One Fish Dead, How Many More?

[black_bull]

Hi everyone

I havent been on this forum for a few months but I when I had an emergency I immediately knew that you guys could help me. PLEASE dont disappoint me...

Here's the situation: I have a 15 gallon tall tank (20"x10"x17") with a Penguin BIO-Wheel filter, Rena heater, and artificial plants. The tank temp is a little high probably between 80 and 84 degrees F. My water stats could hardly be better, and I just tested them a few minutes ago: ammonia 0 mg/L, nitrite 0, and nitrate 5. My pH is 7.1-7.2. My livestock is:

5 zebra danios
4 rosy tetras
1 adult molly (f)
1 molly fry (1")
1 adult guppy (f)
5 guppy fry (4 m, 1 f)
2 male bettas (one swims free while the other is in a floating plastic breeding cage)
3 apple snails snails (two at 1", one at 1.75")

I'm not overstocked, although I am fully stocked, my water states are perfect, and I do 20% water changes every three days. Despite all this, I just lost the fifth rosy tetra to something, and I cant figure out what it is.

It gets worse: one of my danios has it too, and is acting the same way the tetra did befoe it died: it is hanging about 2-3" from the surface, breathing fast, and not swimming around much at all. The only difference is that the tetra's normally transparent skin turned dark gray-brown and ceased to be transparent about a week befoe he died, and he got skinnier and skinner as he approached the end, to the point that he was 2/3 the size of his healthy fellows.

Im afraid that if I don't do something, all my fish will die, so PLEASE help me identify what the problem is before my danio follows the tetra. Thanks for reading this stupidly long post, and please respond with any info you have. Oh, by the way, the tetra also developed what looked like a silver scab on his body about a half a cm from his tail before he died. Thanks.

 

[black_bull]

"Internal Bacteria

Symptoms

a. In some cases fish will darken in colour, become listless, stop feeding and die.

b. In other cases, severe symptons exist, ulcers, abdominal (dropsy) and eye swelling (pop eye), destruction of the central nervous system and then the fish dies."

Thats from one of the threads about disease under one of the pinned topics... and it sounds just like what my fish have. The "darkening in color" is exactly what happened to my tetra. So what do I do to get rid of it?

Edit: Haha! I think I figured it out... the person who posted in the pinned topic mentioned low oxygen levels as being a possible factor, and it's entirely possible that my tank has low oxygen levels, since I'm not running an air pump. I'm out of air hose though, so I'll have to wait till tomaorrow after school.

Can anyone confirm that low dissolved oxygen can cause bacterial infection? Do my fishes' symptoms sound like a bacterial infection? Will my danio heal as soon as the air level goes back up? How long does a bac. infection take to kill a fish? Please reply and thanks.

 

[WILDER]

Right what you are describing could be a parasite or bacterial infection, so the more info you could give me the better, i'm going for velvet at this moment in time.

Not the writer of this information.
Oodinium (a.k.a. Velvet)



Symptoms:

Oodinium is commonly called "Velvet" because infected fish have a yellowish-brown "velvety" coating that covers its body. When the gills are affected rapid gill movements will be seen. Infected fish often scrape against objects in the aquarium in an effort to remove the parasite. In severe infestations, the skin may peel away in strips. Lack of appetite and lethargy usually accompany these other symptoms.



Cause:

The dinoflagellate Oodinium pillularis. This parasite feeds on the flesh of the fish, destroying the cells of its skin and can even infect its internal organs. This parasite is highly contagious due to the fact that it can survive up to 24 hours without a host. When without a host, they drop to the bottom of the aquarium, where they multiply and wait to find a new host.



Treatment:

Because Oodinium is extremely contagious, all fish, and the aquarium they inhabit, should be treated. Recommended medications include Paraform, Acriflavin, Quick Cure, and Formalin.

 

[black_bull]

more info...


I noticed something wrong with the tetra about a week and a half ago, but I didnt suspect a disease because my stats were perfect... that was my downfall I suppose. Anyway, the tetra had gray wkin instead of his regular transparent/slightly pink skin, and he developed a lesion--silvery in color--on his caudal peduncle andout half a cm from the start of the tail. I notices a silver round protrusion on the scab. The protrusion was probably a millimeter in diameter and was round. His eyes also got couldy, although I only noticed this just tonight. He has been listless for over a week, and hadnt eaten for a week when he died a couple hours ago. Thats about all I have, I hope it helps.

Right now I can lower the water level in my aquarium in order to increase the amount of oxygen in the water, and tomorrow I can pick up air hose and meds at Petsmat...by the way, what med would you suggest I use on the danio (actually the entire tank, since I need to kill all the parasites including the ones in the gravel).

Will better oxygen levels make a difference immediatly, or will the danio continue to get worse? What can I do to prevent any more fish from getting it? Thanks for your help and replies.

Lol I forgot how to quote

Oh, another thing that points to internal infection is that looking at the tetra head on, he was fatter than the others, so his organs may have been swollen from being infected.

 

[fishing4exotics]

Hard to say what is going on with your tank. How long have you had the fish in your tank? Did you just get them from the LFS and were they healthy to begin with? Have you just recently introduced new fish into your tank that may have been sick?

Your fish dying could also indicate that you are overcrowding your tank. Reason I say this is that you have 19 fish in your 15 gallon tank. The rule of thumb is 1" of fish per 1 gallon. I personally believe with certain fish that is too many fish. Since you have 19 fish I would assume that you have exceed the 1" per gallon rule. The other reason I suspect that your tank is overcrowded is the fact that the fish are near the surface breathing hard. This can indicate lack of oxygen in the water. Too many fish trying to get oxygen. Also, your temp is a bit high and high temp means less oxygen in the water. You might want to bring the temp down to 78* f. Put some airstones in your tank to increase circulation.

Add some salt in your tank. Some of the species you keep are best kept with a little salt in the tank. Like the mollies. Also, salt helps with gill functions and helps with skin slime production. 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons is what I use. I have used this dosage without any bad results even with the snails.

How is the aggression in the tank? Do you see fish, besides your fighting fish, chasing each other? Do you see any nipped fins? Aggression will stress your fish and can add to the problems already stated.

My best advise would be to get a bigger tank or an additional tank. That's the best long term solution, IMO. I myself had gone from 1 goldfish bowl to 30 tanks at one point That's after 30 years of keeping fish on and off. Now I am down to a reasonable 2 tank

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like a parasite to me,look at the gills any increased mucas on them, or red and inflamed, any laboured breathing, or flicking and rubbing against objects.
Not the writer of this inormation below.
Cloudy Eye- Cloudy eye can have many causes. Look for signs of Velvet Disease, Ick, and Fish tuberculosis. However, sometimes this is caused due to bacterial infections. Symptoms: One or both eyes become cloudy, and take a whitish appearance. Fish may show signs of distress, and be off-color and behave abnormally. Treatment: Establishing the likely cause of the problem and treating it as soon as possible is the best way to prevent damage to your fish's nervous system. The incidences of cloudy eye can be maintained by keeping the water quality in a good condition, and adding a small amount of aquarium salt to the water at water changes. There are many good medications available at your local pet stores that deal with this problem. Follow the recommended accordingly. (back to top)


Not the writer of this information below.
Velvet Disease- Velvet will affect fry that are only a few days old. These parasites mainly attack the skin but may also cause severe damage to the gills. Symptoms: Fish rub themselves against solid objects and may have difficulty breathing. As the infection increases, a yellowish brown to grayish haze may be appearing in dots. The skin may become inflamed. The fish will become emaciated. You can see the individual parasites with a magnifying glass. Treatment: There are several medications available that are worth trying. Older remedies were to use copper sulphate. (with extreme caution) Usually young fish show the signs and symptoms first and happen to be the most difficult to treat. The reason for this is the fact that they are sensitive to the chemicals available for use in the aquarium. top

 

[black_bull]

I dont mean to get in an argument but 6 of the 19 fish are about 1/2" long, and hardly contribute to the bioload. Also my stats are good. There is no aggression besides the bettas flaring at each other (and they are obviously separated). Besides this I've never seen any aggression whatsoever, even at night with the light off.

I will lower the temp and add salt. Do you use table salt? Whats the best medicine to use to treat velvet? Will I find it at petsmart (the only place I have in town to get fish supplies)?

 

[WILDER]

Velvet is a nasty parasite, what's your location.

 

[black_bull]

Also how long will the danio live now that it has the disease? It has had it for no more than 48 hours. Will the meds have time to work before the danio dies?

Location: Michigan, United States.

 

[WILDER]

Need to no fish stock as some fish can't tolerate salt, plus with parasites you have to higher the temp..

 

[black_bull]

"This parasite feeds on the flesh of the fish, destroying the cells of its skin and can even infect its internal organs. This parasite is highly contagious due to the fact that it can survive up to 24 hours without a host."

Damn it!

 

[WILDER]

Maracide, Malachite Green, and Coppersafe

 

[black_bull]

Should I use all three? If not, which is best? Also, will the meds harm the fish that DON'T have the disease yet? Or the snails?

 

[WILDER]

Malachite Green (zinc free) 100% Cures Ich, fungus, oodinium (velvet) mouth fungus, and prevents fungus on some eggs, most effective when used with salt. 28.4 grams make 1 gallon. Then use 1 drop per gallon.

 

[black_bull]

Will it hurt the fish that aren't infected or the snails?