need help!!

[Raf]

Hi all,

I have been travelling for my work for 10 days and when I came home I noticed some of my killies are not doing so well.
Especially my Fp. gardneri Nsukka are looking quite bad. It seems they have some kind of external parasite, since tehy are rubbing themselves all the time against the plants, filter and the bottom of the tank. I haven't been able to identify what it is extactly, so I need some suggestions what I can do about it...
I'm raising the salt level gradually and giving some medication to stop finrot that is starting also.


regards,

Raf

[stormhawk]

Raf, I think your fish are experiencing the first signs of a possible whitespot infestation. If they're rubbing themselves against rough surfaces that means there's some skin parasite that has infected them.

For finrot I have found that keeping the fish in a small plastic tank with a sponge filter and vigorous aeration plus a treatment with a mild solution of methylene blue plus some aquarium salt (a little), helps in getting them back to healthy levels.

I would suggest however that you do a water change at this period of time. Look for an anti-parasite medication that might be available commercially. I've used methylene blue against white spot before and have gotten good results. The best medication (and most effective, IMO) for whitespot would be Sera Costapur. I used this to good effect as well when I previously had some white spot running through my tank inhabitants.

The key is to get the concentration of the medication right. I usually don't measure. I squirt just enough to tint the water slightly blue (in the case of methylene blue) and slightly green (in the case of Sera Costapur). What you should be doing during this period of time in treatment is to ensure that you change the water daily and that there is good aeration and a simple filter in the tank. A simple filter would be a small sponge filter, depending on the size of the tank.

[TyroneGenade]

Raf,

What are your water parameters? Soft? Acidic?

While you were away was someone feeding the fish? Could be a waste product surge.

If you are seeing finrot then you are dealing with bacteria but the "itching" suggests something on the fish such as Costia that is causing irritation.

My suggestion is for you to do a 50% water change for 3 days. Costa Pur is mainly malachite green which is very very strong and may take out the Costia (and certainly the white spot if that is what you have). I don't know how effective it will be against the bacteria causing the finrot. Acriflavine (Tetra General Tonic) works well for this from my experiance. It will also kill Costia and white spot.

Good luck

[Raf]

I think it is because of the waste upbuild in the tank. There were a lot of dead tubifex worms on the tank bottom.
My water conditions are PH 6.5-6.8 and very soft DH 2-3º.
I'm going to try the CostaPur for a couple of days to see how it results.


Thanks,


Raf

[RonWill]

Raf,
I was discussing your killie problem with Kenny last night and suspected that the tank's water was polluted by uneaten food during your absence.

Killies are tough fishes, especially gardneri and can easily survive one week without food. Going hungry won't kill them, foul water will.

Please update us on the CostaPur treatment. Thanks.

[TyroneGenade]

Have a real good look at your fish. Do they seem coverred by a gold velvety haze? You may have velvet!

[Raf]

Hi all,

I've been treating my Fp. gardneri Nsukka with CostaPur and an extra addition of salt and they seem to be doing a bit better.
The thing is I still don't know what it is extactly. Maybe its an additional factor in the tank, but there seems to be an epidemic of tiny Cyclops or a similar shaped creature and some of them attack my fish, although they have a size of 3.5 to 4 cm.
They adhere themselves to her skin and fins and desperatly try to get rid of them.
Anyone has heard of this before?

regards,

Raf

[stormhawk]

It could be fish lice (Argulus) or maybe skin flukes.

[timebomb]

It could be fish lice (Argulus) or maybe skin flukes.

It's been a long time since I've seen the Argulus in my tanks but they're really horrible parasites. They are more commonly known as Fish louse. They look like Bed Bugs and if you have them in your tanks, you will have to disinfect everything.

Loh K L

[Raf]

Well, its seems that my final diagnosis is some kind of fish lice that are causing the following secondary effects: finrot and fungal attack.
The fish lice probably were introduced together with Daphnia and Dendrocephalus that I harvested from a local pond.

Should I maintain the CostaPur treatment?

regards,

raf

[whuntley]

I'd rush to the closest veterinarian and get an anti-worm medicine, like flubendazole to kill the fish lice. Good clean water changes (and maybe a faint tinting with 50:50 acriflavin and methylene blue) will allow the fish to beat the bacterial stuff with their own immune systems. Keep the tank extra clean for a week or two. Feed sparingly or not at all.

Fluke Tabs are available some places through the fish shops, and those should kill the lice, too, I think, but I've never used them.

Wright

[Raf]

Hi all,

Here is the promised update.
Since I already had started the CostaPur treatment, I decided to continue it.
After 2 doses of 8 drops in a 15l tank on the first and the third day, together with a traditional salt treatment, I decided to wait a couple of days to see what happened. After 5 days I didn't notice any parasites anymore and that the fungal attack had stopped.
I did a 50% water change and the fish reacted very well. I even found a couple of eggs!

best regards,

Raf