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Tank: 3 gallon Eclipse with built in filtration (combination biowheel and carbon filter pad thing)
Water parameters (that I have now):
GH: 120
KH: 40
NI: 0-5ppm
NA: 10-20ppm

Tank contains two red wag platies. Both of them are swimming around fine, acting normal. They eat normal. I feed them once a day, basic Tetrafin tropical flakes - same basic food all my fish get fed.

One platy is fine, the other has developed a discoloration around the left side of its head. It's not really white, it's actually more like the side of its head is turning clear, but not see-through. It does not seem to be spreading.

I need to re-introduce the two fish to my main tank by the end of the week, as this tank will become a shrimp tank. I will also be replacing the filter media. But I do not want to, obviously, put a sick fish into a tank full of healthy fish. And I do not have a tank to use for QT.

My thoughts are...this is a very old tank that has been in storage. The biowheel likewise has been in storage. The tank, when it was in use, had 3 or 4 fish in it although I do not remember what they were (this was 7 years ago). I got a snail infestation that caused the filter to clog and stop working and me to drain the tank and let it dry out.

Is it possible that there is simply something weird in the filter media or biowheel that is causing this ailment? Like I said, only one platy has it, and not the other. Should I not take any chances, and quarantine both fish, dump the contents of the tank and replace both the filter and biowheel before setting it up for the shrimp, just in case?

And what might this be on my fish anyway?

Picture:

http://digitalphantasy.com/images/fish/2167523380_ORIG.jpeg

Listen! Do you smell that?

Not sure what the illness could be, but some general questions about the tank. You mention it was in storage for quite some time... how did you clean it out when you brought it back into use? Also, how long have the platies been in the tank?

I'm afraid I can't help, but the answers to those questions may help those who can answer your questions.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

I took the tank apart, washed everything except for the filter cartridge and biowheel in a 1/10 solution of ammonia and water, and then rinsed it thoroughly with plain water right out of the tap. Then I wiped everything down with paper towels and let it air dry overnight before I put it back together. The filter cartridge I replaced, and the biowheel I rinsed with tap water before I put it in there, made sure I rinsed all the dust out of it.

The platies have been in there for about 2 weeks now.

Listen! Do you smell that?

Hi It sounds like you probably cleaned the tank well enough. I have heard of tanks that were known to house rodents being deadly to fish. Was it possible for mice to have occupied the tank during storage? Like I said that is just a shot in the dark as I have never experienced it myself. I would hold off on the shrimp project until you get this tank figured out. Myself, I would do more research on what this illness could be and possibly treat with an antibiotic that treats a variety of things. My first thought is a fungus, but without a pic... who knows?
This is a good example of why one needs to have a QT tank. Your money may be better spent on a cheap one before the shrimp. Hope I helped. Good luck!

"Talk is cheap. Action can be almost as affordable"

I think so! You might have just killed off all the beneficial bacteria, by storing it, rinsing everything, replacing filter cartridge, and washing the biowheel with tap! All the places that store the good bacteria, have been eliminated. Your tank is probably going through cycle again.

Im not sure about the disease you mentioned. Maybe HITH? Others will have to confirm it 4 U.

EDIT: A quarantine tank is as simple as buying a tote at your local superstore or any other store. Just equip a DIY sponge filter, and youre on your way, just let the sponge filter run in there for about 3 weeks, adding some ammonia to cycle it. Only like 3 drops ata time.

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Goby... the tank was in storage for seven years (from what it sounds like). The beneficial bacteria in a tank will die off in a week if there is nothing to feed it, plus it needs water. Thus, the point of the tank being in cycle is obvious.

Did you use any cycled gravel or tank water when setting up this tank, lysaer? Or is it just cycling with the fish in there?

The only thing I can think of is that there may have been something on the biowheel itself. I've reused old biowheels, after bleaching the entire tank and components. Never used ammonia to clean a tank before, though. I assume it would work. And I'd think that anything to do with the cleanliness of the tank would have started exhibiting symptoms long before two weeks was up. Did the symptoms just start or have they been gradual over two weeks?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Ive only seen one problem that causes transparency in tissues like that, and thats strains of botulism, a very serious food poisoning bacteria associated with low aerobic conditions. Did you put the tank equipment into a plastic bag during storage by any chance? Watch for neurological symptoms and lack of control in that fish.

Easy way to destabilise the environment for botulism is to pack the water with oxygen and ensure that the temps arent too high.

Obviously botulism produces a neurotoxin that can be deadly to humans too, so perhaps go with the ol' marigold washing up gloves or similar until you know what is causing the problems.

Did you use any cycled gravel or tank water when setting up this tank, lysaer? Or is it just cycling with the fish in there?

I do have the platies in there to test and cycle the tank, which is one reason why I'm concerned. I didn't use any cycled water or gravel, just new water and the gravel that had been in the tank before, because I wanted to test the tank.

Did the symptoms just start or have they been gradual over two weeks?

I first noticed it a few days ago as a white spot around her gill. I thought she might have ich, so I kept an eye on it daily to see if it spread, and on the other fish. In the last week it has spread from her gill to her eye, but only on the left side of her body.

Did you put the tank equipment into a plastic bag during storage by any chance? Watch for neurological symptoms and lack of control in that fish.

Easy way to destabilise the environment for botulism is to pack the water with oxygen and ensure that the temps arent too high.

No, to be honest when I packed the tank away for storage, the filter wasn't running and a Life Situation was happening, so I didn't think about that. I'd planned on shipping the filter/pump off to Eclipse for replacement. When I pulled it out of the garage a few weeks ago and plugged it up, it worked, so I decided to clean it up and set it up and test it.

And like I said, the fish has been swimming around fine, and the other fish is not affected at all. In fact, the other fish seems to be doing the opposite, her red coloring seems to have extended into the normally silver circle around her eyes. But one of my platies in my large tank has done that as well and there are no signs of illness in that tank at all.

There's no heater in that tank, so the water's just at room temperature (which stays around 74-76F).

Right now I'm considering the DIY QT tank for the two of them, giving the tank another dump and replacing the gravel and the biowheel anew, and using cycled water from my 55g instead of new clean water.

Listen! Do you smell that?

Edited to add picture.

Listen! Do you smell that?

Now I see the fish, the discolouration isnt that ounced, and could have been caused simply by loss of circulation in a few areas due to septacaemia, probably a strain of aeromonas bacteria. Its pretty common. Fish tend to succumb on an individual basis, depending on their resistance level, so give the tank a little gravel cleaning and maybe a bit of melafix and hopefully the harmful bacterial levels will drop a little.

Its probable as long as the tank is kept nice and clean , that this may be a one-off death.

So you think I'd be ok reintroducing the other platy in the tank to my big tank?

Listen! Do you smell that?