First off sorry I have no pictures but my fish look 100% normal so pictures would be useless. My fish in qt haven't recently just started dying. This morning my firefish was on the bottom panting. I think this is ch caused see no signs of bacterial. The salinity matches my tank as they were going to go in this week so now I have to either hypo or copper maybe to save them. I know hypo helps increase o2 sat in the water which allows for easier breathing but you can't use hypo and copper so I don't know what to do. I'm trying to save them as fast as I can. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Ich i think
- Thread starter Waddleboy
- Start date
MrTuskfish
Team RC
How's the ammonia, its often a problem in a QT? How big is the QT and what are you using for bio-filtration? How many fish, what species, why in the QT (new fish)? How long has the problem been going on? If your fish look normal, why do you suspect ich? have you medicated at all? Ich deaths will be obvious, the fish look covered with salt.
I checked ammonia and it's at 0. Quarintined cycled before I put the fish in. There were 4 fish. A six line, two blennys, and firefish. It's a 10 gallon with s small filter filled with carbon. It's been fine for 3 weeks and I the past two days everything's gone crazy. I have not medicated with anything and suspect ich cause I am out of ideas and I see what might be white spots but they don't really look like when I have seen ich in the past
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Four fish in 10 gals with only a carbon filter? How did you cycle the tank? Google "marine ich", "marine velvet" and "brooklynella" (include images) and compare to your fish. Are the fish "flashing", scratching themselves on anything. Do you have a lfs nearby that can double check ammonia? Ammonia really sounds possible. I'd do a large WC ASAP, to start.
I set it up for 4 weeks and waited to all the levels checked and then added fish and did water changes till the levels dropped again and monitored the tank. It does not loo like ich or marine velvet. Maybe a remblence to brookynella? There's a lfs I can test my water at. Should I do anything to help brooknyella
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Brooklynella is really nasty; the fish's skin peels or sloughs off. You definitely would notice it. The only cure I know of is formalin. IMO, 4 fish in a 10 gal QT, with no real bio-filter, would need almost daily WCs to avoid ammonia. The tank can't cycle with nothing but carbon to culture bacteria. A good sponge filter (air-driven or in a HOB filter) seeded for a few weeks in your DT should work in the future; but don't get 4 fish at a time in such a small QT. Take your time.
Sorry I shold have explained further. Is an hob Carbon filter that in let soak in my dt for 2 weeks before it went into the quarintine and used dt water change water forme qt. The 4 fish went in differently so they could come out at different points. I guess I find it odd the for 3 weeks they were fine and then all of a sudden for them to hae issues. If that's how you describe brookynella I guess it's not it. If it is not ammonia do you have anything else it may be? Or that I can do to save the fish?
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Well you said fish looked normal. that rules out external parasites. I doubt internal parasites would kill them like this. It sure sounds like something toxic in the water. What, besides carbon, is with the HOB filter? The way you are staggering fish in and out of your QT defeats the purpose. if the last fish put in the QT has a parasite, so do all the fish in the QT, then the next fish out will carry it to your DT. I would get a second opinion on ammonia; test kits have limited life after opening and some are simply don't work. I sound like a broken record; but everything; the limited filtration, high bio-load with a small water volume, sudden onset of problems & heavy breathing just point to ammonia or something else toxic.
Yes ill get a second opinion. Sorry if I seem frustrated its not out you but the situation as I agree with you that it sounds toxic but I haven't found anything. Also staggering is a good point and I didn't think of that and thought I was being smart haha. Ill get the water checked and maybe the fish will show more external signs
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Whatever is going on; a large WC won't hurt and may help.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
I think all new fish should be treated with a de-wormer---like PP. But using any med on a fish in distress could be the final straw. I don't think that any internal worms could have killed several fish this fast.
good to know. add that to my list. from this point on any good proactive tx i should do? Also the wrasse is the only fish alive and doesnt look terrible stressed. he actually looks quite happy surprisingly. i just fed him and he ate everything
ps local fish store didnt find anything wrong with the water
Last edited:
sgrmagnolia
New member
Do you have any supplemental air pumped into the tank? Fish dying panting on the bottom sounds like low dissolved oxygen. With that kind of bio load in such a small tank, that could be a possibility.
Similar threads
