help i want a healthy tank

[forever1love]

i recently bought fish and the tiger barbs developed rot mouth. (one of the fish in the tank i bought them from had this but the seller said it was a birth defect, well when the 5 "healthy" fish i bought started having the same "defect" i did research.) I have lost 5 fish total, 3 tigers, 2 mollies. i treated with melafix, stress coat, aquarium salt, and easy ph, i just noticed another tiger starting to get a fuzzy mouth. this has all happened in the past 3 weeks. i am upset and do not know what to do. water was tested and is ok

 

[tonedogz]

I'm a saltwater guy but sounds like it could be a fungus if its cottony. You could try maracyn, maracyn 2, or rid fungus. I would read the directions as some fish are more sensitive to meds then others good luck.

 

[Lunchbox209]

i recently bought fish and the tiger barbs developed rot mouth. (one of the fish in the tank i bought them from had this but the seller said it was a birth defect, well when the 5 "healthy" fish i bought started having the same "defect" i did research.) I have lost 5 fish total, 3 tigers, 2 mollies. i treated with melafix, stress coat, aquarium salt, and easy ph, i just noticed another tiger starting to get a fuzzy mouth. this has all happened in the past 3 weeks. i am upset and do not know what to do. water was tested and is ok

What do your water parameters look Like

 

[jlk]

How do your water parameters look? What your describing sounds like columnaris (a gram negative bacterial infection caused flexibacteria). Treatment consists of reducing the temps (low 70's), adding aq salt and treating with a gram negative antibiotic such as kanamycin sulfate. Heres some more specific info on treatment:

Columnaris (Flexibacteria); Aquarium, Pond Treatment, Prevention; Fungus, Saprolegnia

 

[Borderlesscott]

I don't think it's Columnaris, it spreads and kills really quickly, the whole tank would probably be wiped out within 3 weeks.

 

[jlk]

I don't think it's Columnaris, it spreads and kills really quickly, the whole tank would probably be wiped out within 3 weeks.

Thats actually not true. There are over 90+ strains of flexibacteria. Some are way more lethal than others. Without a microscope, you can not determine the exact strain you may be dealing with. Some can kill within 24hrs before a fish even has symptoms, others can ravaged fish for weeks before they succumb. The OP has already lost fish so this isnt a matter to be taken lightly.

 

[forever1love]

i dont know what the parameters are im new at this but ive been taking my water to get tested weekly and so far the employees at the store say that the water is good. i just lost another tiger so i will go get the kanamycin sulfate
thank you all for your help also my last living tiger has a big red spot on its side and my red tailed shark was trying to eat it i have separated the tiger so that it wont be terrorrized by the shark. thank you all again

 

[paytertot]

You need to buy your very own liquid test kit.
When you have it tested at the lfs, do you see them do it? Are they using a liquid kit with drops, or are they dipping a strip into the water? Strips aren't reliable.
Until you can get your own kit, have the lfs test it again and act for the exact parameters. When they say its good, that doesn't always mean its good.
This tank is cycled right?
Just checking all the bases.

 

[jlk]

+1
Agreed- a liquid test kit is a must here. If you have water quality isues, they need to be resolved before attempting treatment. Antibiotics also may affect your good bacteria- they dont discriminate between 'good' & 'bad' bacteria which will put your tank back into a cycle if its already cycled. You need to be able to test your water daily while treating & do water changes as needed. Kanamycin is not readily available in most lfs & would need to be ordered online. Maracyn2 (not regular maracyn) is pretty common (petsmart carries it) and is another treatment option. Please ask if you have any questions!