Reoccurring Problem with Sick Fish

[cupofjoel]

I've been having an issue with sick fish: fin rot, ick, and fungal infections. I've medicated and the problem goes away only to come back. Here is my setup, fish type, feeding schedule, and maintenance schedule.

-75 gallon tank
-Fluval 406 canister filter (foam, bio media, and carbon + purigen)
-eheim skimmer
-twinstar algae inhibitor and fish disease inhibitor (sort of a UV setup)
-moderately planted
-wave maker
-led lights (8-10 hours of light a day)
-Feed every other day
-13 tiger barbs and one panda cory
-50% water change weekly
-I dose ferts and liquid carbon daily (recommended amounts) and have recently introduced liquid iron since I have some red plants that need it.

In my opinion, I feel that I have a healthy tank with the number of water changes I do and the tank is not overstocked, literally only 13 fish for a 75-gallon tank!

Does anyone have any clue as to why my fish are getting sick? I'm not introducing anything like new fish, I always wash my hands without soap before I put my hand in the tank, etc.

A side note: Bubbles/foam have been forming when it never did before.

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Is your tank cycled? What are your water parameters?

 

[Colin_T]

How long has the tank been set up for?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and GH of the tank water and tap water?

What fish have you had and lost?

Any chance of a picture and short 20 second video of the fish?
If the pictures are too big for the website, set the camera's resolution to its lowest setting and take some more. The lower resolution will make the images smaller and they should fit on this website. Check the pictures on your pc and find a couple that are clear and show the problem, and post them here. Make sure you turn the camera's resolution back up after you have taken the pics otherwise all your pictures will be small.

If the video is too big for this website, post it on YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube. If you are using a mobile phone to take the video, have the phone horizontal so the video takes up the entire screen. If you have the phone vertical, you get video in the middle and black on either side.​

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What is in the substrate?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

How often do you clean the filter and how do you clean it?

I would remove the carbon and purigen from the filter, and replace them with sponges.​

--------------------------
The bubbles/ foam that just started are probably from the iron fertiliser. Iron tablets cause this more than liquid iron fertiliser.

Aquatic plants use ammonia as the main source of food, and iron as the main trace element. Adding carbon is not normally necessary due to the carbon dioxide in the air and in the water, which is produced by the fish and bacteria in the substrate and filter.

Overdosing with fertilisers can harm fish and make them more susceptible to diseases.

Stop adding chemicals/ fertilisers for a month or so and see if it helps.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I'd be curious as to what your tank nitrates are....and I would test your source water as well.

 

[cupofjoel]

How long has the tank been set up for?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and GH of the tank water and tap water?

What fish have you had and lost?

Any chance of a picture and short 20 second video of the fish?
If the pictures are too big for the website, set the camera's resolution to its lowest setting and take some more. The lower resolution will make the images smaller and they should fit on this website. Check the pictures on your pc and find a couple that are clear and show the problem, and post them here. Make sure you turn the camera's resolution back up after you have taken the pics otherwise all your pictures will be small.

If the video is too big for this website, post it on YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube. If you are using a mobile phone to take the video, have the phone horizontal so the video takes up the entire screen. If you have the phone vertical, you get video in the middle and black on either side.​

--------------------------
What is in the substrate?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

How often do you clean the filter and how do you clean it?

I would remove the carbon and purigen from the filter, and replace them with sponges.​

--------------------------
The bubbles/ foam that just started are probably from the iron fertiliser. Iron tablets cause this more than liquid iron fertiliser.

Aquatic plants use ammonia as the main source of food, and iron as the main trace element. Adding carbon is not normally necessary due to the carbon dioxide in the air and in the water, which is produced by the fish and bacteria in the substrate and filter.

Overdosing with fertilisers can harm fish and make them more susceptible to diseases.

Stop adding chemicals/ fertilisers for a month or so and see if it helps.

Thanks for the responses.

My water parameters are fine. No ammonia, nitrite, and low nitrates...which is why I dose without worrying about raising my nitrate levels. The tank just hit it's year mark so it's not a new tank. I gravel vac every other water change and yes I use seachem prime for water changes. I clean the filter once a month and only use tank water or dechlorinated water. There are only tiger barbs in the tank along with a single panda cory. I prefer not to take out my carbon and purigen, but will try to reduce my dosing.

 

[cupofjoel]

I'd be curious as to what your tank nitrates are....and I would test your source water as well.

Water parameters are good, no ammonia, no nitrites and low nitrates.

I'm in seattle and maybe need to get my water tested at my LFS, just forget every time I make a trip there. I assume my phosphate levels are higher than normal here in seattle. I had brown algae issues before and use phosguard on occassion.

 

[cupofjoel]

How long has the tank been set up for?

What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and GH of the tank water and tap water?

What fish have you had and lost?

Any chance of a picture and short 20 second video of the fish?
If the pictures are too big for the website, set the camera's resolution to its lowest setting and take some more. The lower resolution will make the images smaller and they should fit on this website. Check the pictures on your pc and find a couple that are clear and show the problem, and post them here. Make sure you turn the camera's resolution back up after you have taken the pics otherwise all your pictures will be small.

If the video is too big for this website, post it on YouTube and copy & paste the link here. We can view it at YouTube. If you are using a mobile phone to take the video, have the phone horizontal so the video takes up the entire screen. If you have the phone vertical, you get video in the middle and black on either side.​

--------------------------
What is in the substrate?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the tank?

How often do you clean the filter and how do you clean it?

I would remove the carbon and purigen from the filter, and replace them with sponges.​

--------------------------
The bubbles/ foam that just started are probably from the iron fertiliser. Iron tablets cause this more than liquid iron fertiliser.

Aquatic plants use ammonia as the main source of food, and iron as the main trace element. Adding carbon is not normally necessary due to the carbon dioxide in the air and in the water, which is produced by the fish and bacteria in the substrate and filter.

Overdosing with fertilisers can harm fish and make them more susceptible to diseases.

Stop adding chemicals/ fertilisers for a month or so and see if it helps.

Thanks for the tips. I know that overdosing is an issue which is why I keep my eye on the the nitrate levels, which are low. I have plenty of mechanical filtration so I'd rather keep my purigen and carbon in. I clean my filter once a month and only use tank water or dechorlinated water. But here's the thing...I do 50% water change every week, so water quality shouldn't be an issue.

My only thought it that maybe there is too much stuff (plants, rocks, etc.) near the intake and flow isn't great in my tank. I use a wave maker to increase the flow in my tank, but who knows is that's working as it should.

 

[cupofjoel]

Is your tank cycled? What are your water parameters?

Yes it's cycled...It's a year old tank now. My parameters are normal as well.

 

[Colin_T]

carbon will remove plant fertiliser like iron and trace elements.

what sort of wave maker do you have?
post a pic of it and the remaining fish so we can check them.

 

[FishGuest5123]

When was the last time you had your water tested? I’d invest in an API Freshwater Master Test skit as parameters can change depending on water chemistry and are normally what is affecting the fish.

 

[Byron]

When answering questions about tests, always give the actual number. Nitrates are "low" does not tell us anything as we have no idea what "low" means to you.

The problems mentioned (ich, fungal, finrot) are all caused by stress and/or poor water quality. One factor is the additives...daily doses of liquid carbon is going to harm all the fish without question, so this is likely part of the problem (maybe the problem).

Someone asked for parameters but they have not been posted yet...this is the GH, KH and pH of your source water (on its own) and separate tests for all three of your tank water.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I overlooked "liquid carbon" which I assume is Excel or Metricide (but not really liquid carbon). As I stated in another thread, I'm with Byron on this issue....gluteraldehyde is used to STERILIZE heat sensitive medical and dental equipment. It KILLS algae. Anything and everything in the water gets into the fish through osmosis.