Snail And Fish Illness

[nessar]

I went away for a week, did a 75% water change before I left and got someone to come in every 2 days to feed the fish. The lights were left off but my curtains were open so they did have a day/night cycle.

When I came back, I found my female apple snail and a platy dead. Apparently the person feeding them didnt notice. The platy looked fairly recent but the snail had pretty much disintergrated into a lump of slime and an empty shell. The others (2 males) seemed okay, but started floating round the top more than usual (one for 24 hours straight).

When I picked him up, I found his trap door wasnt properly shut. I put him in the 'hospital tank'(which is a 10 litre tub currently home to some excess ramshorn snails) so the current wasnt throwing him around like in the bigger tank, the next day I had to do the same with the other. Again the trap door wasnt shutting properly. They also seemed to be spending more time than usual (almost) closed up.

Water params were fine when I got back. Nitrates were high about 150 but they always are and they have been in higher. I did a 75% water change, refilled, then another 50%. I figured the water could have become contaminated with something.

One snail died a few days later. The other doesnt seem well, not very active, floating a lot so he is in the hospital tank at the moment.

Now this evening I noticed one of my female platys has a bent spine. She is permenantly curved towards the left, seems to be having problems swimming and spends a lot of time resting on the sand behind a plant.

I tested the water, stats below, seems fine. So a total of 2 snails dead, 1 platy dead and 1 platy ill. Also another platy seems thin, although I have been feeding them as normal and the others are fine.

Tank size: 60 litre
pH: unsure, 2 tests gave different readings, around 7.4 I think
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 80ish
kH: dont know
gH: dont know
tank temp: 27

Volume and Frequency of water changes: weekly or every 10 days, 60-75%

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: carbon in old (washed) tights, added this morning, before symptoms were noticed, used for tannins, dont usually use carbon.

Tank inhabitants: 1 african dwarf frog, 1 molly, 3 platys, 3 neon tetras, 1 bristlenose pleco, 2 shrimp, a few ramshorn snails, 10ish baby apple snails and 1 adult apple snail (now in hospital tank)

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): the carbon. also have reintroduced the driftwood after it being out of my tank for a few days but it is usually there. Both today.

Exposure to chemicals: none known, however it is possible the person looking after the fish whilst I was away may have had something on his hands? Likely tobacco as he smokes.

 

[WILDER]

What's the make of the test kit you are using?

Test your tap water in nitrate.
Clean filter impellor.
Remove ornaments and give the substrate a good hoover.
If sponges are really mucked up rinse only one sponge in old tank water.
You do the other one a week or two later.

Bent spine can mean old age, injury, birth defect, fish tb, internal parasites, vitamin deficiency.

Want you to look for these signs with a fish also being thin.

Does the fish poo look white and stringy, clear mucas poo, or red poo.
Any worms prutruding from the anus.
Sunken in belly.
Fish swimming on there sides.
Red inflamed anus, or enlarged anus.

Did the fish lose weight due to not eating?

How often do you preform a gravel vac?

 

[nessar]

Test kit is liquid API test kit.

Tap water nitrate is: 20

filter impellor doesnt seem to come apart but I have washed around it.
Have given substrate a good hoover, it is sand and I do it every time I do a water change. I usually remove ornaments but not plants when I do this. I have changed 50% of the water this time. Didnt do anymore because the sick fish looked stressed out struggling to swim around.

I cleaned both sponges the day before this happened, but have seen no spikes. I cleaned them in tank water and didnt clean them too thoroughly.

The spine is bent to the left, so the fish swims almost in a backwards C shape. She is staying on the sand for the most part but still comes up to feed.

The thin fish isnt sunken in, but very close to it.
No worms, poo changes colour depending on food. Sometimes white and stringy when I feed flakes.
None of the other symptoms. She seems to be eating fine. I feed different foods on a 2-day rota. Day 1 I feed flakes and catfish pellets. Day 2 I feed bloodworms and catfish pellets. I also feed vegetables occasionally.

 

[WILDER]

If the fish is suffering I would end it's mistery.

Your nitrate reading looks fine now.

Also I would think about worming your fish. It'b best to worm fish anyway.

 

[nessar]

I was thinking that too, I removed the bog wood and coconut shell so I could keep an eye on her better. But this morning she seemed a lot better! She's still slightly bent but it has improved a lot and is active as normal. I dont understand it. Could it have been soemthing in the water, or maybe on the wood seeing as the problem occured the day after I put it back in the tank? I dont know what to do now.

 

[WILDER]

Bent spine can be old age, injury, birth defect, internal parasites, fish tb, vitamin deficiency.

If you worm your fish you will have to isolate the frogs and snails. As the med will kill them.

 

[nessar]

okay. I'm in the UK so what med shall I use?

 

[WILDER]

If you live in the uk there this med.

http/www.thegreenmachineonline.com/products/aquatics/fish-food-medication/medication/sera-nematol-50ml