Please Help Me Save My Fishes

[toofawon]

Hi, I have got BIG problems with my two aquariums, and was hoping that some of you very kind and knowledgeable folk would be good enough to help me.

In my larger tank (Jewel Lido 120) about 2 weeks ago i noticed that 3 of my 4 Rosy Barbs were showing signs of a fungal infection on their fins and eyes, i treated with Interpet Number 8 (followed treatment instructions to the letter) and increased airation in the tank as per the usage instructions.

After 7 days all 3 infected fishes were looking considerably better, so i did a 40% as part of my weekly maintenance (treatment instructions recommended at least a 30% water change after treatment has finished) but since then things have been going downhill. Virtually all of the fishes in the tank have all but stopped feeding, they used to be almost jumping out of the water at feeding time, and ate like they'd never been fed before.

Over the last week i did another couple of decent size water changes to eliminate any traces of the treatment, but the fishes have not started feeding properly.

The water stats are all good:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - between 10 & 20
PH - 6.5

Then yesterday, everything went to pieces on this tank and my Jewel Rekord 70 after doing the normal 25% water changes on both tanks as part of my weekly maintenance. Within 1 - 2 hours of finishing my maintenance, all of the fish in both tanks were gasping at the surface.

I have put my air pump back on in the Lido 120 (never had to use it before unless adding medication) and had to go out and buy the venturi adapter for the Rekord 70 pump to get more oxygen into the water. Additional aeration has got the fishes in both tanks back swimming and breathing normally again but still not feeding.

Then this morning things seem to still be getting worse as in the Lido120 i have lost 2 oto's and 2 silver tip tetras overnight and my Odessa barbs are really starting to lose their colour, and between the 2 tanks only the odd fish is showing a vague fleeting interest in any food.

Occupants are as follows:

Lido120
2x bristlenose plecs
4x Rosy Barbs
5x odessa barbs
3x silvertip tetra
3x dwarf neon rainbows

Rekord70
6x harlequin Rasbora
3x Head and Tail light tetra
1x clown plec

Both tanks are planted, have natural stone and bogwood decor and sand substrate. There is an army of trumpet snails in both tanks to control any uneaten food that may end up on the bottom.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing the loss of vitality in my fishes and why suddenly the water in both tanks seems unable to retain enough oxygen?

Also can anybody suggest any foods that will be worth trying to see if i can get them feeding again before i lose any more of my little fishes.

Many thanks

Glenn

 

[Brette]

Also can anybody suggest any foods that will be worth trying to see if i can get them feeding again before i lose any more of my little fishes.

I wish i could help you with the larger problem your tank is facing but I'm not a regular here and not very knowledgeable about such things. I can reccomend frozen bloodworms as a delicacy. My fish are recovering from a bacterial infection and they gobble it up.

I hope you get the help you need. Watching your fish die one by one is incredibly stressful. I just went through it.

 

[Colin_T]

Your fish sound like they are being poisoned. Cloudy eyes and a white film over the body or fins are typical signs of poor water quality or chemicals in the water. Fungal infections appear as white fluffy patches on the fish and only get into a damaged area. It would be unlikely 3 fish could be injured in the same areas and develop fungus at the same time. Also fungal and bacterial infections generally respond to treatment within a few days.

Getting back to water quality, do you make up the water before you add it to the tank or do you just fill a bucket with tap water and pour it in? All tapwater should be treated to remove chlorine or chloramine before it is added to the tank. The water and dechlorinator should be mixed thoroughly before it is used.

Do you use a fish only bucket for water changes? If other people have been using the fish bucket they could be leaving some residual chemical in the bucket, which is then leaching into the new water and poisoning the fish.

The fact the fish recovered somewhat after you increased aeration/ surface turbulence, would indicate there was some free chlorine in the new water you added. The aeration helped to drive out the chlorine and helped the fish recover.

If the fish are stressed out then reduce the feeding. The fish won’t starve but if you puts heaps of food in the tank and it doesn’t get eaten, the water quality will deteriorate and cause major problems. Once the fish are feeling better they will start to feed again.

 

[toofawon]

Your fish sound like they are being poisoned. Cloudy eyes and a white film over the body or fins are typical signs of poor water quality or chemicals in the water. Fungal infections appear as white fluffy patches on the fish and only get into a damaged area. It would be unlikely 3 fish could be injured in the same areas and develop fungus at the same time. Also fungal and bacterial infections generally respond to treatment within a few days.

Getting back to water quality, do you make up the water before you add it to the tank or do you just fill a bucket with tap water and pour it in? All tapwater should be treated to remove chlorine or chloramine before it is added to the tank. The water and dechlorinator should be mixed thoroughly before it is used.

Do you use a fish only bucket for water changes? If other people have been using the fish bucket they could be leaving some residual chemical in the bucket, which is then leaching into the new water and poisoning the fish.

The fact the fish recovered somewhat after you increased aeration/ surface turbulence, would indicate there was some free chlorine in the new water you added. The aeration helped to drive out the chlorine and helped the fish recover.

If the fish are stressed out then reduce the feeding. The fish won’t starve but if you puts heaps of food in the tank and it doesn’t get eaten, the water quality will deteriorate and cause major problems. Once the fish are feeling better they will start to feed again.

Hi, thanks for your reply.

The water is dechlorinated in the bucket and left to stand for 5 mins before adding it to the tank. I use only equipment that i bought purely for using with my fish and it is never, ever used for any other purpose.

The output from both of my filters has always been slightly upward facing to keep the surface of the water moving, but since the last water change does not seem to have been capable enough of sufficient aeration on it's own.

How long would it be best to leave the extra aeration running before trying them without it again?

They have only been on minimal rations, and if they've not eaten the small amount that they are offered then they are not getting any more till the following day's feeding time.

Is it worth buying a different food to see if they are any more interested in it, or just a case of when they are hungry again then they will eat whatever is on offer?

 

[Colin_T]

Do you stir the bucket of water up or just add the dechlorinator and leave it to stand? You really want to mix the water and dechlorinator for at least a few minutes, preferably more, before it is used. An airstone bubbling away will mix it nicely.

Your water supply company might have added an extra dose (or increased the amount) of chlorine due to warm weather or work on the mains. If you are in Australia I would suggest leaving your water to aerate, (with the conditioner in) for 24hours before you use it. Other countries aren’t as bad but in warmer climates there is often more chlorine and it can take longer to come out if it hasn’t been broken down by the conditioner.

I would leave the airstone running in the tank for a couple of weeks so the fish can recover fully. Then it should be safe to remove it. In future you might want to have it running in the tank for 24hours during and after you do a water change just in case.

If the fish were eating the food before this happened then I would say they will eat again when they have recovered. It might take a week or so but give them time. They won’t starve between now and then and should be fine. Live brineshrimp and mozzie larvae are usually pretty good for encouraging fish to eat.