think my fish is gonna die?

Question

i have a tropical fish tank and my Clown Loach has some sort of disease or another fish has been trying to eat it i can see all the bones, he also has white patches on his body should i leave it to die (obvioulsly its to late for treatment) or will i flush it down the loo my other fish seem to be trying to eat it

Answer 1

White patches, on his fins and face? It could be ich or it could be a fungus. Honestly either way you should treat the whole tank.

if it is ich:
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.

Answer 2

Sounds like your fish has ick. Small white spots on the fins and body... Clown loaches are especially prone to it. No need waste your time taking the fish out, the tank is infected. Most tanks always have ick, it's a parasite that lives in the gravel. When you fish are stressed, or in the case of clowns, experience a change in water temperature which can cause them stress, the fish lose their ability to fight off the parasite and it attacks them.

The parasite lodges in the fishes skin or fins, burrowing in to it's mucus where it forms a cyst, which is the white spots you see. IN this stage it can not be killed with chemicals. When the it matures the cyst bursts and the parasites go back to the gravel to grow and divide. Once the grow enough they must find another host or it will die. The key to curing ick is to kill it when it is free swiming or in the gravel. If all the fish in your tank die, leaving it empty of fish (with the water and filter running so you don't kill your bacteria) for a week will cause th parasite to die.

Since you are going keep your fish alive, there are a couple ways to treat the disease. The best for clown loaches, and your's might survive... Clowns get this all the time and can often recover, is to do two things. First raise the temperature of the tank to 82 or 84 degrees. That temperature speeds up the life cycle of the parasite. The next step is to add salt to the tank. Add about 3-4 tablespoons per 10 gallons. You should see imporvement in 3 or 4 days. Once the ick is gone, start water changes.

BTW a tablespoon of salt per 10 gallons acts a good preventitive for ick.

Answer 3

Yes, your right. It's too late for treatment. Don't allow your other fish to eat it. The disease you described sounds like ick. The other fish will catch it quite easily if they eat it. Flush him now because if you don't the entire tank will be contaminated with ick. After the loach is flushed, you may want to do a partial water change and get some ick treatment because if your other fish ate at your clown loach they will most likely appear with ick soon. You can find ick treatment in all pet stores and it isn't very expensive. Good luck.

Answer 4

Either wait it out or you can euthanize it quickly and peacefully... simply put a bowl of water in the freezer for 10 minutes or so. It should be near freezing, and the fish will die within 3-4 seconds peacefully and quickly. The body simply stops. I know it's morbid but it's the quickest, non messy way I have found to do it.

Answer 5

If it were me I would bag it and put it in the freezer. Then I would do a 30 - 40% water change. Being sure to put in a decent amount of water conditioner that has a slime coat additive in it. I would then check the tank mates for similar signs. I would change 10% water daily with clean aged water if possible for about a week and feed my fish little bits but more often as to promote their immune system in case they do have a touch of it.

The other fish are probably not trying to eat it though, I think they know it's sick and are trying to kill it to get it out of their space.

Answer 6

First off, Orchan, you should not cut and paste other people's answers even though imitation is the highest form of complement.

You should remove your fish from the tank. Treat the tank and the tank with the diseased fish.

Answer 7

It' going to die sadly. I would take it out also incase infect your other fish. Sounds like white spot to me but before you do anything drastic treatment wise, just add a little pinch of salt to your tank and that should shift the white spot. If it comes back then treat or just add another tiny pinch of salt.

Answer 8

I tihnk it is best to take it out of the tank, or the other fish might catch the same disease.

If is it going to die though, one of my friends says that freezing the fish in the freezer is a much quicker and less painful way of letting a fish go, so you could probably do that instead of flushing it down the toilet.

Fingers crossed that it gets better, x

Answer 9

The fish is too late for treatment but he may have already passed it to his tankmates. Treat the tank anyway. Methylene Blue is good for white spot. As for the loach put him a bowl of water and freeze him until dead the flush him down the loo

Answer 10

You need to get it out of the tank, before it passes the disease onto your other fish. You can put it in a bowl and let nature take its course.

Answer 11

Tropical fish can suffer from white spot which can kill all the fish if not treated.......You will have to buy a chemical, but i don't know the name of it. I know its called something blue. you take the fish out and put into a separate container. or you can treat the whole tank.....Go straight to your dealer and ask him.....