heartsongsinger

Ok I have a bacteria infection problem in my 47 gal tank. It probably came from some fish I recently bought. I know what to do to treat it. What I want to know is how long I can expect it to last. I plan on getting some scavangers but I don't want to get them untill my tank clears up.

Shawnie

sorry for the sickness in your tank..how do you know its a bacteria infection? what are some signs in the fish and hows the water parimeters? and as far as it lasts, finding out what it is first would let you know that im sure

heartsongsinger

I know it's a bacteria infection because I took the fish that I had noticed were sick last night to a LFS near my house. They told me it was a bacteria infection. I recently introduced 6 new fish to my tank and 2 died. When I returned them to the store one of the workers reliezed that the tank the fish were in was infected (lots of dead pleco and hoplo cats). 2 fish are infected for sure and another one possibly. The infected fish are platies (and the infected tank had platies reacently put in it). The two fish have this white flaky stuff (looks like they'd have dry skin if they were human) at the base of their tails. The tank is clear. The water hardness is low. No amonia or nitrates. pH is 7.0 (i use a proper pH thing). The last reading I took was on Sunday I can test it again if you want.

Right now I've added more aquarium salt, increased the temp from 72-74 to around 80. I'm also adding MelaFix. Since the tank is 47 I just round everything up and use what is required for 50 gal. I can also try to get you some pictures when I feed them tonight

Shawnie

ok first off, id never trust the fish store..but thats me...and also, 0 nitrates means the tank isnt cycled and also, you have tropical fish so the temps should be at 78-80ish...then you wont have stress... the ph isnt a biggie as long as it doesnt change drastically..most fish will acclimate as long as its steady...im still not convinced its bacteria just from the fish store..can you get a pic? aand again, sorry your babies are sick

heartsongsinger

well they are a fish specialty store. I got 3 hoplo cats from them and 3 platies from petsmart. The tank just got a massive cleaning which is probably why it looks like it wasn't cycled. the nitrates have always been almost none exsistant even on my tank that will be a year in a month. I'll work on a pick in the morning at breakfast the problem is I think they're close to giving birth so they're kind of hiding.

heartsongsinger

Here are the pics of the tail:

Here is the one of the fish healthy:

Butterfly

Is that area red around it? Can't really tell myself. Looks more like an injury than a bacterial infection. Is there anything sharp/rough in the tank she could have rubbed on/got cut on ?
Have you always used salt or is this being used for medication? Salt is an irritant and will sometimes cause the fish to flash/flick against objects in an effort to relieve the irritation.
Carol

heartsongsinger

yes and it's always been red they're dawn platies. I've always used aquarium salt when ever I do a major water change because I have a problem with water hardness. I've never had a problem with it before they've been in the tank since I got it. I doubt that there's anything sharp in there

Butterfly

The reason I asked about the red around the spot is I couldn't tell if it was the color of the platy or from the sore.
Most fish will adapt to ph and hardness in water without salt. I asked about the salt because salt is an irritant to freshwater fish and since they are so adaptable to their environment salt isn't necessary and they might be rubbing against the decor.
Hopefully your LFS is more knowledgeable than most and can give you good advice.

It doesn't really look like a bacterial infection to me. But here are two information sheets on bacterial infections. I hope they are helpful.
http://www.peteducation.com/article....&articleid=584
http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=73
Hope that helps Keep us posted.
Carol

heartsongsinger

ok well what should I do because I did put infected fish in my tank unfortuantly. The salt was suggested by the pet store before we found the LFS because I was having fish die a lot and the tested my water and found that it was off the chart on hardness

Devon

It could be fin rot but it really looks like an injury to me. Introducing 6 fish at a time seems like a lot, depending on the tank (and the fish). What kind of filter do you use? It's possible that adding that many fish caused an ammonia spike that the beneficial bacteria couldn't keep up with (mini cycle). Could also explain why your water parameter readings are so iffy. You could add something to the filter to help the bacteria, I've heard of people using ceramic rings of some sort, but I don't have any experience with it myself.
I only ever use salt when there is a fungal infection in my fish; otherwise, it really is useless. As Carol mentioned, your fish will acclimate to the ph, the important thing is to keep it consistent (fluctuating ph levels will stress your fish). I'd be keeping the water at a steady 80, doing daily water changes and treating with MelaFix. Good luck.

Butterfly

Maracyn I & Maracyn II are also good meds. I'm sorry but I do feel you got bad advice from your LFS. It happens quite frequently and we've all had such instances
The worst thing you've heard from someone working at a fish store
Lets try to work through this together and make your fishes feel better.
What is your PH and KH. How much has the hardness changes since you started using salt? Your ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates ?
I'm not sure how either of these meds will work with salt in the water.
Carol

heartsongsinger

As I said two of the fish died and when I took them back the worker discovered that the tank was infected.

I treat the water before I put it in my tanks with water conditioner. The test strips I have test for everything but ammonia. I took water from the faucet I use and my tank.
Tank
GH - 20; KH - 120; pH - 7; NO2 - .5; NO3 - 20
Faucet
GH - 180(+?); KH - 180; pH - 7.5; NO2 - 0; NO3 - 0

I don't know what the pet store was testing for. My LFS said to use salt

Also don't know if this matters but I have an 18in air wall and a medium air stone.

heartsongsinger

Ok went to the pet store and this is what the test kit says

Ammonia - 0; nitrite - 15 (is it supposed to be .15); nitrate - 0; pH - 6.2;alkalinity .300+; Hardness - 100; chlorine and chloramine - 0

Also I only add salt when I do a major water change not when I'm adding a gallon or two to because the water level is low

Devon

Most people here will tell you, don't trust anything you hear at the LFS. I have gotten more advice at my LFS that killed so many fish and caused me so much heartache before I found this site... when I stopped listening to my LFS, my fish started doing a lot better.

I would do a major water change to get the salt out and not add any more after that. Salt is not good for freshwater fish and I would only ever use it in very specific instances as a very last resort.

Any amount of nitrite in your water is bad for your fish; it sounds like you're dealing with a mini-cycle. Keep up with large daily water changes until you get ammonia 0 - nitrite 0 - nitrate (5+).

heartsongsinger

ok but is aquarium salt good for hardness because if I stop using it my hardness is probably going to jump.
Also keep using melafix right?

Devon

What is the hardness difference?

I use MelaFix at present, and it's worked fine for me. Carol mentioned Maracyn I & Maracyn II as good meds, I haven't used them personally but I have heard other members say good things about it.

heartsongsinger

My tap water is at least 80 (probably more) harder

Butterfly

heartsongsinger - what are you using to test your water? do you have a problem with a lot of white residue forming very fast on the edges of your aquarium, and tank cover?
Sorry for all the questions but I feel like I'm missing something.
How are the fish today? hope their better.
Carol

heartsongsinger

Some white residue does show up on my heater and filter but it's relatively easy to clean off. The heater is a little harder but I think that it's kind of baked on. It doesn't form that fast though. It's also on my 10 gallon tank (mom and sister's tank) but that's only around the filter. I just looked and there's some white stuff on my lid and the lid was cleaned on sunday.

It's still on the one fish's tail and now I think it's on her sister's side. What is this!!!

The testing strips are from API Aquarium Pharmaceuticals it tests for pH, nitrite, nitrate, carbonate and general hardness

heartsongsinger

Ok here are pics of the white stuff I think you're talking about. I'll try and get you a better pic of the white thing on my lid. I had to switch to manual focus to take the pick.

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	10galouttake.jpg (387.6 KB, 4 views)
	pump10gal.jpg (123.6 KB, 5 views)
	White thing.jpg (385.9 KB, 3 views)

Devon

Hm it's kind of hard to see in those photos but it really does look like calcium deposits. :-/ I have never had to deal with hard water before, so I'm afraid I'm not a lot of help there.

heartsongsinger

here I'll get my sister to watch my fish and I'll try for a better pic

Attached Images

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heartsongsinger

my betta now has something. spots on his tail. I'm working on pics. he didn't want to pose at breakfast

heartsongsinger

Went to a different LFS and they said betta's fine. They say the platies look like they have dropsy. Makes me feel better. I also had them test my water and they said it was fine.

COBettaCouple

Are the spots like small grains of salt?

heartsongsinger

Ya kind of.

COBettaCouple

That could be ICH. If you see ANY increase in how many there are, then I'd start the treatment plan for ich - slowly raising the water temp to 83F, daily water changes of 25%, weekly substrate cleaning, extra aeration and Ich-Attack (if desired for fish comfort, but not vital to the treatment).

heartsongsinger

ok well I'm going to use Maracyn II which I got from the LFS store and the betta is in the same tank as the platies so I'm assuming that it will take care of it to. Do you know how long it usually takes to clear up?

COBettaCouple

Maracyn II won't have any effect on Ich parasites that I know of, but the warm water and cleaning should be done for 2 weeks.