New Rainbow Has Issues!

[Stevemonk]

Hi, ive had my tank now for just over 2 months and all the levels and water condition are fine. I bought 2 rainbow fish on saturday and they've been fine since I put them in, very active, eating, etc but ive come home from work today and noticed that one of the rainbow fish has a white band across the top and below its mouth. Im new to the hobby so im not sure of certain diseases and by the time i'd got in from work today the aquarium had closed so I couldnt ask for advice. Ive scoured the internet trying to find out what it could be and ive found loads of info but theres quite a few things it sounds like but im not 100% sure and im concerned that im going to wake up tomorrow with a tank full of dead fish.

The fish has become very lthargic and is swimming closer to the surface than it has been and it also didnt eat when food was put in. The photo below shows the white mark around its mouth (sorry for the bad photo, its pretty hard taking good photos of even the slowest moving fish when your using a camera phone)

If anyone could give me some help and advice i'd be very very greatful. Cheers

 

[rowdyburns21]

Whitish translucent areas, not caused by slime form on the skin.
Does that sound as if it could be a description or has the white stuff got a bubbly effect?

 

[mark.w.jones]

Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Read links in my sig. Whether you did or didn't you still need to post stats for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temp and tank capacity. This post also may do better moved to the emergency section. Potentially looks like a fungal infection to me possibly caused by poor water conditions but without those stats difficult to say.

 

[Leitch]

Looks like he's finished a glass o' milk.

 

[Stevemonk]

Hi, yeah I cycled for 4 weeks using the cycle bacteria given to me by the aquarium then a dose of bactinettes before adding a few fish. Its a 90L tank which i think is roughly 24 gallons. The levels and fish in it are;

GH - 120, KH - 80, PH - 7, N02 - 0 and N03 - 40

3 platys
5 cartinal tetras
2 dwarf gourami
2 rainbow
3 corys

These levels have only been tested using test strips which are probably a bit pants though so im gonna go to the aquarium after work with a water sample to get it checked properly.

Its only been 5 hours or so since the picture above was taken and the whiteness has now spread further up the skin/scales (whatever fish have on there faces...?) to just past its eyes and looks kind of chalky.

I placed a peice of bogwood in the tank that had been soaking for a couple of weeks in water that was changed every couple of days which ive now taken out thinking it might have something to do with it? I also put the sick fish into a make-shift quarentine (a large clear food bag with the sides rolled down floating at the surface of the tank with the fish in) about 4 hours ago which might or might not be the best of ideas but im just concerned for the rest of the fish especially with it spreading over the rainbow quite quickly.

Cheers for any help

 

[mark.w.jones]

It sounds like a skin parasite type disease to me which come in a number of forms and affect the fish's skin when in larger numbers by irritating it leading to excess mucus being produced. Interpet No 7 treats this + velvet although melafix may also be effective. I would say that your tank was still in the process of cycling when you first added the fish and that excess levels of ammonia and nitrite in the early stages are probably what triggered the infection. As you mention, test strips aren't really worth the paper they're written on. Try and get results with a liquid test kit. Once the infection spreads to the gills that is often not a good sign. All the best. Hope he pulls through!