|
Fungus -03/28/08
Hello,
I have a Betta named Merlin living in a 16 gallon tank with fake driftwood and 2
fake plants.
<Sounds lovely!>
My water is 0 across the board for ammonia, nitrates, and nitrates; I believe it
is cycled but check ammonia frequently to be safe.
<Good.>
It's a 50/50 mix of spring/distilled water.
<Probably overkill; Bettas are perfectly happy in dechlorinated tap water. The
only thing they won't like is excessively soft water (less than 3 degrees dH) or
water that has passed through a domestic water softener (too much sodium). But
if what you're doing works for you and is cost effective, by all means stick
with it.>
PH is between 7.0 and 7.2. Water is heated to about 80 degrees and I alternate 1
pellet per day with either brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, or Spirulina brine
shrimp. For a while I was getting scum on the top of the water, but not since I
made the filter flow into "waterfall style."
<Indeed; splashing water helps to get rid of certain types of protein or oil
films that can cover aquaria.>
I'd noticed algae looking stuff on the wood and plants for some time, and then
it ended up on the edge of Merlin's fins.
<If it's green or black, it's algae; if off-white, then Fungus.>
The first time was in February, but it seemed to fall off by morning. He has had
some episodes with fin rot in the past. What I now assume is Fungus has come
back a few times,
seeming to be more of a problem each time (growing larger, taking pieces of fin
each
time), but there has been no shredding (the fin loss is even across).
<Regardless, you need to treat with anti-Fungal medication. Not a fan of Melafix
though. Standard issue medications should be fine. In addition, consider where
this fungus is coming from: if you're seeing it on rocks and wood, then you
likely have A LOT of organic material in that aquarium. Unlike algae, which use
light and minerals for "food", fungus needs to "eat" organic matter, i.e.,
decaying stuff. By rights, you should be removing organic material with its
water change by siphoning it from the substrate. Wiping off ornaments if they
get dirty isn't a bad idea either.>
I really don't want to lose my good water (it has taken much time to get it
cycled),
<Irrelevant, so don't worry about it. Filtration occurs in the FILTER not the
water. You can change 100% of the water if you want, and so long as the filter
is kept wet between water changes, the bacteria will be perfectly happy. I'd
recommend at least 25% water changes per week, and I personally go with 50%
water changes.>
and Merlin doesn't like meds at all, but the fungus isn't going away this time.
It's come back now for about a week (every time a piece sheds off with fin,
another piece of fungus is back by morning). Merlin has had a bad reaction to
Melafix, so I can't use that. What would you recommend as a fungus med?
<Depends where you are. Here in England I recommend eSHa 2000, a very effective
anti-bacterial/anti-fungal medication. But I'm told by my American colleagues
that things like Maroxy are the drug of choice for fungal infections. Neither
Bob F nor myself rate Melafix all that highly, but some do I know.>
I have Maroxy but was wondering if that would be bad to use, since I'm not using
a chlorine remover (bottled water) and it seems to have some sort of chlorine
agent?
<Don't worry about it. Also, I'd recommend using plain tap water plus
dechlorinator rather than fussing with bottled water. I suspect you'll find this
A LOT cheaper in the long run, and because water changes will be cheap and easy,
your Betta will be happier too. Most fish don't care about water chemistry _per
se_, what they want is stability. So I'd recommend doing some 10-20% water
changes every other day for the next couple weeks to convert the Betta to tap
water chemistry, and after than doing 25% weekly changes.>
I would like to do whatever would be the least affecting; Merlin doesn't seem to
be acting strangely, more irritated when his fin shreds, than anything else.
<Sounds like he's doing OK, and if you act fast, he'll be fine!>
I also was wondering if this means I have to part with my water?
<Yes. Don't get attached to the water! Once it's in an aquarium, it "goes bad"
as far as the fish are concerned. The more water you change, the happier the
fish. Or put another way: the fish are living in their lavatory, and you're
pulling the chain!>
I have a quarantine tank, but wonder if I have excess fungus in my original
water that I have to fix? I know all water has some fungus, but it (or algae)
seems to grow on all my decorations very quickly. I've read that the fungus
could be a result of excess protein from the frozen food, but I only feed about
1 shrimp on alternate days. I don't want to kill my good bacteria, but do I need
to get rid of everything to stop this fungus?
<Cleaning the ornaments and changing the water have no impact at all on water
quality. The filter is all you need to worry about. So when you do water
changes, make sure the filter media (the sponge or whatever) don't dry out.
Every month (or sooner, if you prefer) take the filter media and dump in a
bucket of aquarium water. Give it a good squeeze and clean to remove silt, and
then pop back into the filter. Do this, and you'll have great water quality and
a happy filter bacteria population!>
Thank you,
Patricia
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Fungus 3/30/08
Neale,
Thank you very much for the quick response :) I was wondering if it would it be
better to put Merlin in a quarantine tank for his treatment or to leave him in
his original tank? I'm thinking he would need to be in the quarantine tank to
avoid the medication killing the good bacteria in the filter of the original
tank? But at the same time maybe the meds in the original tank would be good to
kill the fungus in there? Lastly, do I likely have fungus in my filter media or
should I not be worried about that?
Thank you again :),
Patricia
<Happy to help, Patricia! Treat your fish in its home aquarium. Moving it to a
quarantine tank wouldn't serve much purpose either way. The fungi that cause
fish infections are in all aquaria, just as all aquaria contain the Aeromonas
bacteria that cause Finrot. When everything is healthy in the tank, these fungi
and bacteria do good work helping to convert organic material into the stuff the
filter bacteria can use up. It's when fish become stressed or damage that they
cause harm. It's exactly like E. coli and other bacteria we have on our bodies.
In their place, they're harmless and may even serve a useful function; in the
wrong place and when our immune systems are run down, they can cause problems.
So: whenever you get Fungus or Finrot, you AUTOMATICALLY must ask Why? Yes, you
must treat the infection, but you must also prevent another outbreak -- because
you WILL get another outbreak unless you remedy the situation. Just as giving
someone a cure for a stomach infection until they got better and then feeding
them rotten food would make that person sick again. Cheers, Neale.>
|
White fuzz on/in their
eyes…FW Aquaria…Not enough detail 3-24-08
Dear Crew,
<<Hi.>>
We have a 55 gallon freshwater fish tank and a few of our fish have a white fuzz
on/in their eyes; they look like they have cataracts. What could it be? and how
can we treat it?
<<Mmm…is difficult to diagnose with the detail given. What you describe could be
a number of things. However, one of the pieces of evidence that does help me a
bit is that it appears to be a community infection and not just in one specimen.
This leads me to believe it is environmental (water quality), specifically an
organic level problem (i.e. dissolved organics, nitrates...). What type of fish
do you have, what size are they, how many? What is your filtration? What is your
water change regime? What are your water parameter readings? How often and what
do you feed? All of these things will help me to point you in the right
direction. In the meantime do skim through our FAQs re; disease. Good luck; -
ADAMJ.>>
|
Maracyn medication and
scaleless fish 2/3/08
Hiya, I have a 100 gallon tank with a jaguar cichlid who recently got fin
rot and body fungus. I was going to treat it with Maracyn (powder form) And I
wanted to know if it was a effective medication. However I have loaches and
scaleless fishes and I didn't know if I could use it so I wanted to check with
you before using it. Does Maracyn contain any copper or harmful materials to
scaleless fish? Please help. Thanks a ton.
<Maracyn is generally safe with most types of fish. It's an antibiotic,
essentially a repackaged version of the Erythromycin widely used in human
medicine. Now, the bigger question is *why* your Jaguar Cichlid (Parachromis
managuensis) has Finrot at all. Finrot is almost always associated with either
physical damage or poor/varying water quality. It very rarely comes out of the
blue. If you don't identify the cause, and remedy it, then treating the cichlid
will become a bit pointless -- the fish will likely get sick again. Cheers,
Neale.>
Re: Maracyn medication and
scaleless fish 2/3/08
Yeah, I usually do 50 percent water changes every week, but I had to skip a
week because I was too busy with my work and everything. I will be constant from
now on. Thanks Neale an everybody!!!!
<So long as you know the problem, and won't let it happen again, that's fine.
Cichlids are strangely sensitive to nitrate, and missed water changes cause all
kinds of problems. Compared with 'hole in the head' you got off lightly this
time. If you are busy, turn the temperature down a tiny bit towards the low end
of the tolerances of your given species, and the feed half rations. This will
slow down metabolism and reduce the amount of ammonia in the system. Good luck,
Neale.>
Re: Maracyn
medication and scale less fish
2-4-08
Hi again Neale, sorry to bother you. I just got home from work and I
my tank was cloudy. I did a water change yesterday and I wasn't sure if
the medication is supposed to make the water cloudy. So my question is
is Maracyn supposed to make your water cloudy or is it not normal?
Thanks for your time.
<I haven't personally used Maracyn (it isn't sold in the UK) so can't
comment from experience. But I have read that this is sometimes a
temporary side effect. Provided the water quality remains good (do a
quick nitrite test) and the fish seem healthy (no gasping or heavy
breathing), there's not too much to worry about. Cheers, Neale.>
|
Two general questions...
Fish-TB, and "easy fish" 2/1/08
Hello all,
<Neale>
Two quick questions, germane to some FAQs I've done tonight.
(1) Fish-TB. For real, or a myth?
<Mycobacteriosis in piscines? Real>
My books seem to suggest it's more an issue with marine fish, which is probably
why I've never seen it in the flesh. The old Fish-TB suspect in gouramis turned
out to be the Dwarf Gourami Disease iridovirus.
<Yes>
(2) What are the easiest freshwater fish to recommend to people? I plumped for
peppered Corydoras and zebra danios. Any others?
<Mmm, for "most" general water conditions about the world... likely the small
danios, rasboras and barbs... Perhaps Platies would score high... given local
acclimation... The more "cultured" Corydoras I'd agree with as well... C.
aeneus, paleatus as you mention... Given the proviso of numbers/keeping in
groups... BobF>
Cheers, Neale
|
Is fungus infectious?
2/1/08
Thank you so much for providing such a great website!
I have a relatively new 30 gallon freshwater tank, I use API Tap water
conditioner and Jungle pH Buddy regularly. I cycled the tank using Bio Spira,
and all the readings were optimal before I slowly added fish and plants over a
couple of weeks - I continued adding bio Spira each time I added new fish to
help ensure the tank could cope with the new bio load. I have an emperor 400 bio
wheel filter, and the temperature is a constant 75F. My tank community consists
of 2 3-spot gouramis (added first), then 2 dwarf gouramis, one spotted Pim, one
red tail shark (I read up on compatibility (water and temperament!) plus adult
size so the tank wouldn't be crowded), plus several spiral vals, baby ruffle
swords and sword plants. Everything was fine, and I test the water every day and
readings were all within desirable parameters. However, yesterday morning I
noticed a small bump on the top of the head of one of the dwarf gouramis, it was
white and fuzzy, and I think from reading your site it could either be fungus or
columnaris.
I didn't have a quarantine tank and had to get to work, thinking I could rush
home, jump in the car, buy a small tank etc and medication to set-up quarantine
when I got home. Alas, when I got home, the fungus-like fuzz had spread over
almost all the head and one eye, and my little fish died within minutes. Really
very upsetting, and I feel awful. I tested the water with my API master kit and
readings are as follows: pH 7.5, Nitrite 2.0, Nitrate 40, Ammonia 1; temperature
still 75F. After removing the dead fish I added a shot of Bio Spira to boost the
bacteria, and my remaining 5 fish all seem perfectly happy, although I didn't
feed them as I was conscious of the fact the nitrite and ammonia was a little
high. Sorry to be so long winded - but my questions are: will the fungus affect
the other fish? Should I treat the water with some sort of medication to ensure
it won't come back? Because whatever it was killed my Gourami so quickly, I'm
really paranoid that the other fish will suffer the same fate. What should I do
to prevent this?
Thank you so much for your help, I really appreciate your time and expertise,
and apologise again for the long message.
All the best,
AJ
<Greetings. The short answer is that fungal infections are not directly
infectious. However, because fungal infections are commonly associated with
environmental issues such as poor water quality, if you see one fish with
fungus, there's every reason to imagine that the others are at risk as well.
Hence the need to treat all the fish, not just the one with obvious cotton
wool-like threads (which is what Fish Fungus looks like). I would eschew
Melafix-type things in favour of standard anti-fungal medications of which there
are many. Now, all this said, there are some issues for you. Your ammonia and
nitrite levels are insanely high. Too many fish in too immature an aquarium.
While I respect the fact you used BioSpira, that isn't carte blanche to just add
a whole bunch of fish without thinking any more than simply passing your driving
test makes you a good driver. What you SHOULD have done was add one or two very
hardy fish, such as one or two female Trichogaster trichopterus (the males are
very aggressive and not worth keeping in small community tanks). You'd then let
the tank run for the next few weeks, testing the nitrite and ammonia levels
every few days. If things stayed good, i.e., those tests came out at zero, you'd
add a couple more fish, and so on across a two or three month period. A two-week
period for adding everything simply isn't acceptable, and certainly not if you
have an ammonia reading of 1 mg/l -- that's basically lethal to fish, and your
stock will soon be dead. What else? Colisa lalia is a fish I cannot recommend
anyone keeping, and the specimen you had with a blister on its head could quite
easily have died from the dreaded Dwarf Gourami Disease, a virus with no known
cure. The virus is found in over 20% of the Colisa lalia exported from Singapore
and is incredibly infectious, meaning that practically every Dwarf Gourami on
the market is likely to be infected by the time you go shopping for them. Buying
these fish is a waste of money, frankly. Next up, there is not much chance that
your Epalzeorhynchos bicolor is going to be a good idea in a 30-gallon tank.
These fish are very aggressive and territorial, and at minimum they need a tank
100 cm in length before they become even close to tolerant of tankmates. So, to
summarise, I suspect you have too many fish in a tank that is too immature
and/or are chronically overfeeding. I wouldn't put any money on the Colisa lalia
living long, and the Epalzeorhynchos bicolor will gradually become more annoying
as it matures (that's if it doesn't jump out, of course). I suppose I should
make the point Pimelodus pictus is a *schooling* fish that should be kept in
groups of at least three specimens, but your tank is not a good place for this
species right now and I'd not expect your specimen to last for much longer. Hope
this helps, Neale.>
Re: Is fungus infectious?
2/1/08
Thanks for the candid feedback; there is just so much conflicting
information in books and on the web, that it's really difficult to know what to
do. I'll treat the tank for fungus, and do my best - so far there are no signs
of distress from the fish, but your advice is well heeded and I'll keep you
posted.
<Ave! Glad the information was useful. Good luck to you and your fish, and
please get in touch if things don't improve. Cheers, Neale.>
|
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Tuberculosis, FW
bacterial and goldfish dis. f's 1/25/08
Hello there, I'm hoping that you can help me with a problem I've
been having with my fish tank. I have been keeping a fairly good diary
of everything over the past 2 years that I have had the tank so can give
you pretty thorough information.
<OK.>
The tank is 60 gallons with a 60 gallon filter in it.
<What in heaven's name is a "60 gallon filter"? If you mean, the
manufacturer states the tank is suitable for up to 60 gallons, that's
fine. But I will make this point: manufacturers universally give "best
case" scenarios when selling filters, for the same reason motor
manufacturers quote glowing fuel consumption rates you'll never see in
real life. As soon as you put media in a filter, or worse, put the
filter under the tank so it has to pump against gravity, your filter's
turnover drops. So if you have a 60 gallon tank, you need to be careful.
I'd always recommend getting *at least* the next size up in a filter
range for a tank of any given size, rather than trying to scrape by on
the *absolute upper limit* of one particular filter. In other words, get
a filter with not less than 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover
per hour. I'd recommend 6x for dirty fish like Goldfish, plecs and
cichlids.>
H20 measurements have always been good.
<Meaning what? Please give us NUMBERS... lots of people thing their
water quality or water chemistry is good, and then it turns out it's
rubbish. For example: Goldfish need hard, alkaline water, yet lots of
people don't know that, and wonder why their little Goldies keep getting
sick in apparently clean but soft/acid water!>
25% H20 changes once a week.
<Good. More would be better though!>
Average number of fish in the tank at any give time is 5 fancy goldfish
(average length is about 1.5-2 inches not counting the tail), 3 Cory's
and a Pleco.
<Odd mix, but what the heck! If they get along, great.>
There is also quite a bit of plant life in the tank which all the fish
love.
<I bet. Goldfish tend to be herbivores when given the chance.>
Tried a couple of Apple snails but they didn't do too well - I think the
water was a bit too hard for them maybe... they are harder to diagnose
than fish.
<No, this wasn't the situation here. For a start, Apple Snails want
water that is as hard as possible, like snails generally. Usually Apples
fail because they get harassed, and can't eat or get damaged in the
process. Many fish will nibble on their tentacles, scrape on the shell,
or whatever. Best kept in their own tanks, where they're great fun.>
I feed the fish almost exclusively peas, and occasionally some soaked
fish flakes.
<Sounds good, though the Corydoras would doubtless like a bit of protein
every day rather than just vegetables. Corydoras do indeed eat a lot of
algae and decaying plant matter in the wild, but they're also
micro-carnivores, taking insect larvae and worms of various types.
Vegetarian flake food (sold for livebearers) and algae wafers (sold for
plecs) would work great for ALL your fish.>
Temperature is about 78 degrees.
<Slightly warmer than I'd go for this collection. Does depend on the
Corydoras species being kept though. The genus Corydoras ranges across
subtropical to tropical environments. Peppered and Bearded Corydoras for
example prefer cooler conditions than most tropical fish, around 20C/68F
being just right for them. I'd tend towards the 24C/75F level if keeping
Fancy Goldfish with low-end tropicals just to balance warmth and oxygen
within a safe zone for all the fish.>
Other than that I have had some goldfish live for the whole 2+years I've
had the tank with not much in the way of any symptoms, and some live for
only a week. before showing distress. I always use the salt quarantine
method with in conjunction with melafix before adding new fish.
<Not a big fan of Melafix.>
After the quarantine period, I add them to the main tank. Some survive,
some die quickly, some last a couple of months. In general, the more
exotic the variety, the more unwieldy the body type, the sooner they
die... though Plecos and catfish are susceptible as well.
<This really isn't normal. If you're losing even 10% of the new fish
you're buying, that's a far greater mortality than normal. Goldfish
should have, easily, a 95% survival rate within the first year, and
Plecs about the same, maybe even better. All else being equal, if you're
seeing dramatic losses in fish, then you have to check two things: water
chemistry and water quality.>
Some will start spending all their time at the top going for the
oxygen-rich air; some will hide behind plants or in a corner or sit on
the bottom having a hard time breathing; some will develop a fungus or
ich or septicemia.
<All consistent with poor water quality.>
Some have never shown any symptoms in the 2 years. Many will develop a
bent spine in the latter stages of their decline. I used to think that
all of these symptoms were the problem and have concentrated on curing
these, which is easy enough but the fish themselves never really
recovered and eventually died for no outward signs. About a month ago
however, one of the fish I've had for 2 years started developing bumps
under his scales. He is my biggest fish at 2.5 inches and some of the
bumps were as large as a small pea! I would look at him the next day
however, and the bump would be gone, but another one or two would have
appeared somewhere else! It was very disconcerting to see a rotating
series of bumps on him every day when I checked in on him. I have since
seen these bumps open up with a type of... I'll say it looks like yellow
processed cheese. After the cheesy stuff squishes out at detaches itself
(takes about an hour or 2), you would never know there was a problem,
though a new bump will quickly start forming if it hasn't before the
other one burst. I am able to keep these bumps at bay by feeding all the
fish (I no longer bother taking this fish out of the tank into
quarantine) an erythromycin based gel that I mix in with their peas. I
can feed this to them for 2 weeks, but a day after I stop, the bumps
return for the one fish and some of the other fish start showing signs
of sickness - breathing at the surface or sitting on the bottom. The
fish with the cheesy blisters never seems to be suffering too much - he
has always been pretty hardy but you can tell it is getting harder for
him to swim and he isn't quite as energetic... though always ready to
eat!
<Sounds like some sort of systemic bacterial infection... Aeromonas or
something similar. That's why the erythromycin is helping. But the
bottom line is that these things almost only ever happen in tanks with
chronic problems, typically poor, or at least variable, water quality.>
After spending a lot of time reading on the net - your site and others -
I have decided that it is probably tuberculosis and that treating
individual fish is probably not the answer anymore - I have to treat the
whole tank.
<Unlikely Fish TB; Fish TB is almost entirely an issue in marine aquaria
rather than freshwater aquaria, and even then it isn't common. Most of
the time people *think* it's Fish TB, it's actually something much more
prosaic. Regardless, identifying bacterial infections is virtually
impossible for the home aquarist, unless you happen to be a
microbiologist as well, in which case take a swab and ID the bacteria
under a microscope.>
I live in Canada and I know that some medications for fish are no longer
available here... I'm not sure which, however.
<Can't speak for Canada, but in the UK at least, pet owners can only get
antibiotics from the Vet. Not expensive, but it is another step in the
chain. In the US, antibiotics have traditionally been more readily
available to pet owners under brand names such as Maracyn.>
I was hoping you could give me some feedback - do you think that
tuberculosis is the problem.
<No.>
How should I treat the tank?
<First tell me something about the water quality and water chemistry.
Not what you think the results are (so don't tell me "fine" or "good")
but tell me precisely what your test kits report, i.e., the pH, the
hardness in degrees dH or KH, the nitrite in mg/l, and (ideally) the
ammonia in mg/l as well. Tell me the turnover of the filter in
litres/gallons per hour -- this'll be written on the pump somewhere
("gph" or "lph" usually).>
Oh, one important note may be that there are only 6 goldfish and 2
Cory's currently in the tank.
Thanks,
Matt
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Tuberculosis (RMF, feel free to comment) 1/25/08
Wow! You guys are fast!
<One tries...>
I feel like a bad fish keeper now.
<We all make mistakes and we all go wrong. What matters is learning and
changing.>
Here is some more specific data on the aquarium:
The filter is an Aquaclear 70 that can filter 300 gallons per hour and
hangs on to the back of the tank. I don't have it cranked though as the
goldfish are so small that if they swim to near where the water comes in
it can throw them to the front of the tank. There are 3 inserts in it -
Aquaclear Foam, Biomax, and Ammonia remover.
<Not a big fan of Ammonia Remover (i.e., Zeolite). In a proper aquarium,
biological filtration is altogether more effective and reliable. Zeolite
needs to be replaced as often as once a week! Few people do that, and
often tanks with Zeolite in the filter have unsafe levels of ammonia
because of it. Mostly, Zeolite is a marketing gimmick: it sounds useful,
but outside of a certain set of situations (e.g., hospital tanks) it
really isn't useful.>
Upon checking my fish diary and in-tank thermometer again the
temperature in the tank is actually at 76 degrees. This is the lowest
temperature the heater will keep the water. I have the heater set to 72
degrees, which is it's lowest setting, but it doesn't correspond to that
temperature in the tank which is always at 76 degrees. It has been
stable at that setting since I purchased the heater about 2 years ago.
Before that the temperature of the tank always fluctuated and we had
constantly spawning goldfish.
<OK.>
As for the water measurements, here they are and they haven't really
fluctuated much from these norms in the past 2 years:
pH is 7.6 (though will vary between 7.4 and 7.8 over time)
KH is 120mg/L
<A little less KH than I'd like with Goldfish, and explains somewhat the
fluctuations in pH.>
GH is 180 mg/L
Ammonia is 0.1-0.2 mg/L
Nitrite is less that 0.1 mg/L
<Here's your problem: Ammonia and nitrite should both be zero, all the
time. "Less than 0.1 mg/l" isn't acceptable. It HAS TO BE zero. No
deviations. If it's like this all the time, that's why your fish are so
unhealthy. Too many fish, too much food, or inadequate filtration. Pick
and choose from those, because they're what's on the table as far as
explanation goes. Do read Bob's article on establishing proper Bio
filtration, because that's your next job:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
I'd streamline the filter by chunking out any media other than medium to
fine sponges or ceramics. What you want is optimal bio filtration.>
These are all the measurements I have the ability to take with the test
kit I have.
I await your further instructions on how to make my fish happier!
Cheers,
Matt
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Tuberculosis
(RMF, feel free to comment) 1/25/08
OK, so I can do more frequent or larger H2O changes and maybe feed
the fish a little bit less and add a smaller, 2nd filter perhaps to
increase the water quality.
<Likely need to do ALL those things. Try them out and see if the nitrite
and ammonia drop to zero. If they do, BINGO! You've cracked
fishkeeping.>
Should I not worry about treating the tank as far as the apparent
bacterial infection goes because it should disappear with better water
quality?
<Need to do both. Without better water quality, the fish won't stay
healthy, regardless of how often you treat. Even if you fix the water
quality, the bacteria are in your fish now, and need to be dealt with.>
Thanks again,
Matt
<Cheers, Neale.> |
Fungused clown loach
1/25/08
Hi I have two Clown Loaches and today I saw they seem to have white mold
growing on them am not Sure whats happening but they still seem to be active
like usual. I was wondering if its the water or do they have an infection. thank
you
<Mold on fish is extremely bad. It's likely a Fungal infection if it looks like
fluffy white threads, or Finrot if the white stuff is dead tissue and you
(usually) see some bloody tissue nearby. In either case, early treatment is
ESSENTIAL. Furthermore, both of these diseases are 99% of the time related to
either poor water quality or physical damage. So you need to check the living
conditions of your Loaches before doing anything else. Two Clowns will need a
tank well in excess of 200 litres/55 gallons after they are anything more than
pups, given that this species is both [a] big and [b] sensitive to poor water
quality. Secondly, they are very intolerant of dissolved metabolites in the
water. At the very least, check the nitrite level. If you detect any nitrite at
all, that's too much, and it means you have insufficient filtration, an
overstocked tank, or are drastically overfeeding the fish. Now, treating Clown
loaches is complicated by the fact that many off-the-shelf medications will kill
them as easily as they'll cure them, so you have to do your research before
dumping any old potion into the fish tank. Do read the FAQs on the Clown Loach
disease, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/clnlchdis.htm
Cheers, Neale.>
Fallow tank, Dropsy, FW,
Infectious Dis. 11/25/2007
Hi Crew,
<Hello Rachel,>
Here I am writing in yet again! About a month ago I lost both the Betta and the
African Dwarf frog in my freshwater tank to bacterial infection. The frog had
mildly injured its nose and one of its hands, probably by diving into the gravel
at high speed the way he was fond of doing. I'm guessing one or both wounds got
infected. He developed dropsy, and he died despite quarantine and treatment with
hydrogen peroxide, Neosporin on the wounds, and even a needle aspiration to help
take the pressure off his internal organs (all of which I researched before
trying, of course--and the needle aspiration, while a little drastic, did seem
to help him perk up and fight a few days longer). I did my best to keep the tank
extra-clean to keep the Betta healthy, but I suspect he'd already been infected
internally for awhile--he got dropsy too, and by that time I'd gotten my hands
on some antibiotics (the local pet store closed, and as I'm a university student
with no car, it took awhile to get any from further away). But, despite those in
combination with aquarium salt, he died too.
<Oh dear.>
It's my understanding that it's pretty hard to nurse a creature back to health
once it's developed dropsy, so although I'm sad they didn't make it, I tried my
best.
<With small animals, yes, this does tend to be true. By the time dropsy is
apparent in them, the internal organs have been damaged beyond repair.>
(The Betta was two and a half years old, too, which I hear is not too shabby a
lifespan.)
<In the wild they are basically annuals. In captivity, some people get the odd
Betta to last 3 or 4 years even.>
If you see anywhere that I went wrong with in trying, please let me know!
My end point in writing is to ask about the tank now. It's been fallow for three
or four weeks, just live plants and probably some limpets still left in there.
Would this have been a bacteria that would've died with no host, or is it still
floating around in the water?
<To some extent the bacteria will still be there. Secondary infection-causing
bacteria are largely bacteria that potter about harmlessly at all times, and
only become a problem when wounds allow them to enter the fish. Think about
things like E. coli in humans: absolutely harmless and indeed essential where
they live in the lower intestine. But if they happen to get somewhere else, like
the urinary tract, they cause potentially harmful infections. It's the same with
the Finrot bacterium Aeromonas hydrophila (which causes Red-leg in amphibians
and stomach upsets in humans). Normally it does its thing in the water, feeding
on whatever organic matter it finds. On a healthy animal, the immune system has
no problems killing it off. But when an animal is weakened, e.g., by the damage
caused by ammonia in the water, the immune system cannot function 100%, and the
Aeromonas hydrophila overwhelm exposed tissues where they feed on proteins,
particularly haemoglobin. In other words, assuming your new livestock are happy
and healthy, then the bacteria likely won't cause any major problems.
Disinfecting the tank is certainly one option, but you would have to cycle the
biological filter again. Even in this case, bacteria will get in eventually
anyway. They just do, and trying to fight against bacteria is usually a waste of
time because they run this planet, not us, whatever we might like to think. So
far better to accept the bacteria for what they are -- opportunists that will
take advantage of any situation they can -- and simply focus on keeping healthy
livestock that can deal with the bacteria naturally.>
I'd gladly scrub the tank down, but haven't yet as I was hoping to keep the
beneficial bacteria going. I didn't want to put anything else in there if
there's a chance of a latent bacterial population lurking around.
<The bacteria will certainly be laying around in the water and substrate and
filter media. Running a course of anti-Finrot/anti-Fungus medication won't do
any harm, and might be worth a shot in this instance. Do also bear in mind the
filter bacteria will have died back in the interim because of the reduction in
ammonia for them to "eat". So before adding new livestock, you may want to add
an ammonia source for a week or two first, to get them back into fighting
fettle. Adding a pinch of flake per day, or leaving a bit of seafood to decay at
the bottom of the tank, should do the trick. The bacteria don't care where the
ammonia comes from, and if its from bacterial decay of uneaten food, that's fine
with them. Obviously test for ammonia or nitrite afterwards to make sure
everything is working before you add new fish.>
Thanks for being there as always,
Rachel
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Sick fish... Guppies,
Columnaris? 11/6/07
Ok I have a 75 gallon fish tank perfect ammonia ph Everything!
<... Punctuation...>
However I have lost many female guppies to this weird disease, it only happens
to females and it comes over there belly like over there gravid spot up to their
back and its their scales that sort of puff up and lift off their body yet don't
fall out.
<Yikes!>
Eventually I separate them and then after a while they die. I have given them a
bit of salt everyday and some quick cure
<Toxic>
I lost about 5 to 7 guppies and for a while it went away, they had a billion
babies ,and then all of the sudden it came back I don't get it. I thought for a
while it was ich because they would flick themselves off rocks and stuff, but
why would it only happen to the girls and it isn't how the books describe it.
also I have one female that has been with me since the beginning and about 2 to
3 weeks ago she got this round golden thing under her skin on her back. It's so
odd and now it's like starting to bulge out of her back. please help I have
searched every here nobody can tell what it is. I love my guppies and don't want
anymore to die. thank you.
<Your situation sounds very much like "Columnaris" disease... see the Net, WWM
re Chondrococcus... likely Neomycin sulfate... Bob Fenner>
Re: sick fish. Guppies, Columnaris? Child? 11/07/07
Thank you I Have kept the most recent sick guppy and the scales have stopped
protruding yet they are still white and a bit weird looking. I have not given
her any salt for a while and she looks better,
<See WWM re salt use>
I was starting to think it was dropsy but I have never seen a guppy with dropsy
or only happening to females?
<No>
but I'll keep searching. As for the fish that had the golden bulge on her back I
checked her out today and it was red and it looked like it exploded in her back
you can see a blood streak in her back stretching to her belly, what happened!
was it a sea tick or something ?
<... no... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppydisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above.
Bob Fenner>
|
Help me with my goldfish... Error
in placing "feeders" in a tank... 10/24/07
Hi, my nephew won these fish at a carnival and I just so happened to
have started a tank about a month prior with only a algae eater in it
<I hope not a CAE... please see the Net, WWM re Gyrinocheilus aymonieri>
and he asked if I could add these two fish to my tank. So I did,
<A mistake... such "feeder, comets" are notoriously unhealthy...
invariably infested with a few types of parasites, infectious agents...
now your system is as well>
and now the one fish has black spots on him and is losing all of his
fins, they are deteriorating. And as of this morning, he is getting a
white egg textured film on top of his head and off the back of his tail.
I am new to the whole goldfish thing, so could you help me find a cure.
thanks so much!!
Amber
<Much to relate to you re developing a course of treatment here... As
stated, your whole tank, all the fishes there... are subject to a myriad
of pathogens... Best for you to start reading... Here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshdisease.htm
and the linked files above... till you understand what you've done, what
you're up against... You will need to sequentially treat the system, all
fishes for bacterial, protozoan, worm et al. diseases... Bob Fenner> |
|
 |
Pleco L260 w/ Fungus... real
"Fix"es 10/21/07
Hello,
I have a Queen Arabesque Pleco, my daughter has named Darling, in a 44 gal
planted tank. All of the Nitrates, Nitrites, Ph Levels are where they should be.
The temp of the tank is 79ish. There are a School of Tetra (15 members),
Rasboras (5 members), 2 shrimp, and a Clown Pleco also in residence in the tank.
Everyone else seems to be ok.
I noticed a couple of small non-symmetrical whitish fuzzy spots on one side
(only on her right side) of the Queen (located at the tip of her tail, on the
shaft of her tail and on her side). I talked to a couple of fish guys, to get
ideas on treatment. I was told that is sounds like Fungus and told me to use
MelaFix and PimaFix (they would not hurt the other tank mates). The tank has
been in treatment for 6 days (as of 10/20/07). I also got on the web to see what
I could find. My conclusion is that she has fungus. These do not seem to be
working. Her fuzzy spots seem to be getting larger and now she seems to have a
film covering a portion of her side. She is still active and her belly looks
like she is eating. What types of cures are there to use. I do not have a
quarantine/treatment tank to put her in. So I will have to treat the whole tank.
I also have "Ich Attack" by kordon, which is 100% organic and treats diseased
caused by Ich, Fungus, Protozoans and Dinoflagellates. Which I have yet to use
out of fear of killing the others. Ich Attack does not speak to its use on
Plecos or scaleless fish. MelaFix and PimaFix say they are safe for Plecos.
Can you help me please!
Sincerely Steve
<Steve, most of us here at WWM consider Melafix and Pimafix a waste of time.
They may have some value against minor infections or as prophylactics where fish
are slightly damaged but not infected with Finrot or fungus. But as a treatment
against established Finrot and fungus, they have limited and very variable
usefulness. For treating fungus I would be using a standard anti-fungal
medication. I happen to like eSHa 2000, a Dutch medication widely sold here in
the UK and in my experienced perfectly safe with sensitive fish. I have used in
several times in tanks containing things like pufferfish as well as numerous
different types of catfish (Corydoras, Synodontis, and Panaque, in this case a
Royal Plec, but the same genus as your Clown Plec). If you can get this
medication in your country, then definitely try it out. One thing I like about
eSHa 2000 is that it treats Finrot, Fungus, and Mouth Fungus simultaneously,
removing the need to diagnose these different but easily confused infections.
There are other medications that will also work against all three (Interpet
Anti-Fungus and Finrot, Seachem ParaGuard etc.). Ask your retailer. If you stick
with Melafix and Pimafix, I'm concerned (read: certain) your catfish will simply
die. The whole "medications are bad for catfish" discussion seems to be very
ambiguous, and largely based on old fashioned medications less commonly used.
Many brands of medication will specifically say "safe on sensitive fish" or
similar, and these are worth using. I can only speak from experience, which is
that used properly, medications don't seem to have harmed any catfish I've
looked after. Do remove carbon from the filter, and don't forget to increase
aeration. Have a read of the catfish disease FAQs:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/catfshdisfaqs.htm
. Cheers, Neale>
Re: Pleco L260 w/ Fungus
10/21/07
Neale,
Thanks for the info. I am running out this morning to try to obtain some new
Meds. She has even got worse since I sent my original email. I will update you
either way on the outcome. Lets hope it is a good one. She is a beautiful fish
and a member of the family.
Thanks again and Cheers,
Steve
<Steve, catfish are basically tough, so you have a wide window of opportunity to
turn things around. Treat swiftly, keep tabs on the water quality, increase
aeration, and pray to the Fish Gods. Yes, these big Loricariid catfish can
become "one of the family". My Panaque has been with me since I graduated, which
is substantially longer than any of my girlfriends! And in their own way, they
do become tame and even friendly. So it's worth making an effort with them. Good
luck, Neale>
Moving Betta Fish to a Bigger
Tank/Fin rot 10/21/07
Hello,
<Hello!>
I got a betta fish about a month ago- my college had an event and they gave away
bettas for free. The bowl he came in seemed "too small" so I got him a larger
(half gallon) bowl, which he's been living in since then. However, reading on
your site (I know, I should have done my research *first* but I assumed that
since people in my dorm in previous years had bettas in those little bowls that
it was okay for them) I got him a 2.5 gallon tank with a heater and filter (it's
a charcoal filter type, rather than a sponge...is that okay?) and some largish
cloth plants.
<Carbon isn't really useful in this aquarium. You're going to need to change 50%
of the water weekly (at least) and doing that will remove the dissolved organic
wastes through dilution. Since carbon is used to remove those wastes, the carbon
is rendered obsolete. Carbon also removes medications: you cannot use fish
medicine in an aquarium with carbon. So, replace the carbon with *biological*
filter media instead. Sponge would be ideal, but ceramic hoops or filter wool
will work too.>
My question is, from what I've seen you're supposed to cycle the tank before
putting the fish in, but that can take up to 6 weeks.
<Yes.>
But it seems like even an uncycled heated and larger tank would be better for
Kappa (my betta) than his small cold bowl.
<Correct.>
Is it safe to put him in now, and just change the water often (I'm thinking
every 3 days with a 50% change- in his old bowl I was doing 100% changes every 3
days), or is it better to wait for the new tank to cycle?
<Your plan sounds ideal. Move the fish, do water changes regularly, and test the
nitrite levels periodically to check things are OK. When fish are exposed to
high ammonia and nitrite levels, they are prone to fungus and finrot, so you
want to keep them as low as possible, preferably zero.>
Also, I put the plastic plant and the gravel from his old bowl in, with new
gravel and a couple larger fabric plants- will that help the tank cycle faster?
<Marginally, if at all.>
(I don't know if there was anything beneficial on them, in order to get the
waste off the gravel I'd been swishing it in tap water when I did his water
changes, and rinsing off the plant
<Arggghh! Never wash anything under the tap you want bacteria to live on. Always
wash biologically active filter media in a bucket or bowl of water taken from
the aquarium.>
I did notice some sort of stringy whitish stuff on the plant though, is that
good or bad growth?)
<Likely algae (if green) or bacteria (if grey/white). Either way, harmless
though perhaps unsightly.>
I don't have any tests for ammonia/nitrates/nitrites yet, but I am getting some
as soon as I can find them (the store I went to was out of a lot of stuff).
<Get the simple combination dip-sticks. They're cheap (here around £10 for 25
tests) and you can slice them down the middle to make twice as many tests. Each
dip-stick has nitrite, ammonia, nitrate, pH and hardness (at least) making them
extremely useful for quickly judging the conditions in the tank.>
I'm especially concerned about leaving Kappa in the old bowl because he's had a
chronic case of fin rot since about a week after I got him. At first he lost
about a quarter inch of the 'webbing' on his tail, and I got him some aquarium
salt and tetracycline gel-food medicine.
<The salt detoxifies nitrite, which is useful when a tank is immature. I'm not
convinced Tetracycline food is beneficial, given it is an antibiotic for
internal infections, and Finrot is an external infection. I think you need to
add a Finrot medication to the water.>
The medicine said to give him 5 drops per serving (2x a day) but I could never
get him to eat more than 2 drops (the brand was "aquarium products gel-Tek
tetracycline", for what it's worth). It seemed to stop the fin rot, and it
started growing back but as soon as the medication period (3 days) ended, within
a day the tail had rotted back to about where it was the first time.
<Curing the symptoms -- Finrot -- while not fixing the cause -- poor water
quality -- locks you into a cycle where every time you cure the fish, it gets
sick again soon after.>
I tried the tetracycline again and this time he'd hardly eat it (I think he just
doesn't like it, he loves the Hikari pellets and frozen bloodworms that are his
normal food). The rot didn't really get any better, so I stopped for a couple of
days then switched to Jungle Fungus buddies (which said they also treat fin
rot). That has helped more, but by this time his tail is about half the length
it used to be.
<Oh.>
Anyway, the tail has been stable for a couple of days but after I switched Kappa
into the 2.5 tank, and he swam around for an hour or so, the webbing that had
been regrowing has fallen out again. Will the better conditions help him (he's
still on the Jungle medication), or do I need to do something else to get this
cleared up?
<I think at the moment you're "running to stand still" because high levels of
ammonia and nitrite in the aquarium are putting immense stress on the fish.>
(I've been trying to find Maracyn (2) since that seems to be highly recommended
on your site, but I can't find it in either of the pet stores here.) Other than
that he seems healthy and active- he was very curious about everything in the
new tank and comes over to me every time I get near. Also, pretty much every
time I changed his bowl water, he would make a bubble nest, so he couldn't have
been too unhappy...?
<In other words: when water quality improves, he's happy; when water gets bad
again, he stops being happy.>
Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to give as much detail as possible.
Thanks for your time,
--Kyra
<Do water tests, replace carbon with true biological filter media, ensure
ammonia and nitrite settle down to zero levels. Don't overfeed, and do regular
water changes. Keep treating the finrot. Once the water is good, you'll see the
finrot won't come back. Do read the articles here at WWM about Bettas. Cheers,
Neale.>
Re: Moving Betta Fish to a Bigger Tank/Fin rot
10/22/07
Dear Neale,
Thanks so much for your help and the quick response. I'll be looking for a new filter and ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests for Kappa's tank. You guys run an amazing site, and I'm sure I'll be referencing it a lot in the future.
Thanks again,
--Kyra
<Kyra, thanks for the kind words, which I'll be sure and pass on to the Crew. Good luck with your Betta! Neale>
|
Albino Cory and fin rot –
10/18/07
Hi Bob--
<Well, it's Neale right now; hope that'll do.>
I hope you are doing great.
As always, let me please start with thanking you for the WWM web site and
opportunity to share my concerns / problems / questions with other aquarists.
<Cheers!>
I do have a question about and a problem with fin rot in Albino Cory.
<Ah, Finrot... almost always an issue with water quality. If it ever gets caused
by other stuff, that's news to me. So, always review water quality while
treating Finrot.>
Few months ago my little Albino got that disease. In the aftermath of that fin
rot my Albino lost its dorsal and pectoral fins... ;--(
I acknowledge I was afraid to medicate the fish assuming that changing water
will be much more beneficial than dropping medication... Perhaps, I was wrong.
<Indeed you were wrong. It's a 2-step process. Water changes are essential to
maintaining good water quality. No question. 50% weekly is my recommendation.
BUT, while using a medication, you can't do water changes. Water changes would
(obviously) dilute the medication, reducing its efficacy. This is also why you
remove carbon from the filter (if you're using it, and you shouldn't be in my
opinion). Carbon removes medication, reducing its efficacy as well. Regardless,
it's not an "either/or" situation -- you do water changes to prevent problems,
and use medications (stopping water changes) when problems arise. When the
medication course is finished, resume water changes.>
On a regular basis, every Wednesday and Saturday, I change 30% of my 25-gallon
tank water...
The pH range reads between 6.8 and 7.0. The water temperature is ca. 76 F.
The ammonia level is 0.
<All sounds reasonable. I personally find Nitrite more informative than Ammonia
though; ammonia can come from inorganic sources (e.g., tap water) and its
absence tells you nothing about the Nitrifying bacteria that turn Nitrite into
Nitrate.>
I keep lots of plants (Cabomba & banana) and make sure the water circulation is
quite fast (I have one Emperor filter + one small Hagen filter for 10-gallon
tank and 2 oxygen stones).
<10 gallons a little on the small side for Corydoras paleatus (which is likely
what you have).>
I am not sure what I am doing wrong, but there must be something I do not get
right...
I noticed that my Albino started loosing its caudal fins (I observed the fin
became quite ragged and 1/2 "eaten").
<How often do you clean the substrate? It's often said that dirty substrates can
promote secondary infections on benthic fish. No idea if this is true or not,
but stirring the gravel every few weeks before doing a water change can't do any
harm, so long as you don't uproot the plants.>
At this point I have to acknowledge that I am clueless ;--( and desperately
looking for help, before the entire caudal disappears.
<I see.>
Do you think that I should place Albino in a hospital tank and treat it for the
fin rot?
<No, Cories like to be in groups, and keeping them alone will stress the fish in
question. Besides, you may as well treat the tank.>
If so, what is the best medication (least harmful) I could offer to that little
fish.
<Cories are fairly tolerant of medications compared with more sensitive catfish.
So any combination Finrot/Fungus medication will work here. Ideally, get
something safe with sensitive fish and/or invertebrates, but it really doesn't
matter too much. I happen to find eSHa 2000 very good with sensitive fish, but
as far as I know it's only sold here in Europe. Mardel Maracyn is one
alternative you might consider.>
Sorry to "bother" you with my question... I hope you will be able to guide
me toward the right answer.
Thanks much in advance for your feedback.
Anna
<Hope this helps, Neale>
Re: Albino Cory and fin rot –
10/18/07
Thanks much, Neale.
I will try the medication on my display tank... Though, I am bit worried about
my plants ;--( and beneficial bacterias if I do the process in the
main tank.
<Used properly, modern medications won't harm filter or plants. Just read the
instructions carefully, and follow them to the letter.>
I forgot to mention that I do clean gravel 2 x a week -- along with water
changes (first gravel, than water).
I noticed that my pH changes with - or + 0.2 value. That looks like a lot.
<Hmm... that's not a dangerous change in itself, but it's the rate of change
that matters more. Is this across one week, or six weeks, or what? If on a
weekly basis, I'd be slightly concerned, but if over six weeks or more, I
wouldn't be too bothered. All aquaria become acidic over time. Water changes
reverse the pH drop, and increasing carbonate hardness (KH) slows the pH drop
down. For a standard aquarium, a hardness of 5-10 degrees KH should keep the
water chemistry stable between water changes. 50% water changes weekly should
reverse any pH drops before they become serious.>
Maybe I feed the fish too much ;--(
<Always a possibility. Review the articles on feeding fish here at WWM or in
your aquarium book. As a rule, one or two pinches of food per day are fine, and
each pinch should be so small that all the food is eaten in 2 minutes. Catfish
should be given their own portion of food, preferably at night. For a small
school of Corydoras, a small pinch of sinking pellets or a single Pleco algae
wafer per night will be fine.>
Perhaps, this may be a reason why my Albino got sick ;--(
<Overfeeding compromises water quality; poor water quality causes fish to get
sick.>
Anyway, I will try Maracyn.
Hopefully it will help.
<Yes I hope so too; good luck!>
Again, thanks much for your help. I greatly appreciate your insights.
Greetings from NYC,
Anna
<Cheers, Neale>
Re: Albino Cory and fin rot
10/20/07
Thanks much, Neale.
I got the answer -- I feed my fish too much ;--(
The pH changes occur within a week!
The cycle becomes apparent -- too much food increases acidity. Water changes
drop that factor, which increases again over the course of a week due too
increased amount of food in the gravel.
I am going to read more about proper feeding.
Thanks much for your help.
;--)
ANNA
<Ah, yes, overfeeding can cause acidification. But also check other factors.
Bogwood is a notorious acidifier of aquaria, especially if it hasn't been
"cured" properly before use. Anyway, do try halving the amount of food you use,
and see how that changes the pH. You might consider adding a chemical buffer to
the system to prevent pH changes. Small amounts of crushed coral or crushed
oyster shell places in the filter will do the trick nicely. As these dissolve,
they raise the carbonate hardness (measured in degrees KH). For a standard
community aquarium, you want a KH around 5-10 degrees. In a small aquarium, half
a cup of crushed coral should do the trick, perhaps even less. You don't need
masses, since you're not after a hard water aquarium like you'd use for a
Tanganyikan cichlid tank. But a little extra carbonate hardness, just enough to
inhibit rapid pH changes, would be a cheap and effective "insurance policy".
Cheers, Neale.>
Sick guppies. Columnaris?
10/17/07
Hi,
We have had quite a few guppies over the past few months. We recently introduced
some new guppy fish and ever since they have been dying, most have developed a
white velvety/mouldy substance on their sides. At first we thought it could have
been velvet disease however upon further reading we have come to doubt this as
velvet is described to be yellowish in colour and this is pure white, we have
also used velvet control treatment, however to no avail. Also one of the females
has developed large white rings around her eyes which look like they could be
some sort of fungal infection.
<Mmm, much more likely bacterial>
I have searched the internet and cannot find anything relating to this.
<Look for the term "Columnaris"... or the genus Chondrococcus... and "fish
disease">
We have a catfish, a spotted Plec and three black harlequins in our tank which
we have had sense the tank was first set up which have remained unaffected. We
have done tests on our ammonia levels, PH, nitrate which have all been fine. Can
you think of anything which this could be and what is causing it?
<Was likely either introduced with some livestock... and/or favored by "stress",
some sort of deficiency...>
We are going to completely change the water tonight and clean the tank which we
are hoping will get rid of any infection in the water. Any advice would be much
appreciated,
Best regards Emily and John
P.S they have also had more babies recently, will they be affected do you know?
<Please see this piece: http://aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/17/2/333.pdf
re Neomycin, Polymixin use... Needs to be addressed ASAP. Bob Fenner>
Life after fin rot 10/14/07
Hello Guys,
I just had a fish with fin rot which I removed from my tank. My nitrate is 0 and
there is a drop of ammonia that I am working on. The tank is pretty clean and I
have two questions. Is it possible that the fin rot came from stress alone (he
was being chased a little by the other fish)? Also do I have to worry the other
fish can catch fin rot even after I removed him?
Thanks,
David
<David, Finrot is almost always associated with water quality issues. So
assuming you get the Ammonia down to Zero, you won't have to worry about Finrot.
Fish don't "catch" Finrot; changes (deterioration) in water quality brings it
on. Cheers, Neale>
Betta Fin Rot
8/26/07
Tom-
<<Hi, Mark.>>
You helped me out with my betta before and you're advice was very helpful.
<<Glad to hear it. Thanks.>>
Unfortunately, my fish is getting fin rot. I have tried Melafix and it doesn't
seem to be helping.
<<Not likely to, Mark. Might help the healing process but won’t provide a
“cure”.>>
I change my 10 gallon tank (filtered) once a week. I do about a 60% to 70% water
change.
<<Excellent regimen, Mark, but I’m going to ask you to “up” the frequency in
this case. Do the same water change every three or four days.>>
I add about two tspns of aquarium salt.
<<I might have mentioned the last time that Bettas are one of the very few FW
species of fish that I do recommend aquarium salt for. Increase your dosage to
one tablespoon per five gallons of water. We can cut back on this once things
are under control again.>>
I also treat the water with Aqua Plus. I have a siphon device that sucks dirt
and debris from the gravel. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks. My betta, other
than fin rot, has not displayed any other symptoms. He is very active and eating
just fine. Thanks.
<<As you’ve probably seen for yourself, Mark, Bettas will do exactly what we’d
prefer they didn’t do which is to “lounge” around on plants and/or the bottom of
the tank. Since their finnage seems to come with a built-in “bulls-eye” for
bacteria, hanging out where bacteria are most concentrated is an invitation for
problems. Clean water – something you’re handling very well – is of the utmost
importance. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, it’s not enough, though.
Give your Betta a second water change each week (same percentage of water
exchange) and increase the salt as I’ve mentioned. Put the Melafix on hold in
the meantime. I’d be surprised if you didn’t see some real improvement in a
short period of time. A final note here is that keeping the water temperature up
at around 80-82 degrees F. will assist the fish's immune system. If you've
already got a heater, this is where I'd suggest you keep it set. If not, I'd
highly recommend one.>>
Mark
<<Keep up the good work, Mark, and best of luck to you. Tom>>
Re: Betta Fin Rot
10/3/07
Hi Tom.
<<Hello, Mark.>>
Thanks again for your help. The good news is, the fin rot hasn't gotten worse.
The bad new is, my betta now has a (for lack of a better
word) bubble right behind his front side fin. It looks almost like he has a
tumor. He is not using this fin.
<<Glad to hear about the fin rot, Mark. (I confess that I’d have rather you told
me that the fins are regenerating nicely but I’ll take the “good news”,
regardless.) The “bubble” doesn’t sound particularly good on the face of things
but neither is it something, at this point, to be overly alarmed about.>>
He is eating normally and is active. I have the tank around 80 to 82 degrees.
Doing water changes at about 80% twice a week. If you have any suggestions, it
would be much appreciated.
<<Mark, I can tell you right now that what you’re currently doing is about all
that can be done, i.e. maintaining a good tank temperature and staying well –
exceptionally well – on top of the water changes. This is one of those
situations that falls into the wait-and-see category. Frequently, lumps, bubbles
or other tumor-like projections are self-limiting in nature and can/will remiss
on their own. Your pet’s immune system is going to do the work here and, again,
what you’re already doing is going to ensure its best chances. “Sick” fish stop
eating or, at the very least, “pick” at food rather than eat actively. (Bettas
are great for pick-and-spit eating habits when they're "off their feed".) This
doesn’t sound to be the case with your Betta. Likewise, they can be expected to
become lethargic (Bettas almost invariably lay on the bottom of the tank, as we
spoke of before, and all but refuse to be prodded away from their “spot” when
ill). Once again, this doesn’t appear to be your situation. From a hands-on
perspective, you’re there. Any kind of medicating would almost certainly be
fruitless and, likely counterproductive, since we have no idea what the “bubble”
is or, its cause. Stick with your current regimen.>>
-Mark
<<Thanks for the update, Mark. Wish it was all good news but an active Betta
that’s feeding well isn’t at all bad. Just have to sit this one out and hope for
the best. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Tom>>
Missing fin please help! FW Finrot, infectious dis. Gen. and goldfish
9/23/07
Hi,
I hope you can help. I have 2 goldfish, from carnivals, so I don't know what
kind. I've had them for 4 & 6 months. They seem to be very active, good eaters
that get along pretty good. I noticed tonight that my older fish seems to have
an extension on his one fin. Almost like it grew much longer and skinnier then
the other. His eyes are kind of big, but he was this way for months, so I don't
think it's an issue. I also noticed that my other fish seems to have that Nemo
stubby fin thing going on. I just noticed this, it looks like the fin is gone
except when he swims I can see the stub moving too. I don't know when or how
this happened. I watch, and look at my fish daily & often, so this jumped right
out at me as not being right. What is really weird is that both the growth and
fin lose seemed to happen recently. Can you shed any light on this? I would
appreciate any advice you have.
Thanks,
Becky
<Becky, disappearing fin membranes (the clear bits) and protruding fin rays (the
spiny bits) are classic symptoms of Finrot. This is a degenerative disease where
bacteria eat away at healthy tissue. Potentially, it can kill the fish. It is
very VERY common in tanks that are not properly filtered (or not filtered at
all, like bowls). It is also common in tanks that are overstocked. So, the first
things to do are confirm the basic conditions in the tank. Goldfish need an
aquarium containing not less than 110 litres/30 US gallons. A filter needs to be
provided, ideally rated at a turnover of 4-6 times the volume of the tank. For
example, if the tank contains 30 gallons, the filter needs to have a turnover of
30 x 4 to 30 x 6 = 120 to 180 gallons per hour. You'll normally find this number
either on the filter pump itself or else on the packaging it came with. Goldfish
are hardwater fish, so you need an aquarium with water that has a general
hardness of at least 10 degrees GH and a pH around 7.5-8.0. Other than these
modest requirements, the only other thing you need to make sure of is water
changes. These should be around 50% per week, with all new water treated with
dechlorinator. You'll find plenty more articles on goldfish elsewhere on this
site, so do have a read of them. Hope this helps, Neale>
Curved Spine TB? 9/11/07
Hi WWM Crew,
I've read and read and now have become confused. Is a curved spine a definite
telltale sign of TB or could it be a symptom of swim bladder disease or
something else? I have a convict cichlid. She is very tiny 2 inches at most.
She's about 3 years old. She was fine and a spunky little fish. There is another
adult pink convict (a male about 4 inches) in the tank who is sometimes a bully.
Most times they are compatible. They are in a 10 Gal. tank with water changes
every week. Yesterday I saw her floating on her side in a curled up position.
Her fins were moving and it seemed she was trying very hard to right herself.
When I noticed this I put her into a breeding net to keep the male away from
her. I didn't notice any visible signs of trauma. No bloating or bleeding or
missing scales/fins. I did a 75% water change and cleaned out the filter and
treated the water with Epsom salt. I didn't know fish could get TB until I
visited your site. She is very thin, no appetite and curling up as if in pain. I
feel really bad for her and want to ease her suffering. The male isn't showing
any signs of illness (yet). He keeps swimming past her outside the breeding net
though and she tries to move toward him. It's very sad. I am hoping you can help
me try to diagnose my little girl. Do you think it may be contagious and is it
possible the male will be infected too? Please help!
Thanks,
Maureen
<Hello Maureen. Just as in humans, physical deformities can be caused by any
number of reasons, and it's important not to assume that because something is
symptomatic of a particular diseases, that it's ONLY caused by that disease.
Also, Fish TB isn't the same thing as the TB humans get. Fish TB is caused by a
bacterium called Mycobacterium marinum, whereas human TB is caused by a number
of closely related species including the appropriately named Mycobacterium
tuberculosis. Fish TB is very uncommon in freshwater aquaria, and almost always
when freshwater aquarists blame fish deaths on Fish TB they're really making it
up and have no idea what killed their fish. A bit like those "internal
parasites" people mention for similar reasons, citing Fish TB amounts to nothing
more than a scapegoat alternative to actually admitting their tank was
overstocked, they used live feeder fishes, they didn't quarantine new stock, and
so on. In your case, you have a couple of problems that are likely factors. To
start with, a 10 gallon tank is not nearly big enough for convicts. I'm assuming
you're talking 10 US gallons (= 8 UK gallons, 38 litres). Even for a matched
pair of convicts you wouldn't be able to keep them in a tank that small. While
you might consider them to be small specimens, the fish don't know that, and
adults in the wild are anything up to around 15 cm long and defend territories
something of the order of 1-2 metres in diameter. Males are notoriously
belligerent to unreceptive females when kept under aquarium conditions. You have
to remember that evolution hasn't needed to come up with a "play nice" gene; in
the wild, if a female enters a male's territory but she doesn't want to breed,
she just swims away. In the aquarium, she has nowhere to go, and the male's
natural territoriality (which, in the wild, is a good thing by making him a
reliable father) ends up becoming destructive. It is entirely possible she's
received internal damage from being attacked by the male. You don't say anything
about water chemistry or quality either. Convicts need moderately hard to hard
water with a pH somewhere in the slightly alkaline range; pH 7.5-8, 10-20
degrees dH is what you're aiming for. Water quality needs to be excellent, as
just like any other cichlid, dissolved metabolites in the water do harm over the
long term. Water changes must be of the order of 50% weekly, and given your tank
is so tiny, I'd be doing two such water changes a week. Regardless, you're after
0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and nitrates ideally 20 mg/l or less and certainly not
more than 50 mg/l. Finally, diet is an issue. Convicts are omnivores, and that
means you need to include green foods in their diet as well as flake or frozen.
Algae pellets and flakes are probably the easiest things to use, but tinned
peas, Sushi Nori, spinach, blanched lettuce, and so on can all be tried. Very
few cichlids don't eat greens in the wild, and for many it provides important
vitamins as well as fibre. You may want to send along a photo so we can better
diagnose your sick fish, but in the meantime, I'd encourage you to review some
of the factors mentioned above and act accordingly. Cheers, Neale>
Betta Fin Rot
8/26/07
Tom-
<<Hi, Mark.>>
You helped me out with my betta before and you're advice was very helpful.
<<Glad to hear it. Thanks.>>
Unfortunately, my fish is getting fin rot. I have tried Melafix and it doesn't
seem to be helping.
<<Not likely to, Mark. Might help the healing process but won’t provide a
“cure”.>>
I change my 10 gallon tank (filtered) once a week. I do about a 60% to 70% water
change.
<<Excellent regimen, Mark, but I’m going to ask you to “up” the frequency in
this case. Do the same water change every three or four days.>>
I add about two tspns of aquarium salt.
<<I might have mentioned the last time that Bettas are one of the very few FW
species of fish that I do recommend aquarium salt for. Increase your dosage to
one tablespoon per five gallons of water. We can cut back on this once things
are under control again.>>
I also treat the water with Aqua Plus. I have a siphon device that sucks dirt
and debris from the gravel. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks. My betta, other
than fin rot, has not displayed any other symptoms. He is very active and eating
just fine. Thanks.
<<As you’ve probably seen for yourself, Mark, Bettas will do exactly what we’d
prefer they didn’t do which is to “lounge” around on plants and/or the bottom of
the tank. Since their finnage seems to come with a built-in “bulls-eye” for
bacteria, hanging out where bacteria are most concentrated is an invitation for
problems. Clean water – something you’re handling very well – is of the utmost
importance. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, it’s not enough, though.
Give your Betta a second water change each week (same percentage of water
exchange) and increase the salt as I’ve mentioned. Put the Melafix on hold in
the meantime. I’d be surprised if you didn’t see some real improvement in a
short period of time. A final note here is that keeping the water temperature up
at around 80-82 degrees F. will assist the fish's immune system. If you've
already got a heater, this is where I'd suggest you keep it set. If not, I'd
highly recommend one.>>
Mark
<<Keep up the good work, Mark, and best of luck to you. Tom>>
Tail/fin rot, guppies
8/26/07
Hello. I just stumbled upon your website and noticed it is very helpful. I
have had a fishtank for a while but just got a new one with new fish. It is only
a ten gallon. I have a guppy who developed tail/fin rot, and it seems to be
spreading to my favorite guppy. I don't know if it is though. I'm just trying to
confirm my observations when i ask: is it contagious to my other fish besides
the guppies? Thanks a lot. -Adam
<Hello Adam. Thanks for the kind words. There's two ways of looking at your
question. If you're asking will finrot jump from one fish to another the way a
cold jumps between people, no, not really. The bacteria that cause finrot are
(probably) present in all aquaria at all times, and only under certain
circumstances do they actually become a problem. However, if your question is
"one of my fish is sick, will the others get sick too?" then the answer to that
is yes, most likely. Finrot bacteria become problematic when the immune systems
of your various fish become compromised in some way. Two factors are usually at
work, poor water quality and physical damage. They can work independently or
together. With guppies for example finrot can start when they're kept with nippy
fishes such as serpae tetras or black widow tetras, both of which view guppy
tails as food. Or alternatively (and more usually) water conditions in the
aquarium have dropped below a certain threshold, and the guppies no longer have
the strength to stave off infection. In the case of guppies, ammonia and nitrite
are dangerous, but so too is a low pH (anything below 7.0) and a low hardness
(basically you want "moderately hard" to "very hard" water chemistry). So, if
you have multiple fish showing signs of finrot, and can rule out fin-nipping,
then study the conditions in the aquarium. Do water tests for ammonia, nitrite,
pH, and hardness (ideally KH but GH will do). Oh, and if the water conditions
are so bad the guppies are getting sick, the other species are likely be
stressed to some degree, too. Hope this helps, Neale>
Re: tail/fin rot – 08/26/07
It turns out that my water is too soft. Thanks for the advice. -Adam
<Cool. Bump up the carbonate hardness especially. That's the bit livebearers
appreciate. Adding "tonic salt" -- whatever the retailer might say -- won't
help. Cheers, Neale>
