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hey all,
I have a 29 g tank with some sick fishes. I have live plants in that one. I run a hob filter and have an air stone in the bottom.
temp: 82
ammonia: 0
nitrate: 0
nitrite: 10
The molly that is really bad right now was listing with her head up and her tail drooping this afternoon. I went to feed them an hour ago and she was lying on the bottom, belly up. She is in a hospital tank. I also have another that is listing with her head up and her tail fin is drooping. I also noticed her rubbing on the plants and decorations.
I think this may be something else, but two of my danios are looking rather bent.
Please help.....
Edna


Last edited by esandbergger at 28-Nov-2005 04:27

Thats another nice bunch of unspecific symptoms unfortunately. Can you post a pic? Could be anything from mycobacterium to protozoa or ich. If nitrate is zero... er something is up with your test kit.Dont think ive ever seen a genuine nitrate 0 reading before, at least not in a cycled tank...and nitrite of 10 aint good, are you sure you have em the right way round?



Last edited by longhairedgit at 28-Nov-2005 05:32

sorry no way to post a pic. However i think i got the nitrate and nitrite readings reversed. There are no outward marks at all. There are no white dots, the coat seems nice and shiny, abdomen is not swolen. Two days ago was a water change. I do not know if this helps any.

Update: First molly is now dead.

Thats a swine but does actually narrow down the prognosis a bit, and to work that fast odds are the cause is bacterial. Since the water quality is ok, and you just did a change its likely.

The flicking would generally lead me to believe a parasite is involved, but the death is so quick bacteria is probable. Worst case scenario you have both. Two infections is actually more common than just one, as one illness will often make the fish more susceptible to others.Dont forget that some parasites can actually cause transmission of bacteria. A lot of this is guesswork, and if you plan to try a number of treatments, then its better to get started right away, as you dont know how long your fish have left.

Its still too early to call the exact cause but id be tempted to throw in a broad spectrum antibiotic , and maybe some methyl blue for starters, and see what happens.It can only improve your chances.

When a fish dies that quickly , odds are the bacteria or parasite involved is highly infectious and breeding, so get right on it fast.Once the treatment is added, up the water temps a few degrees to try and catch the bacterial reproduction asap.If antibiotics dont work , then give metronidazole a go,but its always tricky to diagnose when there are no visible symptoms other than clamping, flicking, and hunching, because its not specific to any particular ailment, it simply tells you the fish is uncomfortable or in pain.

With mollies it may not hurt to add a little more salt than usual.A lot of freshwater bacteria and parasites dont do well in higher salinity, the osmotic barrier is a serious problem for them.Obviously you shouldnt push the limits of salinity too far with a sick fish though,you dont want to cause it additional stress. Some people might recommend that you give the fish a quick 10 minute bath in what is basically marine water, but I dont know if at this level of sickness if it might be more stress than its worth, mollies are pretty salt tolerant, but its a close call.





Last edited by longhairedgit at 29-Nov-2005 06:22

thanks for the info,
everyone seems fine now. I added some salt and methyl blue. Everyone else is still alive thanks....

Excellent news.