HALP! 2 Fish acting weird.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

I dont speak spanish.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

The water is clear as can be, and I have lots of other fish that are doing fine. Only the Gouramis and that one neon are not doing ok. I know clear water doesnt mean clean water but I dont have any idea of how to test for bacteria.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

And my other 2 gouramis are doing ok it seems. This one had 1 popeye but i saw that normally its injury for 1 not sickness or bacteria or it would be 2. But the other one that died didnt have popeye at all so i think its unrelated. Just concerned about what is slowly killing them off.

[IvanSanchez]

Open up your filter and check your media. You would be looking for gunky brownish goo looking stuff. Basically, the more brown goo the better! That's what eats up your ammonia, and nitrates and so on. May be ick or some other illness. You can try isolating them in a 10gal or less That Is Established. And treat them in that tank.

[IvanSanchez]

Just a suggestion....
Try adding carbon to your filter.
It could help. Or it may just do nothing.

What are your readings on ammonia nitrates and nitrites?
Temp?
Lighting(Wattage? Hrs on during day?)

[Mzungu]

Yes, please test your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, and post up the results.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

I will test everything again tonight. But PH was 7.6, Temp about 74-76, Ammonia was 0. I came home and his eye was gone. And he was not moving much. I removed him and put him in QT.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

nitrite = 0
nitrate = 10-20
ph = 7.8
ammonia = 0
light is flouresent and on 12 to 14 hours a day

[IvanSanchez]

You might wanna cut back on the light. Whether its strong or not. thats a ton of light time.

[imagirlgeek]

It looks like you've received a lot of good advice, but I thought I'd go ahead and add my 2 cents. I'll start by saying that everyone has their own methods, and that doesn't mean that any one person is going to have the magic answer. Just take it all in and find what works best for you.

Based on what I'm reading, here's my theory. Take it or leave it.

It sounds like you might be experiencing an aeromonas infection. Aeromonas infections are caused by the bacteria that is always present in the aquarium. Usually, when a fish gets sick because of this bacteria, it's because something stressful has occurred that has made them susceptible to the bacteria. Common things that will stress your fish are poor water quality (like when a tank is cycling), overcrowding, aggression, etc. Kind of like with humans, ya know? If we don't eat right, don't get enough sleep, are stressed out, yada yada yada, we are more likely to get a cold. Aeromonas infections are the most common bacterial disease found in warmwater aquarium fish. Usually, not all the fish will die, and the ones that do die, die over a period of time (a couple of weeks or longer). Some signs of an aeromonas infection are (doesn't mean you'll see all these signs) pinpoint hemorrhages on the skin, bloated abdomens, and popeye. They also might lose their buoyancy due to swelling in the liver and spleen pressing on the swim bladder.

So here's the problem. There are lots of strains of aeromonas bacterias. The antibiotic that kills that bacteria is dependent on the strain. The only way to know the strain is to have the infected fish sent to a lab and examined. Certain antibiotics are resistant to certain strains, so you don't want to just start medicating the fish with a bunch of different medications. Plus, you'd want to do any medicating in a QT tank so as not to disrupt the bacteria in the main tank and start the cycle all over again. The good news is that once you identify the problem causing the stress, and correct it, things should level out.

Something that I use when I don't know what medication will work is Vita-Chem. Vita-Chem is just a vitamin suppliment, not a medication, so it won't hurt any of your beneficial bacteria like chemicals or medications might. Sometimes I just add it to the water, and other times I soak the fish food in it before feeding. I've had sick fish come back countless times using this stuff. I even had a fish with popeye once and all I did was soak the food in Vita-Chem before feeding and all that was left was a little scarring after a couple of weeks.

My advice would be to keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates for a few weeks. Test often. Be careful about doing large water changes for a while. At least until you are certain your filter is good and seeded. Keep in mind that if your tap water has a lot of chlorine or chloromines, it's going to clobber that good bacteria. Without your filter being established, it won't be able to keep up. Once it's established, it's nothing to worry about.

Good luck and let us know how it's going.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

Wow, Ok. Will get some of that stuff. I took the Gourami out and tanked him in my planted empty tank and this morning he seems to be doing a lot better. not very active but not on the verge of death.

[40GallonsOfDoom]

Gourami is doing much better. 1 less eye, but he is more active.

[IvanSanchez]

Good to hear! Hope your tank and fish get better! :)