HELP!

spiralism

Right, i've been keeping fish since i was like 8 but i'm in the middle of watching one of my tanks entire stocks being wiped out. symptoms don't seem to be typical of ammonia or nitrite poisoning and that's never been an issue with me before.

basically, the symptoms are that the fish are becoming discoloured, listless and emaciated, with the fins starting to tear and waste. basically they're just wasting away in front of me and have now stopped eating altogether.

I've had some of these fish for 5 years or more and they're dropping like flies now, one by one, i've gone from a completely healthy stock including a fully grown Angel, cardinals, rams, harlequins and black neons to a couple of each at best and a Koi Angel wasting in a corner.

Absolutely baffled here, so i've come here to see can anybody here help me?

m8

First thing to do is a 50% waterchange asap.

What kind of a setup have you ie: filter type tank size stock levels?

Did you make any changes lately: water, stock, filters?

spiralism

Tank is c.120 litre corner tank. It's a pretty well planted softwater tank

Stock levels were:
Fully grown angel
2 blue rams
6 cardinals
6 harlequins
couple of otos for algae contol
2 black neons that had been there since i bought the tank of the previous owner, 5 years ago :eek:)

though by the time i encountered issues i'd lost a pair of cardinals and a harlequin. I'd had them ages and thought little of it.

currently i have just two cardinals, 3 harlequins, a dying angel and the black neons

No changes lately, i switched filters about 2-3 months ago. This was due to the first breaking. Both used carbon filter media, though the second was of a better standard and is a power filter

Only water change had been a 30% ish change a few weeks previously.

will do a 50% change asap

m8

Did you do a water topup or anything lately?

Silverfish

Did you properly cycle the new filter?

When introducing a new filter, you'd need to do regular water checks to make sure your tank isn't going through a mini-cycle - ammonia / nitrites can spike until the filter catches up.

Do you have a water test kit?

First thing to do would be check for ammonia / nitrites / nitrate levels.

spiralism

i left the other one in for a while when i put the new one in, despite the broken motor as i figured the filter media staying there would be useful. Having said that, the filter cycling could well have been the issue

Did a 50% change and it's helped somewhat, most of them are back eating though the angel is still lying around and things aren't looking too great. thanks for the advice though everyone!

Silverfish

Ah well, that sounds like it could have been the issue.

Leaving the old filter there wouldnt really have transferred the bacteria, and it would take the new filter 6+ weeks to catch up.

Keep with the water changes of 25% every 2-4 days and weekly after that and see how they get on.

No harm to throw in some Demerol or some other filter boost stuff to get things moving.

spiralism

Thanks a million, will do.

One (possibly related) problem has come up since actually, having looked at the symptoms of what's wrong with the Angel, it seems to be swim bladder disease, he sits at the bottom of the tank and the poor fúcker has to struggle to get up to the surface at any given time. Is there anything i can do about this or is he a goner?

Silverfish

Sitting on the bottom can be a few things, but if it's swimbladder you can treat it by not feeding for 2/3 days, then feeding some frozen peas - cooked, shelled and mashed.
(don't use tinned peas.) That should sort out any gastric issues.

spiralism

Silverfish wrote: »

Sitting on the bottom can be a few things, but if it's swimbladder you can treat it by not feeding for 2/3 days, then feeding some frozen peas - cooked, shelled and mashed.
(don't use tinned peas.) That should sort out any gastric issues.

Looks to have done the trick, thanks a million!

Silverfish

That's great, hope all goes well from now on!