I have a 55gallon native tank with a chub about 5 shiners and 5 darters and a smallmouh bass that is 2 1/2inchs long I also had a stonecat that was pretty big for a stonecat about 7 inches and he contracted some sort of a disease and died when he first contracted it he didn't have any outside defects buthe would rub the side of his body on the gravel as if trying to itch or something then about two days later some sores started appearing on his body and his whiskers started to turn red and fall off the next day he had alot more sores his underside was red and his eyes were covered in gunk and I'm pretty sure he was blind but after that he died and now my smallmouth is showing the signs of rubbing and I would hate to lose him to this disease to
Fish disease
Started by
Guest_Mikex2332_*
, Oct 26 2011 07:49 PM
8 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_jblaylock_*
Guest_jblaylock_*
-
- Guests
Posted 26 October 2011 - 08:03 PM
I'm not sure, but that sounds very contagious, if you don't want to lose the entire tank I would isolate the bass and you'll probably need to treat the entire tank once you figure out what the problem is.
#3
Guest_EricaWieser_*
Guest_EricaWieser_*
-
- Guests
Posted 26 October 2011 - 09:19 PM
Here is a dichotomous key:
http://www.fishyfarm..._disorders.html
Don't treat with any medication until you're positive of the diagnosis. Medication can irritate fish and make them sicker, so adding drugs when there's no chance of it aiding the fish (because you've misdiagnosed it) won't help at all.
Also, you should measure your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentration. If the ammonia is above 0 ppm, if the nitrite is above 0 ppm, or if the nitrate is above 30 ppm, you might want to do a 1/3 water change once a day for multiple days. Nitrogenous compounds poison fish and decrease their ability to fight off pathogens. Clean water might help your fish to overcome the infection on their own. They weren't infected with it initially, although the pathogen was present, so that means that it's possible they can fight it off on their own without meds. Of course, if you get it diagnosed with that dichotomous key, then by all means use the recommended medication. Use it all, for the entire length of time recommended. *nods*
http://www.fishyfarm..._disorders.html
Don't treat with any medication until you're positive of the diagnosis. Medication can irritate fish and make them sicker, so adding drugs when there's no chance of it aiding the fish (because you've misdiagnosed it) won't help at all.
Also, you should measure your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentration. If the ammonia is above 0 ppm, if the nitrite is above 0 ppm, or if the nitrate is above 30 ppm, you might want to do a 1/3 water change once a day for multiple days. Nitrogenous compounds poison fish and decrease their ability to fight off pathogens. Clean water might help your fish to overcome the infection on their own. They weren't infected with it initially, although the pathogen was present, so that means that it's possible they can fight it off on their own without meds. Of course, if you get it diagnosed with that dichotomous key, then by all means use the recommended medication. Use it all, for the entire length of time recommended. *nods*
#4
Guest_frogwhacker_*
Guest_frogwhacker_*
-
- Guests
Posted 27 October 2011 - 03:37 AM
If you've not already tried it, the addition of aquarium salt might also help. The box I use recommends 1 rounded table spoon for every 5 gallons of water. Just make sure to keep the same concentration when you do a water change. For example; if you change 10 gallons of water then add another 2 rounded table spoons of salt to make up for what was lost. If you've got plants or catfish in your tank the salt can be a rough on them. I use salt in all of my aquariums at 1 table spoon for 10 gallons of water as a preventative measure but cut the dosage back more than that for the ones that are planted. Sorry to hear about the loss of the fish. Good luck with the rest of them.
Steve.
Steve.
#5
Guest_gzeiger_*
Guest_gzeiger_*
-
- Guests
Posted 27 October 2011 - 07:50 AM
Regardless of the diagnosis or water test results, water changes will help. I'm more aggressive than Erica and would suggest 50%, even twice daily if you like the fish enough (though in winter time it may be difficult to match temperatures, so smaller additions may be appropriate). Whether it's bacterial or a parasite or a toxin, water changes reduce the exposure of the remaining fish so their immune systems have less work to do.
#6
Michael Wolfe
-
- Board of Directors
-
- North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage
Posted 27 October 2011 - 08:43 AM
dilution is the solution to the solutionRegardless of the diagnosis or water test results, water changes will help. I'm more aggressive than Erica and would suggest 50%, even twice daily if you like the fish enough (though in winter time it may be difficult to match temperatures, so smaller additions may be appropriate). Whether it's bacterial or a parasite or a toxin, water changes reduce the exposure of the remaining fish so their immune systems have less work to do.
...or as a chemist friend of mine says...
if you are not part of the solution you are part of the precipitate
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin
#7
Guest_gerald_*
Guest_gerald_*
-
- Guests
Posted 27 October 2011 - 01:29 PM
Your description sounds like a bacterial infection. Flexibacter (Columnaris) or Aeromonas would be my first guesses.
#8
Guest_LincolnUMike_*
Guest_LincolnUMike_*
-
- Guests
Posted 27 October 2011 - 11:39 PM
Mikex,
As noted previously, you do not mention any water quality checks. This is a must! You also do not mention the temperature of your tank. Small Mouth ideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. per Michigan DNR (http://www.michigan....45689--,00.html) and 60 to 70 degrees F. per MissourScenicRivers.com (http://www.missouris...Smallmouth.html).
You also did not indicate whether these were wild caught, had been isolated prior to placement in tank, or how long they had been in captivity.
If your temperature is in the high range or above this range, and your other fishes can tolerate a lower temperature, you can lower the temperature of your heater to perhaps 62 degrees. At worst, this will buy you more time to diagnose and treat. And, at best (but less likely) put the disease in remission.
And, as a reminder,if you do determine a treatment option, you will want to discard any filter media (especially if it contains carbon) and probably turn off your filter prior to initiating the treatment. If it is a treatable bacterial infection, usually bacteria are more active at higher temperatures, so when you begin treatment, you can turn the temperature back up (perhaps 1 degree per hour or so) in order to decrease the time it will take to be effective.
As noted previously, you do not mention any water quality checks. This is a must! You also do not mention the temperature of your tank. Small Mouth ideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. per Michigan DNR (http://www.michigan....45689--,00.html) and 60 to 70 degrees F. per MissourScenicRivers.com (http://www.missouris...Smallmouth.html).
You also did not indicate whether these were wild caught, had been isolated prior to placement in tank, or how long they had been in captivity.
If your temperature is in the high range or above this range, and your other fishes can tolerate a lower temperature, you can lower the temperature of your heater to perhaps 62 degrees. At worst, this will buy you more time to diagnose and treat. And, at best (but less likely) put the disease in remission.
And, as a reminder,if you do determine a treatment option, you will want to discard any filter media (especially if it contains carbon) and probably turn off your filter prior to initiating the treatment. If it is a treatable bacterial infection, usually bacteria are more active at higher temperatures, so when you begin treatment, you can turn the temperature back up (perhaps 1 degree per hour or so) in order to decrease the time it will take to be effective.
#9
Guest_Mikex2332_*
Guest_Mikex2332_*
-
- Guests
Posted 28 October 2011 - 07:24 PM
Thank you guys for all the help thanks to you guys and some friends I have found out that the disease is more than likely a body slime and eye cloud bacterial infection and I have started treating the fish and they are doing much better. Thank you guys for all your help
1 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users
NANFA Youtube Channel 
