Nitrite poisoning???

[mandi0321]

Hey Guys,

I have some very sick fish!!! My tank parameters are all out of whack. the ammonia is at 0 but the Nitrites are off the chart (dark purple) and the nitrates are around 10 (orange).

Hence, my tank is cycling...Here's the problem...Some of my guppies have white stuff (and I use the term losely because honestly, I'm not sure what it is) on them. I treated the tank for ick with ick cure. It didn't really help. (It's only been two days though) The stuff doesn't really look like ick though. It's almost a whitish gray and only on three fish. One fish's tail is a little frayed.

What do you think it is? Should I use some form of bacterial medicine or keep up the ick cure? Should I do a water change?

I have 4 tetras, 12 guppies, and a pleco in a 55 gal tank. It's been up and running for several weeks but I just added 5 female guppies last week to total 12...

Any help would be appreciated!!!

 

[Menagerie]

Do a 50% water change immediately. You must get those nitrites down. Do you have a QT tank for the ill fish? If not, you shoud get one, or set up a smallish Rubbermaid with an airstone and a 50 Watt heater. When fish are ill, water changes are necessary, so don't worry about the QT tank being cycled.

Look through these diagnostic charts to see if what has infected your fish:
http://www.aquatronicsonline.com/hobbyist/hobbyist3.htm
http://www.aqualink.com/disease/sdisease.html#ich
http://fish.mongabay.com/diseases.htm
http://www.everythingfishy.com/med_info.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/fishdisho.htm

 

[mandi0321]

Thanjs Menagerie for the quick answer!!!

I went home at lunch and did the water change. The nitrites are now at .50 (very light purplish blue). I still am unable to determine what exactly is wrong with the three fish. Do you think the whole tank could be infected?

The water is crystal clear and the other fish don't seem stressed at all.

Do you recommend any treatment or should I see if the water change affects the sick fishes condition???

Thanks!!!

 

[mandi0321]

Oh, one more thing...I do have a QT it is a 5 gallon hexagon.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

Do the spots look like grains of salt or do they look fuzzy (like a cotton ball)?

 

[mandi0321]

They look kinda fuzzy on one fish. It almost looks like part of the fish's coloring. It's really weird...The worst fish has it around his eyes. That is what made me think that it probably wasn't Ick.

 

[Menagerie]

I would QT right away. You may need to treat with a fungal and bacterial med. Are the eyes cloudy?

 

[mandi0321]

They are cloudy but because of whatever is on them. It's the same stuff that is on the rest of the fish. They have been this way for two days because I was treating them for Ick. Since they have been in the tank for this long do you think I should treat the whole tank as a precaution.

Also, I do have a pleco who is three years old and very precious to me. Will the bacterial/fungus medicine hurt him??? Can he catch this stuff too???

 

[Menagerie]

Pull those ill fish ASAP! I would not treat the whole tank. The meds you are going to use will kill the bacteria in the filter. The pleco may or may not catch the infection--it's like a bunch of kids at school, one comes in sick and half the class catches it and the other half is fine. I never medicate unless it is neccessary.

 

[mandi0321]

Thanks for all your help!!! I bought some melafix and started treatment for the sick fish. They definitely have some kind of fungus because I noticed one of the fish's tail is very frayed...

The melafix seems to be working. I have treated twice and the fuzz seems to be lessening (hopefully this isn't just wishful thinking)...


Don't know what I'd do without you guys to help me through!!!! Thanks again...

 

[Menagerie]

Melafix is good stuff, but you should be prepared to treat with something stronger if the condition continues and does not get better.

 

[mandi0321]

Menagerie,

You were right...while they seemed to be doing a little better it has not entirely cleared up over the weekend like I expected.

I bought some Jungle labs fungus clear. It's a fizzing tablet. Should I go ahead and try it? Will I need to remove the biowheel?

Thanks!!!

 

[Menagerie]

More than likely it will kill the good bacteria--read the packaging carefully. If you opt to remove the biowheel, keep it in tank water and add SMALL amounts of straight ammonia. You will lose the bacteria on the filter pad.