Suddenly All Going Wrong! Please Help

[JoanneH]

All was going so well ...
Last week 1 of my platies died, she started swimming awkwardly, tried to eat but spat it out again, eventually stopped trying to feed, layed on her side for a couple of days until I put her to sleep.

This weekend I added 2 rainbow fish and 4 six banded barbs to complete my re-stocking. Platy 2 then started to look poorly, clamped fins, she's still feeding, but I have transferred her to the hospital tank.
Platy 3, also not behaving quite like normal, resting at the top of the tank, mainly in the evening and clamped fins when resting, but still feeding. I have put him in the hospital tank also.

LFS say could be internal worm or internal infection.

Now to complicate thing even more, 1 of the rainbows has what I think is mouth fungus, hasn't fed properly since I bought him on saturday, now has some white fluff around his mouth, I have taken him out and put him in the hosp tank (all together as I only have 1 hosp tank)

The new six banded barbs have nipped tails, they came like this but I think they are still nipping, I'm hoping they settle down - for now I've put some melafix in to help stop infection.

My question is - what med can I put in my hospital tank that will help all 3 fish (platy 2 and 3 and the rainbow fish) I have put some melafix in there as well for now as it's the only med I had in stock that mentioned mouth fungus.

I will post my water stats when I've done them or if someone is able to offer me some advice.
Thanks in advance.

 

[WILDER]

Myxazin and pimafix.
Check the anus
of the platys to make sure there not enlarged or red and inflamed.
Do they look bloated or thin, what colour is there poo when they go to the toilet.

 

[JoanneH]

Hi, platy 2 looks thin and poo is stringy white, haven't seen pooh from platy 3 so I'm not sure, he's quite thin though.
Will myxazin and pimafix be ok to use together and will it sort both rainbow and platies?
thanks.

 

[WILDER]

Being really thin is flukes, internal parasites to fish tb.
Any bent spines on the fish.
Livebearers are prone to internal parasites, they carry them but once the get stressed the parasites do there worst.
Yes myxazin and pimafix can use together, but it won't cure the thin fish.

 

[JoanneH]

Well, they're not really thin, platy 2 looks thinner cause her fins are clamped all the time, no bent spines on either of them.

Wot should i put in hosp tank then that will help both platies and mouth fungus on rainbow? or should i just keep on with melafix and hope for the best?

 

[WILDER]

Mouth fungus can soon start to rot the mouth so use the myxazin and pimafix.
Need to look at your stats as clamped fins are a sign of stress and bad water quality.
A pig worming tablet is only available in the uk through a vet for internal parasites.

http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/nematodes.shtml


I will no longer keep livebearers only if I could find a good breeder of them.
As the lfs livebearers are full of desease, and usually on there last legs when buying them.

 

[JoanneH]

Just gonna do the stats now if you can hang on then - will do the main tank as thats where the symptoms started and I've only moved them out 2nite.

Very interesting about livebearers, I thought they were meant to be easy and hardy! I probably wont have any more then.

I've asked my vet before for meds and they won't prescribe anything for me, so I don't think I'll be able to get a pig tablet.

I will start with myxazin and pimafix 2morro tho, I have some myxazin in stock - will it be ok to start with myxazin and pimafix 2moro as they've had 1 dose of melafix 2day?

Back in a mo - please hang on ...

 

[WILDER]

I will hang on for you.
The myxazin fine to start off with, but if they do have internal parasites it won't cure them, it will cure the mouth fungus though.
The only thing is that the parasites will infect all the fish in the tank, as even when they poo if another fish sucks it up they can get infected that way too.

 

[JoanneH]

Ok ...
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 25
ph 8.0 (max)

Oh dear, wot do i do then to stop all the fish becoming infected with these parasites or will they just affect the platies?? I have noticed another platy with whiteish pooh , quite a thick string of pooh though.

 

[WILDER]

Stats are good so something is wrong.
I had two plecs that was very ill with internal parasites, had to do the awful deed and end there misery.
Tnen I striped the tank down no problems after that.
Best to destroy the fish and then strip the tank down and sterlise everything.

I know it sounds harsh but I lost a full tank to ntd and I wasn't going to let it happen again.
Sometimes you have to do it to save the rest of the fish.

 

[JoanneH]

Blimey, i have only just started to re-stock the tank after stripping it down a few weeks ago, do you remember? I know it sounds awful, but I'm not stripping it down again, it was a huge job. Is there anything else I can do to help matters? I have taken the one's showing symptoms out, and I can continue to do that. I think if i had to strip it down again so soon, I would just pack it away, I can't believe I could have so much bad luck in such a short time ... i could understand if i didn't take good care of them!

 

[andyt_uk]

well.. i'm no as experienced dealing with disease as others, but i would suggest you should at least try and treat them.
problem is in figuring out what exactly is wrong as different meds can help with different parasites.
protozin i gather is good for stuff like ich and velvet
i have just had a recent case of flukes (diagnosed by our friend wilder) whatever it was wasnt good, i decided to treat with methylblue, its probably still early days but i am hopefull we stopped it - still lost too many fish included my beloved angels.
there is a thread on here somewhere re using worm pills to cure parasites not sure where you can get them or what the dosage was but the results of (non scientific) tests did seem impressive.

euthanasia has its place i am sure, i dont think you are there yet...

 

[WILDER]

I tryed everything from waterlife meds to cat worming tablets nothing worked on the horrible parasites.
Garlic is meant to be good find you some info.


http/p103.ezboard.com/fthegoldfishandaqu...opicID=26.topic

 

[andyt_uk]

what about meds with silver in?
probably more for bacterial infections but worth a try?

 

[JoanneH]

Thanks Wilder and Andy, a bit of an update for you both -
Platy 2 looks terrible, chunks of her tail fin have come away, she is in such poor condition, she looks a bit humped backed as well, she still try's to eat but just spits it back out again. I spoke to my lfs and they suggested to try sterazin, I started this yesterday, if she hasn't shown any sign of improvement by Friday, I shall put her to sleep.

Platy 3 is looking better at the mo, he is eating and looks in ok condition, he is in the hosp tank with platy 2 as he wasn't behaving quite normally, I will put him through the sterazin treatment and hope for the best.

Rainbow, who was in the hosp tank has had to go back in the main tank, coz I didn't want to expose her to the sterazin, her mouth isn't any worse, maybe even a little better, I'm putting melafix in the main tank to help her and the 6 banded barbs who have some tail fin damage.

Another thing you could perhaps advise me on is food for the rainbows, they don't like flake! They eat frozen, which I am feeding alternate days (1 meal) Have either of you got any suggestions on another food I could try for them, I don't want them to be hungry only eating alternate days?

Thanks in advance.