Red Rainbowfish Dying - Really Turning Into An Emergency Now....

[deinonychus]

Hello,

Last night, one of my red rainbows was looking very dark around the edges - almost purple. This morning he's dead, and my other three look exactly the same this morning - I'm worried they don't have long!

I've recently introduced some moonlight gouramis, but they seem absolutely fine, so I don't suspect infection from them. All my other fish are also unaffected.

Water parameters are all normal.

I'd be very grateful for an ideas!

 

[deinonychus]

Further to the above, I noticed something when cleaning the tank.

I have a small plec that has stared trying to climb into the nozzle that returns water coming out of the internal Juwel filter. So I put a thin layer of filter sponge over it so he couldn't get in. I've noticed this has got quite mucky and was reducing the water flow.

As this water flow is directed upwards to disturb and aerate the water, and the clogged filter sponge reduced the flow to about a quarter what it was before, could this be oxygen starvation due to lack of aeration?

As I mentioned my other fish do seem fine though, and the gouramis haven't particularly been breathing air from the surface.

 

[deinonychus]

I've just lost another. Any ideas at all folk?

 

[WILDER]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.
You say some of the fish are alit darker.
Are they also being listless and lethagic.
Are the fish still eating.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.

 

[deinonychus]

Size of tank in gallons or litres.
How many fish and which type.
Water stats in ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph.
You say some of the fish are alit darker.
Are they also being listless and lethagic.
Are the fish still eating.
Any signs of flicking and rubbing.

125 litres

4 moonlight gourami, 3 clown loach, 5 glowlight tetra, galaxy plec and now two rainbows (I know the clowns will outgrow the tank! Unfortunately the fish shop didn't tell me when I got them knowing nothing at all).
Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate a bit <50
ph about 7.6

They are a bit less energetic that normal.
I haven't fed them since this came on (yesterday night) so as not to pollute the water. Just fed them a bit now and one ate as normal, the other ignored food.
No flicking or rubbing


The loaches and the gouramis are now pecking at them quite a lot, which they've never done before.


And I've just noticed their mouths are opening and closing about twice as fast as normal....

 

[WILDER]

Sorry about the spelling mistakes just come on and alot of posts to answer lol.
Bacterial signs are a fish will look pale or darker in colour, be listless and lethagic, and sometimes stop eating.

 

[deinonychus]

Not problem...thanks for the reply. Just before you answered I dumped some myxazin in (probably too much for the clown loaches, really) to see if it would help. Hopefully that'll make a difference.....

 

[WILDER]

Ok thats fine, don't forget to increase aeration with the med as it reduces 02 in the water.
Good luck.

 

[Bloo]

It sounds like a lack of oxygen - on top of whatever else they're dealing with. It's unlikely that your plec will go up into the outlet pipe. Most plecs like to stick their noses right into the outflow.
What type of filter do you have and how often do you do water changes?
It sounds like a 50% water change might be a good idea at the moment. And depending on the medication, a 20% every other day.

 

[deinonychus]

It sounds like a lack of oxygen - on top of whatever else they're dealing with. It's unlikely that your plec will go up into the outlet pipe. Most plecs like to stick their noses right into the outflow.
What type of filter do you have and how often do you do water changes?
It sounds like a 50% water change might be a good idea at the moment. And depending on the medication, a 20% every other day.

Thanks for getting back to me...I've been without internet for a bit.

I have a Juwel internal filter. I normally do 10 percent per week, but I did a 50% one at the weekend. All the Rainbows are now dead, but the other fish seem fine.

I'll carry on doing the 20% changes every other day and dosing with Myxazin.......

 

[merry78]

It sounds like a lack of oxygen - on top of whatever else they're dealing with. It's unlikely that your plec will go up into the outlet pipe. Most plecs like to stick their noses right into the outflow.
What type of filter do you have and how often do you do water changes?
It sounds like a 50% water change might be a good idea at the moment. And depending on the medication, a 20% every other day.

Thanks for getting back to me...I've been without internet for a bit.

I have a Juwel internal filter. I normally do 10 percent per week, but I did a 50% one at the weekend. All the Rainbows are now dead, but the other fish seem fine.

I'll carry on doing the 20% changes every other day and dosing with Myxazin.......

sorry to hear about your rainbows.

they require higher oxygen levels in the water than many other species, especially anabantoids, so stuffing the sponge in the outflow may have been the problem. it may also explain why your gouramis seemed fine while the rainbows died.

 

[Bloo]

What a shame you lost them. Do any of your remaining fish show any symptoms? If not, then no need to further medicate.
I found that 10% water change with a Juwel filter was not adequate. If you're fully stocked then I suggest at least a 20-30% weekly change. Also make sure you maintain the filter on a regular basis and clean it properly. Juwel filters seem to slow down and clog easily.
But you can revert back to your weekly changes now.

Edit: and absolutely definitely remove that sponge that greatly slows down the outflow and circulation.

 

[deinonychus]

What a shame you lost them. Do any of your remaining fish show any symptoms? If not, then no need to further medicate.
I found that 10% water change with a Juwel filter was not adequate. If you're fully stocked then I suggest at least a 20-30% weekly change. Also make sure you maintain the filter on a regular basis and clean it properly. Juwel filters seem to slow down and clog easily.
But you can revert back to your weekly changes now.

Edit: and absolutely definitely remove that sponge that greatly slows down the outflow and circulation.

That's good to know - I'll stop with the medication now as I was a bit worried about the clown loaches with it anyway.

I'll start to do bigger water changes from now on! I removed the sponge when I noticed problems. I just hope that plec doesn't frazzle himself now! There was less than half an inch of him sticking out (he's about 2.5 inches long) last time it happened, and I was quite worried for him....

 

[Bloo]

If you're really still worried about the plec, just get a little netting (like from a fish net) and wrap a single layer around the outlet and secure with elastic band. That should sort it out too. The fact that the plec was so high up in the pipe probably also indicated lack of O2. Perhaps think of adding a bubble wand / air curtain which would help.

 

[deinonychus]

If you're really still worried about the plec, just get a little netting (like from a fish net) and wrap a single layer around the outlet and secure with elastic band. That should sort it out too. The fact that the plec was so high up in the pipe probably also indicated lack of O2. Perhaps think of adding a bubble wand / air curtain which would help.

Thanks - will do.