Need Urgent Help

[irishfirepics]

Hi all

I really need help I'm loosing a fish a day.

I'll start with my tank hope there is enough info here

I have a 60L tank
heater set to 28C
filter
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrate between .5 and .15
PH about 7

Livestock:
5x guppies
3x mollies
2x gourami
1x pleco

ok I thinks thats everything,

so this week I have lost 1 gourami, 2 guppies, and 2 mollies
1 guppy looks very weak and I fear that he will be dead by the time I get home from work

I cannot see any signs of disease, they all look fine no damage to fins, no white spots etc...

I just can't figure it out.

any help would be great.

 

[WILDER]

Any signs of flicking and rubbing.
Any excess mucas on gills or body of fish.
What do the fish gills look like.
Do the fish look pale or darker in colour.
Do the fish act listless and lethagic.
Can the fish maintain there balance in the water.
Do they fish rest on things in the tank, or find it hard to get off bottom of tank or top.
What does it look like when the fish go to the toilet.
Check the anus of the fish to see if it looks enlarged or red and inflamed.
Do any fish look skinny or bloated.
Any fish have sunken in bellys.

 

[irishfirepics]

Hi thanks for the reply

the guppy that didnt look to good today had just been sitting on the bottom of the tank and yes he did look a bit pale but when feeding he did come up for food. the others that died didn't look bad but i was in work when they died so i was unable to tell.

 

[WILDER]

So just pale and sitting around.

I would add a bacterial med to the tank with losing alot of fish.

 

[irishfirepics]

ok I'll try that when i get home, is there anything i need to be aware of when using medciation, i have been reading around when cycling my tank and read that medication can harm the bacteria in the filter.

 

[WILDER]

Depends on which med you use. Whats your location.
You need to increase aeration with meds as they reduce 02 in the water.
Remove black carbon from filter if you use it.

Lost any fish to being really skinny, or bent spines.

 

[irishfirepics]

i have a pump with a medium air disk should i leave that running. one of the mollies looked a bit skinny.


oh im in dublin, ireland.

 

[WILDER]

Being skinny can be not feeding enough, fish isn't eating, old age, internal parasites, fish tb.

Signs of internal parasites are.
Long stringy white poo or clear mucas poo.
Worms prutruding from the anus.
Fish will look skinny or bloated.
Enlarged anus to red inflamed anus.
Fish will sometimes swim on its side.
Bent spine sometimes.
Sunken in belly sometimes.

Also internal parasites damage the organs and cause bacterial infections.

Camallanus



Symptoms:

When the fish is stationary, deep red worms can be seen protruding from the anal pore. They are only visible when the fish is still because the worms retreat into the intestine at the fish’s slightest movement. Other signs may include an inflamed and enlarged anus. In severe infestations, the fish may become emaciated and spinal curvature may also occur.



Cause:

The parasitic worms Camallanus Cotti and Camallanus lacustris. These small, livebearing parasitic worms attach to the intestinal walls and rectum with pinchers. The worm’s grip is so tight that any attempts to remove it forcibly will rip away tissue from the intestinal wall. The worm’s pinching causes ischemia (reduced blood flow) to that part of the intestine. In time, the tissue to that part of the intestine will die, at which time the worm will migrate to another part of the intestine. This causes perforations throughout the intestine, which allows other pathogens to gain entry. If the fish is not treated, either the parasite or bacterial will kill the fish. Camallanus infestations occur most often in livebearing fish such as Guppies and Mollies, though infection is possible in all fish. Camallanus infestations are contagious. All fish, including those not yet showing visible symptoms, as well as the aquarium, should be treated.



Treatment:

Treat with Internal Parasite Guard, Pipzine, Disco-Worm, Trichlorfon or Fluke-Tabs as well as a medicated food to prevent a bacterial infection.

There this med for camallanous worms but you can only buy it online I think.
Its best to worm fish anyway.
http/www.thegreenmachineaquatics.com/mal...ol%20001/198936

For bacterial infections anti internal bacteria med by interpet.

 

[irishfirepics]

come to think of it i did see something protruding from the anus, i taught it was a poo but when i blinked it went away taught it just fell to the bottom. will i need to do any extra water changes or just start treatment straight ayay. my molly gave birth a few days before she died, i managed to save one of the fry, and it seems to be thriving will the medication harm the fry

 

[WILDER]

I would get that wormer med I left a link to at the bottom of the page on the last reply.
it sounds like your fish might have internal parasites.

Just do a water change and gravel vac before you add the med.
I would worm your fish first.

This is the med you need.
http/www.thegreenmachineaquatics.com/mal...ol%20001/198936

 

[irishfirepics]

Thanks for all your help wilder, greatly appreciated, i'll keep you updated. thanks again

 

[WILDER]

Once you finshed the worming course you will need to back up with a bacterial med.
Anti internal bacteria med by interpet.
Good Luck.

 

[doktor doris]

Please dont think Iam having a go and perhaps Iam wrong.

But isnt a 12 gall tank far too small for a plec to live in?

 

[WILDER]

But isnt a 12 gall tank far too small for a plec to live in?

Depends on which type of plec it is.
What is the name of the plec.