strange disease/necrosis, and FREAKIN chloramine!!!!

[Mako]

OK, I'm having an epidemic in one of my tanks. I just found the source of the problem (chloramine/ammonia), but can't diagnose the secondary infection that results.

I've had well water (good well water) for all my life, and I moved across the state to an apartment in a more suburb area, with city water. I wasn't accustomed to treating the water-- just plug and play. I use the chlorine/chloramine remover, but what they DON'T tell you is that IF you have chloramine, you get ammonia. Since my heavily planted, heavily lighted tanks never have an iota of ammonia, I didn't suspect it.

So, I get a wild hair and check the ammonia, and it's high (.25 mg/l) and the nitrite is also spiking. I did just do a 30% water change and added some newly collected wild fish (mollies and killies). Ie, ammonia from two directions.

This disease:
It starts like tail rot, rarely on the other fins. A white necrosis (not a filmy patch, just dead skin/flesh) begins taking over the tail fin, spreading up the peduncle, and eventually reaching the body cavity. The fish seems to lose movement in the affected areas. Death is certain. I know ammonia is instigating this, but what the heck is doing it? The only meds I had at the house was malachite green/formaline formula, and some methelene blue. Both of which I am using per instructions to ward off any parasites. But this looks like a bacteria. Whaddya think?

Matt

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

It sounds like a bacteria, I woudl treat for a bacterial infection.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Yup, definitley sounds like a bacterial infection to me. Not a parasite.

Grab some anti-bacterial meds as soon as you can.

 

[Mako]

Thanks for the opinions, bacteria was the problem. I don't like using antibiotics b/c they can ruin any good bacteria, so I tried Melafix for the first time. I'd always suspected Melafix as some goofy new-age snake oil, but the stuff actually works!!! I wound up having to tear the tank down and start over (sterilize and rebuild, eck!), but the fish that weren't heavily infected responded well to the melafix. It just tends to stink your house up. It's been 5 days since the treatment ended, and I can still smell melafix near the treatment tank (though it's gravel free and 100% different water).

Oh well, take the good with the bad!

Matt

 

[michaels]

My parrot Chiclid was upside down for 3 days in the corner of my Tank I suspected some kind of swim bladder infection I used melafix and pimafix together and within hours she was upright its been 3 days she has her strenght back and has not been upside down since I started treatment , I would say this stuff is great! I highly rcomend it