help???????the're all getting ill

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cappieBridget

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Apr 13, 2006
Messages
215
I have a black skirt tetra that is loosIng color, a shark that is flashing on everything and chasing the other fish now, a pregnant Platy that has stringy white feces and a platy the dropped fry last week dying with dropsy. Ummmm, HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP? I don't see white spots but maybe the shark and pregnant platy have intestinal worms making them scratch?
 
Well obviously something is afflicting your tank. What are the water parameters? Even though you can't see the spots they could still have ich. It could be in the gills. Unfortunately there are several illnesses that can cause the symptoms that your fish are displaying. You could try treating with Maracyn II, or AP's General Cure. The downside is treating without knowing the cause. What size is your tank?
 
Are you still treating the platy with dropsy in your QT bucket? If not, put her in there and start slowly raising your water temperature in your tank to 86-87F, a degree or so every few hours. Flashing is a sign of external parasites, most commonly ich. After your water has reached that temperature, leave it there for atleast 2 weeks after you see your fish stop flashing.

As for the platy with white feces, have you tried the gel-tek food you talked about in a previous thread? High temps with the medicated food should cure you.

Also, are you noticing the black skirt tetra with faded color all day, or just in the morning after you turn the lights on?

HTH
 
zagz:
I have a 20 gal. with an aqua-tech 10-20, 120 GPH filter (tank has been up for 2 months, old filter was replaced with new one a week ago) living in the tank is :
3 skirt tetras (2 small, 1 large)
1 red tail shark
1 small pleco
1 tiny otto
2 medium female platies
1 medium male swordtail

the water parameters are:
temp.-86
ph-7 (was 6 and falling even with 10% daily PWC with dechlorinator and gravel vacc'd every time, so I used the PH tabs)
ammonia- .5-1 ppm (just now having a problem with this)
nitrite-.5 (went up a little bit, could it be from the ph tabs I put in?)

I feed tetra tropical flakes, peas and just discontinued feeding frozen bloodworms and am switching to freeze dried worms 1x every other day)

the tetra was like this today also now and all of the tetras seem to have this nerve jittery thing, sitting in one place and jitter. Not real bad and they swim and eat fine. The platy is still in the QT bucket and still swimming and eating like normal but looks like a pineapple. I turned the heat up already too. The pregnant platy is also flashing now. I also have the fry in a breeder box, should I move them? I have an extra 2 gallon tank now.
 
I would have to agree with DT's suggestions. As I mentioned ich can be present even when not visible. Use the 2 gal tank for the platy with dropsy. Take the water from the bucket and put it in there, along with a filter and heater if you have them. In the main tank where your nitrite has gone up, do a water change, match the temp and then slowly raise the temps up.
 
My nitrite is going up I think because 3 days ago when the dropsy came on, I took out my carbon filter for the fugus clear. I only had it out for 1/2 day adn put it back. I did a 50% water change and then yesterday and today a 10% PWC and have been doing PWC's at least 2-3 weekly since start up. Right before the fungus clear my nitrites were at 0 for a week so I think the tank was completly cycled. I need a nitrate test kit though. Can my LFS test that for me? If they do test it, how do I bring the water to them? In a cup or ziploc bag or something?
 
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