Problems In One Of My Tanks

[Gypsy5]

Hi all

My 6ft tank seems to have seomthing wrong in it but I don't know what it is. I first noticed this morning that one of my neon tetras had died in the night and the remaining two looked very dusty. Not gold dust like velvet, just dust! Anyway, I got them both out of that tank this morning but by 7pm one of them had died. I now have a very sorry looking little guy all on his own (I know they are schooling fish that need a lot more than 3 in a group but we started with 10 many moons ago and the numbers have slowly dwindled and we aren't planning on having them again).

After having a good look in the tank this afternoon I can see that 2 of my 3 silver sharks are showing signs of cloudy eyes as is one of my corydoras catfish. I have also lost a small male guppy today which had shredded fins and some of the other fish (guppies in particular) are flicking on the gravel at times.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite not quite 0 but not the next colour up either, it's like it's just over 0
Nitrate 40 (this is high I know but it's always been that number)

Have done a water change this evening.

I have looked at one of those chart thingies that you get with meds and it says that cloudy eyes, flicking and rubbing and a dusty coating are all symptoms of slime disease and I should use Anti-slime and velvet treatment. Just wanted to check this is right and if so whether there is anything I can use when shrimp are present?

Thanks for reading.

 

[scooterchick]

Agreed, by the sounds of it you've got a serious velvet infection, the eyes normally go cloudy when it's in it's advanced stages. Keep up with daily water changes and velvet med however I'm sorry to say your sharks with the cloudy eyes probably won't make it. If they start to look seriously distressed would be kinder to euthanise.

Neon tetra's, pah. Very pretty but would never have them in my tank again.

 

[WILDER]

Cloudy eye is a sytom of a desease not a desease in its own right.
Causes.
Bad water quality.
Stress.
Old age.
Poor diet.
Parasites,
Bacterial.
Sounds like velvet to me if there flicking and rubbing against objects.
Finrot common on top of parasites.
Velvet takes longer and hardy to cure than velvet.
Here a good link.
http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/heal...thprotist.shtml
Also just keep any eye on the fish as a golden sheen in the blue area on neon tetra can be ntd.

 

[Gypsy5]

My cory is now resting near the top of the tank and looks to have gold on it so have removed from the tank to treat with Slime and velvet treatment. 2 minutes after doing this I can see that my 2 albino corys have red edging to their fins.

Do I treat for velvet or finrot??

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

Best to treat the whole tank you are justing speading the parasite about.
Plenty of aeration in the tank.
Have you used half dose with the corys.
Once velvet affects the gills they don't usually make it.
Red edging to fins can be bad water quality to septicemia.

 

[Gypsy5]

I have used full dose, it didn't say otherwise. Is this wrong?

If I treat the whole tank do I use velvet treatment or finrot stuff? Is finrot a secondary ailment?

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

You need to treat the parasite fast as its a fast killer.
Sometimes the parasite med clears the finrot up.
How are the corys coping iwth the med, if not good I would dilute the med down abit with a water change.
Increase aeration in the tank.
With corys you are meant only to half dose.

 

[Gypsy5]

Right, am in the process of trying to catch my shrimp to remove them from the tank and will start half dose velvet treatment. I have the Interpet one and the Waterlife one (Protozin). Any preference?

Thanks

 

[WILDER]

I would go in with the anti slime and velvet med by interpet.
Velvet is a really nasty parasite and can kill fast.
Before you add the med raise you temp aswell, aeration is important as the high temp and med will reduce 02 in the water.
Good luck.

 

[Gypsy5]

Thanks so much Wilder. Will give it a go and update.

Right...<rolls sleeves up>...I'm going in!

 

[WILDER]

Good luck.

 

[Gypsy5]

Sorry, another quick question. I have put the remaining tetra and the cory back into the 6ft tank and removed the shrimp. I have also put a half dose of the Anti-slime and velvet meds in but after reading through stuff on here I have found something about Flubendazole being used to treat velvet also. I have some Wormer Plus in my cupboard as well as Pimafix and Melafix so my question is whether it is worth using a secondary med alongside the anti-slime and velvet stuff?

Thanks.

 

[WILDER]

I would stick to one med at the moment don't want to overdose.
Or remove the interpet med with a water change and add the flubenol its a one day treatment I think.

 

[Gypsy5]

Have lost a sturisoma and an albino cory today. Have 3 sharks that are staying down the bottom end of the tank and my bronze cory, neon tetra and 5 gouramis don't look good. Most of the fish in the tank have clamped tails and fins that have very very slightly ragged wispy edges, white stringy poo, swollen gills, red tinges or streaks in their bodies and fins and some of them (but not all) are flicking and rubbing.

I'm starting to wonder whether the gold I thought I saw was really there and not just a natural colouring. I don't know what to do for the best and am starting to doubt whether treating for velvet is the right thing to do. Maybe I should be treating for septicaemia.

I know I'm probably gonna lose quite a few more but I'd like to at least try until the very end to help them. Any suggestions?

Thanks x

 

[WILDER]

Do a water change and add the flubenol you can use it with other meds, but make sure first.