Loaches Online Forum

I have not posted before and I truly wish my first post was under diffrent circumstances. Over the weekend I had some sort of break out in my 75 gallon tank, all my tanks are in my office, on the Saturday every thing was fine I came in monday to find my seven and eight inch clown dead and my 10 pleco, another six inch clown was stiff asin rigamortis but it's gills were slowly opening I took out the log house and found another of the larger clowns dead and all the other 7 with white tinge's to their fins and some had a white film and a dot on their eyes and laboured breathing.and swimming head up in mid water. I dropped 30% of the water and treated the tank with Maracyn-2 some of the fish have picked up in the last hour but I lost another one.

Ph is 6.2, ammonia levels are good , nitrate in between 20 to 40 and Nitrite O. The fish I have lost I have had for 5 years. My filtration is a Fluvell Fx 5 and a power head for flow and water polishing.

I have no clue what has caused this any help would be appreciated .

The Rainbows in the tank are fine and my cory cat is fine

Thanks for your time

Graham

I'm sorry for your fishy loss.
The stiff body makes me think some sort of neural poisoning.

Any chance the building was treated while people were out for an infestation of some sort (cockroaches - that sort of thing?)

Hi Graham,

Sorry to hear about the problem with your tank.

You say the water tested 'good' for ammonia - could you be a little more specific and let us know the actual test result?

Did you add any new fish to the tank recently? I'm also wondering if the power could have been off at some time over the weekend.

Thanks,

Emma

Thanks Emma, the power was fine and we have back up. My other tanks were good one of which is a 54 corner tank with Discus and a 29 breeder with a Discus pair . Ammonia was .11. As I am watching this tank all day some of the fish are responding better than others. But I have never seen them hover with their heads up , others are on the bottom and then come up to the surface and then dive to the bottom and a couple are just hovering in the outflow of the power head.
What is strange is that my Rainbows are unaffected.

No out side Chemicals have been used in our office .

Thanks Graham

I would add some sort of ammonia neutralising product to the tank (preferably one that doesn't interfere with test results) and increase aeration as much as possible. Drop the water level by an inch or so, in order for the water returning from the filter to splash down onto the water's surface and angle the powerhead/s upwards so that they are making the water visibly ripple. These measures will help the fish to breathe easier and should make them much more comfortable.

Was anything new added to the tank recently? I take it that the temperature is as it should be?

Emma

Water temprature 82 degrees, no new fish for 4 months, no smell from the water, the worry is the film on the eye's and it is not pop eye no swelling, my deduction is that one of the large fish died and was in the community log and for some reason this caused a bacterial explosion, I have done a 50% water change and will continue with the Maracyn two. I have been able to hand feed a few of the clowns with blood worms.

Thanks emma

ps I am a ex pat.......... born and bred in the Uk.

i'd agree with Laura on this; with symptoms and timelines it sounds like a poisoning of some sort.

andyroo wrote:i'd agree with Laura on this; with symptoms and timelines it sounds like a poisoning of some sort.

That is what I first thought but what would sinlge out just the clowns ? and as I said I have 4 tanks in the office 3 with Discus and thay are more fragile to Change. if it was air borne all the tanks would have been affected and the rainbows are fine right now 5 of them are out and swimming and it is obvious the eye film is effecting them.

Thanks for your advice.