Please Help! Fry Are Dying...

[crazychick]

I have some 2 month old goldfish fry (bl. moor x ) and they all have been happy and healthy up until yesterday... I don't know what has happened but I've lost 10 fat little fry in 2 days! I did a water change after the first one died as I thought that maybe that was the problem (there's about 40 1cm long fry in a 5 gallon tank at the moment- they're larger 30 gallon will be up and running soon...). The water is about 20-22 C, ammonia and nitrites are nil. pH is 7.8, TDS is around 500. Our water is quite soft and I have been gradually adding electrolytes to bring up the TDS, as well as small (<1/8 tsp) amounts of aquarium salt. I started adding electrolytes about 3 weeks ago. They were raised initially on brine shrimp and have now graduated to flakes, crushed into fine powder. They are eating, from what I can tell, normally. I have some small snails in the tank, eating the leftovers, but the tank is not overrun with them. They are being fed 2-3 times per day.

I am quite distressed that I'm suddenly losing them and would appreciate any advice that you can give! As I said, they are all quite fat and happy - but the healthy looking fry are dying...

Laura

 

[WILDER]

Are you sure water stats are fine as thats alot of goldifsh fry for a 5gal, any signs of desease on them.

 

[crazychick]

No... no signs of disease at all. Scales are clean, no fin rot, no fungal diseases that I can see. They are still small fry and, although I realize I have to put them in their bigger tank, they still have lots of room in the 5 gallon (with biowheel filter). As mentioned, they are all about 1 cm long... I checked the water again this morning and everything still checks out. No ammonia, no nitrite, v. low nitrate and about 7.8 pH. No algae in tank...

Has anyone had luck with melafix in fry tanks?

Laura

 

[WILDER]

Melaifix is an antiseptic treatment, maybe just a teaspoon of salt, just one of those things i'm afraid, if there is no signs of desease and good water quality not much to go on, it aeration good.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Have you checked for velvet? It might be hard to tell on goldies, but shine a flashlight on them and if they have a gold'ish sprinkling all over them- that could be the culprit.

By the way, welcome to the board. Sorry you had to join under such circumstances.

 

[crazychick]

Hi,

Thanks to everyone for your replies and thoughts... Right now, I have an extra bubbler in the tank (I've had it in there since I first saw problems...) but I am still losing fish. I lost 3 last night, although the numbers seem to be slowing down. I am putting melafix in their water now, as I've had good luck with that in my other tanks. Oddly, the (pardon me for not knowing the techinical term) "calico" fry are the ones that are mainly dying, the black fry are not as affected. Most of the ones dying, too, are large and healthy. I know they are getting enough to eat, as they are fat and happy- fed small amounts 2-3 times a day. I hope it's just a bacterial infection that has gone through, for whatever reason, and the tank returns to normal soon - I hate to see them die - I just love my little fish!

Anyway, thanks again,...

Laura

 

[WILDER]

Could be a bacterial infection, so fingers crossed.