Poorly White Widow

[flippajh]

Hi all, am new to the forum and wondered if you can advise.

I have 3 white widows in my community tank, I've had them about 4 weeks now, 2 of them are quite large, but one has stopped eating and now seems really small, and just hides at the back of the tank behind all the plants, it also has a white stringy substance hanging from it, I've had a read through other posts and some say bacteria, and other say constipation. All my other fish are absolutely fine and full of beans and eating well. It's just this one.

It hasn't been out for any food now for 3 days.

Hope someone can help.

Many thanks

Philippa

 

[Fisharecool:)]

Hi all, am new to the forum and wondered if you can advise.

I have 3 white widows in my community tank, I've had them about 4 weeks now, 2 of them are quite large, but one has stopped eating and now seems really small, and just hides at the back of the tank behind all the plants, it also has a white stringy substance hanging from it, I've had a read through other posts and some say bacteria, and other say constipation. All my other fish are absolutely fine and full of beans and eating well. It's just this one.

It hasn't been out for any food now for 3 days.

Hope someone can help.

Many thanks

Philippa

can we see a pic?

 

[flippajh]

Am going to try and post the pictures now, unfortunately I only have my mobile phone at the moment.

The first 2 pictures are of them when I first got them, the 2nd to pictures are of them now. The last one hopefully you can see the dangly bit, it's coming from the front of the lower fin.

All 3 were pretty much the same size.

You can just see the little one in the back right corner.

Hope this helps.

Thanks

Philippa

 

[WILDER]

How many gallons is the tank.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.

Long stringy white poo can mean constipations, so what do you feed your fish.
Bacterial infection.
Internal parasites.

Signs of internal parasites.
Long stringy white poo, or clear mucas poo.
Red inflamed anus, to enlarged anus.
Being thin or bloated.
Worms prutruding from the anus.
Bent spine sometimes.

Signs of bacterial infection with no symtoms are
Being pale or darker in colour.
Being lethagic and listless.
Sometimes not eating.

 

[flippajh]

Tank is 14 (UK) Gallons, all fish are tetra's I have 3 X-Ray, 3 Glowlight, 4 Neons and the 3 white widows. I also have 2 zebra snails.

Ammonia is 0
Nitrite is 0
Nitrate is 20
ph is 7.8
Water temp is 25 deg

They are just fed on flakes 2 times a day, cleared with a net if they don't clear in a couple of minutes.

I've had a look and it seems the only fish in the tank with the danglies, and all the other fish are very active. This one just hides at the back of the tank, it is very small compared to the other widows and seems a darker pink colour. It also hasn't eaten for 3 days now.

Is there something I can treat them with.

Thanks

Philippa

 

[WILDER]

Once fish stop eating not good news.
Can you issolate the sick fish.
All you can do is try a bacterial med on him.

 

[flippajh]

Thanks

Unfortunately this is the only tank I have, if I medicate the whole tank, will it effect the other fish?

Will get to my LFS tomorrow and see what meds they have.

Philippa

 

[WILDER]

The only problem with medicating the whole tank is that the fish build a resistance up to meds.
Don't forget to increase aeration as med reduce 02 in the water.
Good luck.

 

[flippajh]

After doing a few trawls of posts on the site, I've decided am going to get a little quarantine tank set up this afternoon, I've put some of my spare filter sponge in the filter in my main tank, ready to pop into the new tank, I've also read that transferring over the water from the main tank will help, but am unsure if this will just spread the diseases into the quarantine tank, or am I being a complete idiot and the disease is with the fish not in the water!

I've also noticed one of the other widows, which is fine, still eating and swimming around ok, has got really tatty and missing chunks out of the fins, and the top ones have red near the body, which I'm guessing is blood. I've tried to keep an eye on her to see if she's being nipped but it doesn't look like it. So am worried it might be fin rot.

The little poorly fish is still not eating, but I have noticed when the lights turn off at night, it comes right out and swims round the tank like nothings wrong. Which seems a bit strange, also the white stringy (poo?) is only there some of the time, so am wondering if it's constipation?

Thanks for all your help so far.

Philippa

 

[WILDER]

If more than one fish is ill I would just treat the whole tank.
Red blood patches can be septicemia.
I would treat the whole tank with anti internal bacteria med by interpet,.
Septicemia very hard to cure once its progressed.
Plus the bacteria from the fish can enter the tanks.
http/www.lifeforceonline.co.uk/fish_dise...product590.html

 

[flippajh]

Brilliant, thanks very much, will get some today.

 

[WILDER]

Have you tryed the peas yet.
Long stringy white poo can be bacterial as well.
I would try the peas and med first.
Good luck.

 

[flippajh]

Just a bit of an update really, I've done the 2 part treatment and unfortunately there is no change in the poorly fish. He's almost skeletal now, it's really awful to see, he hasn't eaten for about 3 weeks now, he isn't just hiding now though, he comes out when I feed and tries to swim at the food but it just comes out of his mouth.

He still occasionally has the stringy white stuff coming out, and I tried the peas, but he just can't seem to eat.

All the other fish are absolutely fine, even the raggy fin widow is eating well and is really lively, I've been checking the water parameters every other day Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 20. My water hardness has changed slightly from 8 to about 7.6, I'm assuming this is because of the bogwood I added a few weeks ago, but this has stabilised and hasn't changed over the last 10 days.

I hate to think of him starving to death slowly is there anything I can do for him?

Thanks

Philippa

 

[WILDER]

Not much you can do if he won't eat bless him.
You can saok his flakes in garlic juice that meant to stimulate a fish appeitite.
If he won't eat the flakes soaked in garlic juice maybe the kindest thing you can do is end his misery.

 

[flippajh]

Have just had to euthanise him. He was really sick, my other two widows are about the size of two pence pieces whereas he was smaller than my smallest neon.

Couldn't stand by and watch him starve to death.

Just keeping an eye on all the other fish to make sure they're ok.

Philippa