Sick Fish...what was it??

[summergwiz]

Hi there. I'm new to the forum and have a question...it's not dire but I do want to know what the issue was.

I recently got a new F platy...I had a M and a F and the M was chasing the F). I got a new F but it looked just like one I already had. So I'm really not sure if the sick one was the old one or the new one?

Anyway, the first signs of sickness were in the tail fin. Then she started to get swollen where the body meets the tail. Then she was swimming and the butt was hanging down (almost looked like she was getting a curved spine?). She got puffier and puffier and was losing color. By the end she could barely swim up off the bottom.

Initially, I thought it was fin and tail rot or a fungal infection or dropsy. The puffiness looked like cottony white (which I now think was really swelling). I treated with Maracyn-2 (M2). Then it looked more and more like dropsy and not fin and tail rot. I needed more Maracyn-2 so I went yesterday to get that and also came home with Maroxy, just in case (I'm returning it today). Last night after almost a week of this I decided she wasn't going to improve (I was on day 4 of M2). I started researching more of what it could be and got worried that it as Fish TB? I have to do a water change and read that fish TB could be dangerous for humans. I do not have gloves and don't even know what kind to get?

Any advice? I've attached pictures (they're not very good).

 

[librarygirl]

Is the tank cycled? What are the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels? How often/much do you feed them? What is your water change schedule?

It could be a number of things, really. In the second pic it looks like she has some white spots on her, or is it the light from the camera? Do her scales look raised?

 

[summergwiz]

I'm not sure that the tank was completely cycled (my bad) but everyone was doing just fine until soon after I got the new fish. All water levels are great, I just checked everything again yesterday. Water changes are usually every 2-3 weeks. And I'm overdue for one now but was worried about the recent issues.

The scales in the rear half are definitely raised (causing it to look white) and I'm not sure if that made her butt sag down or if it was that her rear fin was half missing.

Feeding was 2 times a day since the move to the new tank (more fish) but over the last week or so I decreased the amount b/c I didn't want to overfeed.

I also never had brown algae with the old tank and it's been a new problem. I've figured out that the algae grows most toward the center (where the light is cast) so I think it's from the LED?

I have no idea? Any help is much appreciated!

 

[Aces11]

Well it definitely looks like her scales are raised but I'm bot sure why it's only on her tail. It could be dropsy but I don't know why its only on half of her body.

 

[abrahamavelar]

could it be fin rot????? also r those spots like sand??????????

 

[Mogurako]

It's most defiantly fin rot but it also looks like dropsy. The weird thing though is the dropsy should be over the whole body. Very perplexing.

What are " fine levels" ?

Also you should do at least a 20-30% water change a week with a gravel vac. I don't know of any tank unless it's very well planted that can go 2-3 weeks w/o a water change.

 

[summergwiz]

Thanks guys. Yeah I'm not sure why she was only swollen only at the rear...very strange. The white-ish scales toward her rear are just swollen and raised. At first it did look kind of cottony but then I only noticed them being raised.

"Fine" levels (haha) today are:
No3 - 40
No2 - 0
GH - 75
Chlor - 0
Alk - 85
Ph - 7.4

I'm about to do a water change, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[Mogurako]

No3 is a little high but that shouldn't have caused this, very interesting.

 

[librarygirl]

What size tank is this again? And what are the other fish in the tank, if any?

Water changes every 2-3 times per week is an issue. They should be done weekly. Particularly since your nitrate is a bit on the higher end. Clean water can do wonders in preventing diseases, such as fin rot. Also the fish use the minerals in the water and those need to be replenished, so a weekly pwc schedule with a good dechlorinator should be maintained.

With the scales raised I'm thinking dropsy, but I don't have experience with it to say for sure. You could separate the fish and treat it for dropsy just in case (I wouldn't treat the whole tank as if it is dropsy it isn't usually contagious and the meds can wipe out your beneficial bacteria). if it is dropsy and her scales are already raised it may be too late, but trying treatment couldn't hurt. Put an air stone in with her though and monitor the water and do water changes as needed for ammonia, etc. You could also fast her (and the other fish as well) for a day or two and then feed them a thawed, de-skinned frozen pea.