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I bought my fish about 5-6 weeks ago. Right now I have 2 zebra danios(both of which have doubled in size since I bought them) 2 female guppies, 2 baby guppies(kept in a separate net) a platy, plecostymus, and 2 frogs. About 2-3 days ago, I noticed one of my danios had a very light fuzz on him. It looked like fuzz anyway. Its gotten worse by now, his fins seem somewhat immobilized by it. He still swims about, slower than usual(him and the other used to speed around the tank) and eats fine, but Im worried about it spreading. any idea what it is? Oh, I have a 10 gallon tank, but no, I dont know the ph levels, etc. But nothing like this has happened before. and i change the water every 2 weeks.<br>thanks<br>jen

HI Jen and welcome to fishprofiles.com

Is this your first tank? Do you know about the nitrogen cycle and new tank syndrome, which can be fatal for fish?

This is where toxic ammonia builds in the water as a result of fish wastes and a good bacteria grows that eats the ammonia. That bacteria produces a waste called nitrite, which is also toxic to fish and a second good bacteria develops that eats nitrite. We then end up with nitrate as the final bi-product and it is not really toxic to fish, but can cause declining health if above 40ppm continously, and for some fish, above 20ppm can be an issue.

The nitrogen cycle is all about allowing two bacterial colonies to grow that we expect to eat ammonia and nitrite as fast as it is produced so that testers read "zero". This makes a nice healthy environment for the fish.

When the tank has a large "bio-load", that is a heavy stock of fish creating wastes, sometimes the filter cannot cope or the cycle will continue longer, or your nitrates may rise much too fast to drop with even weekly water changes.

All of this is important because when a fish is sick, any ammonia or nitrite in the water will hinder its ability to get better. Also, many common fish meds will kill that good bacteria, driving up ammonia and nitrite even more, further stressing and killing fish. It can take a week or two for the tank to recover from such a "mini-cycle", once meds are complete.

There are a few recommendations I have.

1) Take a bag of water to the fish store and request that the following be checked, if you cannot buy a test kit. If you want to buy a test kit, which you should at some point, let us help you pick an economical, easy to read one. Some are pricey and hard to read. Please take a paper and pen and request the numbers. What is "ok" or "within range" for one fish, is not ok for another. With numbers we can see where you are in the cycle, if the tank has not finished cycling.

Ammonia:
NitrIte:
NitrAte:
pH:
Temp:

2) Unless you have a larger tank, I'm afraid restocking needs to be reconsidered. If the plec is not of the smaller species, like a bristle/bushynose, then it should be returned. Plecs can grow in excess of a foot. We can help you to identify what kind you have if you can provide a picture. In time, you will not be able to keep up with the nitrates, but if you set a target for nitrates, then let that dictate your water changes, you will know when it is time to upgrade. If you find that you must do water changes 3 times weekly in order to keep up, then you need to decide to cut back on the bioload or continue with frequent water changes, or go to a larger tank.

3) I suggest you pick up two products: Melafix and Pimafix and use them together. Reptile sites sell them and they are considered frog safe, as well. If the fungus (most likely a columnaris bacteria infection) is bad enough, it is best to use the products together. These meds WILL NOT affect the biological filter or good bacteria. They are not as potent as antibiotics and may or may not help the sick fish. At certain points, no medicine can save them when it gets bad enough. It then becomes a matter of sparing the other fish the malady. Columnaris is highly contagious. It often follows parasites, or wounds, or other openings in the skin. Melafix and Pimafix can be used at the same time for maximum effect and activated carbon should be removed. If you have a bio-bag that holds the activated carbon/charcoal, then open it/cut it open and spill out the carbon and replace the biobag. This will provide mechanical filtration, but will also keep in place good bacteria. YOu may rinse the filter bag in a little tank water without hurting the good bacteria on it.

4) Water changes with that load should be weekly at about 25%, starting right before you first dose the melafix/pimafix. Please be sure that water temp is not altered more than 1-1.5F in the process. Ich can be brought on by sudden drops of several degrees and a sudden rise can make the fungus infection bloom, if it is bacterial columnaris.

I hope this helps. Please get those numbers to us. Many fish stores test for free.

Hope to see you around

Diane

Last edited by Cory_Di at 17-Mar-2005 21:09

Cory-Di you are a champ! See Jen, isn't this a nice place? So much care and help is right here for you.

All the best for your tanks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Lol yes, they are great.
Thanks. I shall get the water checked first thing tomorrow. and yes, this is my first tank. My plecostymus is a rubber-lipped plec. They dont get very big do they? Thats what the pet store told me. I hope they were right. lol. Until I get the ph info, Im gonna post an update on my fish, one so I can remember,(lol. bad memory) and 2, incase anyone is curious. lol. The fuzz has grown a bit, but now little bubble type things are protruding from it. Its so weird. He is hanging about underneath my guppy netting, and rarely swims out from under it. The fuzz also stops just short of his fins that are further back(cannot for the life of me think of the names!! lol. the ones right before the tail. ) lol. sorry if that sounds vague.
jen

Jen, I hope I'm not throwing too much at you. I tend to be long-winded , especially with newer people because I can't be sure what you know and don't know. Timing is often too critical to go back and forth with simple question and answer.

I'm not sure what kind of "bubble things" you are referring to. Do you have the ability to take a post a pic? You can link us to one of those free services that houses your photo albums, if you allow a particular one to be publicly viewed.

If you get this in time, I'm going to make a suggestion, if you have the funds. In fishkeeping, it is very important to have a separate hospital/quarantine tank or tub. An economical one, is simply a 4-5 gallon dishpan or rubbermaid bin from a dollar store. However, always try to take one from the center of the stack in case sprays or other residue is on them. Wash well with water only, or use freshwater aquarium salt, like DOC WELLFISH to rub the container loose of any grime. If you have a bin in the house and it had soaps, detergents, or other chemicals, you may want to just get a new one. Don't overfeed and siphon out any uneaten food in any hospital tank.

You then take about 2.5-3 gallons of water from the 10 gallon, transfer the fish while it is still the same temp and chemical makeup, then every 20 minutes or so, trickle in more water that is within 1-1.5F of that container temp. For such a small tank, it would be wise to always keep on hand several 1 gallon bottles of conditioned tap water. Tap water straight from the tap has compressed gases which can have a different pH than your tank. When there is water movement, the gases equalize as more water is exposed to, and equalizes with, the atmosphere. My water comes out of the tap at 7.0, but then rises to 8.0 after 24 hours of bubbling in a bucket. That pH more closely matches my tank pH of 7.7-7.8. All tanks drop in pH with time.

Whatever you do, never use pH altering products. More fish die when people play with pH needlessly. It is important to know that your fish should not be exposed to more then 0.2 change in 24 hours.

Sick fish often have difficulty breathing. While you can always use a cup to take in bin water and pour it back in so it splashes and bubbles to aerate, you would need to do this every 30 minutes, and the fish would not have as much oxygen in contrast to dropping in an airstone. Plus, you wouldn't have to worry overnight about them losing oxygen. You would need a small, cheap airpump, which can run about 5 dollars, give or take a little. You need airline. And, if you cannot place the pump higher than the container, then you need something called a check valve. You put it any place in the airline half way between the pump and the water. It can only go one way or air will not come out very well or at all if it is backwards (so you know to put it in the other way if there is no flow). This prevents back siphon if power is lost. I use them on every airline I have regardless of where the pump is. They can run a dollar or two. It is good to have a package of airstones.

Eventually, it would be wise to invest in a 5 gallon tank and a cheap tri-flow corner filter. A cheap bag of filter floss and a small container of activated carbon (to eventually pull out medicine) makes for a cheap, easy to sterilize hospital tank filter. I even put a handful of surface gravel in the bottom to not only weigh it down, but to put some of that "good bacteria" in there for biological filtration. I use gravel and filter floss (the white cottony stuff) when medicating, then add the carbon when I'm done to pull out the med. This filter runs off of an air pump so then no separate airstone is needed.

Fish immunity is dependent on low stress. Therefore a fake plant or two and, cave in some cases, make them feel secure. Not being able to hide has them wondering when they will be eaten.

Temperature control can be important for sick fish in bins or tanks. If you can't afford a 25w submersible heater, then make sure the bin is in a warm room and is covered to prevent the fish from jumping out and to keep the heat in. This is why rubbermaid bins work out well as they often come with a loose fitting lid. You don't want air tight. There is a very cheap 25w heater out there for like 6-7 bucks, but it has a very hard to turn knob. Heaters with dials are best, like Visitherm 25w, but they run about $21. Its wise to invest as time goes on and gradually build your ability to quarantine and hospitalize.

Fish should not be allowed to expire in the tank. It is natural for others to eat them and the likelyhood of other fish catching the malady increase significantly. If a fish appears terminal, we can provide you with a list of ways to humanely euthanize. I personally, use Clove Oil.

Your fish has a life threatening condition and he may be weakening by the sounds of it. You can use Pimafix and Melafix in the smaller container, but if you choose to quarantine, you may be wise to purchase a bottle of [link=Jungle Fungus Eliminator]http:// freshaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=freshaquarium&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.drsfostersmith.com%2Fproduct%2Fprod_display.cfm%3Fpcatid%3D3918%26Ne%3D40000%26amp%3BR%3D1185%26N%3D2004%2B22779[/link] and use it instead. The benefit to removing him to quarantine is that you can use stronger meds. Just calculate how much you need for the size bin you have. Plus, it has salt in it which is good for such conditions. Predissolve it before adding.

I would continue using Pimafix and Melafix in your main tank at least 7 days, with or without this fish in the tank, especially if he expires. These are antiseptics which can help control the bug before it can get a grip on others. From all I could find on the web, they are safe for frogs. Both melafix and pimafix are suggested as safe for ponds with frogs, tadpoles and snails.

Just so that you know, many common meds are not safe for your frog, so always be careful with meds with them in the tank. With a quarantine tank or bin, you always have the option to remove your sensitive fish if they are healthy, in order to treat the main tank with something more safe. Your Plec is also very sensitive to some meds, so always mention them when posting in a hospital forum. Even salt can adversely affect the plec and possibly the frogs. We have a forum dedicated to Aquarium Oddities so you can post questions there pertaining to your frogs. However, more often than not, our Recovery Room is a good place to discuss them as well.

Please do get those parameters, not just the pH. Post your numbers here.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 18-Mar-2005 06:54