everthing I can think of, and would really appreciate more experienced opinions. I do 10% water changes daily, adding water of same temp (26C) treated for chlorine, chloramine, heavy metals. pH in the tank is always 7 and ammonia nitrite nitrate is always 0 ppm (Amquel rules). Each fish that dies first of all lies on tank bottom gasping rapidly, for a day or two before dying. Im not sure if death is directly from the 'infection' or problem, or indirectly from lack of feeding or ability to breathe at surface. Hours after death white fungus (or so it seems) is visible around the gill area. There is good aeration and filtration in the tank. I have treated the tank with Interpet Anti slime and velvet (for gill parasites), Anti Internal Bacteria (for bacterial infection), diluted Melafix to bring general microbe levels down, teaspoon aquarium salt (20 L tank), Anti Fungus and Finrot (for fungal infection). I have added each treatment in gradual part-doses so as not to stress the fish too much. The babies are well fed a good variety of ground dry foods and live food. This started when I did a 50% water change once to reduce hormone (they are quite small), so I went back to 10% again. The healthy fish seem fine and active until suddenly being struck down. There are always 1-3 dying on the bottom.

Does anybody have any suggestions? Does anybody think I should remove the healthy ones from the tank? (I dont know if the healthy ones have the 'infection' and are yet to succumb to it, or if they have not yet contracted it)
I would appreciate any help, this has been breaking my heart for 2 weeks

LEE

 

[Maxsmom]

I'm not experienced in frys but I remember reading that it's very normal for some to die off... I know that's heartbreaking - but it's usually the ones that have some sort of defect (for lack of a better term.) I would remove the healthy ones to be safe. I'm not sure at what age you separate them...

 

[leec]

Aha - I have finally discovered the killer. The Ph.D. in Molecular Biology has finally paid off. I brought a dead baby Betta into the lab, and examined the 'fungus' protuding from the gills and the gill tissue under the microscope. I found alot of disgusting, moving parasites. After searching online I have identified them - gill flukes (dactylogyrus) vacating the dead frys gills (in search of new prey) alot of gill fluke eggs in the filamentous 'fungus' threads (could be dead flukes), and a couple of chilodenella (protozoan parasites). The gill flukes are pure evil - if I dragged one away from the corpse it would zip back into the gills. The chilodenella seems to be an oppurtunistic parasite - just scurrying around looking for something to feed on. The white/opaque colour of the fry near or upon death must have been slime production (fish defence) which the parasites actually feed upon with gill tissue.

These two types of parasite I saw, and their cousins, come under the list that cause the general 'slime disease'. Interpets Anti-slime and velvet treatment lists them all as parasites against which it is effective. I had dosed my tank with it only once. The eggs of the flukes are impervious to the treatment, so the eggs that lay behind after dose one hatch (5 day incubation) and the fluke numbers increase again. If you are treating for this it is important to re-dose several times (as per instructions, 7 days later with a partial water change). It appears that these parasites are present in tank systems anyway, but in low numbers as healthy fish's immune systems keep them down. As we all know if a fish is stressed its immune system drops and disease etc may follow. As above I was doing daily 10% changes, did one 50%, and then the fry started dying. The big water change must have stressed them so that the parasite took over a few. Their dead/dying bodies then release loads of parasites looking for fresh pray, so slowly my fry have been sucumbing to them.

Anybody reading this - if like me, you cant tell why your fry/fish are dying (your water conditions are good, you have treated for fungus and bacteria pathogens) consider these parasites (protozoan and flukes). I never did and it has cost alot of fry. Treat for slime disease, but re-dose several times to eradicate completely, or even bring the numbers down to normal
levels

Its Anti-Slime and Velvet time
Thanks to anyone who replied
LEE

 

[SouthernCross]

Hi

This is very interesting! You are very lucky to have access to this kind of technology.

I've had some fish flicking (mostly rubbing at their gills) on and off for a few weeks now - I know its not water quality (stats are perfect) and I'm convinced its not ich, after all this time surely I would have had ich spots. Research has led me to believe it could be gil flukes in my fish (my betta and in my community tank - I think I may have cross-contaminated with moving plants) - but I cannot be sure because like you say you need a microscope to see. I've had no deaths yet, and some of the flickers (not all) seem to have stopped, but I don't know whether I should try a treatment or not.

Can I ask you to clarify the names of the meds used to treat this? Or at least the active ingredient? Not all meds are available to us all around the world.

Thanks

 

[lisie]

Glad you found the problem! That's really cool how you were able to go about it. I hope the meds work and get rid of those little nasties quickly!

 

[leec]

Hi,

Im sorry but the product I use from Interpet; Anti-Slime and Velvet, does not list any ingredients. Very frustrating when you want to buy an equivalent product somewhere else. Whatever brands are available to you hopefully have products for treating slime disease, velvet, flukes, lower parasites etc. (hopefully). Sorry I cant be of more help

LEE