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Over the past few months, the danios developed oddly bent spines (they looked like a comma, with the head on a normal level, and the tail/body curling downwards) that seemed to have no cause except old age. No other problems, just the crippling curvature of the spine. The problems ceased for a month or two, then things have just started going downhill again.

This past month, things have just continued to go bad. She's down to one danio, two mollies. This weekend, she lost a molly for no apparent reason (one of the most active fish in the tank, and showed no signs of illness) and two danios, one of which seemed fine. One of the remaining mollies (sort of silvery gray) has some kind of white fluffy fungus on it's lips, around it's eyes, and possibly on pectoral fins (hard to tell). The other molly is purely white and if it has any fungus, I can't tell. The danio looks okay.

She went out and bought some Jungle Fungus Clear to treat the silver molly... but we just don't know what the cause of the tank's tragedies.

She's had the tank for a year and since getting it, she's had issues with the pH... it's always been high (which is odd, because mine had issues with the KH and pH bottoming out). No ideas why the same water gives our tanks such different readings. All her rocks/decor/substrate are direct from the LFS, nothing that should raise the pH. (Some kind of craggy obsidian piece and one black and white striped "zebra" rock, plus several small colored glass pieces.) Even when she was at school and on well water, the pH was higher than normal. Maybe it IS something in the tank. I'll have her pull stuff out one at a time to see if the pH can be lowered.

Other than the pH, the readings are great, 0 for ammonia and nitrite, around 5-10 for nitrates. We're just trying to treat the fungus for now, but have NO idea what's going on overall. Besides the fungus clear, we'll probably pop in melafix and maybe aquarium salt... I don't know, we're at a loss....

Someone, please... can you suggest something? She's at the point where she's said that if these fish die, she's considering tearing down the tank and just keeping her betta boys. I know she enjoys her fish but, understandably, having a tank of death is very disappointing.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I am going to step way off the "normal" as you can see.

On writing the Vitamins topic I came across this. It might not be your sisters cause. But a it could be very interesting to check this out. This could have started happen before your sister bought these fish. Something to think about.

Vitamin D3
This regulates the intake of calcium and phosphorus also it is extremely important for skeleton growth.
Deficiency leads to (rachitis) a bone deformity.
[link=Vitamins P3]http:// www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/General%20Freshwater/61915.html?200507171743" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

Keith

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