q-tank zebra danios sick?

[cider]

hi eveyone,
hope someone can help. i have 2 danios in my q-tank for past 3 weeks waiting another week to go in main tank . I just noticed the top of one zeebra danio has lost it's color/stripes. I can't find any info on fish illnesses that show this . His color is almost brown on top from head to tail ,sides show his stripes fine. He is eating ok but could be stressed from tankmate(platy). Does anyone have any idea what this could be as I can't put them main tank till I know if safe. Platy swims up and down all day since I removed many decorations and gravel . If healthy, the danios will go in main tank with 2 clown loaches and one common plec and platys.
Q-tank info:
15 or 20g
am-0
ni-0
na-10
ph-7.6 (trying to get it down)
filters: aqueon-removed cartridge to fit sponges and clay biomatrix/ hydra-sponge
fish: 2 zebra danio youngsters
1 resident platy
some snails
wc-once week 20%
food -flake

[Diana]

pH of 7.6 is not a problem for most soft water fish. If the main tank is more acidic, then yes, keep working on the pH. Is the KH the same in the Q-tank and the main tank?

Look at pictures of Flavobacteria columnaris. This is a bacterial infection that shows up (usually) as a grey or white area, often on the upper area of the fish, but can start anywhere. Some common names include where on the fish it can strike: Fin rot, Saddle disease, mouth 'Fungus' (it is not a fungus).
It does not usually look brown, though.
Treatment is with any of several fish antibiotics and water changes. Get the nitrate as low as possible.

Fish that have been burned, perhaps by staying too close to the heater will have discolored skin, or worse. More often this is seen on sedentary fish that rest on the heater, or wedge themselves between the heater and the glass. A slime coat enhancing product can help them feel better (aloe is supposed to help). Keep up the water changes to reduce the possible bacteria or fungus population that might try to move in on the damaged skin.

Isolate this tank, and do not share equipment, fish, plants, decor or anything else with the other tanks until this problem is gone, and the fish are again healthy.

[cider]

I did look at a few pics of this (not many out there) and didn't really look like it but many sites that describe it as loss of color sounds right. I guess I'll treat with antibiotic I have already (Mycin-spelling?), anyway , will I loose the beneficial bacteria in my filters if I medicate the q-tank and MUST I medicate the entire q-tank and three fish inside? One site said gotta remove fish to hospital tank while treating and must clean q-tank and everything in it by boiling with hot water. This will surely kill the good bacteria in the two filters , then start that tank from scratch?? Or just medicate the q-tank , then use carbon to remove the meds when finished? thanks for your help, glad I noticed before putting them in wth the clowns loaches and tankmates! Pls , if possible can advise on which way I need to treat , whole tank or one fish out?

[Diana]

If it is Flavobacteria columnaris then treating the quarantine tank with Maracyn and Maracyn II, combined will kill the bacterial infection, but not kill the nitrifying bacteria in the filter.
Flavobacteria is a Gram negative bacteria. Maracyn II treats Gram negative bacteria.
Maracyn treats Gram positive bacteria, and is good to add with Maracyn II in case there is more than one type of bacteria trying to infect the fish.

If these fish were not already in a q-tank I would suggest moving them and treating separately. A q-tank IS separate from the main tank, and that is it's purpose. Treat in the Q-tank.

Yes, some medicines can kill the niitrifying bacteria, and you would have to do more water changes, and re-populate the filter after that medicine was cleared from the water. (Aren't you glad this is not the main tank?)

Sterilizing anything that was contaminated is a good idea with some diseases, and with unknown issues.
If what is going on now is Flavobacteria columnaris this is so common that I would think that just about all fish everywhere have been exposed. The moment you refill and add fish to the tank that you just sterilized it has these bacteria in it.
Since there is still the question if this really is what is going on, then you might think about sterilizing after treatment. If the medicine kills the infection on the fish, though, it may also have killed it in the water and in the tank. Maybe.

[cider]

Thanks for all the info , good to know ,but I gave the wrong name of med I am using . I am using a capful of Melafix each day,NOT Myacin. I went back to the store where these danios came from and saw the tank of danios ,about 1/3 ,or more had a red -looked like sore , just behind their eye , and the salesperson said they are fine and eating ok. Good grief! did she really think i was gonna believe that one . So outta curiosity , I went back to store to take a peek at the danio tank again and noticed only about 1/3 danios in the tank. The red circle behind the eye showed up a week after the loss of color on top of fish . The danios in store tank at that time all looked great, no red behind eye and no loss of color on top of them. Amazing! wonder what happened to all the sick ones I pointed out the week before?
So anyway, will I still have to bleach the ornaments and stuff inside when the med is finished?
And yes, Diana , I am so glad i put them in a q-tank first. I have one more day of medicating them , then gotta start the 4 week waiting period all over , before they can go in main tank but yes , it's worth it no question there.

[Diana]

Melafix is good if you catch the problem early on, and is good for problems on the outside of the fish.

It really helps to keep up the water changes so the waste load in the tank is as low as possible, too.

[cider]

Well I hope I did , and tomorrow is last treatment , but I have learned from the forums to make sure the problem is gone before I discontinue the treatments , so I will take a good , long look before I stop. I don't want my clowns and plec to catch anything! Still have to wait the 4 weeks again, but the q-tank is worth it. With three fish , it's pretty easy to keep up on the wc's-but thanks for the reminder.
My clowns are really characters and individual personalities , so glad to have them in my tank. Appreciate your info.