Weird Black Fuzzy Fungus And Fish Going Thin... Help!

[electric yellow]

HELP!!

Im seriouslly in need of any advice I can get!!

My plattys are dropping off one by one. They are in my aqua one aqua start 320 and today I had to move them into my other one. In the tank they have been in a black fuzzy fungus has taken over. Ive scrubbed it away and then it came back with vengence. The tank has been in use for 12mths and we have never had any issues at ALL! Suddenly my fishies are losing weight, their fins are out sometimes and sometimes they are down and now one is swimming on his tail.

I dont know what is wrong with them. I have been to three different aquairiums. ALL where i get out fish from and they all say the fungus isnt whats doing it. BUT im convinced it is.

I had to 'put to sleep' one today because she was so skinny and sickly looking that im scared its going to go through the rest of them. Should I 'put to sleep' the two that are acting weird and not looking good?

Ive moved them into the tank with my corys incase its the water quality but all my readings come back great.

On closure inspection on my sunset platy his gills are red and he has lil white spots on him. Only just noticable when up close. None of the others have these spots though. The girl thats floating on her tail has red gills but not spots. She is silver and blue so they would be hard to spot. The other fish are fine. Nice and healthy looking. No red gills. No spots.

I will do another water test in a few minutes.

One of the girl platys has redish orangish tinge to her top fin but i think thats just cause shes pregnant....her gills arent red.

 

[electric yellow]

Tank set up:

Aqua One Aqua Start 320

Decor: light, sand, live plants, heater at 27-27degrees C, internal aqua one sponge filter with air stone, additional air stone.

Test Results:

ph: 7 (neutral)
ammonia: 0.25 ppm
nitrIte: 0 ppm
nitrAte: 0 ppm

I have some API Melafix and Primafix in my cupboard. Both anti bacterial and anti fungal remedies for fish disease.

 

[WILDER]

Water stats would be good like has been asked for as red gills can be bad water quality to gill flukes.
Flukes can cause fish to loose weight so we need to know water stats before you go any further.
Also flukes can cause bacterial infections.

White white spots on the fish are they grains of salt size or bigger.

Sorry thought the second reply to your thread was another member.
You have ammonia reading so they could cause the red gills.

 

[electric yellow]

What does flukes mean?

Im still new to all this.

Not all of them have red gills though. Whatever it is just seems to be knocking them off one by one. The white spots are tiny tiny. Ive only seen them on the sunset. The others are fat and look ok...apart from the gills. But tmw...im checking them every hour im so scared it is contagious. Whatever it is.

The tank they are in now is running fine. It isnt the one with the black fungus in it. The cory tank is what the water tests came from. Im just concerned that they are going to keep dieing even after being removed from the other tank.

The corys dont seem to be minding the company.

Im dismanteling the tank they were in and thoroughly cleaning it as that appears to be the only way i will be able to get rid of the fungus.

Should I dose them with the Melafix and Primafix? Id rather not use it unless needed. Would they benefit from salt? I read in another thread that salt is good for them? Ive never added salt before...

I will take a photo of the fungus so you can see it...

 

[WILDER]

If the white spots are the size of a grain of salt your fish have whitespot.

Turn temp up to 30, increase aeration as the high temp and med reduce 02 in the water.
Remove black carbon if you use it.
Read whitespot med instructions carefully as if you have scaless fish you have to half dose sometimes.

I would ask about the black fungus in tropical chat.

Don't add the melafix and pimafix, you need a whitespot med.

 

[electric yellow]

Ok so turn up the temp to 30deg celcius? Wont that be to warm? There is two air stones in the water already on high flow.

I will post up a thread about the fungus. Thanks for all your help!

*stressed*

 

[WILDER]

No the temp needs to be that high for whitespot.
As long as there plenty of aeration in the tank the fish will be fine.
http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml

 

[Colin_T]

the black fuzzy fungus in the tanks sounds like beard or black brush algae and is a pain to get rid of. But it shouldn't cause any problems ot fish.
When the fish are better try adding a few shrimp to clean it up.

 

[electric yellow]

Colin T and Wilder: thanks so much for helping me

No the temp needs to be that high for whitespot.
As long as there plenty of aeration in the tank the fish will be fine.
<a href="http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml" target="_blank">http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/ich.shtml</a>

The heater in the tank is set at 28 right now. I might turn it down to 26 though if it being to warm is what causes it. It was the fish who was hiding behind the heater all the time that had the white dots on him...

Thanks for the link! Am reading it now.