Sick Mollies, Medicated Food, And More - 02/07/2007
Hello crew!
<Hi Mary>
Thank you so much for all of your help when I was setting up me aquariums, we now have three situations. I am sorry, this is going to be a long one, thanks in advance for all your help again!
<Don't think I helped you last time, but you're welcome, on behalf of WWM Crew. I'll try to help you out this time, though..,<
Situation number one: After all that I went through with getting the two kids' aquariums up and running, it was clear that when we were close to being able to stock the tanks I wanted to quarantine any new fish first, we had already been through way too much to endanger our two healthy tanks!
<Excellent decision!>
So I now have 6 new fish in a separate quarantine tank. We have 3 Dalmatian Mollies and 3 platys in the QT tank. I am doing a 50% water change every morning to keep the water clean, and all the fish seem to be very healthy.
<Sounds like you are taking very good care of these little guys.>
Except for one thing. The day after we brought them home, one of the platys was hiding a lot and had stringy white feces. We had experienced this with other fish from the pet store that eventually died.
<Sounds like this fish had an internal parasite - not uncommon, and just to note, a great illustration of the importance of a quarantine, as you yourself know!>
So I treated the water with Jungle parasite fungus clear. I figured in a quarantine tank we aren’t trying to establish a cycle anyway.
<That's true, but generally speaking, internal parasites respond better to medicated food, specifically something containing Oxytetracycline.  Here's where I buy mine from (it's hard to find, at least around Chicagoland): http://flguppiesplus.safeshopper.com/255/cat255.htm?785 >
Within the next day the fish seemed to perk up and now 9 days later they all seem very perky. Except now 3 of the
fish seem to have stringy white feces. It literally looks like they
swallowed a human hair and are excreting it out, with little spots of feces stuck on the “hair” along the way. Sometimes it gets to be like twice as long as the length of the fish! But again, the fish all look really peppy and healthy. So that’s situation number one. Any thoughts on the feces?
<Do try the medicated food. Sometimes it can be challenging to get fish to eat it (I'm thinking it probably tastes bad, just like some human meds!), so soaking it in a couple of drops of Kent's Garlic Xtreme (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=5016&Ntt=garlic%20xtreme&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1 ) can stimulate their interest in the food.  That's the best way to combat internal parasites, in my experience.  Should clear the problem right up.>
Should I worry or wait and see how they are doing in a few days? Should I just treat them to prevent any problems?
<I'd try the food - this isn't a problem that will just "go away".>
Situation number two: My daughter started off her brand new tank with 2 platys and an algae eater. The first platy died the next day, and the second within 2 days of setting up the tank. They both had red spots on their bodies which we originally thought were pretty coloring and now I think they were a symptom of some type of disease.
<Can you describe the "spots" a bit more? How many, how large, etc.  What color are these platys to begin with? My first thought was some sort of ammonia burn, but I see below that your parameters are good. These "spots" don't move, do they? My next thought is a parasite, but that's just a guess...>
We got one more platy after the first one died.
The algae eater wedged himself under a decoration on day 4,
with no signs of disease at all, I think he just got stuck. Poor thing!
<Did he perish as well? Some of these store-bought aquarium decorations can actually be dangerous - I learned that lesson the hard way after one of my Bettas got stuck inside one, and eventually died from the trauma.  Make sure you inspect everything carefully, just as you would for little children - it seems as though if the fish can get stuck, they will...>
So now it had been 2 and ½ weeks and we had one fish left alive in the tank.
The tank has fully cycled, with nitrates and nitrites testing at 0 for a total of 5 days, hardness steady at 75, alkalinity at between 40 and 80 (kH) ppm on my test strip and PH between 6.8 and 7.2.
<Am I to understand that the tank was cycling with the fish in it? If so, that's likely what caused the platys to perish, and the red spots were likely burns from ammonia, as I first suspected. Generally it's best to do a "fishless" cycle, using a small bit of fish food, and measuring the water's parameters the same way.  
On another note,  those "test strips" you refer to are notorious inaccurate - I'd recommend investing in a quality liquid test kit that contains ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH tests - I personally like the one made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.>
A lot of algae, so we went to the store and bought an algae eater from the pet store and put him straight in to the tank. Maybe not the best idea but my thought was that they eat scum, they must be somewhat more resistant than other fish. What do you think?
<I think there are better ways to combat algae, like feeing less, reducing the amount of light on the tank, and increasing water changes.  Also, when phosphates are a problem, it's usually due to elevated phosphate levels - you may want to invest in a test kit for  that as well.  If phosphates are your issue, adding a filter media like PolyFilter ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4335&Ntt=polyfilter&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1 ) can help keep the phosphates under control. What sort of "algae eater" did you get? Is it a common Pleco, or something else? If it's a Pleco, be aware these grow very large (12-18").  Finally, I don't know of any fish that eats "scum", as you put it...certain fish eat specific types of algae, but really, water changes are the best way to combat algae (along with the ideas above).>
So I am wondering, she has three platys in the quarantine area
and we leave for vacation in 10 days. The fish have been in quarantine for 9 days now. When would you advise starting to add the 3 new platys? I know usually we would wait 21 days and then go one at a time but while we are gone the fish will not be getting the obsessive attention they have been getting, so I am trying to weigh the benefits of adding one at a time and waiting a few days between additions vs. leaving them in quarantine for longer.
<This can be a tough call. Based on my own personal experience of not keeping livebearers in QT long enough, coupled with the fact that your fish haven't been entirely healthy during the QT period, I'd leave them where they are.  Do you have someone feeding your fish while you are away, then? I'd suggest making little baggies of food for each tank, for each feeding, keeping in mind that less is more, in this situation, since I imagine the kind person watching your tanks won't be changing water...>
I really would love your advice here!
<I suggest leaving the fish where they are, for the reasons listed above.>
Situation number three: My son started off his brand new tank with 2 mollies and an algae eater.
<Again, what type of "algae eater"? A Siamese algae eater, Chinese algae eater, Pleco, etc., etc...>
They were doing great! And then suddenly Bob (male molly) started swimming upside down (vertical) and losing all sense of direction and balance. He looked grayish and dull, not shiny and sparkly
like a healthy fish.
<First thing to always check are water parameters...>
I took him out of the tank and treated him for bacterial and parasites, (each after water changes and a day between) but
Bob died after 3 days.
<Best not to throw all sorts of medication at a fish, as this can cause more harm than good.  It can be hard to diagnose a fish, but that's the best thing to try and do. First thing, I would have checked the environmental conditions. If all was well there (no ammonia or nitrites, and nitrates less than 20 ppm), then I'd start looking at diseases.  Based on your description, sounds as though this may have been Costiasis, a/k/a "skin slime disease". It is not uncommon for this to be present in fish acquired from local fish stores. It can kill very quickly.  If it were that, I would have treated with Metronidazole. Just information for the future - not trying to beat you up for the decisions you made!>
He was such a great fish! We were heart broken.
<I'm sorry.>
But Molly (female) was doing great and appeared pregnant.
<Female livebearers kept in community tanks usually are...>
Molly kept right on doing great for another week and a half or so, but suddenly yesterday she was not swimming right. She is grey and dull like Bob was, has one white cloudy eye, and seems to not have her equilibrium under control. She is not swimming upside down like Bob was but she is not doing well either. And her
feces is stringy and white exactly like the ones in quarantine. The nitrites were running really high (between 3.0 and 5.0 on my test strip) when this all started, and the rest of the tank parameters are identical to what is listed above.
<Again, I suggest getting a more reliable test kit. But, if the nitrites truly were at between 3 and 5, that's WAY TOO HIGH - they need to be at zero.  How often do you change the water on this tank? The stringy white feces, as discussed above, sound like internal parasites, for which Oxytetracycline medicated food is generally a good course of action...>
The one good thing is she is still eating. She is not eating
at all like she normally does but she is trying. She has also gotten thinner and does not look pregnant at all. I have looked at her with a flashlight and she does not appear to have ich. First thing I did was a 50% water change.
<Did you re-test the water after that? With nitrites as high as they were, you need to be sure they were effectively reduced to ZERO.>
Then I treated the water yesterday with Jungle parasite clear, and did a 50% water change today and tonight I treated in with Jungle fungus clear, which claims to also cure swim bladder and white cloudy eye. I am treating her in the regular tank because the quarantine tank is already taken up with the new fish. (took out the charcoal).
<It is very dangerous to mix medications. I know you were anxious to help, but in fish illness situations, the best thing to do is step back, try to diagnose based on all the observable criteria, and treat accordingly.  Your description of Molly doesn't lead me to think fungus is an issue. The white cloudy eye sounds like pop-eye, a condition caused by poor environmental conditions.  Many times the eye will clear itself up once the environment is improved, but in more severe cases, Epsom salts are usually a good course of action.  Honestly, if it were me, I'd get the water issues under control ASAP and carefully watch the fish to see if she improved in a day or two, and I'd feed her medicated flakes.  If no improvement with the swimming in a day or two, then I'd start entertaining medication. You must be aware that many fish "diseases" are nothing more than reactions to bad water quality - something that can be fixed through good husbandry alone!>
Would you advise cleaning everything out and starting from scratch if she dies?
<Actually, I'd advise putting the carbon filter back in place and doing a large water change - you have too many medications in that tank, which could very well kill her.  Get the water clean, feed the medicated flake, and observe closely...>
Could this be contaminating our tank now? And of course now we will have to start the cycle over again, because I’m sure the medication killed everything we had started.
<Yes and yes.>
So now I’m really not sure what to do with the new mollies that I
have in the quarantine tank, we are leaving town and that tank will not be cycled. Help!!!
<OK, perhaps you can prepare some water for water changes, and persuade the tank-sitter to change the water at least once or twice? That would be the best solution. I would not, under any circumstances, though, move the fish around; at this point, you'd likely do much more harm than good.>
The algae eater is doing great in the tank and has grown a ton!
<Yes - you need to find out exactly what type of fish this is, as he may eventually need a larger home!>
Also, do you have any advice on how to buy fish? What to look for etc?
<I like to look at ALL the tanks at the store, as all the freshwater ones are likely on the same filtration system.  Get a sense of how clean the tanks are, how many dead/dying fish there are (ideally, there shouldn't be any...a classic sign of a bad fish store is one that lets deceased fish be cannibalized by others in the tank...), etc. Ask the shopkeeper how long the fish you are interested in have been there - ask what they are being fed, etc.  You can even ask for the storekeeper to feed the fish in front of you - nothing wrong with that at all, many folks do it. Of course, you don't want to buy any fish that looks lethargic, has clamped fins or other signs of disease, etc. Try to find some pictures (either in books or online) of the fish you're interested in buying, so that you know what a healthy specimen should look like.>
<Hope I've helped - best of luck, and enjoy your vacation. Jorie>