Fishy plague! please help!

[DirgeDevil]

I apologize for the length of this, but I tried to tell the whole story.


ok, so I just moved, and the tanks were the last thing i set up in my room. I followed moving advice from some fish article. the fish seemed to be doing quite well, as they usually are, but about a week ago i woke up one morning and eight were dead! O_O I looked all over the tank, checked the water everything, but I couldn't find anything wrong.

Every day i've woken up to at least one dead fish. I've lost about 20 fish now (only cheap guppies, but i did raise them all from birth, so they're kinda special)

There were no physical signs on the fish, so I sat down and pondered. I remembered that I had added rocks I got from a nearby river. I scrubbed them vigorusly and let them soak for about 3 days before i put them in the tank, so I figured they would be fine.

Today I examined the dead fishy bodies and saw that they all had a dark spot in their head. So i figured the only thing that could have done this were parasites (and the only way the tank could get them would be from those rocks) So I took the rocks out, and they have this weird black algae like stuff on the underside, and things that look like yellow egg sacs. (I have 2 hillstream loaches in one tank) (yes, I know tropical guppies and hillstream loaches don't go together, I didn't know when I bought them. But the loaches are doing FINE! their tank is accomodated for them and not the guppies!!)

So if anybody has pictures of hillstream loach eggs or knowledge about their breeding habits, please post!

I've removed the rocks, and have them sitting in a bucket of cold water (just incase they ARE eggs)

The rocks were only in one tank, but I use the same net for both tanks. So i'm assuming that's how whatever is killing my fish got to my other tank.

What puzzles me is that it's only affecting my guppies. My bettas (different tanks) and my loaches are perfectly fine.

It might just be stress from moving and i'm paranoid about the rocks, but I have no idea, and that's why I'm posting. So don't yell at me about my stupidity or how i've done something wrong. I'm here for help, not a lecture.

I've attached pics to help you visualize the situation.

if you think you can help me in ANY way, please do. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna lose all my guppies, but I'd still like to know what went wrong!

thanks in advance

ps- these are my 4th generation of guppies and the other generations have been perfectly healthy.

pps- the black stuff wasnt there when I put the rocks in the tank.

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

The dark spot you have indicated is typical for guppies. Have you tested your water (hardness, pH, etc.)? The rocks could be leeching something into your water. Did you test the rocks with vinegar before placing them in the tank?

 

[DirgeDevil]

hmmm no. how do you test hardness and how do you test rocks with vinegar? I think I have some distilled vinegar somehwere... I did use bleach when I let them soak though...

 

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Test for hardness with this: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=19377;category_id=3239;pcid1=3233;pcid2=
It's the test kit I use.

The vinegar test entails putting a drop of vinegar on the rock and seeing if it bubbles. Bubbles=bad. Vinegar is okay for testing, but use the strongest you can find. Muriatic acid is a better test. You can find it at some hardware stores.

Do you know what kind of rock they are? Limestone will wreak havoc, and metal deposits can slowly poison your fish.

 

[Jchillin]

I can't tell from the photo but is the weird black stuff slimey or hairy?

 

[greenmaji]

muratic acid does work much better for the hardness test.. they sell it at hardware stores..

if the rock is "suspect" I would toss it.. its not worth risking livestock IMHO..

 

[DirgeDevil]

well, i've got 1 fish left; I'm just waiting for him to die. (20$ for 2 fish, down the drain *sigh*) But I think I know what caused the plague. I remeber the rocks were in my frogs' tank before. (which are slightly toxic) so maybe their toxins leaked into the rock, then leaked out after i put them in the tank.

and the black stuff is both slimey and hairy...

the rocks are long gone...

I think i'll just convert the tanks for more frogs, I seem to have better luck with them; mine just laid eggs, so a 10 gal. nursery seems like a good idea. There should be an amphibian advice website.

thanks for your help everyone