Albino catfish
PH Neutral
Temp 24 deg celcius
140 litre tank
Other fish in tank: Guppies, Swordtail, bronze catfish, Siamese Fighting Fish
Gravel bottom with usual plants.
Sponge filter, wool filter, jet filter and aeration bars.
Tank setup for approx 6 months.
Medications used Paracide and Methylene Blue, salt.
Town Water but chlorine removed by house filter.
Symptoms blood streaks through armour and fin joint, neurological damage
Noticed about 6 weeks ago albinos showing bloodstreaks around fins and showing through armour. Some developed fungus and others didnt. As they deteriorated they would spin around the tank madly, some leaping out of the tank, then they would roll over onto their side exhausted and appear dead although they were not.
I thought it may have been Nitrate poisoning as the tank had not had a water change for a month, so I moved all the fish to another tank which was a new setup but with water taken from another healthy tank.
New tank had slightly higher temp of 26 deg celcius. Treated the new tank with Paracide and Methylene Blue to combat any disease within the fish.
The seriously ill ones I isolated and treated them with a small amount of salt to reduce nitrate absorption as well as Paracide and Methylene Blue. Only 1 of those survived, is now very weak but back in with his mates that survived.
Recovery time was about 4 weeks and all has been good with them till this week when the same thing appears to be back, one of my young albinos showed a red mark on his head yesterday(doesnâ??t appear to be an injury) and found it belly up today. Two others are showing blood around the fins where they join to the body. Whatever is attacking them is not affecting the guppies or swordtails at all and although I found a small number of bronze unwell I have only lost 3 of them. The Siamese Fighter is no longer in with the other fish. Today I have taken the guppies and swordtails out so that the catfish are now on their own.
Any ideas on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
