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Hi all

I have a 180 gallon fish tank

and all has gone well for a long time how ever the last 2 months something has gone very wrong.

Fish started showing signs of what i guessed was itch due to looking at this site and some personal knowledge i have picked up over the years.

I have treated and treated for itch i used both the temp and salt methods and when that didnt work forked out for some meds which didnt work either.

Problem is i have clown loaches in with my cichlids and they have never shown signs of itch.

Today i woke up to a tank of disaster 5 fish dead and all the others looking really bad except the loaches and plecos.

They have almost a white flufyness on some off them and others look as if they have itch.

Now in the past only 1 or 2 would die every 2 weeks so i was just hoping i would get it under control ..... turns out i was wrong so please can anyone help me work out what could be hurting my tank.

I have done water changes flat out the last few weeks as in every 2-3 days a 10 - 20% water change

Im at work and cant check nitritate but will do as soon as i finnish thanks for any help

You could have several problems a Fungal and Ich not knowing where you are quickly buy a very good fungal and Ick medication that are compatable and suitable for scaleless fish Clown Loaches.

Melafix & Primafix with the Ich could help.

Turn up the temp, turn off the lights, reduce the feeding, and dont change the water until the treatment is completed. Also feed very sparingly once every three days and then very small amounts.

Keep treating for at least 2 weeks after you have seen the last of the Ich.

Then do a water change, add Carbon if possible.

Here is some info on Ich



“White-spot” Parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis

This disease is easy to recognise, as the skin of the infected fish becomes covered with white spots, each the size of a pinhead. Each spot represents the site of one, or sometimes two, parasites. All parts of the body gills, may be attacked.

The causative agent is named Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. It is a spherical and large by protozoan standards, measuring up to 1mm in diameter. Short, hair-like processes known as cilia are spread densely over the surface. A horseshoe-shape nucleus is also present which is clearly visible under the microscope.

By the means of the cilia the parasite rotates vigorously and burrows into the surface layer (epidermis) of its host. It feeds on skin cells and surface debris. The burrowing action causes a local irritation and the epidermis grows across the parasite to enclose it, thus forming a “White Spot”

Reproduction occurs away from the host. After maturing in the skin, which takes a few days to three weeks, depending on the temperature, the parasite bores out, swims away and comes to rest on a submerged object such as a stone, or plant. Here it forms a jelly-like cyst within which a series of rapid cell divisions take place. In a few hours, several hundred daughter cells or swarmers, are produced, which break out of the cyst to find a new host. Alighting on the skin, they burrow in to recommence the life cycle. If they fail to find a host within three to four days, they perish.

Symptoms
If the protozoan is introduced into a tank containing healthy fish, little harm may occur, other than a fleeting infection with a few parasites. If however, the fishes are already weakened for some other reason, e.g. lack of oxygen, the parasite will quickly cover the whole body surface, causing irritation and opening up wounds for secondary infections. The host mobility may become affected. In sever cases, death may result.

Prevention
If white-spot appears in an otherwise healthy tank, the parasite “must” have been introduced either as an adult on a newly acquired fish, or as the cyst form on, for example new stones, a plant or even added water. The only certain method of prevention, is to quarantine all new stock, including stones, plants etc; preferably in water at a temperature of 77F. Allow one week’s quarantine.

Treatments
There are too many treatments today to recommend any specific one. Many can be bought easily at aquarium outlets.


Several very interesting points to think about.

Very easy to recognise.
Its reproduction cycle.
No host they will die.
If introduced into a healthy tank little harm may occur.
Pay attention to all tank details.
Weakened fish, and lack of oxygen can/may and will cause sever deaths. All this is usually caused by poor tank maintenance and/or incorrect and faulty equipment.
Prevention is the best cure
A Parasite “must” be introduced into the tank.

This information was collected from Fresh Water Tropical Fish


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Keith

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Public holiday today so no meds till tomorrow the problem is i have been treating the fish for ich for at least 2 weeks now as i guessed that was what they had. Temp was already turned up.

I will buy more meds tommorrow but do u think it could be ich when my clown loaches are not showing any signs at all shouldnt they be the ones to get sick first

Hum... almost like a white fuzzy look on some. That sounds more like Oodinium than Ich. That disease is also called the Velvet disease. The dots are finer than Ich and sometimes accopanied by some "velvet" fuzz.

In any case, you should treat it with the same meds as for Ich. Forget Melafix and the like, they take ages to work and are not bullet proof. Go for Malachite Green + Formalin. Most of the Ich cure meds have both of these ingredients in them. Don't forget to remove your CARBON from your filter. Do NOT turn on lights during treatment. Do NOT use full dosage because of the clown loaches, go with about ¾ dosage. When you do your water change, vaccuum the gravel thoroughly each time. REMOVE all your plants in there and put them in another tank or bucket after rinsing them thoroughly.

That treament will probably crash your bio-filter so be prepared for a mini-cycle.

Good luck

Sponge

[link=info]http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/Diseases.htm" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

[link=More info]http://www.aquariumpharm.com/disease.html" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

These links might help you.

Have a look in [link=My Profile]http://
www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/profile.asp?userid=6741" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link] for my tank info

[link=Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tanks]http://photobucket.com/albums/b209/keithgh/Betta%20desktop%20tank/" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW