Tank Kill - Please Help

[h34ds]

Hi guys, new to the forum.

Hope someone can help me, i have reached a dead end in my knowledge and that of the local tropical suppliers.

I introduced 3 khuli loach from a different supplier from my usual had them in a quarentine tank for a week all fine introduced into tank (3 1/2 months ago)

About 3 months ago, i went away for 2 days, and when i came back and one fish was not well, it had a small build up of mucus on its tail (clown loach - Approx. 5inch long)

Within 24 hours most of my stock had caught it and were dead.

The only fish that survived were 4 neon tetras, 2 black widow tetra, 2 red finned sharks and 2 common plecs (all older fish)

My tank is a trigon 190, about 5 months ago I changed substrate from sand to a new gravel. (and added plants - not sure if significant)

Upon this tank wipe out, i was advised it was fungal - and i treated with both external fungal treatment and internal. 5 days later my 2 sharks appeared with the mucus on the pectoral fins. (died) - i am assuming it is mucus - does not look like cotton wool)

I went back and said the treatment had not helped the situation.

I was given octozin (waterlife) and have been monitoring my water quality and fish health morning and evening - my pH is constant and nitrates and nitrites are stable.

Octozin seemed to clear up the problem.

I then removed my fish put in a nursery tank and drained my tank replaced all media gravel bog wood and cleaned my tank thoroughly. (8 weeks ago)

I let the tank establish using water from my 3rd and final aquarium to give it a start. the pH is the same as before - my temperature has been kept the same.

5 weeks ago i stocked with a few fish, they were fine for 6 days then one fish (panchax) got the same - over night from perfect to dead. (added new plants - same supplier)

Then a small clown loach started with this mucus, again i treated with octozin, it treaeted it and the fish survived, I have not had a problem since - my stock is now the 2 original plecs, 2 black widows, 4 neons, 2 red finned sharks, 1 golden panchax male, one cory and 3 dennison barbs. ~(removed all plants)

I did have a clown loach (3 inch) last week but he has disappeared whilst i was in scotland last week. No signs of the fish - 12 inch plec i assume has cleared him up.

upon return my barbs (2 of 3) had a small white growth purtuding from one nostril, again i used octozin it cleared it up. they are fine

My girlfriend then purchased (suprise) a silver shark (approx 4 inch) and a glass cat they were in the tank 48 hours, completely fine swimming and eating, again overnight, woke up and he had this mucus - this time a few scales (7) raised around this mucus. Treatment was added but has not worked and was dead within 3 hours of noticing it.

I have now been given Protozin to use in my tank but i have to wait for the octozin treatment to finish.

I do not feel that this will help.

I am not sure wether this is bacterial, fungal or maybe a virus. however, the other fish that were in the tank are fine with no signs of disease now!

I have been recommended to use potassium permangenate but told i may lose the fish - but will this help???


ANY IDEAS WHAT IT COULD BE AND WHAT OTHER TREATMENT I COULD USE - OR HAS SOMEONE EXPERIENCED ANYTHING SIMILAR?

any help greatly appreciated

Craig

 

[Athena]

Hi Craig

Sorry to hear about all these fish deaths you've had.

The first thing I noticed when reading through your post was that you say you stripped the tank down and " let the tank establish using water from my 3rd and final aquarium to give it a start. the pH is the same as before - my temperature has been kept the same."

Not sure if you're aware of this or not, but using water from another tank doesn't cycle your tank - you need to cut some of the filter media out (a bit of the sponge) and put in your other filter. The good bacteria are all in the filter, not the water. Transferring a bit of the filter sponge with live bacteria on it means that the bacteria can then begin to grow on the new filter sponge to give your cycling a kick-start that way.

Did your LFS say what they suspect the illness to be in your fish with this mucus problem?

Chlorine in the water can cause poisoning and that results in mucus covering the fish and looking paler, loss of appetite etc. Could it be that? When you do your water changes are you using the right amount of dechlorinator?

Or it could be slime disease which is parasitic. I think your LFS must have suspected it to be internal parasites if they gave you Octozin.

Clown Loaches are notorious for getting that slime disease because they are so sensitive to fluctuations in PH. I've read that giving them a salt bath (using aquarium salts) usually helps with that.

I've not had to deal with this particular problem in any of my tanks so don't have any first-hand experience of it to pass on, just what I've read.

Regards - Athena

 

[h34ds]

hi, yes sorry forgot to say media was also added, bacteria well developed in that tank. No chlorine in water whatsoever - got the 6 in 1 test by tetra and liquid tests

The LFS said it could be an internal bacterial infection that was treated then waste from the fish lying on the bottom, (which i vac up) regularly could have reinfected the fish?

They are not sure what the cause is at all - i even took 3 fish in all with slighlty different symptoms and they were not sure - my golden panchax - went red inside - all blood vessels showed up - my clown loach were given salt baths but to no avail

The LFS are not sure at all what it is now and are just throwing treatments at it in hope.

could it be possible that i have a multi infection - such as 2 or 3 different bacterials and parasitic?

If so what is the best med you could recommend?

or should I use Potassium Permangenate?

have noticed on the silver shark (took to fish shop as had the same but raised scales (different disease) yesterday - now has small individual strands - which i beleieve is a fungus - but has that appeared as its dead or was it there before its death?

It is just so frustrating - all im concerned is they keep getting ill and i'm using different meds and all thats happening is they suffer - but i can't humanely kill them otherwise i don;t know if they respond to any med!

any more help?

Just to clarify - ph bacteria filters - everything are completely fine and constant - including media

Thanks

Craig

 

[LauraFrog]

The panchax that went red... did it look like blood spotting around the scales and in the fins? This is septicaemia and is bacterial, but it usually has another cause as the bacteria are opportunistic. If you see this, it's septicaemia resulting from stress from the other disease. So that's one set of symptoms.

Small individual strands - from where and where they white? This could be columnaris (Flexibacter).

What's in octozin?