Still Having Problems.

[Raivynn]

[*]Test Results for the Following:

[*]Ammonia Level? 0

[*]Nitrite Level? 0

[*]Nitrate level? 15

[*]Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)? 8.2 (gravel bed)

[*]Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)? 7.8

[*]Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops? API drop kit

[*]Water temperature? 76.3f

[*]Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running? 75g, since June

[*]What is the name and size of the filter(s)? 2 Aquaclear 500s, full flow

[*]How often do you change the water and how much? every week, 50%

[*]How many fish in the tank and their size? 5, under 3" (not including tails)

[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners? Prime dechlor

[*]What do you feed your fish and how often? Daily; Omega One pellets, supplement with frozen foods also

[*]Any new fish added to the tank? Yes - 2

[*]Any medications added to the tank? Yes - Clout, at the recommendation of a very trusted fish shop here; 1tsp/gal salt

[*]Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt," bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? Yes

[*]Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.? no

I am now actually becoming concerned. The redness in the fins of my fish just never went away, no matter what I did. So, i got tired of medicating and keeping a bare 75g tank. I graveled and decorated the tank. I saw the fish actually improve in a matter of days. The redness went away, and everyone seemed fine. Everyone is still acting fine, but I am seeing a lot of redness in the scales and redness around the gills. The medication my LFS recommended for me is Clout, which is also used to treat for flukes. I am past the 24 hour mark to change the water, which I am going to do as soon as I complete this posting. They also have a cloudy slime coat. I also started my fish on a round of MetroMeds.

I am not sure what else to do other than just keep the tank clean.

[Raivynn]

I have been doing a little reading, and the disease that most closely resembles the symptoms of my fish is septicemia.

[number20121]

I don't know the "medical history" of your fish, how all this started, how long ago etc.. Do you have photos of it maybe?

[Raivynn]

I have been having issues with this since April. 2 fish passed in August, but besides that, no one seems immensely ill. I transferred the fish from a 46g to a 75g in June, which is how long this tank has been established. I will try to photograph the fish, but they are quick little buggers and don't sit pretty for the camera. The sections where the redness has begun to concern me is in the joint of the pectoral (swimming) fins and near the gills.

[Raivynn]

This is the best image I can get of one of the most affected fish.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Raivynn

[npila1]

Are they lethargic? I saw bloody streaks on the caudal fin of one of my commons and I was worried about septicemia. I read that they become very lethargic when they have this.

[Raivynn]

They are actually very active most of the time. I do sometimes see them resting on the bottom, but not enough to cause worry. They are eating well also.

[caitie]

This is very strange as your water quality seems to be very good. Usually red streaking like that comes from nitrites in the water. If this is bacterial than feeding the metromeds is good but I am concerned about the clout. Clout is a very harsh treatment and it is usually used in the case of parasites which I don't think is your problem. I would think that good clean water, salt and the metromeds would be what your fish needs.

[Trinket]

Were the 2 new fish quarantined and treated for parasites? And when were they added?

[Sakura]

[*]Ph Level, Tank (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)? 8.2 (gravel bed)

[*]Ph Level, Tap (If possible, KH, GH and chloramines)? 7.8

What do you mean by this? Are you saying that you think the gravel affects your pH? Is there crushed coral mixed in to it or something?

In my opinion you should remove the gravel. It sounds like the gravel could be causing this problem since you said they seemed to get better when you removed the gravel, and then got worse when you added it back in. Am I reading that correctly, is that what happened? My theory is (and I don't know if this is accurate) that the gravel is harboring excess bad bacteria, and when the fish scrape against the gravel with their fins and bodies, the bacteria irritate them, causing redness.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Sakura

[Raivynn]

The fish improved upon addition of the gravel bed and plants. I think they were under constant stress of feeling exposed and also I feel like there wasn't enough BB. I have had a better time using gravel than not with my fish.

I have noticed a slightly higher pH in tank when I use gravel than the tap reads.

The Clout is completely gone. The person I talked to was concerned about the possibility of skin/gill flukes ...

I changed 100% of the water, siphoned the gravel 3 times over, rinsed my filter media, and re added the salt. I made sure the water was temp matched.

The 2 newbies were added within days of each other. Because of space and other issues, I havent been able to establish a quarentine tank just yet. I made sure both new additions were healthy and active before purchase, and also checked the health of all their tankmates as well. I never add the water from the transport bag to minimize exposure to foreign bacteria. I didn't experience any ammonia or nitrite spikes. Neither fish is showing signs of aggression.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Raivynn

[amynmitchell]

Do you regularly feed bloodworms? Some fish are allergic to them.

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

I was thinking the same thing.

[Trinket]

Yes indeed. Especially if it happens that you notice extreme reddening within a few hours after eating. It can literally be that quick. Moo was allergic to blood worms...I did witness that sudden reddening on him. However........all the fish in the tank? ..less likely maybe.

I would add more media to make up for any farther loss of BBs from the Clout meds. The fact that the BBs bounced back with gravel and new colonizing area and then the fish healed up after that suggests your BB colony is weak.

The salt is good but taking it too high or raising it fast can also damage more BBs...raise it 0.5% over 24 hours to combat this.

Redness takes an age to heal be patient. The good thing about the Clout is actually that it will have treated the new fish for parasites AND the old fish who may have also been affected. Flukes can cause reddening. The main thing now would seem to be getting your BBs really strong again.

[pss_gold]

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The salt is good but taking it too high or raising it fast can also damage more BBs...raise it 0.5% over 24 hours to combat this.

Don't you mean 0.05%? 0.5% is 5TSP per gallon, or at least that's how people have been using it on this forum and that'll do the opposite...

[Raivynn]

The fish really perked up after the 100% water change. However, I have not seen much improvement this morning otherwise. I have been noticing long stringy white poo from a few of the fish. Is this stress poo or internal infection poo?

I do not feed bloodworms a whole lot, but have never experienced an almost immediate reddening in the fish.

Still at .01% salt - do I need to go any higher?