What The Heck Is Going On With My Fish?

[snowflake311]

I have a 36 Gal tank with 7 Rasboras, 3 female bettas, 2 balloon Rams, 1 bristle nose pleco, 1 clown pleco, and 1 oto.

I originally had 6 female betta in the tank. But a week ago I noticed one of my females had a crazy lump like a tumour and the other one had white stinging poop. So I took them out and put them in a hospital tank treated them. They are both doing fine now. The one still has the lump. I have kept them in the hospital tank. Then I took one of my really mean females out of the and put her in the hospital tank. Well she never had any sign of illness but today I notice she was dead. I think maybe she was so stressed from the move and the 2 other bettas that she died. I feel bad because I should have known better.

Any ways now I notice my Rasboras are acting weird. They swim like crazy then stop and just sit in the middle of the tank. Some times I notice a few rub on the decorations. They are just acting weird. But they look healthy they still eat, have normal poop, No sings of visible parasites I have looked very closely at them. I noticed one of my rams scratch off the rocks at the bottom but only once besides that one time they have been acting normal. The bettas in the tank are all perfectly fine and so are the pleco and oto. WHAT IS UP?

I tested the water.
The Ph is 7.2
Ammonia 0
nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Temp 79 F

According to the test strips that never seem to give me the same reading twice.
Alkalinity 80
hardness soft

When I first noticed this I did a 25 % water change then waited 2 days did a 50% water change and tonight I did a 10% water change.

I do regular water changes ever 2 weeks I clean the gravel check everything. All that good stuff. I have had the tank up for about a year now. The Rasboras were the first to be put in the tank then the bettas and the Clown pleco.

I don't get it I am stumped. I thought maybe it was stress, parasite, maybe low Electralights, I just don't know. I don't want to use any meds till I know what it is for sure. So all I have been doing is water changes every other day hoping that will help. They say sometimes that's all they need is fresh water.

Any clue what is going on?

 

[bae1994]

it could be a oxygen problem and if you hav not got one already you may need a air pump thats all i can think of at the moment keep posted.

 

[snowflake311]

it could be a oxygen problem and if you hav not got one already you may need a air pump thats all i can think of at the moment keep posted.

I have an air pump.

The Rasboras get twitchy and sometimes after they twitch they swim all crazy. They just seem stressed? I just don't know why?

 

[Athena]

It's not normal for Nitrate levels to be at 0. Did you use a liquid test kit or paper strips to test all of these levels?

You say the fish are scratching against objects in the tank - can you see any tiny white spots at all, like grains of salt on their body/fins. If so, it will be white spot disease (Ich) which will need treating asap otherwise you will lose your fish.

Other forms of stress also can cause fish to flick against things - e.g. poor water quality, a parasitic infection and even poor diet.

Can you have another close look at all the fish and let us know if you can see anything different about their appearance, even slight changes - check for any darkened areas on their body, or white spots, dark spots, scales sticking out, slimy appearance - anything at all that doesn't look normal.

Regards - Athena

 

[WILDER]

Take a sample of your water to the lfs and tell them to write the readings down for you.
Test strip cards are not accurate as liquid test kits.
What your tap nitrate reading as it rare for it to be 0.

Are the fish darting around the tank as that can be many things from ph shock, bad water quality, toxins in the water, overdose of meds,
stray voltage, to parasites.

Check the gills over to see if there pale with excess mucas or red and inflamed.
Do the fish look pale with excess slime on them.

The lump on the fish were was it.
Did it look hard of soft like filled with fluids.

Long stringy white poo can be bacterial infection, constipation, to internal parasites.
What do you feed your fish?

 

[snowflake311]

It's not normal for Nitrate levels to be at 0. Did you use a liquid test kit or paper strips to test all of these levels?

You say the fish are scratching against objects in the tank - can you see any tiny white spots at all, like grains of salt on their body/fins. If so, it will be white spot disease (Ich) which will need treating asap otherwise you will lose your fish.

Other forms of stress also can cause fish to flick against things - e.g. poor water quality, a parasitic infection and even poor diet.

Can you have another close look at all the fish and let us know if you can see anything different about their appearance, even slight changes - check for any darkened areas on their body, or white spots, dark spots, scales sticking out, slimy appearance - anything at all that doesn't look normal.

Regards - Athena

My nitrate are at 0 because I do regular water changes and have been doing water changes 3 times a week when I noticed my fish were acting funny. I do 25 % - 30 % water changes every 2 weeks. I like a nice clean tank.

The ammonia Nitrites nitrates and PH are all doing with the water sample test with chemicals. The alkalinity and hardness were done with the strips. I have looked at them very closely NO white specks. I have had bettas with Ick before I know about that stuff. I have looked at them in the dark with a flash light. No gold dust on the bettas or pleco. The Rasboras are hard to tell because they are shiny and a metallic gold color I don't notice any other gold dust. They look good. They are not constantly rubbing. I have only noticed it 3 times and not all the fish do it. Could the water be lacking something? I did not do a water change today I am going to do another tomorrow.

Maybe I should change there food they have the tetra flakes and they eat some of the Rams food. They are little pigs.
They look fine put acted stressed. The other fish are fine I saw one of my rams rub once that's it.


I added a tea spoon of salt to the tank like 5 days ago and have done 3 water changes since then. I have added a pit of salt to them before and they were fine.

 

[snowflake311]

SO I KNOW WAHT IS IS

As it turns out my fish were in the very first stage of ICK. There were no white spots on them till 2 days ago I noticed them. Turns out I really should have quarantined my new Bristle nose. This out break happened right after I add this new Pleco to the tank. I noticed ick on her first then a day later I saw it on my rasboras. I have started treatment 2 days ago, raised the temp a little and I am going to do a water change tomorrow to try and get out any free swimmer that might be around. Then treat again.

Any other tips for curing ick?

Oh man Ick is annoying. Always quarantine your new fish first that's what I learned. I had always been lucky till this time.

 

[WILDER]

Need to raise temp to 30 and increase aeration as high temp and meds reduce 02 in the water,.
Good luck.

 

[Truck]

im sorry to say tumors are very common in bettas. is she of a dark colour becuase its generally the darker genes that are cancerous

 

[snowflake311]

im sorry to say tumors are very common in bettas. is she of a dark colour becuase its generally the darker genes that are cancerous

Yes she is a dark purple blueish color female betta. She acts totally normal and eats just fine. I'm pretty sure it's a tumour too. I read that one of the reasons we are seeing so many bettas with tumours is because of growth hormones they give them so they can sell them quicker and lots of inbreeding. I tumour does not seen to bother her at all. So I will just let her live out her life.