How are they looking today? I lay in bed thinking last night at what else the problem could be and all i could think was maybe a ph crash which causes the slime coat to shed but it would be seen in all the fish.
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billieollie
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Hello everyone,
Tinkerbell died last night at approx 2am, I stayed up with her, she just stayed in the same place behind the rock,laying on her side. About 5 or 10 minutes before she died she seemed to jump, I am guessing she had a heart attack. My daughter and I buried her this morning before school, she is next to Ollie. I went to the pharmacy to get some clove oil for Billie, but when I returned home he seemed OK, he was having a swim around and he even had something to eat. I put some more medicine in the tank for him, and done a water test, the nitrate was 10 (yesterday 10 - 20) and the nitrite was 0.1 (yesterday 0.3) I didnt do a water change as I did not want to disturb him. Billie died this afternoon at approx 4.15pm, I thought he was just laying in the plant, so I tried to move him, as he was upside down ( he had been doing that since yesterday) and he just floated. I am still using both the medicines, Dotty, Jack Sparrow, and Velma, seem to be doing OK, they are all eating, swiming, and they do not have any signs of cotton wool, or red blood marks on them. Thought it best to continue with the medicine just in case ( please advise if you think I should stop) My daughter and I buried Billie just a while OK, we have made a little fish grave yard, they are now all together and not in pain.
To new people who might read this topic, please read it carefully, listen to the advice given by the proper 'fish' people, but more important please, please get advice from people who know what the are talking about, before buying any kind of fish,tank, filters etc. I can not thank, Black Angel, Wilder, Random Wiktor,xauotmatic flowersx (sorry if I have missed anyone) enough for there help and advice, I just wish the ending of this story was a happy one. So please do not make the mistakes that I have, look at the photos I have posted, they are not just fish that live in water and that you just feed every now and then, they are delicate little things, that build freindships with other fishes, and need to be cared for so carefully, I have only just learnt this and I have learnt it the extremly hard way.
Please can you advise, how I can prevent Jack, Dotty and Velma catching whatever Billie,Ollie and Tinkerbell died of, I have not done a water change today, should I empty 50% in an attempt to get rid of the infection, please let me know my next steps.
Tinkerbell died last night at approx 2am, I stayed up with her, she just stayed in the same place behind the rock,laying on her side. About 5 or 10 minutes before she died she seemed to jump, I am guessing she had a heart attack. My daughter and I buried her this morning before school, she is next to Ollie. I went to the pharmacy to get some clove oil for Billie, but when I returned home he seemed OK, he was having a swim around and he even had something to eat. I put some more medicine in the tank for him, and done a water test, the nitrate was 10 (yesterday 10 - 20) and the nitrite was 0.1 (yesterday 0.3) I didnt do a water change as I did not want to disturb him. Billie died this afternoon at approx 4.15pm, I thought he was just laying in the plant, so I tried to move him, as he was upside down ( he had been doing that since yesterday) and he just floated. I am still using both the medicines, Dotty, Jack Sparrow, and Velma, seem to be doing OK, they are all eating, swiming, and they do not have any signs of cotton wool, or red blood marks on them. Thought it best to continue with the medicine just in case ( please advise if you think I should stop) My daughter and I buried Billie just a while OK, we have made a little fish grave yard, they are now all together and not in pain.
To new people who might read this topic, please read it carefully, listen to the advice given by the proper 'fish' people, but more important please, please get advice from people who know what the are talking about, before buying any kind of fish,tank, filters etc. I can not thank, Black Angel, Wilder, Random Wiktor,xauotmatic flowersx (sorry if I have missed anyone) enough for there help and advice, I just wish the ending of this story was a happy one. So please do not make the mistakes that I have, look at the photos I have posted, they are not just fish that live in water and that you just feed every now and then, they are delicate little things, that build freindships with other fishes, and need to be cared for so carefully, I have only just learnt this and I have learnt it the extremly hard way.
Please can you advise, how I can prevent Jack, Dotty and Velma catching whatever Billie,Ollie and Tinkerbell died of, I have not done a water change today, should I empty 50% in an attempt to get rid of the infection, please let me know my next steps.
Sorry R.I.P. been there not through my own fault but my sisters , so i no how you feel, i only managed to save one, but the one that survived he still going strong, don't blame your self to much, we all make mistakes it correcting them so it dosn't happen again, i would do a small water change with them having columnaris and the fish dying in the tank , just to be safe, good luck, hope you have turned the corner now, and the rest of the tank survive, just tell your duaghter they have gone to fish heaven and are loving it up there.
xautomaticflowersx
Fishaholic
What a shame 
... I'm just sorry that we couldn't have helped further. At least they aren't suffering any more. Whilst the ending is not happy for three of the fish, the others seem to be OK for now... which is good news! As Wilder says - do another water change soon. I would then continue to perform 25% or 30% changes every couple of days or so, gradually decreasing this amount over the coming weeks until you are performing a 25% or 30% change once a week. This will help maintain water quality until the tank fully stabilises. I very much hope that Jack, Dotty and Velma remain in good health. If it was me I would probably keep using the Melafix for a week or two as it is supposed to be good against fungal infections. It's also made from natural Tea Tree extracts and certainly won't do any harm!
I really hope that Jack, Dotty and Velma don't suffer the same fate and that they will grow and thrive in their big 5ft tank for years to come
... I'm just sorry that we couldn't have helped further. At least they aren't suffering any more. Whilst the ending is not happy for three of the fish, the others seem to be OK for now... which is good news! As Wilder says - do another water change soon. I would then continue to perform 25% or 30% changes every couple of days or so, gradually decreasing this amount over the coming weeks until you are performing a 25% or 30% change once a week. This will help maintain water quality until the tank fully stabilises. I very much hope that Jack, Dotty and Velma remain in good health. If it was me I would probably keep using the Melafix for a week or two as it is supposed to be good against fungal infections. It's also made from natural Tea Tree extracts and certainly won't do any harm!I really hope that Jack, Dotty and Velma don't suffer the same fate and that they will grow and thrive in their big 5ft tank for years to come
I am so so sorry for the hurt you have just had to go through with your fish. Also as a pointer to anyone reading this and of course not a slight against you but please remember to quarantine all new fish for at least a month and using parasite meds before adding to fish you already have.
Once again really sorry about your fish and i too hope the others will be ok and agree with whats been said about water changes to keep your quality good and regularly testing for any spikes.
As you still have nitrites then keep doing a couple of changes a week of 30% and fingers crossed the others will be ok.
If you notice anything else wrong or just an update to keep us informed please post back to tell us how things go.
Once again really sorry about your fish and i too hope the others will be ok and agree with whats been said about water changes to keep your quality good and regularly testing for any spikes.
As you still have nitrites then keep doing a couple of changes a week of 30% and fingers crossed the others will be ok.
If you notice anything else wrong or just an update to keep us informed please post back to tell us how things go.
billieollie
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Hi everyone,
Hoped I would not be on her for a few days, but its all starting again. The three fish have now all gone to the bottom of the tank, behind the rock and filter. All three look to be in different stages.....
Velma, who was completely orange has now got silver/white marks, they are not spots, it looks like patches of the orange is coming off. She seems to the worse out of the three. She is staying behind the filter (not head standing) but she now has the start of the cotton wool. Her tail and fins are fine.
Dotty, also staying at the bottom, she has no signs of the cotton wool, but her tail in now in shreads,her fins are OK.
Jack Sparrow who is the biggest, has no signs of anything on his body and his tail/fins are fine, but he is now joining the others behind the rock.
They are all eating, but once again as I sit here and type the tank looks empty. I have done a water change 25% just moments ago.Before the water change I tested the tank water..The levels had changed from yesterday... Nitrite 0.1 Nitrate 20 and Ammonia 0.6 ( never had a number in ammonia before also 0)
Out of curiosity I tested my tap water, the nitrate level is 10 even before it gets to the tank.
I am still adding both medicines, and the aquasafe and both filters are working fine. What has gone wrong this time?? and what do I do now?? If they are all going to end up the same as the others I would prefer to do the clove oil thing now before they get any worse. I know this sounds very harsh and you might think me a very hard person, but I just can't bare the thought of them going through what the others did. Please advise.
Hoped I would not be on her for a few days, but its all starting again. The three fish have now all gone to the bottom of the tank, behind the rock and filter. All three look to be in different stages.....
Velma, who was completely orange has now got silver/white marks, they are not spots, it looks like patches of the orange is coming off. She seems to the worse out of the three. She is staying behind the filter (not head standing) but she now has the start of the cotton wool. Her tail and fins are fine.
Dotty, also staying at the bottom, she has no signs of the cotton wool, but her tail in now in shreads,her fins are OK.
Jack Sparrow who is the biggest, has no signs of anything on his body and his tail/fins are fine, but he is now joining the others behind the rock.
They are all eating, but once again as I sit here and type the tank looks empty. I have done a water change 25% just moments ago.Before the water change I tested the tank water..The levels had changed from yesterday... Nitrite 0.1 Nitrate 20 and Ammonia 0.6 ( never had a number in ammonia before also 0)
Out of curiosity I tested my tap water, the nitrate level is 10 even before it gets to the tank.
I am still adding both medicines, and the aquasafe and both filters are working fine. What has gone wrong this time?? and what do I do now?? If they are all going to end up the same as the others I would prefer to do the clove oil thing now before they get any worse. I know this sounds very harsh and you might think me a very hard person, but I just can't bare the thought of them going through what the others did. Please advise.
You will have an ammonia reading as the other filter is cycling to balance it out a bit more, maybe add an old sponge from the old filter to the new one, then put the new spong in the old filter, i would suggest four salt baths a day as columnaris hates salt, one tablespoon to a gal, half an hour usually for the salt bath, but start of with ten minutes, if they keep turning upside down remove them straight away.
What meds are you using.
What meds are you using.
What a run of bad luck you are having with your fish just now.
Right, down to business. Does your filter have carbon in it? If so then take it out. Do a 50% water change and get the salt back out.
Add 1 level tablespoon per 3 gallons to give you a .1% solution.
12 hours later add the same again to give you .2% solution.
12 hours later add the same again to give you .3% solution. So in total you have given 17 tablespoons of salt. You can go to a healthfood shop or somewhere and buy a big bag of rock salt or pickling salt. Dont do any water changes during the treatment.
Now you will need a large bottle of Protozin *or two smaller bottles* as this contains formaldehyde and malachite green and use as directed. Keep overhead lights off as well.
Potassium permanganate is a better alternative but harder to get hold of.
I think your fish have columnaris and this is weakening the fish so letting other aeromonas bacteria attack as well.
Are they still eating? If so soak the flake in the protozin as well.
I am praying this will help.
Theres two treatments youve been given so its up to you which one you take really. You could try the salt baths and if that doesnt work then you can move on to my method.
While I remember, could you ahve a look and see if you can see inside the gills of the fish, you might have to take one out to have a good look. A helathy fishes gills should be cherry red. Any signs of brown happening or paleness?
Right, down to business. Does your filter have carbon in it? If so then take it out. Do a 50% water change and get the salt back out.
Add 1 level tablespoon per 3 gallons to give you a .1% solution.
12 hours later add the same again to give you .2% solution.
12 hours later add the same again to give you .3% solution. So in total you have given 17 tablespoons of salt. You can go to a healthfood shop or somewhere and buy a big bag of rock salt or pickling salt. Dont do any water changes during the treatment.
Now you will need a large bottle of Protozin *or two smaller bottles* as this contains formaldehyde and malachite green and use as directed. Keep overhead lights off as well.
Potassium permanganate is a better alternative but harder to get hold of.
I think your fish have columnaris and this is weakening the fish so letting other aeromonas bacteria attack as well.
Are they still eating? If so soak the flake in the protozin as well.
I am praying this will help.
Theres two treatments youve been given so its up to you which one you take really. You could try the salt baths and if that doesnt work then you can move on to my method.
While I remember, could you ahve a look and see if you can see inside the gills of the fish, you might have to take one out to have a good look. A helathy fishes gills should be cherry red. Any signs of brown happening or paleness?
billieollie
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Hi
I am using melafix, which I have been for about the last 10 days, I was adding 5 teaspoons a day, but someone cant remember who, posted that I should only be using 2 teaspoons. So for about the last 5 days they have been on 2 teaspoons and the 5 deays before that they were on 5 teaspoons daily. Am also using pimafix 2 teaspoons a day, for the last 4 days. and then adding aquasafe everytime I do a water change.
Could you explain how i do the salt bath, e.g, just in a bucket, or in the old tank with filter on etc, can I use the same salt water for all 3 or do I change it after each one.
Am going to take you advice and swap around the sponges.
I am using melafix, which I have been for about the last 10 days, I was adding 5 teaspoons a day, but someone cant remember who, posted that I should only be using 2 teaspoons. So for about the last 5 days they have been on 2 teaspoons and the 5 deays before that they were on 5 teaspoons daily. Am also using pimafix 2 teaspoons a day, for the last 4 days. and then adding aquasafe everytime I do a water change.
Could you explain how i do the salt bath, e.g, just in a bucket, or in the old tank with filter on etc, can I use the same salt water for all 3 or do I change it after each one.
Am going to take you advice and swap around the sponges.
Theres also a dip you could use but really i dont see the point of the dips as you are putting them back into infected tank water.
A dip can be a gallon of tank water with half a cup of dissolved salt and leave each fish in it for at least 30 seconds and no longer than 5 minutes. if the fish start to float then prod them and if they dont move then place in a holding container so they can come round. But as i said theres not much point to baths/dips if returning to an infected tank.
Can you find a vet who can do a skin scrape to see exactly what you are dealing with and give injectible antibiotics?
A dip can be a gallon of tank water with half a cup of dissolved salt and leave each fish in it for at least 30 seconds and no longer than 5 minutes. if the fish start to float then prod them and if they dont move then place in a holding container so they can come round. But as i said theres not much point to baths/dips if returning to an infected tank.
Can you find a vet who can do a skin scrape to see exactly what you are dealing with and give injectible antibiotics?
billieollie
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OK, have just changed the sponges round and turned off the lights. Do I keep the lights off all the time?
I will go tomorrow morning to get the protozin, do I continue with the other two medicines aswell?
Salt, very nervous about using salt as I think that I overdosed them last time, the salt that I have is aqualibrium, could I ask a big favour, could you please give me the excat dose I should give every 12 hours, The tank holds 50 gallons.
All of them are eating.
Had a look at the gills, ...Jack Sparrow who has no symptons, that I can see apart from laying at the bottom, his gills are a brown colour.
Velma...who has cotton wool symptons and seems to be the worse, the gills are red, as are Dottys who has no cotton wool but her tail is starting to go in shreads.
I have 2 vets, one for the horses, dont think he will do it!!!!! but will check my other vet, for the dogs, I'll see if he can or if he knows of a vet that can.
I will go tomorrow morning to get the protozin, do I continue with the other two medicines aswell?
Salt, very nervous about using salt as I think that I overdosed them last time, the salt that I have is aqualibrium, could I ask a big favour, could you please give me the excat dose I should give every 12 hours, The tank holds 50 gallons.
All of them are eating.
Had a look at the gills, ...Jack Sparrow who has no symptons, that I can see apart from laying at the bottom, his gills are a brown colour.
Velma...who has cotton wool symptons and seems to be the worse, the gills are red, as are Dottys who has no cotton wool but her tail is starting to go in shreads.
I have 2 vets, one for the horses, dont think he will do it!!!!! but will check my other vet, for the dogs, I'll see if he can or if he knows of a vet that can.
An easier but longer way is 1 level teaspoon per gallon, so that would be 50 teaspoons every 12 hours three times.
Brown gills are also a sign of columnaris too.
The vet is really the best way to go. Which county are you in and i will see if theres a fish vet there.
Brown gills are also a sign of columnaris too.
The vet is really the best way to go. Which county are you in and i will see if theres a fish vet there.
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