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Hello, first post to this forum.
My fish, especially my white clouds, gills are really really red. Some have been rubbing thier gills agaisnt the gravel on occasion, but almost all are rather lethargic than they were before. I'm not sure what's their normal resperiation rate either, but their gills are pumping furiously. LFS said septecmia is the problem. Is that right?
I've got Maracide and Furacyn, use them or need something different?
Also, should I add salt to the water as that's supposed to help the fish.
Problem with all these is my plants and the snails (ramshorn, MTS) and shrimp (ghost and red cherries). Will these be affected?
Residents: 3 white clouds, 4 gold white clouds, 7 pygymy cories, 2 Peppered cories, 1 cory puncututs,1 bristlenose pleco, ramshorn snails, MTS's, ghost shrimp
temp 75 F
pH 8.1
Ammonia and nitrite 0
Nitrate 40 (eek, time for a WC i guess but i just did one yesterday)
kh 13
gh 6.7

Septicemia is not your problem here. Septicemia is a reddening or red streaks usually at the bases of fins and underbelly of fish. Sounds more like your fish could be suffering from some type of gill parasite, though I have to say, white clouds do have reddish gill plate covers and reddish "lips".
Have any of the fish died? Aside from the occasional flicking have you noticed any other odd behaviour? Any spots, scabs, sores, missing scales, etc?
Your PH is awfully high for the fish you have...perhaps consider the addition of some peat granules to your filter to bring the PH down naturally. Those fish would all likely prefer a ph around 7-7.5 max.
Also, have your recently added any fish? Added any decorations? Changed filter media and did a gravel vac on the same day? Do you have live plants?
I would wait before adding meds...most medicines will kill your shrimp and/or your snails. What are the active ingredients in the Maracide? The Furacyn most likely contains Furazolidone- which I know is not safe for invertebrates. What size tank is this?
Your best bet would be to quarantine the white clouds to a small tupperware container floating in your aquarium and just medicate them, depending on your tank size it could be very difficult to medicate.
What I do for sick fish...I have a 1/2 Gallon plastic jar that came with a lid..its like a cookie jar type thingy, and I take the lid off, sink it in the aquarium until it floats, add an air stone, and put the affected fish in here. This way you can medicate on a smaller scale, and the meds wont affect all your inverts.


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They have red gill covers? Does this include the gold white cloud variety? Also appears on my single platy. No dead fish or wounds of any sort.
I've been debating over whether to lower the pH, some people recommend letting the water be and let the fish get used to it instead of constantly fighting the water. But I agree, it is high.
Last addition of fish was 3 pygmy cories, around 2 weeks ago. No new decorations, just did a gravel vac yesterday, changed the cartridge in the penguin last week.
And lots of live plants

If the red gills and scratching is also happening with your platy, it is likely gill flukes. The floating bowl sounds like a good idea, but depending on your tank size may not be good. A hospital tank all their own would probably be best, if you can get it. That way you won't have to worry about damaging your plants or the other inhabitants of the tank, and it will be easier to dose.

For now, you should probably not try to change the pH, and as usual, when you do, do it veeery slowly. When they're sick is not the time to mess around with their water a whole lot.

I would not recommend treating your tank with the Furacyn, it contains Nitrofurazone, which would likely kill your shrimp and your snails.
I think your best bet would be to try the simplest treatment first, Aquarium Salt.
You can do it 2 ways- 1 is to dip your fish several times a day in a strong salt solution, which can be tricky cuz timining is essential for the health of the fish. Or you can slowly up the dosage of salt in your water.
Get some aquarium salt, and a small container with a lid. Mix up 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons in this until well mixed. Add about 1/5th of the amount every 2nd day until done. Stir or shake between additions. Or you can take a small container, punch holes in the lid, and fill with the right dose of rock type aquarium salt "Doc Wellfish". Drop closed container with holes into the aquarium on its side, leave there until the salt dissipates.
I think this would be the safest treatment for your fish if you cannot quarantine them. Shrimp are unsafe with most medications.


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