Whirling!?

[Mcor]

I have a danio who is, for lack of a better word, going crazy. She's whirling, spinning, crashing into things, and when she's still she's lying in the plants. I can't catch her - I've been trying for hours now. She's so fast and because of her behaviour, incredibly difficult to predict where she's going to go. What is wrong with her? It's like brain damage or something. There is nothing right about her behaviour.

We've had recent troubles in the tank. A sharp increase in nitrates lead to some sort of fungal/bacterial outbreak. I lost 1 danio to a huge fuzzy white ulcer on its back, a platy got a fuzzy eye which has recovered now. No other poorly fish, treating with melafix. Got one day left of the 7 day treatment.

Tested the water, ph is somewhat lower than usual at about 7 (usually 7.6-7.8), ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates <20. (They had spiked to 80 last week).

Tank is a 66g tall, heavily planted, with 11 danios, 7 penguin tetras, 6 platys (plus fry), 2 opaline gouramis, 2 gold gouramis, 2 BN plecos, and an assortment of snails. It's been up and running for months now and no new additions in about 3 months.

Please, can anyone shed some light on this? If I could catch her I'd get the clove oil out and put her out of her misery, but is it contagious!?

 

[HUKIT]

Whirling disease is still somewhat rare and unconfirmed in the tropical world of fish keeping as this originally identified with salmonid fish and thought not capable of living at a higher temps associated with tropical fish. Myxosoma cerebralis is a parasitic infection which has a 100% fatality rate, it's highly contagious and that fish needs to be caught immediately and euthanized. I would personally break down the tank and sterilze the substrate, filters, tank itself, and decor with a 1:9 bleach solution to confirm the protozoan is eliminated.

 

[Mcor]

Wow. Thank you very much. How would it have gotten into my tank? From what I've read, it requires 2 hosts, a tubifex worm and then the fish. From fish food - freeze dried tubifex!? That's horrific if it's the case. No other possible causes? I am off hunting for the little escape artist, but if anyone wants to chime in, now would be the time to do it. If it is indeed whirling disease, what fate lies with the rest of my fish!?

 

[HUKIT]

I've never actually seen a true confirmed case of myxosoma cerebralis in tropical fish unless they were fed infected tubiflex worms that were caught locally, only speculation based on symptoms and diet. I have seen some cases with the specific symptoms you mentioned which does not automatically confirm the diagnosis of the parasite.

Have you been feeding tubiflex worms?

I would still euthanize the fish and if your "somewhat" confident it may be whirling then I'd sterilize as noted. The only true way to confirm the diagnosis is with a biopsy of the deceased fish.

 

[Mcor]

Yes, freeze dried tubifex worms. I picked up a tub just last week. I suppose I'm just looking for all possible potential causes because I really hope it isn't whirling disease. Thank you so very much for your advice and responses. If I need to break down the tank, what do I do with all my plants? It's a heavily planted tank.

Oh, here's a point... I wonder how long between ingesting the parasite and symptoms beginning? I only started feeding the tubifex last Wednesday. I remember there being something odd about that fish either the Tuesday or Wednesday just gone. She was slowly rolling sideways when she was still. Otherwise she was swimming fine.

 

[HUKIT]

From my limited knowledge of this parasite I think the gestation period of 30-45 days after ingestion of the infected tubiflex worm is eaten. So using that time line I would conclude there is no way eating the worms last week caused the actual parasite in question.

 

[Mcor]

Excellent. And since I have never fed tubifex before that, I can conclude that is isn't whirling disease but some other disease/parasite causing this. Thank you very much, you really know your stuff!