Sick Swordtail Cont'd, admonition re stkg. FW Clams,  – 08/04/09
Hi Again,
<Hello,>
First off I'd like to thank you for your quick and informative response the first time. Sorry for the delayed response, but it took awhile to complete the several treatments on the swordtail.
<We're continuing on from 'Sick Swordtail (Gill Disease/ Flukes) 7/9/09':
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmystdisfaqs.htm
>
I have rotated through several parasitic treatments as recommended and one bacterial medication including: "Life Bearer" for gill flukes for 48 hours as the package said, Formalin & quinine hydrochloride mix from Tetra for 10
days w/ water change and re-dose after five, and NeoPlex for six days so far. None of these have done anything to help the swordtail. From the previous response I assure it is definitely the safe clams and they are being specially fed. There is still no other fish that are affected and he hasn't gotten any worse.
<You haven't told me what type of clams you have in this aquarium, so we can't dismiss pseudo-parasitic clam larvae on the gills. As I've mentioned multiple times, NO FRESHWATER CLAM does well in aquaria, so adding them is POINTLESS. At best, the clam starves to death over a number of months, before dying and then mucking up water quality. At worst, you have a type of clam (the Freshwater Mussels) that produce glochidia that attach
themselves to the gill filaments of fish. While in themselves fairly harmless, the glochidia can, will damage the skin tissue of the filaments, allowing secondary infections to develop. Never, ever add clams to a freshwater aquarium. They are difficult to maintain, always die prematurely, and invariably cause some sort of problem, whether water quality issues or healthcare issues.>
The swordtail still has quickened breathing w/ the slightly gaped gills and kind of "red swollen appearance" on them, I say kind of because his body is already a bright red coloration making it hard to tell, but he eats normal again (out of the blue) and there are no other signs of stress from him. The "white mucus" for better description look like a small piece of cotton behind the gills which doesn't protrude too far out from them staying more compact than really loose and can really only be seen when looking above and behind the fish.
<Could be a fish "louse" of some sort, such as Fish Lice or Anchor Worms, and while these usually don't affect aquarium fish they might do under some circumstances. Typical treatment is either manual removal (not really possible in this case) or the use of an organophosphate insecticide (e.g., metriphonate/Trichlorfon) normally sold for pond fish. Dosage varies with pH and temperature, but is typically around 1 mg per gallon for seven days.
Another medication used for this is Diflubenzuron.>
This has gone on for so long at least a month an half to two w/ no change from any of the meds it makes me think that maybe their is natural reason for this or his immune system is keeping it from getting serious, but I don't really know. Thanks again in advance for any help.
Sincerely, Mack
<Mack, please give me the information I asked for. What type of clams are these? Furthermore, any medication likely to kill external parasites effectively will kill the shrimps and clams you have. If the clams and shrimps are fine, then the medication wasn't particularly effective! Always remember to remove carbon when treating, otherwise nothing will work. I really do need the information requested plus a photo. The description you give isn't really specific enough, and while it might be some type of fluke or fish louse, it might be something else, too. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick Swordtail Cont'd   8/5/09
Here is the information you requested.
<Thanks!>
My clams are Corbicula fluminea.
<Ah, I see. Well, this species doesn't have parasitic larvae, so on that point you're fine. On the other hand, it doesn't live long in aquaria, at least not tropical aquaria, being a coldwater species that feeds on plankton. So unless this clam is in an unheated tank and being regularly fed filter-feeder food (as for marine clams, oysters, etc.) it's starving to death. It *will* die, and it *will* pollute the aquarium. There are no freshwater clams that make good, or even viable, aquarium additions, and anyone who tells you they're "scavengers" or "they clean algae from the water" is taking advantage of your ignorance. Don't listen to them!>
All the invertebrates were moved to another tank when I first started the treatments and the carbon has been removed during the whole process.
<Good.>
I did my best to get some pictures that have detail because getting a shot close enough to the gills to really see anything is hard, so I don't know how useful they'll be.
<Not very helpful, to be honest. Unless an image is actually in focus, there's really data not much that can be extracted from it. Try photographing the fish in the aquarium.>
I posted a link to each one at the bottom. I also recapped the two parasite medications I used to show what they "cover". According to the package Life Bearer kills gill flukes, body flukes, and fish lice using the active
ingredients of dimethyl, hydroxy, and trichlotomethyl phosphate, Tetra Pond Fish Treatment (Desafin) according to its label kills Ich, Costia, Trichodina, and other external parasites using the active ingredients of
Formaldehyde and quinine hydrochloride.
<Quite the mix of medications.>
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/mackattack1023/?action=view&current=052.jpg
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/mackattack1023/?action=view&current=053.jpg
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http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/mackattack1023/?action=view&current=063.jpg
<Well, the photos are, unfortunately, useless. So, for the time being, can you precisely answer these questions. [1] Does the white stuff come out through the gill slit, as if attached to something inside the gill chamber, or is it on the gill cover, or simply on the skin around the gill area? [2] Is the white stuff pure white or white with red or off-white areas? [3] How long is the white stuff? Like a short tuft, or more like a piece of thread?
From what you've described hitherto, there's nothing at all obvious that springs to mind. A sharp photo would help me, or Bob, or someone else on the crew narrow down the possibilities. In the meantime, if the fish is feeding normally and doesn't seem to have problems breathing, I'd do a nice big water change (50% if possible) to flush out any medications, and then I'd just run the tank normally for a while and see what happens. If things don't get any worse, the fish's own immune system may well fix the problem for you -- assuming of course all the usual factors are correct. As you know, Swordtails need cool (around 22-24 C) water with lots of oxygen, a high hardness (10+ degrees dH), and a basic pH (around 7.5 to 8). They
don't need salt, but they'll tolerate a low amount very well, and at SG 1.002-1.003, you might have sufficient salinity to knock off a wide variety of external parasites. Marine salt mix would be the ideal, but tonic salt would do if you already have hard, basic water. Salt has a mildly therapeutic effect when fish are weakened, so while redundant as a standard addition to the Swordtail aquarium, in the short term, it might help and won't do any harm. Obviously, this depends on your other livestock tolerating such conditions. Shrimps, snails and clams generally tolerate slightly saline conditions just fine, but most fish are finicky, so review your tankmates first. Other livebearers will be fine, but tetras, catfish, etc. can be stressed. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick Swordtail Cont'd   8/5/09
Yes, I was afraid the shots would be useless. See he has white coloration around the gills which makes it extra hard to photograph and just looking at him on his side you can only tell his gills look a little extra red and swollen and until you look above him during feeding you find the "white stuff" which barely protrudes from gill slits.
<Does the white stuff go in and out when the fish feeds? Because of the way the fish "throat" works, food can sometimes pass into the areas with the gill filaments on each side of this cavity. As Microsoft would say, "this isn't a bug, but a feature", but occasionally loose material can get wedged in the gill filaments that should have been swallowed or expelled. If this is the case, when the fish feeds, the white stuff would flip in and out
with the water current. Eventually, the gills should clear themselves, and the danger is more irritation than anything else. Because the gills are so delicate, you shouldn't try and pull the material out.>
So getting a photograph from the side will probably prove just a bad, but I will provide one anyway from inside the tank.
<Very good.>
1. The white stuff comes out from the gills and appears to be attached in the gill chamber. The protrude part seems very loose though small moving when his gills move, but the part in the gills is more firm and doesn't act like the protruding part.
<I see; sounds as if the gill-ward end is attached or wedged, while the protruding part is loose and flapping about.>
2. It's hard to say the white stuff is "pretty white", but I'd say it has some "clearness" to it when you look closer if that makes sense.
<Yes, does make sense.>
3. The white stuff is definitely more of a short tuft and not like a thread, it protrudes only about 3mm give or take a little.
<Well, fungal threads look like short, white fibres, and are often likened to cotton wool. Dead tissue looks, well, dead, i.e., off-white to grey.>
My tank has a temperature of about 78 degrees Fahrenheit right now because its the summer here, but the temp. was more around 73 when this started.
The general hardness is about 9-11 dKH and pH 7.6.
<A summertime high of 78 won't do any harm to Swordtails provided there's plenty of water movement. Water chemistry sounds good.>
There are small tetras in the tank x-ray and flame that can't be moved so I don't now about the salt.
<X-ray tetras (Pristella maxillaris) actually tolerate slightly brackish water in the wild, so 3-4 grammes/litre (~SG 1.001 at 25 C) would do them no harm, and might well help Mr. Swordtail. But Flame tetras are, like most South American characins, somewhat intolerant of salt, so if you did add some salt, you'd want to watch them very carefully for signs of distress.
Salt isn't a poison, but over the long term, freshwater fish can be stressed by exposure to saline conditions.>
Hope this helps and I'll try to get better pics!
<A picture really would help! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Sick Swordtail Cont'd   8/5/09
The swordtail is being quite skittish when I approach the tank going back and forth at the back of it making pictures hard to get. Since he was far back that meant I had to use the zoom to actually get a picture close enough to see the gills. There are some glaring pictures mainly because of the zoom. If I have to try again I can though I doubt it will look any better. Also I have noticed that when he eats a massive amount of bubbles come out at a rather large size compared to the gills, I know this can sometimes happen with fish but its new since the "white stuff" appeared. I don't believe it goes in and out rather side to side, but I can't confirm that until tomorrow when I feed him.
Here are the best picture I could get after about 30 min., though I still can't get much out of them but who knows maybe they'll give you a little insight.
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/mackattack1023/?action=view&current=064.jpg
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<Photos not dramatically better, so can't actually see the problem. So going on instinct here! Suspect the problem is physical damage and/or something trapped inside the gill cavity. Would directly treat the water.
Would instead give the Swordtail daily saltwater dips to prevent secondary infections and speed up healing. Dips are simple. Put one litre of water from the aquarium in a container. Add 35 grammes of non-iodised salt.
Aquarium salt is good, but so are equivalent cooking salts, such as kosher salt. You don't want marine salt mix for this, because that would change the pH and hardness as well as salinity. It's plain vanilla sodium chloride we're after here! Now, dissolve the salt thoroughly. When it's all dissolved, net the fish gently, and then place in the salty water tub until the fish shows signs of severe distress (classically, it rolls over, but thrashing about wildly would be a good sign too). You should be able to dip this type of fish, a salt-tolerant livebearer, for at least 2 minutes, and anything up to 20 minutes will be safe, assuming it hasn't rolled over first. Lift up the fish, place the net in the aquarium, let the fish recover, and once it looks happy again, release it. You can repeat this on a daily basis if necessary. The idea here is that "blitzing" bacteria and fungal colonies on the outside of the fish with salty water draws out the water from their cells, killing them. It also shocks external freshwater parasites such as lice and anchor worms. It has no effect on parasites and bacteria inside the fish, which is why it doesn't help with whitespot, if you're wondering. I find saltwater dips quite helpful for mystery diseases, and you might too! Good luck, Neale.>