fast hitting disease- doing a journal for updates now

[rubysoho]

My water perams are perfect, I've been testing them nearly every day because I just recently lost some new fish. Two nights ago all my fish looked perfect, I mean perfect! I watch my fish every night, always looking out for any strange behaviors, and then I get up close and examine them very carefully. Anyway, by last night one of my female bettas was practically dead. He eyes were glazed over and her body looked very patchy. The patches were an opaque color and you could still see a small bit of her pink coloring underneath. That happened in a little less than 24 hours. I rushed to swap fish around and get her into the 5 gallon for treatment, but she died before I could get back with any medication. I looked into my 55 gallon tank again and noticed my other female betta was starting to show the same signs. I put her in the 5 gallon immediately, and I am treating for fungus. I didn't think she'd make the night, but she seems to be barely alive...barely Half her body has the opaque patch and she is just tring to stay near the surface, but not trying to swim.

I don't know if I am crazy, but it looks like one of my cories in the 55 gallon has an opaque patch on his nose... I'll check when I get back from school.

Is this a fungus? Bacteria? Parasite? Or worst... Virus?? Here are the symptoms again:

a clear/whiteish coloring starts to take over the body and the fish becomes very lethargic after 12 hours.

 

[Fluff]

velvet perhaps?

I don't know much about fw diseases. Here is a site I found that's give a description of some of them. Good luck with your fishes.

http://www.versaquatics.com/freshwaterdiseasecharts.htm

 

[rubysoho]

thanks, but it isn't velvet... the closest description I could get would be a "false-fungal infection" aka Columnaris. However, I didn't think this particular disease would be so fast and so hard hitting. Anyone else have any ideas?

oh, I forgot to mention, my tank stay steady at 79 degrees... just in case you might be wondering.

 

[Fluff]

Sorry. I hope you find out what it is and can fix it. Good luck.

 

[Menagerie]

I'm not sure, but I am going to PM a couple members for you.

 

[Toirtis]

Could be some form of columnaris....or possibly something completely unidentifiable....there are some really fast fungal infections out there that do not necessarily present with classic symptoms (if I had to treat, I would go aggressively anti-fungal first).

 

[rubysoho]

well, in the QT tank I'm in the process of treating anti-fungal, starting last night around 7:45pm. However, by this morning, the opaque patch that had been maybe a centimeter in diameter spread to a little under an inch. Still, compared to my other betta who died within a 24 hour time frame ( ), she seems to be looking alright... but I'm not hopeful... I'll be getting home in a little over an hour to check on her. *sigh* I'm scared I'll come home to another dead fish and more sick ones....

 

[rubysoho]

MAJOR UPDATE!!!

I just got home and I found the poor female betta stuck at the bottom of the tank, half of her body covered in that weird stuff... All areas covered by that stuff are paralyzed!!! I checked my cory in the 55 gallon, the space covered by the "stuff" had doubled in size. I have moved both (both because I noticed it spread from one betta to the next since they hung out together, so I am trying to prevent the damage on the second cory) my cories to the QT for treatment, but I still have no idea what I am treating for... please help me! I don't want to loose an entire tank of fish, they mean too much to me!

I'll be doing a big water change on the 55 gallon now.

 

[Menagerie]

I would treat with NeoPlex and Sulfathiazole. That's what I happen to have in front of me. Add in some salt.
Here's a Prayer for Healing:
"Oh, fishtailed Goddess Melusine,
One of the watery depths, serene,
Protect my fish and keep them safe
from fungus, wounds, and all ill-fate.
Keep them free of all disease,
and let them swim with grace and ease.
Bless them with your loving care,
Guard them, Melusine, hear my prayer!"
(author unknown)

 

[Fruitbat]

Personally, I'd recommend a broad-spectrum antibiotic for this malady. It sounds like some sort of bacterial infection rather than a fungal one. Fungal infections can produce 'atypical' symptoms but in my experience they are relatively slow to develop.

-Joe

 

[rubysoho]

thanks you guys, I'm heading over to the LFS right now for two things:

1. meds
2. to see if any of their tanks are affected since nothing like this had happened until I brought two new fish home... one died overnight.

 

[rubysoho]

Okay, I talked to the guy who I trust and who has never given me bad advice in the past year I've been going to his store. He said he has never seen this condition, nor has he had anything similar to it in any of his tanks at the store... so somehow this "thing" got into my tank... I don't know how. *BIG SIGH*

As for meds, they didn't have any anti-bacterial medications, just parasite and fungus meds. He even went into the back of the store to look for anything that might help. Also, he has offered to try and search for any info he can find and we swapped e-mails.

So no luck... the cory that had been affected died tonight. The weird spot had started on his nose this morning and by tonight it was up to his forehead. I'm assuming it was worse than it appeared and it had gotten in his mouth/nostrils and possibly gills. That, coupled with the stress of being moved from one tank to the other did not help (just like the other female bettas had shown that the move had put a lot of stress on them). The rest of the cories will remain in QT and be treated with Melafix until I can find something else. They seem okay for now...

The fish in the 55 gallon tank *look* alright, but time will only tell if they get whatever disease this is. I'm not getting my hopes up. I'll keep posting updates if things change for anyone who may be interested.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Maillis]

Do you have a petco or petsmart near you? If you do I'd go there and pick up a broad spectrum antibiotic like kanamycin or if you can't find that get some Maracyn, it's probably your best bet at this point.

 

[Toirtis]

It sounds like some sort of bacterial infection rather than a fungal one. Fungal infections can produce 'atypical' symptoms but in my experience they are relatively slow to develop.

-Joe

Yes, but there are a very few fungal infections that can go from presenting first symptoms to fatal within hours...although most are known from mammalian cases.

 

[rubysoho]

perhaps it is parasite? I've been doing research and read about a 100 different types of symptoms for different diseases including fungal, bacterial, and parasite... bacterial and parasite are the closest I've found... but all were "quick and easy to cure without the threat of death unless left without treatment." So I'm guessing these don't have the quick death as a result.

*edit* the nearest petstore chain is pretty far away because with my school schedule and the 3 classes with projects due this week I've not had much time. If I can find time wednesday afternoon, I can make the hour drive to the nearest Petsmart.

 

[An t-iasg]

Rubysoho, I'm sorry to hear this You tried some fungal meds first, right, but they didn't help? Sometimes stubborn cases need a second course of treatment, but since the cory showed a fast decline, I think I'd try an antibiotic too.

I think I would try the antibiotic with parasite med too. Mardel and Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brands both say that you can use their antibiotic concurrently with their parasite med. I hope you can get to a lfs. I had to rearrange my schedule the other day and make an hour and a half trip to get a new heater.

 

[rubysoho]

thanks, An t-iasg. I'm going to try, but the earliest I can go is wednesday because I'm in class until 6:15PM tomorrow... college is getting in the way of my fishkeeping!!!

*edit* oh wow! I totally forgot there are two other pet stores that could possibly have what I'm looking for... I just never think of them because one I've never been to (almost 30 minutes away), and the second I've been to and didn't like what I saw.

 

[rubysoho]

Day three:

Deaths since first symptoms seen: 2 female bettas, 1 Bronze Cory

55 gallon: at this moment, not visual symptoms or any sort of strange behavior in the fish. Two of the fish affected (now dead) seemed to separate themselves from the group when they were first getting sick.

5 gallon: 3 cories are left. No abnormal behavior, are eating, no visual symptoms on their bodies.

 

[BrianNY]

I've been reading this thread since my return. I feel very badly for you rubysoho. Take it from someone who's gone through mystery deaths......this too shall pass. It can be so hard to get an accurate diagnosis. Fungal, bacterial, parasitic, or viral, the results can be death. We just have to be lucky enough to catch the right culprit.

Brian

 

[rubysoho]

Well, I am really hoping I got all the fish affected QT'd in time. My gut says this isn't water born, but more so through touch (as the only fish affected so far are those that have been in close proximity/schooling together). Still, I am worried I will get home tonight to more sick fish. *sigh* The female bettas were my girls. I'm glad the origional gal is still with me.