LauraFrog
Fish Gatherer
About a year ago, I didn't quarantine a platy from a dodgy pet store. I have regretted it ever since. She was gone within two weeks and introduced some kind of bacterial infection into my tanks. I've lost about six fish to it and no amount of water changing and tank cleaning seems to shift it. Every time I've posted about one of the six fish I've been recommended medication I can't get, mainly Interpet no1 which isn't even in the index of common medicines up the top.
It's struck again in the week while I've been too busy to do more than feed my fish. This time it's the five gal on my desk. I can't get water stats, but they might not be great. Filter blew two weeks ago. I moved as much cycled media into there as possible but because I had nowhere to put the betta, two adult and one juvenile dwarf platies, I had to cycle it fish-in. I cut feeding as much as I could, and all the fish got pretty skinny. I thought that's all it was but I've realised I was wrong. Yesterday I lost the male dwarf platy. He was resting on the bottom at night looking very ill. In the morning he was corkscrewing around the tank, whacking into things and upsetting all the other fish. I put him down.
The adult female is now very sick. This is STRYKER I'm talking about, one of my best fish. She's infertile, but I love her to death, she's an old friend. She is unbelievably thin, her belly looks pinched in and hollow. She is still eating as are the remaining fish in the tank and the male that died was eating the day before I lost him. Their diet's not great, good quality flake interspersed with lettuce leaves, peas, beans, potato and the odd tiny piece of meat. Can't get live food at all.
I think it's internal bacteria but it could be internal parasites. At any rate, the symptoms are rapid weight loss while still eating and normal behavior until the end. The betta and the juvenile platy are absolutely fine, both eating, healthy, no symptoms at all that I can see. I can get melafix and medicated food for parasites and I think some medicated food containing tetracycline. Not sure if anything else will be available. I live in a small town with a small pet shop - they do their best but they can't stock what they'll never sell. Water test kits included.
I'm not sure what to give them and I don't want to combine meds, but she's pretty far gone. I thought she was just skinny and would recover when I stepped up feeding but I was feeding three times a day for a few days and nothing has changed. I'm seriously bummed about losing the male and I really dont' want Stryker to die.
Water stats: ammonia unknown but I believe the tank is now cycled, water changed very recently. nitrite and nitrate unknown. pH 7.3 kH/gH unknown. Temp 24.5C.
Thanks so much for any help you can give me.
It's struck again in the week while I've been too busy to do more than feed my fish. This time it's the five gal on my desk. I can't get water stats, but they might not be great. Filter blew two weeks ago. I moved as much cycled media into there as possible but because I had nowhere to put the betta, two adult and one juvenile dwarf platies, I had to cycle it fish-in. I cut feeding as much as I could, and all the fish got pretty skinny. I thought that's all it was but I've realised I was wrong. Yesterday I lost the male dwarf platy. He was resting on the bottom at night looking very ill. In the morning he was corkscrewing around the tank, whacking into things and upsetting all the other fish. I put him down.
The adult female is now very sick. This is STRYKER I'm talking about, one of my best fish. She's infertile, but I love her to death, she's an old friend. She is unbelievably thin, her belly looks pinched in and hollow. She is still eating as are the remaining fish in the tank and the male that died was eating the day before I lost him. Their diet's not great, good quality flake interspersed with lettuce leaves, peas, beans, potato and the odd tiny piece of meat. Can't get live food at all.
I think it's internal bacteria but it could be internal parasites. At any rate, the symptoms are rapid weight loss while still eating and normal behavior until the end. The betta and the juvenile platy are absolutely fine, both eating, healthy, no symptoms at all that I can see. I can get melafix and medicated food for parasites and I think some medicated food containing tetracycline. Not sure if anything else will be available. I live in a small town with a small pet shop - they do their best but they can't stock what they'll never sell. Water test kits included.
I'm not sure what to give them and I don't want to combine meds, but she's pretty far gone. I thought she was just skinny and would recover when I stepped up feeding but I was feeding three times a day for a few days and nothing has changed. I'm seriously bummed about losing the male and I really dont' want Stryker to die.Water stats: ammonia unknown but I believe the tank is now cycled, water changed very recently. nitrite and nitrate unknown. pH 7.3 kH/gH unknown. Temp 24.5C.
Thanks so much for any help you can give me.
/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/nematodes.shtml
