black phantoms missing top lip

[knightym06]

hi all,

ive had 2 black phantoms die in the past 2 days, they went from being fine to missing there top lips, not being able to close theres mouths and not moving much in less than a day, any ideas what it is? it may be mouth rot but they dont appear to show any fungus

help please

mark

 

[dkpate]

It might be fungus or columnaris. What are your water readings? How long have you had them?

 

[knightym06]

ph 7.5 amm 25ppm or less nitrite 0 nitrate between 25 ppm and 40 ppm. I know ammonia should be 0 but it is time for a water change at the moment.
Im unsure as i bought 9 in 2 groups, some are about 2 weeks old others over 2 months

 

[Phrozian]

What is the size of your tank? If your ammonia is so high, it can essentially 'burn' your fishes. I suspect your tank's nitrogen cycle has not been established? We will need more details about your setup.

 

[knightym06]

its 60 litres, I really don't know why the ammonia has spiked like that, i think im possibly over feeding but the fish always seem to leave the white flakes out of the ffod ive got and this uneaten food could be the ammonia source.
tanks been set up around 3 months I think

 

[knightym06]

o crud, i put 25ppm and i should of put 0.25ppm, i hope this helps

 

[Phrozian]

Hahaha yes indeed it does. 0.25ppm is fine
Given your situation, there could be an issue with the new fish you bought. Did you quarantine them for a few weeks to watch for any pre-existing conditions?

 

[knightym06]

ok thats good then. No i didnt to be honest, i dont have space for another tank to do this. They have been fine for this first few weeks and then in the space of 2 days 2 of them lost there top lips and just died

 

[Phrozian]

Usually an external fungus can't kill in two days... I suspect it could be other reasons that may have compromised their immune system, and the missing top lip COULD be a symptom rather than a cause...
Do you notice any pooping in the tank that is not ordinary?

 

[knightym06]

yeah i know fungus isn't a quick killer. Ive had another one die as well today, noticed that it had a very pale/white head when i went out and 4 hours later it was dead, and its eyes we're glazed over, this one did seem to have its top lip though

 

[knightym06]

also not really noticed anything unusual, my pair of mollies and 3 clown loaches aren't showing any signs of illness and my remaining 5 tetras seem ok. have treated with an anti fungus and fin rot medicine so will just have to see what happens in the morning

 

[dkpate]

I am glad you used the meds. Make sure you follow the directions to a "T" also.
Your tank is only about 15-16 US gallons, and the clown loaches in there will get WAYYY too big for your tank. They can get up to 16 inches, so you will need a much bigger tank.
Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) — Loaches Online
Your tank is way overstocked also. I typed some of your information into the aqadvisor (not the best site, but gives you a general idea) and it said:
Your aquarium stocking level is 306%.
Your tank is seriously overstocked. Unless this setup is temporary, you should consider a larger tank.

Warning: Black Phantom Tetra will likely to fin nip Molly.
Note: Clown Loach may pretend to be dead at times.
Warning: Clown Loach is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 12 inches.
Warning: At least 5 x Clown Loach are recommended in a group.
Suggestion: If you want to keep more than 1 Molly, minimum recommend male to female ratio is 1:2 (M:F). You will be less likely to experience problem if you get even more females.

 

[knightym06]

I dont think its working found another 1 dead after work and they we're all fine this morning, I think this could be a bacterial infection.

I know the loaches will grow very large but at the moment they are less than 2 inches. I dont trust that website at all really, doesnt take in to account ive got a filter than can cope with up to 30 gallons.

I really could use some help here people, everythings normal nitrogen cycle wise and fish aren't showing any signs of illness, water clarity is good, is it possible the 2nd group of tetras i bought had some kind of internal infection thats finished them off?

 

[knightym06]

ok, ive changed over a 3rd of water as i was planning to use a different treatment and after the change all of my fish have now become very active, should i still now try a bacterial treatment just to be safe or see how things progress?

 

[dkpate]

I would try Melafix and Pimafix.
Like I said, the site it not 100% accurate, but it gives you an idea. All of my filters are rated for more than the tank, but that doesn't really make a difference, the fish still don't have as much room to swim around.

 

[Phrozian]

Also, even though your filter may have a flow rate that's capable of handling a 30 gallon tank, that does not equal the bio-filter being able to handle the amount of waste that's produced. It's definitely something to be mindful of.
Nevertheless, definitely try dkpate's method of Melafix and Pimafix.
Natural remedies are usually the best way to go about healing fishes before attempting strong medications.

 

[knightym06]

ok quick update, its been a week since any deaths which means it was a bacterial infection, was cured with 1 dose of anti internal bacteria from intrepet. Have decided to add in another product from them which prevents the build up of excessive bacteria called general tonic. One things for sure is i wont be getting more fish from wilmslow garden centre

 

[dkpate]

Glad things are looking up.