Please Someone Tell Me What I'm Doing So Wrong

[LolaLouie]

Tank size: 50 Gallons
nitrate: 20 (30-40 in tap)
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
tank temp: 25-27 degrees depending on time of day
pH: 7.6-8.0 depending on tap pH

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

Bolivian Ram who keeps flicking. Other than the flicking on rocks plants etc. he looks and is behaving fine.

Dwarf Gourami who has holes in his fins (which could be bites) and a small lesion on his belly. The lesion is shallow and red but healing nicely with melafix.

Sterbai Cory who has what looks like a graze on his body from below his eye to half way down his belly, looks like his skin is peeling off and it's lighter in colour than the rest of his body. Also seems to be getting better with melafix.

Also 11 deaths in the past month:

Bolivian Ram- Internal Bacteria/ Parasite
Krib- Internal Bacteria
6 Cherry barbs- Columnaris
Angelfish- Internal Bacteria
Angelfish- Unknown (gasping at surface, then not eating and sitting at bottom of tank, then died)
Pleco- Unknown, found him dead (looked skinny)


Volume and Frequency of water changes:
25-40% Weekly

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
At the moment I am treating with Melafix for my gourami and cory. Last week treated with Interpet no 9 Anti Internal Bacteria and Wormer Plus for internal parasites.

Tank inhabitants:

SA Cichlids, Corys, Dwarf gourami, Pentazona Barbs, Tetras, Shrimp, Small sucker fish, Kribs.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):

None, last addition was a krib about 4 weeks ago who even after quarentine infected the tank with an internal bacteria... he's dead now


Just wondering what I am doing so wrong?? I do everything by the book and it's just one problem after another. In the past month my fish have had internal bacteria, possible fin rot, columnaris, possible parasite and now this flicking (gill flukes?)

I would also like advice with what to treat my Bolivian Ram with, I only treated a week ago with Wormer plus (as a precaution) and it hasn't had an effect.

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Is it just the rams that are flicking.
There melafix in the tank was they flicking before you added it, as some meds can make fish flick.

 

[LolaLouie]

Yeh just the one Ram flicking, and no he didn't flick before I added the melafix.. I hope it's just the meds that are making him flick!! Any idead why I seem to be having so many problems though Wilder?!?

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

I know you are having alot of problems it takes tanks a while to settle back down.
With all the meds and deseases it just took its toll on the fish, it will settle back down hopefully.
I been where you are one problem after another but things to settle back down.
For now just keep a eye of the ram it could just be the melafix irratating him.

 

[LolaLouie]

Thanks! This is driving me crazy I hate watching all these fish die... not to mention the cost restocking is going to be

I just hope it's all over now.

Thanks again!

 

[Colin_T]

it could be external parasites like costia or chillodonella. Try some Waterlife protozina and see how it goes.
The internal bacterial infections in the cichlids could be tuberculosis.
The dwarf gourami could be the virus they carry or TB as well.

You just got unlucky and have had bad fish.
Don't add any new ones until things settle down.

 

[LolaLouie]

I feel like i'm pumping these poor fish with medicines!! My Dwarf Gourami is flicking now... is that bacause the melafix is irritating him or could some sort of parasite have spread that quickly?

If it is the melafix should i continue to treat?? I have 4 days left of the 7 day course.

Colin thank you for your input as well... if it was an external parasite would I not be able to see it? And wouldn't the wormer plus have treated it? I have a bottle of protozin but can it be used with the melafix?

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Worner plus treats exernal parasites like velvet, whitespot, and flukes.
Any excess slime build up on the fish.
How often are they flicking is it alot.

 

[WILDER]

Here a good desease list take a look under costia and chillodonella.
chillodonella
http/www.fish-disease.net/diseases.htm
Though no affense but just flicking dosn't sound like costia and chillodella to me.

 

[LolaLouie]

I watched them for 10 minutes, Ram flicked 3 times and gourami once. Watched for another 10 minutes and Ram flicked once gourami didn't flick. Next time I watched neither flicked. It's hard to tell how often they are flicking as there is only so long I can watch the tank.

I have been researching Costia, it sounds possible but it seems to be a cold water disease, my tank is at around 27 degrees and costia cannot survive above 30 degrees.

Should I put the infected fish in a salt bath as a precaution (apparently costia canot survive in salt water)? If so how do I do this?

Also I don't know if you ment to put a link but no link came up.

Thanks Wilder!

 

[WILDER]

I wouldn't stress him out with a salt bath, I would just give it another day.
Fish do flick now and then.
Get back to the board if things change.

 

[LolaLouie]

Just thought I'd post some pics of my gourami and also my ram (although i can't see any external symptoms on him)- click to enlarge the pics!

This is to show what his fins look like...



This is his sores, 1 on his belly and 1 below his dorsal fin...






And my Ram...

 

[WILDER]

The fins are not to bad.
Can't make the sore out to well, it dosn't look like a cauliflower the sore.
The ram looks ok but it the pic can see little white bits on the fins is that the glass.

 

[LolaLouie]

The spots on the Ram's fins are very light blue, they are his natural colouring. I'm glad you don't think the gouramis fins look too bad, does that mean you don't think that it's fin rot?

The sores look pretty much as they do in the pic, they are a pinkish coulour now as they seem to be healing with the melafix. They were very red but have improved.

Do you think I should treat with protozin? And if so should I wait 48 hours as there is melafix in the water?

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

The fins don't look infected there just gaps that can heal.
Finrot signs are.
White eding to the tail, or red edging to the tail which is septicemia.
Transparant fins, can look cloudy in appearance.
Red streaks running through fins can be due to bad water quality to septicemia,.
Fins falling part in chunks.
Holes in fins.
Finrot is mainly caused by bad water quality.
http/www.fishjunkies.com/Diseases/finrot.php