Sick Fish Help!! Is it my fault?

KaraWolf 2013-08-25, 01:02

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Soon after I got the cherry into the tank.

Now...over maybe 3? days from fine to this
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I did have an ammonia spike to 2-3ppm due to some dying fish(pretty sure at least) but I did a massive water change and brought it back down.
Saw this and did a double check ammonia and nitrite are fine and nitrate can't be nasty yet because the water change was just a few days ago.
Is it the spike? or something else
the white patch in the color loss "saddle" isn't a fleck in the camera...and it has an even smaller fleck of grayish black inside that.

Suggestions? Should I split them up between the 55 and the 30 to lessen the ammonia production and reintroduce them slower? (did buy 10 orange von rios and put them all in the 55 at the same time)

anthony 2013-08-25, 11:51

Is that a new tank?

KaraWolf 2013-08-25, 12:10

one I've been trying to cycle for a while. Thought it was doing OK but looks like I might have been wrong or I overloaded it :/ very much thinking now I should get some instant cycle supplies to fix it/ split them between the old tank and the new.

**Aquarium Co-Op** 2013-08-25, 12:52

Are the fish new? Perhaps they brought something home with them from the pet store. In theory you don't make ammonia if you're not feeding them. I'd add some live plants and some erythromycin to help any bacterial infection the fish might have.

anthony 2013-08-25, 13:08

I would be nervous putting some in my established tank with my healthy fish. I have found using my own filter media from another tank works better than any cycling product out there! I just cut a sponge from an old filter and cut it into pieces and put it in with the sponge from the new filter. Instant loaded filter. Saves your money and time.

pbmax 2013-08-25, 13:35

Aquarium Co-Op wrote:Are the fish new? Perhaps they brought something home with them from the pet store. In theory you don't make ammonia if you're not feeding them. I'd add some live plants and some erythromycin to help any bacterial infection the fish might have.

I second the live plants recommendation. Floating plants (frogbit, water lettuce, etc.) do wonders for water quality and will directly take up both ammonia and nitrite. They're pretty cheap and aren't too demanding.

KaraWolf 2013-08-25, 16:17

Top to bottom: I've had them for a week since yesterday. Not sure if I can get them exchanged because I bought them from petco and upon fishing them out there was the spike :/ Quite possible they brought something home.....Swapped my OLD fish out into the old tank with the old filter media put back. Those three don't look sick or damaged yet so maybe I can keep it contained to new fish only? Or at least relieve any stress they might have been over fighting anything they brought in/any more ammonia spikes.
Iffy question: now that my water chemistry is fine should I return them for store credit for later fish (no more right now, that is defiantly obvious) or call it my fault and dispose of them(mostly believe it's my fault personally)?

I was feeding them >> but didn't think it was over done

I do have some excess moneywort I could add though it needs an uber rinse because I have snails in the current tank it's in.

I tried using the old filter media but I didn't have much to spare.....and I left the "new" filter media in the bottom of the old tank for a month before starting this tank(it didn't fit in the filter)

Looking at using "Seachem Stability" for fixing it though I'd rather use old filter media but being in a fix.....follow their directions fully/heal the injured before continuing on any stocking campaign.

I was going to get some floating java moss at the same time I got my planned hatchet fish school but that's about it. I've never had a problem with a plastic-plant-only tank before

UPDATE: Found the other missing fish while looking for the cherry :/ and the cherry died overnight :/ Now have yet another orange von rio with his tail badly damaged. The last orange von rio had the same and died of it. It's currently sitting in an unfiltered 20 gallon just to get him away from everyone else.
Could my filter uptake tube do this?
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The tentative good news is I do not see any sign of this kind of damage on any of the other fish, old or new.

**Aquarium Co-Op** 2013-08-25, 16:29

That is a bacterial infection. Erythromycin will stop it and start the healing.

I would suspect that the new fish brought it in as it's very hard on fish to move, especially through chain stores like that where the volume is just so high.

KaraWolf 2013-08-25, 16:58

Alright

Will go get that right away. And I'm assuming I should treat all of the orange von rio's that came in only or should I treat my old fish that spent a week with them as well?

**Madness** 2013-08-25, 19:15

I would treat everything that has encountered those fish. Even if you used a net in the infected tank and then again in another tank. Everything that has been touched.

KaraWolf 2013-08-25, 21:14

Yay meds >> gerr that meds plus the right size seachem stability was 30$ (stupid that half the size was only $1 cheaper) or that I can't find the reciept to return the dead fish for credit Sad

course now I'm pretty sure I have one of each of their(API) meds on hand for future cases.

ON we go with major tank treatment! That means the 55 fully medicated, the 30 (since the unaffected but spent a week with sick fish are now in it) and a bleaching of the empty 20 at some point before I put fish in it, if I do. And some stability into the 55 to fix the filter just in case. Thanks guys for closing the tank-murder case Sad

hurhurhur that's just a teeny bit funny right there that line <

EDIT: my god....this sucks royally. apparently I'm going to need 4 packages to do the whole treatment....I came home with a wopping 1...thinking that the "treats 100 gallons" meant it did the whole 4 required doses. nope. that's 1 dose for a 100 gallon tank Sad

It really should say "Does a whole treatment for 25 gallons." goodbye extra cash I'll miss you. Do i reallly have to treat the 30 gallon? NO there's no way...Putting the 30 gallon fish back in the 50 and bleaching the 30 for a few days(the rocks/decs don't have bacteria yet anyways there's been no fish except for today) 2 packages is much better then needing 4 and I can stick the filter on the 55 to get it treated in case.

KaraWolf 2013-09-01, 12:03

tank done medicating and I've been told that I only lost the last sick fish no more. hopefully the rest of them will be cool when I get home (currently spending my 1 year anniversary in Hawaii XD so my poor housesitter had to finish out the last bit of meds(doubt he ever had fish before) and that my other tanks are fine.

**Madness** 2013-09-01, 14:15

Hawaii? Congrats on both the Anniversary and the vacation. How long are you in Hawaii? What part? I am sure your fish will be just fine when you return. Smile

KaraWolf 2013-09-01, 22:16

yup!!! Thank you!! Were on Oahu. I have some seriously cool reef pics Very Happy

headed home this Tuesday Smile

been here since Wednesday. Thanks Smile

I'm sure they will be Smile

LuminousAphid 2013-09-04, 20:03

Ok, so I am now officially never again bringing anything home from petsmart/petco...

I would feel so bad for my other fish, not to mention I didn't pay much more than the single $30 for all my fish combined, having to buy multiple packs of those and do multiple doses sucks.

KaraWolf 2013-09-04, 20:31

I personally don't mind(since before now I never found local places or local was extra spendy :/ )...all my previous fish except a single molly that was a bad fish pick(and 3 new orange von rios) were from petco/smart and this is the first case of fish I've brought home sick. That and I bought them on delivery day oops. :/

DMD123 2013-09-04, 21:17

I shop a lot at the Lakewood Petsmart and Petco because they are close to my work. These two stores are pretty exceptionable when it comes to the care they seem to give their fish. I have bought many fish from them over the years and have not had issues.

KaraWolf 2013-09-04, 22:24

Sadly the last time I went into the lakewood petco they got a really ich infested group of fish Sad

Promptly went down the road to see the other. I'm crossing my fingers for the petco an am gonna just kinda wait and see if the new guy is any good. The employee who was taking such good care of the tanks transferred to one in Tacoma, don't remember his name, josh maybe. I asked the new guy and he didn't know which fish I was asking about when I told him "otto" so crossing my fingers he gets in gear and does a lot of research.

PS am home 55 looks fantastic. Otto's got really fat 0.o I think I told my fish sitter to feed too many algae wafers.

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Sick Fish Help!! Is it my fault?

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