fish probs?

Question

i bought a male and a female guppy at wall mart. the female got pregnant and the male died. the female had 4 babies and soon after that she died. i bought some other fish at a pet store and they are all doing very well. 3 of the 4 baby guppies are alive and they get sick all the time. one of them got sick and died. i have to keep the filter on all the time and the medacation doesnt work. they get sick at least once a month and im getting very tired of it. it doesnt spread to the other fish but i dont want to take any chances.they have white spots all over and are not very active. i just dont know what to do with them. why are they getting sick so much and why isnt it spreading to the other fish?

Answer 1

First of all, what kind of tank are you keeping them in? How is your water quality? When doing water changes and cleaning the tank are you removing 25% of the water and replacing it with dechlor water?

I will advise youas to not to purchase your fish from walmart. I know there ar epeople who buy from there and their fish are fine, however for the most part, I have never had a fish live from walmart nor do I personally know of anyone who has had one survive more than 3 days.

Your filter should run ALL THE TIME. If you are "treating" your tank and your filter pads are in the filter, the fish weren't treated. Carbon filters remove medicines from your tank. You have to remove them when treating.

Now for treating with ich. There are three known forms of ich and you need to know what one your fish have prior to treating them. It could be as simple as placing a penny in your filter and treating them with copper. Read below for various ich infections.

Is it white spot disease or is it Ich? You need to know the difference between the two since they are treated differently.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Hope this helps


Remember ich cannot be seen with the naked eye in its free swimming form and it is in all water. Stressing out the fish and buying new ones will also stress the fish allowing ich to take over.

Answer 2

If it's little white spots, then it's ich. Ich is a parasite. Each one of those tiny white spots is an individual parasitic creature that has attached itself to your fish. It's probably only attacking the fry because they're younger and more susceptible to sickness. If you treat a fish for the wrong disease with the wrong medication, it will do no good. You need to be treating these fish, and you need to treat the whole tank because it is highly contagious, with a medication made specifically for parasites, such as Quickcure. Administer it according to directions. Raise the temperature to around 80 degrees F as this speeds up the cycle of the parasite. Ich has four cycles and it is only during one of these four cycles when the parasite can be killed. Depending on the temperature of the water, the cycle can last for anywhere from a couple of weeks to six weeks or more. So, you need to continue the treatment long after you no longer see the parasites. I also have another comment... What do you mean when you say you have to keep the filter on all the time? A filter should always be running all the time, always, regardless of whether you have sick fish. Failure to properly filter the water is one reason that diseases and parasites are invited into your tank. While you are medicating, you should remove the filter sponge/pad from the filter casing as not doing so removes the medication from the water, but you must have that constant flow of water throughout the tank. Ich is curable, but it can take a long time, so a lot of patience, diligence and persistence at treatment is required. Good luck to you and your fish!

Answer 3

Fish get ich when they are around other fish. The first fish may have died because he may have had ich, which made the other fish die, and with the final fish it could've had what was left over from the water that still had ich. I know it sounds very odd but Ich stays in the water for a long time. If your friend wants a hardy animal tell her to get a Betta, they are pretty, need to stay alone, and are very adaptable. What she needs to do before she gets any other fish is make sure her tank is clean thoroughly!! Dish soap, sponge! Maybe add a bit of MelaFix in for and let it sit for a few minutes! Put it'll need to be cleaned and rinsed maybe 2-3 times! Ich is one of the leading diseases that are fatal to fish, go to a website about it, and if she is going to get some more gold fish pick up an Ich remover at PetSmart, just ask the friendly people what the best kind is to get.

Answer 4

One thing to add to Venice Girl's comments - try adding a little non-iodized salt to the water (kosher, canning, pickling, or aquarium salt are fine - don't use table salt because it's iodized) at about 1 tablespoon for every 5 gallons of water. I never used to do this and had frequent deaths. I read about using salt on the webpage of a guppy breeder and it's worked wonders. Guppies can tolerate a high amount of salt in their water (they can even be kept in saltwater tanks if enough salt is added to their water slowly), so don't worry about adding the amount I mentioned - this is nothing to them, but the Ich parasites won't like it!

Some people recommend using just salt and temperature (up to 90o) to cure Ich, but this is also stressful to your fish. Quick Cure is a good way to go: http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/ich/ It would be a good idea for you to do a 50% water change before you add any more medications to the tank - try to get some of what you've already used out - two different meds could interact and do more harm to your fish than good.

BTW: Salt is used for shipping fish and in tanks in the fish stores - it helps relieve stress and has cut down on fish deaths and parasite problems.

Answer 5

Well... What do the white spots look like? If the look like little white crystals it probably is Ick. Get a good Ick treatment and follow the directions. It takes a while to cure Ick as the parasite goes through four cycles during their life and can only be killed during one of them. If the spots look like big rotting spots it could be any of a number of things. Probably bacterial but there is no way to tell based on the info you have provided. Whether you are treating for Ick, another parasite or a bacterial problem you need to remove your filter element as it will render the medicine ineffective.

I would suggest you email this guy and ask him. He is very knowledgeable and has helped me out

http://answers.yahoo.com/my/message_do?kid=PBBdapCWaa

Answer 6

sounds to me like fin rot or some other scale parasite get rid of all the guppy change water n start again cant explain why it doesnt affect the other fish but could do in the future. i had a male with a white spot on its head, got a tablet from pet store, but cant remember what it was called, the male died but its fry (which had some spots cleared up and lived, still have one of the females from maybe 4 to 5 months ago).

Answer 7

lol
im pretty sure your stressing
if you have the fish for show
and your not like right into fish
liek breeding and stuff
get rid of these ones and buy new ones
simple answer