What Is Wrong With My Fish?

[maikaddy]

Request Help

Tank size: 29 gallon
pH: 7.6
ammonia:?
nitrite:?
nitrate:?
kH:?
gH:?
tank temp: 76 degrees F

Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
My fish's behavior does not seem to have changed. She has with spots on her tail fin, but they don't look like salt. They are round, and maybe a little cloudy looking, but don't appear to be hairy or fuzzy.
I was told by a friend to treat for ich. My concern is that, if I treat for ich and it turns out to be something else, will my fish be able to handle another medication treatment? Also, I have two other fish that don't have the spots on the tail, but on their fins they have a white/offwhite discoloration on the edges.

Volume and Frequency of water changes: This tank is only about 2 weeks old. The fish were transferred from a smaller tank.

Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: Aquarium salt and Start Right at setup.

Tank inhabitants: Two cory-cats, guppies, mollies, and platties. I had a pleco that died recently. No spots or anything growing on it. It's tail had holes in it like it was deteriorating.

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): the most recent was a cory-cat about a week ago. It seems to be healthy.

Exposure to chemicals: ?

Digital photo (include if possible): tried unsuccessfully

 

[Christine1014]

It sounds like your tank wasn't cycled before you added the fish. It could be something like nitrite poisoning, the affects of the ammonia, or maybe even just the poor water quality lowering their immune system.

You mentioned you'd moved them from a smaller tank.... is that tank still set up and running? If so, I'd advise putting the fish back in that tank while you fishless cycle your 29 gallon. (Read the pinned topics on cycling under "new to the hobby.")

You'll also need to get yourself a test kit (most of us use and recommend API's Freshwater Master Test Kit -- it's much more reliable than the dip-strips. It costs about $30 U.S).

But for now, if there's any way to re-home your fish, that's what I do before you have any more deaths.

Good luck! And don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions!

 

[maikaddy]

It sounds like your tank wasn't cycled before you added the fish. It could be something like nitrite poisoning, the affects of the ammonia, or maybe even just the poor water quality lowering their immune system.

You mentioned you'd moved them from a smaller tank.... is that tank still set up and running? If so, I'd advise putting the fish back in that tank while you fishless cycle your 29 gallon. (Read the pinned topics on cycling under "new to the hobby.")

You'll also need to get yourself a test kit (most of us use and recommend API's Freshwater Master Test Kit -- it's much more reliable than the dip-strips. It costs about $30 U.S).

But for now, if there's any way to re-home your fish, that's what I do before you have any more deaths.

Good luck! And don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions!

Hi. Thank you so much for your help! First of all, I couldn't find the right kind of test kits, not even at the pet stores. Everybody sells the test strips or individual test that test for just one thing. I got an ammonia test strip kit, and than another that tests multiple parameters. So here's the deal. My ammonia levels are somewhere between .25 and .5. Nitrates are in the "safe" range at about 20ppm. Nitrites between .5 and 1.0 mg/L, which it says is in the beginning of the "stress" range. My water is "Very Hard," alkalinity "High," and pH 8.4+. I added a pH tablet to the water that is supposed to lower pH, but I am unsure about the use of chemicals to change pH, so I added only 1 tablet instead of the recommended 3. Those three tablets are supposed to bring pH to 7.0, and I didn't want to make such a drastic change since I don't need it that low anyway. As it turns out, there has been no change in my pH reading but I have read that that may be caused by the fact that my water is hard. I assume I add the ammonia reducing drops to reduce ammonia, but I don't know what to do about the nitrites. I did a 25% water change today as well as changed the carbon cartridge in the filter.
I also forgot to add in my original posting that I added a chemical called "Cycle" to the tank when I started it up as well. I guess it was supposed to add bacteria that the fish needed.
Unfortunately, I am new to this hobby, and don't know much about tropical fish... yet. I read more every day, but a lot of it is contradictory depending on who is writing the information.
I did not have anywhere to re-home my fish without starting up a new tank, which would have put me right back where I started, so my fish remain in their confused atmosphere. Since my last posting, I have lost 2 more fish to mysterious deaths. Neither showed any unusual physical symptoms but became somewhat lethargic and had very little appetite. The fish with the white spots on her tail remains healthy and happy... I'm beginning to wonder if it is just her coloring... she is an orange and white spotted fish after all. The guppies continue to birth babies at amazing rates, and the babies are thriving (with the occasional expected "survival of the fittest" losses). One of my females looks like she may not be feeling so hot, and I think she may be the next to go , unless she is just getting ready to give birth.
Basically, I need to change my ammonia and nitrite levels, and I need to know if and what to do about the other high levels.. hardness, alkalinity, and pH (which I think are the same thing?). If you have any advice, I would really appreciate it! This seems like a lot to take in all at once. I thought you just stick a fish in water and "ta da!" Little did I know!

 

[vinylman]

Unfortunately, shops persist on selling things like 'cycle'. It does nothing; a pinch of flake food would be more effective.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

your tank is still cycling, have a read of this topic which should give you some info on whats happening and how to control it

 

[maikaddy]

Hey guys, thanks so much for all of your help. The advice was great. I came home from work today, and my guppy that wasn't looking so great seems to be doing well. My fish with the white spots on her tail no longer has any white spots. I checked my levels again... ammonia in the safe range, just above zero, and nitrite down into the safe range... no longer in "stress" range. So the water and filter cartridge changes did help. I plan to continue to monitor the levels regularly until everything seems to stabilize. I learned my lesson with the cycling though! Crossing my fingers that everything stabilizes without the loss of any more fish!

 

[vinylman]

The only safe range for ammonia is zero. Any higher and it will (at least) permanently damage the fish's gills.

 

[vinylman]

Not sure about you adding salt; while it will benefit Mollies, it does nothing for Platys or Guppies and, IIRC, it can actually harm Corys.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

The only safe range for ammonia is zero. Any higher and it will (at least) permanently damage the fish's gills.

likewise for nitrite

do 20% water changes every day until they are both consistently at 0

there is no 'safe' range