New Heading - Problem May Be Continuing

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

saz326

Fish Herder
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
1,129
Reaction score
0
Location
Hertfordshire
I have an established tank 2 yrs old, and have been problem free for most of that time.

Two weeks ago I lost a tetra to what seemed to be old age. There were no signs of illness, was feeding, water stats were as normal, she started to bloat up a bit (was carrying eggs) but never performed the sex-dance with her boy pals. She simply stayed in a quiet spot. I bought a group of 3 new tetra to make the shoal up the next weekend.

Yesterday evening I fished out my Male apisto. (cockatoo dwarf). He was not old - and he did have visible signs of disease.
Skin had shown greyness and eyes began to white over since Saturday. He also had the start of HITH (lateral line erosion one - not the wormy one) - with a small dimple between his eyes. On sunday I started a course of Melafix (the Tea tree oil antibacterial one) as I had thoughts that it may be a bacterial issue spured on by stress maybe from the addition of new tetra.

This morning my corys are flashing against the substrate. I am still dosing the melafix to knock down any bacterial issues.

I have noticed that my keyholes also show signs of lateral line erosion - they have always had a few dimples but it looks like they may be progressing. I feed a varied diet but it looks like I may need to add vitamins to a twice weekly feed.

Water stats are Nitrite = unreadable (low), Ammonia = unreadable (low), Nitrate = 20/40 ppm pH = 8. (locally bred keyholes)

Am I doing the right thing by starting vitamin treatment (Abidec childrens drops - in feed) and continuing the course of antibacterial meds?

Suggestions greatfully appreciated.
 
What's the make of the test kit you are using.
As your tanks pretty well stocked.

Any signs of flicking and rubbing, darting, erratic swimming, laboured breathing.
Any tiny spots on the fish body or gills.

I would stop using the melafix.
Did the corys start to flick and rub after adding the melafix?

ead & Lateral Line Erosion

Symptoms:

This disease is marked by open pitted wounds around a fish's head and along the lateral line, as if something is slowly eroding away the flesh. It is very similar to the freshwater disease Hole-In-The-Head. Head & Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE) is not fatal in the short run, but if the disease continues to progress, the fish will stop eating and become lethargic. Furthermore, the open wounds caused by HLLE make the fish susceptible to other infections which in turn leads to the further deterioration of its health. These secondary infections are usually the cause of death.


Cause:

Unknown cause, although it is thought that there may be several contributing causes including stray voltage in the aquarium, poor water quality and environmental conditions, high nitrate levels, lack of vitamins and poor nutrition, stress, parasitic infestation (the protozoan Octomita necatrix), or using carbon. Some fish, like Tangs and Surgeonfish, seem to be genetically predisposed to this disease.

The lateral line aids fish in detecting small microvoltages emmited by prey or predators during muscle contraction. The induced voltages from any submerged coil device such as a powerhead, heater, and pump can all add voltage to the tank. This stray voltage can irritate a fish's lateral line if it's constantly stimulating it and eventually lead to erosion of the skin overlying this structure.


Treatment:

Medications do not seem to do much for this disease, although the use of medicated food is recommended to prevent bacterial secondary infections. The best intervention, however, seems to be improving the water quality and supplementing the fish's diet with vitamins, particularly vitamins A, B, D, and E as well as iodine. This can be done several ways. Food can be soaked in water with a drop of liquid multivitamins, such as Selcon or Zoe. Alternatively, fish could be fed fresh or frozen vegetables, such as broccoli, zuchinni, and peas.

The importance of good regular aquarium maintenance cannot be stressed enough. Eliminate any stress-inducing factors. It might also be a good idea to add a grounding probe to the aquarium if you suspect that there may be stray voltage in the aquarium.
 
Thanks Wilder - have been reading that info already.

Corys were already flicking/flashing while the apisto started to go downhil. That was actually what allerted me to the apisto's illness as it was when I was watching the cories that he stuck his head out of his cave and looked a bit sickly. They haven't increased their flicking so I doubt the medication is causing it. Im tempted to continue the 7 day treatment before a 25% water change just incase there is anything nasty in the water. Are cories known to react to stuff like this?

Test kits are liquid tests. "Tetratest" kits. Within date.

No pepperings or markings on the gillplates or body. Breathing did not become any more laboured. Mouth hardly opened - could just see his gil plates lifting as he breathed.

grey marking started on his left flank, then moved towards his eye, where his left eye became clouded (hence bacterial treatment). Moved around tio his right side and finally death. He didnt eat. When I removed him from the tank he had lost most of his scales and his fin rays were not connected on his tail - although the rays themselves were there (not finrot)

have updates my Sig - didnt realise how old the stocking info was on that one. Tank is overfiltered as well tho.

Will start vitamin feeding as mentioned beforehand.
 
When you wormed your fish did you retreat the med?

Fish can sometimes flick and rub with a bacterial infection, but it can also point towards other things.
Grey filming on fish can be bad water quality, ph shock, parasites, bacterial, toxins.

Any red sores or red patches on the fish body, or small red pin prick marks.
Is there a greyish blue film on the fish.
Are the scales on the fish lifting.
Check all fish for lifted scales, anything beneath the scales like bumps, parasites, swelling.
 
Have never wormed my fish. Not quite sure where that idea come from.

Took your advice and stopped using the melafix, and performed a ~30% water change. Also started vitamin addition to their diet. Have added vitamins for the last 2 days, and now will give maintainance vitamins twice a week.

Fish seemed to look a bit happier, but the cories have strated flashing again and when I came back from work my female keyhole had her pectorial fins clamped to her body. She is swimming around freely now that she has been fed but she is not quite right.

She is slightly more offbalance - not using her fins properly to stay upright as if they are occasionally sore to use. She also has a few missing scales. These could be missing due to the male chasing her around with the occasional nip - or there could be something more serious going on. Where scales are missing the skin underneath is grey.

No scales seem to be lifting, but her tail looks like crepe paper. She generally looks under-the-weather.

Water stats checked again. pH 8.0, nitrIte - unreadable (below scale), NitrAte 40ppm, Ammonia unreadable (below scale)

Any ideas? Is there anything I should now be on the lookout for?
 
You could be dealing with a parasite if they have a greyish film on the fish.

What's your location?

Based in the uk.

Is it possible to load a pic onto the site of the sick fish.

Does it sound like this that your fish are suffering from.


Costia

Symptoms:

Infected fish have soft, film-like skin turbidity. A grayish white film of excess mucous covers the entire body of the fish including the eyes. Severe infestations can lead to skin inflammation and deterioration. Reddening of the skin and bleeding, most often occurs on the underside of the mouth and the pectoral area of the body. Sick fish often rub or scratch against objects in the aquarium in an attempt to relieve irritation. Severely infected fish may become reclusive, listless, lie on the bottom of the aquarium and stop feeding.


Cause:

The parasitic flagellates Costia necatrix and Ichthyobodo necatrix. Costia is a small bean-shaped flagellate which attaches tightly to all areas of the skin, destroying the flesh. This parasite can only survive for approximately one hour without a host and does not tolerate temperatures above 86 - 90 F.


Treatment:

Raising the water temperature to 86 - 90 degrees may be helpful if your fish can tolerate the high temperatures. Quick Cure, Formalin, Malachite Green and Copper Sulfate are the drugs of choice for Costia. Costia infestations are highly contagious. All fish, including the aquarium, should be treated.
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Back
Top