What disease is this?

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lightseeker5000
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What disease is this?

Post by lightseeker5000 »

At first, I thought it was Ich that accidentally spread from my Girlfriend's tank mishap. but it's tinted orange, and the spots got a bit bigger than Ich, and after a salt dip (1tbsp/gal), they multiplied worse. oh, and it's only severely affecting the inbred (L144, calico bristlenose) Ancistrus in the tank. the brown common bristlenose & the mbuna cichlids don't have any visible spots. Also, one of the cichlids lost a large patch of skin on top of its head (columnaris?). the is getting some fin rot on its dorsal fin. As of writing this, 3/4 of the L144 are dead, and the calicos are now as spotted as the L144s got.
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My GF brought 3 guppies home from PetsMart & put them in her 55 community tank (some guppies, various tetras, gentle 3 spot gourami, dalmatian molly, 2 long fin brown BN plecos, 3 L144's) after quarantining them for 2 weeks (no dips or baths, just observation).
Her tank broke out in what looked like Ich. using Kordon's Ich-Attack (double dose) & raising her temp to 80 for a week, only helped briefly, but they continued to get worse. the white spots got fuzzy & bigger & evenly peppered a couple of the weaker fish. on them (guppies & a neon tetra) some spots merged with other white spots (definitely fungal looking). she did a dose of triple sulfa, discontinued the Ich attack & switched to Pimafix after going back to Pets-mart & finding out they had an Ich & fungal outbreak there. oh, and i dropped a crushed clove of Garlic in. she lost 2 of the L144's, a neon tetra, & a guppy (the guppy had a chunk of flesh rot & fall off its back & it died... Columnaris?). as of now, a guppy has a couple small patches left, and the rest cleared up 3-4 days after switching to Pimafix. the guppies got a saltwater dip (1tbsp/gal). the gourami & molly didn't get spots, and the longfin bushynose plecos got a few spots that cleared up quickly.

A few days before all that started, my tank's heater was unplugged for 3 days before i caught it (room temp is 70F). over a week later, a few days into the Ich mishap, I noticed my L144s were evenly peppered with small spots that i assumed was Ich, but it looked more orange. I started raising the temp, and was about to do an all-out Ich war, when i got the news of the fungal warning from PetsMart, and did Pimafix instead, & kept temp at 81, looking carefully to see if it's ich or not. [Edit] during treatment, the plecos started hanging out near the surface and occasionally going up for air. I added a 2nd AC70 filter and an airstone. 3/4 of my L144s have died & the 2 calico BN's are completely covered in the stuff, worse than the L144's were.

1. Water parameters
a) Temp: 78F(25.5C) normally. raised to 81F (27C) preparing to fight Ich
b) pH: 7.6-7.8
c) GH: hard water (i'll update soon)
d) KH: hard water (i'll update soon)
e)Ammonia: 0.25ppm, Nitrate: 30-40, Nitrite: .
f) Water change frequency: 25% weekly

2. Tank set up
a) Size: 85 US Gal (48x18x22 inch)
b) Substrate: 2.5 inches of pool filter sand, a bit of crushed coral
c) Filtration: 1 AquaClear AC70, filled with sponges
d) Furnishings: 20 inches total length of bulky mopani driftwood, coliseum decorations.
e) Tank Inhabitants: 22 young , 3 juvenile yellow mbuna hybrids, 2 juvenile yoyo loaches, 3 Common , 2 calico , 1 , 1 young
f) How long has it been set-up: about 1 year
g) When was the last new fish added: 3 months ago
h) Foods used and frequency: algae wafers & pellets every 2-3 days (enough to nibble on for a full day), a little generic flake 2-3 days, cucumber/courgette slices every other week, and the occasional nibble of New Life Spectrum.

3. Symptoms / Problem description: fungal looking spots all over the L144's and the calico bristlenoses. the brown BNs have a couple spots, and the non-ancistrus seem to be untouched. one electric yellow mbuna lost a large chunk of skin off its forehead. several plecos are getting a bit of fin rot.

4. Action taken: increase temp, saltwater dip (30 seconds 1 tbsp/gal), triple sulfa, pimafix.
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Barbie
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Re: What disease is this?

Post by Barbie »

That is oodinium. Do a 30% water change and reduce feeding. Feeding enough there is uneaten food in the tank for more than an hour is a recipe for disaster, IMO. That you are measuring ammonia and aren't sure about nitrites means the filter can not keep up with the waste present. I would treat with quick cure, full strength, with daily 50% water changes during treatment. I use proform C, by preference, but it's a pond product and harder to find than quick sure. Do not wait. Do not dip more. Do not make more of a chemical stew in the aquarium. Change water and treat as soon as you can. That's a very serious infestation of cooties.

Barbie
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vanillarum
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Re: What disease is this?

Post by vanillarum »

Got my Proform C from Amazon a while back. Just checked and they sell it by the quart for around $21. Good luck.
Never give up until you have released your unused capacities for service and shared your gift with others. One enkindled spirit can set hundreds on fire.
William H. Danforth
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Re: What disease is this?

Post by .Plecomania. »

the patch of skin missing on top of the head of that cichlid could have been from the fish jumping one night and hitting the hood.
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Barbie
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Re: What disease is this?

Post by Barbie »

Have you used it yet vanillarum? I worry sometimes that I'm recommending people use a pond product, but I've had such good success with it that I want people to have it as an option!

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vanillarum
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Re: What disease is this?

Post by vanillarum »

Barbie, I used it with good results almost a year ago when my L400s and their fry were dying unexplainably. I believe that I bought it at your recommendation at the time. So, thank you. My L400s are alive and breeding, so they thank you also.

Dan.
Never give up until you have released your unused capacities for service and shared your gift with others. One enkindled spirit can set hundreds on fire.
William H. Danforth
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