Help, my bristlenose keep dying!

[Bigfish99]

I have 6 tanks and decided to start a bristlenose breeding program. I have purchased groups of young bristlenose at auctions (regular, albino, marble, green dragon, longfin albino). I have probably purchased over 30 in the last 2-3 months. The problem is they keep dying off. I have probably lost half of them. Every week i find one or 2 dead. They look very skinny like they aren't eating. I have tried 3 or 4 kinds of wafers, pellets, sticks, zucchini, cucumber, peas, etc. my other fish all seem to be doing fine, only one or 2 deaths from getting stuck in powerful filtration.

There have been deaths in 3 of my 6 tanks. On the other hand, last night i had my first successful spawn from a pair i bought a week ago! The tanks all have mystery snails and lots of malaysian trumpet snails...could they be stealing all the food? Sometimes i see snails all over the wafers, but that is usually 24 hours after i put them in the tank so the plecos had their chance. I do see some of them on the zucchini, but not all.

With a grow out tank of say 10 juvie bristlenose, how often should i feed wafers, veggies, etc?

Parameters are good with ammonia and nitrite at zero, nitrate varies between 10 and 30 depending on weekly PWC. Temp around 78. Never tested Ph because everyone says fish will adapt easier than holding an adjusted Ph level. I have mopani in every tank. Sand substrate. All tanks are over filtered.

I think that about covers it, please help!

[Bigfish99]

Well i guess the lack of responses is because everybody is at a loss as i am....any reccommendations at all?

[Berylla]

I would take the snails out if they are competing with food. Is there poop white? They could have Hex, which will make them skinny and die. Is there aggression in the tank? That would cause lost of stress. Also provide with lots of hiding spots like little tubes (but you probably know this).

[Bigfish99]

I have seen some white poop. What is hex and how do i treat it?

[Fishanatic]

Originally Posted by Bigfish99

I have seen some white poop. What is hex and how do i treat it?

That's a good sign of internal parasites. Usually comes from poor water quality. Try buying from a reputable fish website and see if that helps. I can't help you further though.
Sorry.

[Berylla]

Originally Posted by Bigfish99

I have seen some white poop. What is hex and how do i treat it?

Hexamita is a flagellate parasite and causes the fish to waste away. The fish have a characteristic white stringy poop. I would treat the main tank since its infected all your fish. Is your tank a display tank with plants and sand etc.? You can treat your main tank, but I suggest you treat the fish in a large QT tank or storage bucket, then add a large UV filter on your display tanks. This should kill any residual flagellates in your tank without medicating the tank.

You will need Metronidazole

Metronidazole (Generic)

Get the 500ml tablets and get at least 10 to treat a 10G tank for 10 days, 1 tablet a day. Raise the temps to 90 degrees, change water out 90% a day and redose. You will need a mortar and pestle to crush the pills or another creative method to crush pills into a fine powder. This is the cheapest route to buy metro. You can also find it at 4fishstuff.com at 100 grams of powder for 30$ (this is what I buy).

[Berylla]

If you treat your main tank, change 85% of the water, and vacuum substrate thoroughly. Metro often kills beneficial bacteria so after the 10 day treatment, do daily ammonia tests to make sure your water parameters are stable.

In the main tank you will still need to change out your water, but at 50% a day. If the ammonia spikes, change out 85% a day until the treatment is over.

[Berylla]

Also, to dissolve metro, warm a 1/4 cup of water so that it's just hot to the touch. Add the metro powder and mix with a spoon for a minute, then dump into tank.

[Bigfish99]

Thank you

[Berylla]

Your welcome! Please keep us updated and provide photos if possible.

[Bigfish99]

Originally Posted by Berylla

Hexamita is a flagellate parasite and causes the fish to waste away. The fish have a characteristic white stringy poop. I would treat the main tank since its infected all your fish. Is your tank a display tank with plants and sand etc.? You can treat your main tank, but I suggest you treat the fish in a large QT tank or storage bucket, then add a large UV filter on your display tanks. This should kill any residual flagellates in your tank without medicating the tank.

You will need Metronidazole

Metronidazole (Generic)

Get the 500ml tablets and get at least 10 to treat a 10G tank for 10 days, 1 tablet a day. Raise the temps to 90 degrees, change water out 90% a day and redose. You will need a mortar and pestle to crush the pills or another creative method to crush pills into a fine powder. This is the cheapest route to buy metro. You can also find it at 4fishstuff.com at 100 grams of powder for 30$ (this is what I buy).

Just thought about something...only saw white poop in one pleco out of several. Have not seen any issues with any other fish and white poop. Also, only plecos are dying, not guppys, gourami, kuhli loaches, or danios. Wouldn't they all suffer from a parasite if it was in the tanks?

[Berylla]

Many fish have Hex but show now signs of the infection. Stress lowers fish defenses and the succumb to the disease. That's why I would treat the whole tank (remove snails first). Raise the heat and medicate. Then start using a big UV's on your tanks.