I'm Ready To Give Up

[RMP]

So I wrote here last week that a fuzzy slime overtook all of my plants. It was probably driftwood fungus and so I decided to do a major water change after medicating with Maracyn 1 and 2. I removed all the driftwood and did a 70% water change. I found under the driftwood TONS of decaying plant leaves and slime blobs on them. I pulled every plant out and only put back the ones without decay.

Here's the problem:
As soon as I finished adding the RO water, all the fish were flashing. Also without the driftwood in the tank, the PH went from 6.5 to 7.5. The chocolate gourami now has cloudy eyes. One keeps spiting up his food. Even the hardy minnows are flashing. It has been 24 hours and still flashing. Ammonia, Nitrate, and Nitrite all at 0.

What is causing the flashing and how do I stop it? More water changes? What do I do?
Thanks,
Ryan

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Can you get more similar plants/driftwood to regain a balance? Sorry, helping this one is out of my experience. I hope you get it settled. I've had some frustrating times a few months back too.

 

[RMP]

I'm affraid of driftwood now with all the problems. Fungus really seems to take off while i was treating with maracyn and removed filter media which my lfs days probably killed all my good bacteria.

 

[WILDER]

Maracyn 1, and 2, will wipe all your good bacteria out in your filter.

How long after the water change did you test your water.

Are the fish showing any other symptoms apart from flashing. Like -
laboured breathing, gasping at surface of tank, listless and lethagic, darting, erratic swimming.

 

[slimeneo]

I find that fish flash after a large water change (to get used to the water)- its temporary and shouldn't last too long. But if it persists after more than a day, that would be cause for alarm.

 

[RMP]

Darting flashing look jittery. Maybe breathing slightly heavier but I'm not sure. Flashing occuring now mainly on the two chocolate gouramis which have oudy eyes now. Checked ph to it is about 6'8 but i know it was about 7'8 when i first did the eater change. Don't know how it went down.... I bought a bacteria filter media from a fish store here and another product call nite out. Maybe that helped since last night.

 

[WILDER]

Is the maracyn still in the tank. Or has it been removed?

Cloudy eye is a symtom of a desease not a desease in its own right.
Causes.
Bad water quality.
Stress.
Irratation.
Poor diet.
Old age.
Injury.
Bacterial.
Parasites.





Do your fish show any of these symptoms.

Swimming in a jerky movement.
Pale gills,
Red inflamed gills.
Excess mucas on gills.
Pale body with excess slime.
Greyish, or white film on fish body.
Excess slime. Trailing mucas.
Weightloss.
Fish acting listless and lethargic
Red sores, or red pin prick marks on fish.

Any toxins gotten into the tank.
Or during the water change.

 

[daz4321]

Did you just use RO or did you mix with tap water or remineralize it?

 

[RMP]

I mixed RO with tap water (well water, very hard) which is what I have been doing all along.

I had been treating for what I believed to be a bacterial infection. Slight fuzzy stuff on the lips of the fish. There were small grey slime patches at one point but they went away on their own.

I don't think there is any maracyn left in the tank at this point with all the water taken out.

Update is that none of the fish is flashing except the two chocolate gouramis who were originally sick with the fuzzy lips. The eyes look like they are getting better though, but one of them eats food and spits some (not all of it) up. Looks kinda slimy when it comes out of her mouth.

 

[WILDER]

How are the fish now.

Fish do spit food out now and then. Is the fish doing it alot.

 

[RMP]

When i first got the fish 3 weeks ago he couldn't keep anything down. In out in about 2 seconds. After i treated tank with maracyn he got completely better eats like crazy. Since the water change he eats like crazy but spits up some about 20 secondd after it goes on. I'll check later to see. No wishes were flashing exceot the chocolates as of yesterday and i think the cloudy eyes are going away. No more slime either since i removed the driftwood, only little pieces left on the plants i didn't fully remove

When i first got the fish 3 weeks ago he couldn't keep anything down. In out in about 2 seconds. After i treated tank with maracyn he got completely better eats like crazy. Since the water change he eats like crazy but spits up some about 20 secondd after it goes on. I'll check later to see. No wishes were flashing exceot the chocolates as of yesterday and i think the cloudy eyes are going away. No more slime either since i removed the driftwood, only little pieces left on the plants i didn't fully remove

 

[WILDER]

Spitting food out can also be due to Internal parasites, flukes.

So keep a look out for when your fish go to the toilet.

 

[RMP]

Oh. What will i see when they go to bathroom?

 

[WILDER]

Need to know the colour of the waste.
White, brown, red, clear.

 

[RMP]

Its not dark brown. It is more like a light brown. I think it has been that way since ive had them, 1 over 2 months now

The color of coffee mixed with cream. Maybe a tad lighter.