please help

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freebyrd

freebyrd

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 6, 2010
1,167
37
81
Virginia
I have a 75g juvi cichlid growout tank, I performed daily 30% water changes for the first few months I had fry, since then I dropped back to every 3rd day.

Inhabitants were:

5 clown loaches
6 ornatum
8 festae
1 carpintis

All fish were 1.5-2" and this tank was for growing out only not permanent by any means. So I found a geophagus I couldn't resist at a lfs, I brought him home and put it in the tank. I did not see the ich until the next day, but no big deal I had API quick cure. I treated the tank as normal but saw no improvement after a week...and now I noticed other fish had ich. I started to get a bit worried. I did a 50% water change, and I lost my first fish...4 loaches and 1 ornatum. Things started looking up a few days later but the fish still had ich.

Coincidently in my other tank, my big male festae beat up the smaller male. I was at work so my wife thought she was helping so she netted the injured fish and put in the divider, and put him in the 75g.

This is Where it gets bad. I was forced now to leave him in there, because he was contaminated. I decided to treat with kosher salt this time 1 teaspoon per 10g. The larger injured festae started looking real bad with fin rot and white slimy looking stuff all over him...he was very lethargic now. I continued with water changes and salt and prime to rid the chlorine as I added new water. Then it got real bad.

First the big festae died...then slowly others...over a period of 2 days I lost all fish most of them looked rough with either fin rot/ white slimey stuff. I currently only have 1 ornatum left and he has clamped fins and isn't swimming around just sitting in his clay pot. No white slimy stuff ich or anything, tho. What the hell happened here?
 
Sounds pretty brutal! I have no advice to offer except that if you have lost all your fish except one...start all over again. Strip the tank, clean everything, fill, cycle and have another go at it.
 
I feel like it was some bacterial or fungal infection whatever it was water changes and salt didn't effect it. My water is pristine I've tested it saw perfect numbers 0 ammonia 0 nitrites 10 nitrates and Ph of 7...i changed 2 of the 4 hob filter cartridges. I put some mardel mar-oxy fungus/bacterial and fin rot med in the tank yesterday. So far the one ornatum is fungusy looking but alive and also one festae appeared and one small sailfin pleco.

If I take down the tank and clean it, what's the best most effective way to do so? My substrate is sand and I have 2 live plants
 
I believe the best way to prevent illness in fish, or in any living thing for that matter, is to to keep stress to a minimum and make the animals as healthy as you can. I have never understood the benefit of daily large water changes unless there is a problem; this is especially true if your tap ph is different from tank. Overall, water changes are stressful to fish. The noise and the disruption etc. It is better to go every 3 days at 15%, but even then only if your nitrates are higher than 10. Instead try expanding the surface area for nitrifying bacteria by adding more or larger filters. I have also been experimenting with the use of natural sponges as a filter medium. I think, (not tested to be sure) that the shape and texture of them provides a similar benefit that live rock provides in reef systems. The center colonizes nitrate reducing bacteria. They need to grow in an anaerobic environment. My 75 has 3 4" frontosa, 4, 5" green Severum and 3 pictus cats. I feed fairy heavy and do 15% every 3-4 days with unmeasurable nitrates. Also try a Diatomaceous filter and a UV filter.
that is my...2 cents
 
Good info, thanks. I too dropped back to every 3 days or so after they weren't fry anymore and all were 1"+
 
I know this doesn't help now, but what was the temp of the 75g when you were treating for Ich?

Whenever I had a quarantine tank break out with Ich all it took was upping the temp and adding aquarium salt and a few days later everything was fine.
 
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