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My q-tine tank is massively overstocked, first of all. I admit I did it knowingly to protect my other fish.

15US gallon
AC mini, AC 150
NH3/NO2 - 0
NO3 - unknown
stuffed with live plants.
18 small cories,
8 juvie dwarf neon rainbow,
6 juvie congos,
a couple remaining cochu's blues (maybe 3??)
5 juvie emperor tetras
2-3 small unknown hitchhiker tetras

Two congos have some sort of fungus, one with just a small patch on its side and one with about 6 perfectly round patches of fluffy white - looks like mini cotton balls on the body. None on face or gills.

The rainbows brought in ich, they are badly affected, and several other people who purchased the same fish report their rainbows having the parasite as well. Still swimming around and eating, acting very normal apart from clamped fins.

Corys do not look good. Little rips in most of the fins, very lethargic, not like my corys at all, especially the albinos. I can't see any cysts on body or fins, but the new peppered cories have what looks like a white 'dusting' in certain lights, rather than smooth, iridescent skin like my other corys. Not large grains though, very very small, looks almost like velvet but white rather than gold/yellow.


So should I raise the temp? It is at 75 (24) now, but I'm worried about the effect it will have on my cories and the fungussed congos. Should I use a med that's safe for corys and plants? What can I use??

Please, I'd appreciate any help as I'm leaving for the next two days and need to act soon.

Lyndzy - I don't even know where to start. You really need a hospital tank for the quarantine, and you are leaving yet with that many fish stuffed into one tank. Not a good situation. I'm not sure what kind of outcome you will expect. The fuzz could indeed be a bacterial infection along with fungus, especially if parasites are bitingthem. It could be brought on or enhanced by the overcrowded condition of this tank. Overcrowding is a stressor, even if parameters can be maintained impeccably.

Adding meds to this overcrowded tank is a further recipe for disaster. I would consider adding melafix and pimafix together only, but the real solution lies in a bigger tank or even a rubbermaid bin. If you were to get a wide and long rubber maid bin that is a good 30 gallons or more (like those things you store under your bed, you could put two inches of tap water in it, get a couple of airstones with check valves running overnight, then transfer the fish into this with their tank water. Transfer their heater to this thing if it is submersible and just stick it to a glass plate or baking dish. Don't use a new heater if you cannot babysit it for at least 8 hours. You could cook your fish or subject them to chilling if things don't go right. Put some fake plants there to make them feel comfortable.

If you can do this, then I would dose it with Fungus Clear Tank Buddies and just not feed them to cut down on ammonia build up if it will only be a day or two. Feed them just a little before you go.

Ich meds are iffy while you are away. Rid Ich Plus is one of the safest if cories are involved, but it also chokes out oxygen as one of the ingredients is a gas. Not good to leave them alone in this case.

I'd like to ask - how did this situation arise? What is the background. I'm sure you didn't run out and purchase all of these fish just like that. Are they from another, larger tank that cracked or had some other misfortune?

I'm sorry to say that I don't think this will be a good outcome for the vast majority of the fish in this tank. If even one fish dies in there while you are away, the ammonia will soar. This rise in ammonia will make fish sicker and more will die. They need to be in a much larger volume of water and even then, I would split them into two containers so you minimize your losses. Sorry to be so blunt.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Cory_Di 2004-07-09 12:00][/span]

Don't be sorry at all.. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you're helping me.

Here's how the fish got here : I purchased an 86g from the pet store, and I was told I could get some fish for free with it, as the store was renovating. I ended up wtih 10 albino cories , 2 bronze (to go with my other bronze in my 29) and 1 peppered because he was the only one left. Also a young female firemouth, and all of the fish went into the qtine with 3 zebra danio waifs that did not fit into any other tanks.

Just a few days ago, another pet store was renovating, and had fish on ridiculously cheap. I admit I got carried away, but I was honestly expecting to get my 86 up and running within a couple days and then transfer most of the occupants of the 15 over to my 29.

I have had to do job training, the soccer tournament this weekend, and on top of all of that I've run into several problems with my university admissions. So the room where the 86 has to go (concrete floor) has not been completely painted yet (I'm the painter). And here I am now, with these problems in a little tank.

I know it's a crappy excuse, and alot of poor planning on my part, but I honestly did not expect this sort of setback.

Apparently the congos had the fungus when they were sold, I spoke with an employee at that store.

I have shifted fish around and now have an empty 15 and a 10.

My bedroom downstairs stays at about 75. I have filled up a 15 down there, as I have no heaters extra. There is space for a couple more tanks, if need be.

How should I spread them out??
Congos and cories in the 15 downstairs, where it will be cooler, with melafix, and the remanents in the other 15 and use Gary's heat method to cure the ich? Do you think I could potentially risk a fungal infection in these guys too?

On top of it all we are getting a fish order from Montreal, it has been delayed for weeks, and of course comes in tonight. Murphy's Law.

It sounds like you had the stock for the big tank without having the big tank up, running and cycled. I will give you that much - it was not good planning. The bargain fish are no bargain when they start to die.

Firstly, don't buy any more fish.

Second, tank should be set up first before acquiring fish and stocking should be slow and staged, not based on sales (but I think you know that now).

I'm not really sure how you should split them up. I would keep species together. The problem is that you have so many fish you literally need several containers, several airpumps, check valves and airstones and all of it should be in a reasonable 75F. The problem is that all will need to go into water that is "not fishy" and it sounds like there won't be time to let the water run for a day or so. Fish should never go into 100% tap water as it is a risk for gas bubble disease, not to mention stressful. It should be the same temp (within 1 or 2F measured WITH the same thermometer or the risk of ich and velvet can go up, especially with drops).

I have some problems with the heat method in your case: You will not be there to monitor them AND oxygen is depleted with higher temps. If columnaris infection has set in on the parasite bites (fuzzy/filmy), then the higher temp will fuel the infection. It thrives at 77F and higher.

With ich in the water, you can't just separate the ich from non-ich and treat differently. To make matters worse, Kordon states in their product info that Rid Ich Plus should not be mixed with ANY other medication. Since the ingredients of formalin, malachite and chloride salts are pretty common in most ich meds, the same rule would apply for most ich meds. Ditto for Kordon's recommendation that fish should NOT be treated with Rid Ich Plus if they cannot be monitored. This is due to the oxygen depleting properties of formalin as it is a gas. This is also why it should never be combined with heat treatment of any kind as oxygen is reduced with higher temps. Catch-22.

You may need to treat the infections and let the ich run it's coarse and hope for the best. If the fish are not stressed, they may be able to fight it off. Unfortunately, I don't believe Parasite Clear is effective for ich. If it were, that would be my recommendation.

I just found this on the web and you may want to look into it. However, note that it states to cut it in half for cories and scaleless. With tiny species of cories and babies, most of these meds are probably risky to say the least. http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?web=0&tab=3&SKU=4700262566&cm_ven=nik&cm_cat=82&cm_pla=4700262566&cm_ite=1204250

Good luck and I hope things turn out ok. Let us know.

BTW - will you be gone for periods throughout the day, or are you going away out of town where you won't be home at all.

I can give no guarantee that the high heat treatment will be effective for species other then Clown Loaches...

Clowns appreciate normal temps in the mid eighties so they can easily handle the mid nineties for a period of time.

Those who have tried "the treatment" with other species in the host tank have reported success. However, the tank must be of a large capacity, at least a 55 gallon to allow for a rapid gas exchange at the surface.

Those "other" species that are severely health compromised may succumb to the "treatment".

Smaller tanks do not have the surface area for such an exchange and cannot hold enough dissolved oxygen because of the high temp which depletes available oxygen quicker.

--garyroland.

Okay here is what I am doing now - cories and congos in the 15 in my room, stable temp. Airpump and AC150

Rainbows and the others in the 15 upstairs, I have upped the temp a bit so it is almost 25. Added an airpump.

I think my water will be okay as it is straight out of a river, and then UV sterilised, no added gases or chemicals etc.

I have never had success with Kordon's Rid Ich, when I first started I treated two separate fish with Ich at two separate times with this med, and both died.

The two congos that have the patches did not show any symptoms of ich, and apparently the congo tank was sick while they were still in the store. Hopefully they will not contract the parasite.

I will be gone for the night, and cannot make it home between games tomorrow, so I won't be back until tomorrow evening. Hopefully our team loses and I will not have to play on Sunday.

I feel like such a moron. Never thought I was such an irresponsible fishkeeper. I was rather excited because a school of 6 congos would come to about $84.. Mine came to $3.50. Like a rich kid in a candy store

I will just have to add melafix and hope for the best.. Thank you both so much for your help.. I will certainly keep everybody posted.

Could it get any worse?

Oh yes,

the power went out for 4 hours while I was away. The filter in my big tank never came back on. Ammonia was 4 mg/L All other tanks (miraculously) have no NH3/NO2.

Losses are minimal, 2 congos and a cochu. I am going to start with Aquarisol on the rainbows for ich tomorrow. Temp is steady at 26.

Diane and Gary got you covered.. Just wanted to wish you good luck and hope it works out !

The Amazon Nut...

Mardel's Coppersafe(tm) and Maroxy, but that's just my opinion.

I often forget about coppersafe and that could be combined with antibiotic. However, IF ANYTHING CONTAINING FORMALIN OR MALACHITE/VICTORIA GREEN WERE USED IN THAT TANK - DO NOT USE COPPERSAFE - THE COMBO IS DEADLY.

You may have other problems due to the power outage. Pumps are to be cleaned out when no water circulates through them in one hour or more. This is because good bacteria consumes remaining o2 and paves the way for deadly anaerobic bacteria to grow (bacteria that grows without o2). It's not certain that your fish will develop infection, but it is more risky without dumping the stagnant water from the pump and filter media before turning it back on after refilling.

If you have not used anything with formalin or malachite/victoria green, consider the coppersafe along with maracyn.

I was only home to dump the AC300 on my big tank, and it STUNK. Rinsed out the sponge and removed the old floss and added new stuff. Tomorrow morning I'm going to the good fish store to get some filter media, I can't tell how my other tanks stand as far as bacteria go. Levels are still 0 though.

I lost the last congo that had visible fungus. I am down to 3 congos, all looking exceptionally good. Cories in that tank (save the new peppered cories, who are bleached out) are very active.

Rainbow tank still has ich. So you think I should still use the antibiotic if it's just ich right now?

I am a very very lucky girl not to have 7tanks full of dead fish

coppersafe and maracyn plus then. Keep in mind the coppersafe treats for a month, so put no inverts in that tank, nor the medicines Cory_di stated.

Ok I will look for them while I'm out tomorrow.

Would they work with the slimy grey fungus that my betta has?

Slimey grey fungus sounds bacterial, so yes. Maracyn Plus is a wide spectrum antibiotic ( antibacterial). One capful per ten gallons on day one, three, and five... so three dosings in all. Microscopic spheres containing the medicine stick to the fish and deliver it that way, instead of just it being floating around in the water. Stuff is awesome.

Coppersafe will take care of ich, velvet, and other external parasites. I've never had it not work, and have never lost a fish with it. Can be used at same time as the Maracyn Plus. Just follow the instructions/precautions. Don't overdose that coppersafe.