What Am I Doing Wrong?

[chica]

Request Help urgently

Tank size:10 gal
pH: 9.0
ammonia:0.0
nitrite:0.0
nitrate:12.5mg/l
kH:?
gH:?
tank temp:81 f

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):(please also see precious ick post, by me)
all fish ahd white spot been treating 6 days now (every 48 hours) with malachite green. lost two tetras and the other two look awful (guess will loose them too ) but now my beautiful platys do not look well, clamped fins, swimming a little eraticlly and lots of hiding (sitting on the bottom under the filter)


Volume and Frequency of water changes: 20% per week usually but did 50% 6 days ago before treating for white spot, tried to do change last night - did 10% ish but full of baby platys! felt v. guilty

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: use king british safe guard as dechlorinator and using king british white spot tx (malachite green)

Tank inhabitants: 2 x cardinal tetras (look really ill), 2 sunset wag platys (also dont look too good), 2 zebrz danio (1 long fin, look ok), 2 leopard danios (look ok) and ? platy fry i guess but both platys are girls i thought!

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): 4 cardinal tetras the week before all this white spot started

Exposure to chemicalsnly the malachite green stuff

please please help i really hate loosing my fish and the platys have so much character - what am i doing wrong?
and what can i do to fix it?

 

[LiveLifeGoJump]

I have had an outbreak of ick, uped temp to 30, added airstone & used Interpets whitespot treatment. All fish clear (including 1 that looked like it had just come out of a salt cellar) within 4 days. Continued treatment full turm & no reapearance.

IS that right for your PH? Can you retest & also test water straight from tap? Make sure your equipment is perfectly clean, rinsed in clean hot water, no detergent etc. & don't contaminate with fingers etc. Does PH always read this high? Are you using the liquid tests? API freshwater Master Test Kit is pos. the best in UK. Repost results asap.

Goog luck

 

[scubadoo]

Your pH is way too alkaline - please re-check this.

Also your nitrate is higher than it should be, but you can sort this with a good water change.

 

[TigerIssey]

Your pH has risen very quickly, I noticed it was 8.0 last time, fish don't like this quick a change. Double check, have you added an airstone like you were advised to do, the raised temp will really cut down the oxygen. Do another large water change to get those nitrates down and then do about 20% every other day.

 

[chica]

hi
nitrates 12.5 sorry not 125 bit of a typo - sorry

air stone is present and working and filter is disturbing the top of the water surface so should have plenty 02.
at work now so can check PH when at home 8pmish.

using api liquid tests but having trouble reading PH (always have done) think 9.0 but does not really match any colour (i know it is alkaline though and somewhere between 8.0 to 9.0)- it has however always been the same colour from day one!

will test ph again this pm and test tap too.

 

[WILDER]

Corys are more prone to bacterial infections, and you have to be careful with cory with parasite meds as they can't tolerate the full dose as they are scaless fish.
Looks like columnaris to me it looks fluffy.

 

[chica]

i am really sorry i need more help.
i still have ick even though been treating since 17th sep (it is looking better though)
i have lost all my tetras and my platys look awful - staying at bottom, fins clamped look real bad - but they have been eating

ph of tap is one shade lighter then tank so i am guessing tap is 8 - 8.5 and tank is 9.0 but always been this way

please please help on a night duty again so will be due to be away 24hours again

my husband is around and will medicate tank as due another dose today...

what should i do??? -_

i dont want them all to die

do they have an internal infeation?

i have metronidazole (200mg tablets) - will this help, and will it kill my filter bacteria

should i put them in a bath of it or what i live in a small flat and dont have a q tank!

wilder are you there? you were really helpful before!

but anyone with good knowledge please!

 

[WILDER]

Corys are meant not to get whitespot, and that dosn't look like whitespot to me on the cory, what do the other fish look like as whitespot looks like grains of salt on the fish.
You could pm mod inchworm as she very good with corys for her advice, good luck.

 

[chica]

Corys are meant not to get whitespot, and that dosn't look like whitespot to me on the cory, what do the other fish look like as whitespot looks like grains of salt on the fish.
You could pm mod inchworm as she very good with corys for her advice, good luck.

hi, are you replying to my thread? because i do not have corys and i have not included any photos! lol!
i have platys and they are sick, they definatly had white spot and now i am worried they have an internal infection as ground hugging and sluggish...

 

[fisherizer]

Ph is enormously high buy something to lower it

 

[WILDER]

Sorry there removed the pic, thought it was yours.
Whitespot can cause bacterial infections on top.
Best to get rid of the whitespot first, once bacterial infections start on top of whitespot to be honest not sounding good.
Don't use ph chemicals for your tank they cause more problems.
What are your present stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

 

[chica]

Sorry there removed the pic, thought it was yours.
Whitespot can cause bacterial infections on top.
Best to get rid of the whitespot first, once bacterial infections start on top of whitespot to be honest not sounding good.
Don't use ph chemicals for your tank they cause more problems.
What are your present stats in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,and ph.

no worries.
tests today
ammonia 0.0
nitrIte 0.0
nitrate 12.5
ph i think 9.0 but as before real trouble reading
platy still looking sad, will do h2o change 20% now as due anyway

how do i get the PH down safely?

 

[WILDER]

What your tap ph, leave it the fish will get used to it.

 

[chica]

What your tap ph, leave it the fish will get used to it.

tap ph is 8.5!
my husband has decided the tank ph is the same after much deliberation, holding up to the light testing and re testing. he also said that it has always been the same, and not changed.

platy looking much better now and only 1 platy (the one who was sickest) still has white spot - but much less, been treating for 10 days now (every 48hrs) is this normal?

thanks all for all your help - will let you know if all gets cured. the problem is having lost all the tetras we would like more fish. thinking male guppies but scared to introduce any more fish in case they get ill - any ideas?

 

[WILDER]

Wouldn't add new fish for a while let things settle down.
Carry on with the med every tank different, good luck.