One Dead Fish And Several Still Alive Fish Suddenly Covered With White

[Fishcakes]

Hello, last night I noticed that our old platy fish (we've had for 2 years and who survived our lack of knowledge about nitrogen cycles when we first got her) was moving a bit funny around the tank. Her fellow tank mate passed recently (we think from old age) so I thought she was lying on the tank floor following the corys for company and she was still eating. Last night when I turned the lights off there was no problems.

This morning I woke up to finding the platy dead, covered with white string fronds of what certainly looks like mould. One of the corys is also covered all over with the stuff, and I think I can see small amounts on at least one other cory and on one of the harlequins. A third cory doesn't appear to have a lot on them however they're not moving or reacting so I think might be on their way out too.

Looking around the tank I can see what looks like the same stuff but growing more closely together yet thinner in appearance on a natural log in the tank. I am going to get some photos once I've posted this.

Its a 60L tank with a mahoosive filter that can do a tank twice that size. There are 5 harlequins, 5 cory doras, and 6 danios. We recently found a baby cory swimming in the tank however I don't know if its still alive or not

I can't find the water testing kit as we moved house 4 weeks ago and still aren't completely unpacked. To be honest its not me who looks after the fish but my partner who is currently in bed asleep while on night shifts, so as a result I do not know when the fish tank was last cleaned out although I think was within the last 7-8 days.





Edit: I've found a big lump of mouldy looking fluffy stuff at the back of the tank, we haven't lost any further fish but this could only have appeared within the last 24hrs. What could have caused this?

 

[HHH]

How long have you had the wood? Becuase they are known to grow fuzz when they are relativily new so i doubt its the wood. It sounds like a fungal thing but i cant be sure until i see it.

 

[ncguppy830]

hmmm wel do a 100 perecent water change for starters, defintally if it hasent been changed for 7 days,
to be definite well have to wait untill you can get photos.

 

[Fishcakes]

Hello I've just added some photos, thanks guys.

Going to do a water change and I'm going to remove the log. The log we've had in the tank for over a year.

 

[ncguppy830]

anchor worms.

Common methods include physically removing the parasite and cleaning the wound with an antiseptic like iodine. Also common is bathing freshwater fish in a seawater bath (35ppt) for about 5 minutes for multiple days until the parasite falls off.

not 100 percent sure this is the culprit but it seems it is.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Seems the slimecoat is severely damaged (never seens a Cory like this). Could be a Ph or KH-drop. Do you use chemicals do lower either of these ??? Or ammoniaburning ?

 

[Fishcakes]

Don't use anything for ph, kh or ammonia. We did use stuff for ammonia when we first got the tank 2 years ago but nothing since.

Nothing's changed in the tank - other than the fact that we've moved house to a different area. Still in the same city and same water company though.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Do you use something against Chlorine???

 

[HHH]

ok now that I see them they look like a parasite.. and as another poster said above me they do look a lot like anchor worms.. did you add anything new to the tank? Also I don't know if you should do a salt bath with the cories.. If they are anything like loaches they should be super sensitive to salt. again im not 100% on this

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Salt is a no no with corys.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Salt as a med is tolerated by most fish, including corys. This is much different than having it in the water full time. A very strong salt dip only lasts a matter of minutes.
 
I spent about an hour today trying to track down what worm it might be. I am dubious re anchors from the sheer numbers on the fish and from the lack of the typical red area at the point where the worm attaches. Also, I see no sign of the "forked tail" also common with anchors.
 
There are meds that might be helpful with worms and do any harm. But they are available based on where one lives. Fishcake, you show no country, so I wont bother listing the meds I know are available in the USA.

 

[DoubleDutch]

Don't think they are anchorworms for several reasons (but can be wrong). Some of these reasons are : anchorworms have eggsacs on their bodyend, never seen an overnight attack of so much anchorworms at the same time, all white "things have different sizes, if so much why are not all fish infected, anchorworms dig in at places where skin is soft / bloodvessels are near, which not all over a Cory which is plated. Have a good look at the white on the tailfin. There you clearly can see those are not worms. As i said I can be wrong.