Advice, please!  05/23/08
Hey Bobster,
<Jorie>
How are you? Are you still traveling about in Egypt? I can't recall. Heck, I can't even keep my own schedule straight, let alone yours:-0
<Now in Germany>
I wanted to "pick your brain" a little with regard to my newest fish drama. Long story short, I've got a 44 gal. planted FW tank, well-established, that's been home to 3 boesemanni rainbows for several years now. No new additions, regular water changes, etc. Temp = 77 degrees F, pH = 7.5. Tank also houses 2 emerald Corys, 4 platies, 2 Botia striata and 1 SAE. All have been with me for quite some time now; newest addition was 2 platies about 4 months ago (they were QT'd for a month!) Since the beginning, I've had issues with recurrent Lymphocystis on the largest of my male boesemanni. As I understand it, this is a virus, thus never truly goes away. At one point (this was several years back), the problems were recurring on a more frequent basis, and I invested in a UV sterilizer. That seemed to help. When we moved 2-ish years ago, I didn't set up the sterilizer again, as the bulb was broken. I do have a replacement for it, but never got around to setting it up again, as the problems seemed to be virtually non-existent.  In any case, I got some new food for the boesemanni (3mm Spectrum New Life sinking pellets), thinking they would appreciate something a bit more substantial than their usual 1mm pellet meal. I think the boesemanni at issue ate 2 of the larger pellets stuck together, and injured his mouth. This was approx. 1 week ago. I noticed that he couldn't shut his mouth. I stepped up the water changes, changed the filter media, etc., to prevent any secondary infection. A few days later, the mouth was able to close more, but the Lymphocystis nodules were back in full force (the mouth area was always one of this fish's problem areas...seemed to be very susceptible to the virus). I am starting to worry, as it has been almost a week now. He's interested in food, but seems to be unable to swallow. I haven't used the larger pellets since this issue arose; the 1 mm pellets come right back out, as does the flaked food. I'm afraid the virus could be obstructing his throat, or that he really hurt himself with the large pellet. I can see into his mouth/throat - there doesn't appear to be any visible obstruction. What worries me is that the Bailey and Burgess book talks about this issue, and says it is "very important" to bring the affected fish to the vet for possible surgery. We don't have a "fish vet" in our area...so that doesn't appear to be an option. In fact, I've never encountered a vet that handles fish at all...
<There are a few>
Unfortunately, I broke our QT tank while cleaning it several months ago. I need to purchase a new one, which I plan to do today. I've got 15 gal. of RO/DI water made up, thank goodness for that. Aside from QTing this rainbow and keeping the water as clean as possible, what can I do? As I understand it, antibiotics will do nothing for Lymphocystis. Do you think there's benefit to treating for secondary infection? Or perhaps MelaFix (I know Chris thinks nothing of it, and I know you and I have talked about using it in conjunction with good husbandry...maybe it works, but maybe it's just the latter...)
<I would NOT use the "fix">
Anything else I can/should try? Aquarium salt? In all my reading, it seems as though now the biggest problem is the potential of the fish starving to death. I did see him pooping today, so that's a good sign; I will say it was a small string of feces, though...much smaller than usual.
Any advice you can give would be appreciated, as always!
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Best,
Jorie
<You could try a bath (higher concentration) of a Furan compound... but I'd likely leave the fish in and as is... focusing on improving and sustaining the best water quality here. BobF>
Jorie K. Johnson, J.D.

Rainbowfish update 5/26/08
Bob, Neale:
Just wanted to let you both know that the boesemanni in question actually ate heartily last night; I fed the tank frozen, thawed bloodworms. He had previously been spitting out flakes and pellets, but happily consumed the worms. I am keeping water quality good (i.e., more water changes than usual) and hoping for the best. His mouth still doesn't look "normal", but hopefully in time it will. Still need to set up the UV sterilizer.
Thanks again, and hope you are both well.
Best, Jorie
<Hi Jorie. Thanks for the update. Sounds as if the fish is on the mend! Good luck, Neale.>

Rainbow wounds 05/23/08 Hello, <Hi there> I am hoping you can help and give me some suggestions in regards to one of my rainbows. <Will do so if able> I first noticed this about three weeks ago. It was just a small wound and did not look infected to me. I suspected at the time it was due to trauma of some sort and so I decided to leave it and keep an eye on him. In fact at the time it looked like a wound a naughty loach might leave upon his victim. <Agreed> A couple of days ago, I noticed the missing scales above the larger wound. As you can see, his colour is actually quite pale on the damaged side and much darker where there are no wounds. This is my largest male. His behaviour is as it should be and he is eating. If in fact the original wound was a nip or trauma of some sort how come there are now more? Which leaves to me suspect from my reading on your site that I may have a TB infected rainbow or some other bacteria. <Hopefully not Mycobacteria...> When this occurred originally the nitrates in the tank were high, 40ppm. They were coming out of the tap that way. <I would NOT drink this water...> They are now down to 10ppm both in the tank and tap. The nitrites and ammonia have always been 0.  I am wondering how you would suggest I proceed with this fellow. Thanks in advance Aileen <If it were mine, just good water quality and nutrition, time going by. Bob Fenner>

<nice pics! -Sara M.> Re: Rainbow wounds – 6/17/08 Hello again, <Aileen> I was hoping you would take another look at this fellow. Clearly there is more going on here then a loach nip. But what? He continues to be the only one showing any symptoms, however I have taken the precaution of adding a uv sterilizer at the lowest flow rate. I know it will not cure this guy but I was hoping to prevent any spread. Any suggestions you have would be most appreciated. Aileen <To me this "appears" to be some sort of (thank goodness somewhat limited) secondary bacterial involvement following mechanical damage (the loach?)... I say the qualifiers to emphasize the fact that in general Rainbowfishes literally "fall apart" if so damaged, infected. If it were me, mine, I might try antibiotic-laced foods (commercial or DIY, covered on WWM... see the search tool), but again, I would NOT move this fish, nor be "that" concerned re infecting other fish present. The specimen appears well-fleshed, healthy otherwise. Bob Fenner>

Boesemani Rainbows in trouble. New tank syndrome...  - 3/21/08
Hi guys,
<Andrew>
I've learned much from your website in the past, but so far have not been able to find any sort of real answer to my question.
I have been keeping marines and corals for about three years now, with great success, but recently decided I'd like to go back to my roots and set up a small FW tank. In addition to my 75Gal deepwater reef setup (LPS and soft corals) I've had a 20Gal tank that was home to a nice BTA and clarkii clown, along with a yellow coral goby and Gold headed sleeper goby (who put on heaps of weight after purchase!). Anyway, the idea was to move what stock I could to my main display, and traded the BTA and clarkii back for store credit.
I stripped and cleaned the tank THOROUGHLY and refilled it with new filter media, and substrate, and of course FRESH water. I ran the tank for three days and tested PH only and it was 7.2, with temp of about 78 (which fluctuates cause of the ambient air temp here in Aus) I got myself 6 neon tetras and popped them in, and they seemed to be quite happy despite the fact that they like slightly acidic water usually.
<Mmmm... how was this new FW system cycled?>
The whole idea behind this tank was to raise some juvenile Boesemani Rainbow's and move them to a new home when big enough, so seeing that the tetras were doing fine I bought 8 X 1 - 1 1/2" rainbows. Now I know that this is a rather large load for a new filter, but was able to use a little filter media from another healthy FW system to get it started (this is starting to read like war and peace!).
<Mmm, no... this is far more exciting>
After about three days of happy swimming (and daily 15Gal water changes with dechlorinated tap water) the fish began developing white opaque patches on their bodies, one at first then the others day by day. It did not look like anything I've seen before, almost like slightly cooked flesh! and though I could not try it looked like it might rub of with your finger.
I continued with the daily water changes as per plan to alleviate filter overload, but the fish continue to succumb to this white patch. after about a day, each fish moves to the surface where it breathes rapidly and dies almost hours later. Of course after seeing the first fish with the gasping symptoms, I cranked the Air bubble up to max to help with oxygen saturation in the water, but it had no effect, as I imagine their gills were likely coated in the same "substance". I also tried using Stress coat (with aloe vera) as I thought this might help, though I've never used the product before.
<Is a good product... but not efficacious here... for what you have going on won't work>
Strangely enough the Neon tetras seem to be unaffected, and none have any signs of disease. I have now lost 3 Rainbows in total, and expect to lose another over night. Now I know by now you neck must be sore from all the shaking with contempt, but any help would be much appreciated = )
Andrew
<Is really very likely "just" new-tank syndrome... the Rainbowfishes being more sensitive than the Neons... I would either look for a real bacteria culture product like BioSpira or Dr. Tim's equivalent... or move the Melanotaeniids to a better-established setting. Bob Fenner>

Boesemanni Rainbow Losing Scales? 1-22-08 Hello folks, Thanks for keeping up such a great resource. I have searched throughout the site, but have had trouble finding any scenarios similar to mine. I have 4 Melanotaenia boesemanni in a 10 gallon tank that had been doing pretty well for about a year and a half now. There is a small Marineland BioWheel filter, and a 50 watt heater keeping the temp at 79-80 F. A few Anubias are currently the only plants. They can definitely stand to be in a bigger tank now, and as such, I have been getting a 55 gallon prepped for them. Within the past few weeks, one of them has developed a small patch by the base of one of its pectoral fins where the scales seem to be flaking off. It started off small, but has been gradually getting bigger and bigger. Please see the attached pics. I have never noticed any of them to nip one another, so I don't believe that is what has caused this. The behavior of this boesemanni doesn't seem to be affected: appetite is good, actively swimming and interacting with the others, etc. Color seems to be good otherwise as well. In addition, one of the others has developed a number of small red dots along its side, and what looks to be a small red sore area. Attached is a pic of this as well. I have been watching this one carefully, as I'm afraid it might develop into a condition similar to the other? Or is it something completely different?? Water quality is as follows: pH = 7.4, Ammonia and Nitrite = 0, Nitrates = 30-50. I have been doing 30% water changes plus gravel vacs every couple days for the past week to try and get the nitrates down. I regretfully admit that during the past 4-5 months tank maintenance had slipped. Water changes were not done as frequently as they should have, probably around 20% every 90 days. I'm sure nitrates skyrocketed during this period, and I feel certain that the drop in water quality was at least partly, if not completely responsible. Any ideas what either of these skin conditions may be, and what the best course of action is? I do not have a quarantine tank, but am scrambling to put one together. On another fish keeper's advice, I have begun adding very small amounts of Epsom salt to the tank (approximately 1/8 teaspoon Epsom salt per 5 gallons water). While I don't believe it will hurt, I'm not positive it is addressing the problem. Should I continue this, and/or change dosage? Thank you in advance, NS <Greetings. The problem here is almost certainly a bacterial infection of the sort we'd call Finrot if it was on the fins. In any case, it'll be Aeromonas bacteria at the root of the problem. So you need to use a suitable antibacterial or antibiotic medication, such as eSHa 2000 or Maracyn. Use as instructed on the package (taking care to remove the carbon from the filter, if you use it). Adding a small amount of tonic salt to the water (rather than Epsom salt) may help, but by itself salt is an unreliable cure for Fungus and Finrot. There's no real need to quarantine the fish, as Finrot isn't by itself "contagious" since the bacteria that cause it are in the tank already (and in all tanks, all the time). But something has happened to weaken or damage this fish, as that's how Finrot gets started. It's possible it jumped into something sharp: I've seen very similar damage on Hatchetfish that have jumped into the metal reflectors behind aquarium lights. You should also check that there aren't any opportunistically predatory fish in this aquarium. Chinese Algae Eaters (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri), Otocinclus spp., and Pufferfish can all cause this sort of damage. So look at your stock and see if anything might be to blame. Water quality is, nine times out of ten, the root cause of Finrot, but your water chemistry/quality seems good. Cheers, Neale.>

Best thing to use for bacterial pop-eye?
Hi guys, One of my big rainbows has pop-eye....again. What's the best anti-bacterial medication to use for this?? Thanks, Ananda
<a broad-spectrum antibiotic in QT is the best bet, but if it happened recently and is simply swollen (may not be infected yet/at all) then one Tablespoon of Epson salt per five gallons may alleviate the water buildup behind the eye. Do consider especially if removal to QT is not convenient or possible. Kindly, Anthony>

Sick Rainbows
><Ananda...whaaaaasssssup, er... I mean... How are YOU doing? 
>Anthony>
Just got the splint taken off today, & my arm hurts w/o the support.
Still using the sling. And the model name of the sling is "Encore" -- I keep hearing a commercial along the lines of "Go ahead! Break your arm again and we'll be just as useful next time!" Argh....
<<ouch! Do feel better soon!>
>One of my neon rainbows has two bumps on his skin. ...
>< ...You haven't added any wild caught fish or live plants recently have you (parasitic larvae/copepods)?>
Um, yes, actually... just put a couple of new plants in about a week ago.
<and the plants were quarantined like fish for 2-4 weeks first? or given a good rinse and alum bath first? That's OK... I usually don't either... although it does help to buy plants from fishless systems when possible>
>Her eyes are looking like they might be developing pop-eye.
><starting to sound like bacteria are at least part of it (exopthalmia (eye-popping)>
That's what I figured.
><reapply antibiotics... although this time use a product with both Nitrofurazone and Furazolidone
That's why I'm using the Furan-2 (Aq. Pharm.); each capsule has 60mg Nitrofurazone & 25mg Furazolidone & 2mg Meth. blue. I've been using 1 capsule daily in a 10g hospital tank, & the silicone is now a nice pretty turquoise color. Should I change the dosage?
<the dose you are giving is actually mild... however, the small scaled rainbows may not take a higher dose. Just increase the duration of the treatment in QT. kindly, Anthony>
Thanks, Ananda

Praecox Rainbow
<Ananda here today...>
I want to let you all know how much I appreciate this site. Early last year I ventured back into Aquarium keeping with a small 10 gallon set up for my daughter. After 20+ years away I had a lot to re-learn.
<Yep. A lot has changed in this hobby!>
Bob helped me with an early disaster and since then I have been able solve most problems by reading from this site and other suggested sources I found here.
<Good to hear>
About 8 months ago I set up another aquarium (29 gallon) and it has been running very well. It does however seem to me, that the local fish stores, would rather have me kill my fish and come to buy more than to keep them well. Their advice often conflicts with WWM. Your site has kept me from needing to replace fish very often.
<We have no commercial interest in selling you fish, so....>
The Aquarium is a beautiful addition to our home.
I do have a problem now with some Praecox Rainbowfish I have had for about 3 months. I started with 4, lost 1 with it's tail caught in the filter intake, and 1 more to what I believe to be some sort of internal nematode. The fish showed no signs of sickness but developed a dark spot near the tail which became swollen over a 10 day period, and then over night the fish had symptoms of dropsy. I quarantined, but the fish died in a few hours, before I had any idea how to treat it. After death, I dissected it and found a few (6) small (3mm) worms bright red and visible to the naked eye. Under 400X microscope, they seem to be a nematode of some variety (I need more experience with specific identification).
<Do pick up Dieter Untergasser's book "Handbook of Fish Diseases". It has many, many photos of various nasties that make our fish less than healthy.>
The remaining 2 Praecox seem healthy, eating fine, no signs of stress, but 1 has a swelling at the base of his tail. The swelling is similar to the swelling on the fish I just lost. I have quarantined, and I am treating with Nitrofurazone. The fish seems fine other than the swelling. Might it have the same worm?
<Likely yes.>
and if so how would you recommend I treat it? Is there some precautionary thing I should consider doing to the tank as a whole? No other fish in the tank show any signs of illness.
<If you can find or make an anti-parasitic food, I would feed this to the tank for several days. Without being sure exactly what type of parasite this is, I can recommend only a general anti-parasitic medication. Do keep the remaining Praecox in a separate tank.>
My water here is hard, 8.0 so I have checked Fishbase for fish that are tolerant. I have some brass (Hyphessobrycon bifasciatus) tetras, 2 Boesemann's, 2 lace Gourami's, 2 Corys, and a bushy nose Pleco. With 20% weekly water changes I never see a rise in Nitrite or Nitrate levels. I am finished stocking and expect to have about 33 inches of fish, if everyone reaches maximum size. I have about 25 inches now.
<It sounds like you have been stocking your tank according to the outdated "one inch of fish length per gallon of water" rule -- it sort of works for slim-bodied fish like neon tetras, but you have several deep-bodied fish. If even some of your fish reach their maximum size, you will end up with an overstocked tank. I think a better measure to use is adding the height of the fish  to the length of the fish (and the "thickness" of the fish for wide-bodied species) to get the total "fish length" to compare to your tank gallonage. And even then, this works better for tanks that are shorter and wider, with more surface area compared to their depth, than for tanks that are taller with less surface area compared to their depth.>
Thank you again for the wealth of information you provide,
Mark
<You're welcome. --Ananda>

Picking Up from Here
>Dear WWM Crew: Thanks to all for your invaluable help and support up to this point.  
>>We do what we can, though my efforts are new.
Here's the deal:
>I've got a 44 gal. freshwater tank that housed the following fish:
2 Boesemani rainbows
3 male threadfin rainbows
5 balloon-bellied mollies
3 green Cory cats.  
>The tank's parameters are all normal, no nitrites, ammonia, pH = 7.5; I haven't tested for nitrates yet, but will do tonight. Unfortunately, through an error of mine, there was introduced to my tank something horrible and insidious last week.  I did not fully understand the benefits of QTing *all* new tank members, but believe you me, it's a mistake I'll not make again.  Anyway, I introduced four dwarf neon Rainbowfish w/out QTing, and within forty-eight hours, two had died and the other two looked *horrible*.  Symptoms included lethargic behavior, not eating, grayish/whitish patches with some red underneath, and fin/tail rot.  I immediately pulled the two remaining dwarf Neons and put them in a hospital tank, and based on the symptoms I saw at the time (and with much help from the chat forum!), began treating these guys w/ Maracyn-Two.  Well, within another 24-48 hours, they had also died.  Again, through my posting on the chat forum, I discovered that very possible I had stumbled across "Rainbowfish disease", or fish tuberculosis.  So, I began researching that, and everything I've seen thus far leads me to believe that this disease is virtually impossible to treat. Yesterday, I noticed one of the Boesemann's not looking very good, so he was put into a hospital immediately.  His outward symptoms did not look like what had affected the dwarf Neons - the boesemanni appeared to have "true fungus".  As such, I chose to treat his hospital tank w/ Maracyn-Two and MarOxy.  Well, this morning I woke up and he was gone too.  
>>Oh dear, my heart is breaking for you!
In doing even more research today, I've decided that if another rainbow exhibits disease symptoms, I'm going to treat him in a hospital tank w/ erythromycin...I believe that sometimes that works against fish TB...please confirm if that's the case.
>>IIRC, it is, however, you would do well to have several medications on hand, I would add Melafix and Spectrogram to the list of meds you already have on hand.
>I'm *very* concerned about my remaining fish, and so far, here's what actions I've taken and/or plan to take: increase water changes from 10-15% to 20% weekly, I've ordered a UV sterilizer (scheduled to arrive next week...hopefully soon!) to kill any free-floating bacteria in the water, and, in general, will try to keep the stress level (for both the fishes sake and mine) at a minimum.  Is there anything else I can/should do?  
>>Truthfully, you're doing everything I would do, the only advice I can add is to use salt (ratio of 1tsp./gal) while medicating and q/t'ing.  You cannot use this in the display with the plants.
>If we are truly dealing with Rainbowfish disease (fish TB) - can it be contracted by the mollies and/or Corys?
>>It may, but I must apologize for not having better answers at this time.  I do not think fish TB is specific to any genus or species, treat everyone the same right now.
>At what point do I need to completely break down the tank?  In the event I do need to break down the tank, do I need to toss the plants (Aponogetons and Anubias )?  
>>I don't think that you need to break the tank down, though putting everyone in q/t for a minimum of one month and letting the tank lie fallow may be helpful.  Remember not to use the salt with the plants.  I don't know that plants can act as carriers for disease, Google has provided me with nothing helpful.
>Please help- I do realize that I made a mistake by not using proper fish-introduction techniques (i.e., quarantining), but what can I do from here? Thanking you in advance, Jorie
>>You are doing everything you can at this point, with the exception of the salt.  I cannot say, "You should do this, that, or the other thing", because you're doing what I would.  My suggestion is to stay the course right now, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that you lick this!  Best of luck, Jolie!  Marina>

FW Fish Disease
Dear WWM Crew: Thanks to all for your invaluable help and support up to this point.  
>>We do what we can, though my efforts are new.
Here's the deal:
>I've got a 44 gal. freshwater tank that housed the following fish:
2 Boesemani rainbows
3 male threadfin rainbows
5 balloon-bellied mollies
3 green Cory cats.  
>The tank's parameters are all normal, no nitrites, ammonia, pH = 7.5; I haven't tested for nitrates yet, but will do tonight. Unfortunately, through an error of mine, there was introduced to my tank something horrible and insidious last week.  I did not fully understand the benefits of QTing *all* new tank members, but believe you me, it's a mistake I'll not make again.  Anyway, I introduced four dwarf neon Rainbowfish w/out QTing, and within forty-eight hours, two had died and the other two looked *horrible*.  Symptoms included lethargic behavior, not eating, grayish/whitish patches with some red underneath, and fin/tail rot.  I immediately pulled the two remaining dwarf Neons and put them in a hospital tank, and based on the symptoms I saw at the time (and with much help from the chat forum!), began treating these guys w/ Maracyn-Two.  Well, within another 24-48 hours, they had also died.  Again, through my posting on the chat forum, I discovered that very possible I had stumbled across "Rainbowfish disease", or fish tuberculosis.  So, I began researching that, and everything I've seen thus far leads me to believe that this disease is virtually impossible to treat. Yesterday, I noticed one of the Boesemann's not looking very good, so he was put into a hospital immediately.  His outward symptoms did not look like what had affected the dwarf Neons - the Boesemani appeared to have "true fungus".  As such, I chose to treat his hospital tank w/ Maracyn-Two and MarOxy.  Well, this morning I woke up and he was gone too.  
>>Oh dear, my heart is breaking for you!
In doing even more research today, I've decided that if another rainbow exhibits disease symptoms, I'm going to treat him in a hospital tank w/ erythromycin...I believe that sometimes that works against fish TB...please confirm if that's the case.
>>IIRC, it is, however, you would do well to have several medications on hand, I would add Melafix and Spectrogram to the list of meds you already have on hand.
>I'm *very* concerned about my remaining fish, and so far, here's what actions I've taken and/or plan to take: increase water changes from 10-15% to 20% weekly, I've ordered a UV sterilizer (scheduled to arrive next week...hopefully soon!) to kill any free-floating bacteria in the water, and, in general, will try to keep the stress level (for both the fishes sake and mine) at a minimum.  Is there anything else I can/should do?  
>>Truthfully, you're doing everything I would do, the only advice I can add is to use salt (ratio of 1tsp./gal) while medicating and q/t'ing.  You cannot use this in the display with the plants.
>If we are truly dealing with Rainbowfish disease (fish TB) - can it be contracted by the mollies and/or Corys?
>>It may, but I must apologize for not having better answers at this time.  I do not think fish TB is specific to any genus or species, treat everyone the same right now.
>At what point do I need to completely break down the tank?  In the event I do need to break down the tank, do I need to toss the plants (Aponogetons and Anubias )?  
>>I don't think that you need to break the tank down, though putting everyone in q/t for a minimum of one month and letting the tank lie fallow may be helpful.  Remember not to use the salt with the plants.  I don't know that plants can act as carriers for disease, Google has provided me with nothing helpful.
>Please help- I do realize that I made a mistake by not using proper fish-introduction techniques (i.e., quarantining), but what can I do from here? Thanking you in advance, Jorie
>>You are doing everything you can at this point, with the exception of the salt.  I cannot say, "You should do this, that, or the other thing", because you're doing what I would.  My suggestion is to stay the course right now, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that you lick this!  Best of luck, Jolie!  Marina>

Sores on Rainbowfish
<Hi! Ananda here tonight...>
It's happened before and now two of my mature Rainbowfish, one a Yellow and the other a Boesemani, have open sores on their sides. In both cases the sores are, more or less oval in shape and leave an open wound of about 3/4 on an inch in length. In both cases, too, the wounds appear about an inch back from the base of the fish's pectoral fin. 
<This sounds sadly familiar. See if you can track down a copy of Dieter Untergasser's "Handbook of Fish Diseases" and take a look at the photo on page 22...it shows a Rainbowfish with something that sounds very much like what you are describing. Untergasser labels the photo as an example of "open tuberculosis", which is caused by a mycobacterium that is found somewhat frequently in fish tanks.>
I don't know if this is something specific to Rainbowfish, but this has happened to Rainbowfish that I've had in the past and on a number of occasions, most recently... about six months ago I lost a Parkinson's Rainbowfish after the same kind of sore developed.
<I have lost four neon rainbows, four Australian rainbows, and three turquoise rainbows to this before I knew what it was. If you check the forums at http://wetwebfotos.com/talk and do a search for posts by JKJ454 about her rainbows, you might find some useful information there, too.>
Presently, none of the other fish in the tank, including a New Guinea Red Rainbowfish and a Melanotaenia trifasciata (Goyder) and an M. herbie, have this kind of sore.
<Keep your water quality pristine... that can keep what may be an existing infection from taking over and becoming lethal. JKJ is using a UV system on her tank, and her Boesemann's are looking good.>
Is this something that is particular to Rainbowfish?
<No, but it seems sadly common in rainbows.>
In any event, I haven't been able to find anything written on it and if you can identify the problem it would be appreciated. THANKS....Alan
<There has been word that mycobacteriosis, aka fish TB, can be treated with Kanamycin -- however, the cost of the treatment may be quite high. Much more info available at the links here: http://www.fishdisease.net/cgi-bin/search.cgi?ps=10&q=mycobacteriosis&t=&Submit=Search ... and check the WetWebMedia site, too. Now that you know what to search for, you should be able to find a fair bit of info. I do hope that this is *not* what your fish have, but fear that it might be. If it is, do wear full-arm-length aquatic gloves when you mess around in the tank. --Ananda>

Australian Rainbow
Howdy Folks!
<Hey, AJ!  Please do forgive the delay; I've been in the middle of half a dozen computer crashes this past week/weekend>
I've been reading up all night at your (lovely) site, and haven't found the answer I'm looking for.  
<Wow!  Guess we'd better try and help out, then!>
I have a 55 gal FW community-ish tank.  Of my tank members, I have 2 Australian Rainbows (that's what PetSmart calls'em anyway).  
<Certainly covers a lot of fish.... check out this site:  http://members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/Austrailian Rainbows  if you're interested in identifying your fish and learning more about them.>
I've had them for a least a month now and both have been doing great!  
<Good to hear.>
I recently won a battle against a nasty low pH problem and have been testing my water regularly ever since.  
<Heh, I'm envious of your low pH!>
So, when I came home tonight to see my large Rainbow swimming in circles (to the right) with two huge swollen eyes, I was baffled.  I pay pretty close attention to my fish, and I don't recall having seen his eyes looking even slightly swollen before.  As a matter of fact, everyone was fine when I left for work (9 hours earlier).  To double check, I ran all of my tests... no ammonia, no nitrites/nitrates, pH 7.3, GH 7.5, KH 6, temp 77F... all of which are in good/acceptable ranges according to my test kit (it is right, isn't it?).  
<The only thing that I'm concerned on is "no nitrites/nitrates" - just wanted to make sure you understand these are two completely separate nitrogenous wastes that must be tested with separate kits.>
The swollen parts of his eyes are also red from the front, like he has internal hemorrhaging, but its not his actual eye that is red.  Are these symptoms of the dreaded bacterial Popeye?  
<Though there can be other causes (injury, for one), yes, this sounds like "Popeye" (exophthalmia).>
If so, it is likely that my (many) other fish are in harm's way?  
<This is certainly possible.  It'd be a good idea to isolate him in a quarantine/hospital tank, if at all possible.>
His behavior is very erratic as sometimes he's acting normal, and sometimes he's spinning around, and sometimes he's being spastic at the surface (like he's trying to jump out).  He didn't appear to be interested in food but he's not doing the typical 'twirling head down' pre-death dance.  
<The spinning is possibly of great concern....  please do check out the links on this page:  http://www.fishdisease.net/cgi-bin/search.cgi?ps=10&q=whirling+disease&t= .  Although it is (hopefully) more likely that he's just having trouble swimming from his illness(es), it would be good for you to understand more about Whirling Disease in case that is what you're looking at.>
So, overall, I guess I just want to know what I can do to save him and, more importantly, the rest of my fish.  Oh yeah (this may be important), I read on ONE little unprofessional site that a cause of Popeye is excessive aeration(?)!  
<Er, not really, no.  It can be related to having too much dissolved gas in the water, but you'd probably be seeing other symptoms of "gas bubble disease" in that case, including bubbles in the fins of the fish and very heavy breathing.>
Several days ago I purchased a 48" flexible bubble line so that my fish would have more bubbles to play in (the Corys LOVE them) and it is attached to the same air pump the 12" bubbler was attached to.  Is the excessive aeration thing true or is all of that just an unlikely coincidence?  
<Coincidence, IMO.  You could try removing the second airstone for a couple days and see if that helps.  Right now, the best recommendation I can give you is to isolate the sick fish in a separate tank and add Epsom salt to the water at a rate of 1-2 tablespoons per ten gallons; this will help relieve the pressure in the eyes, possibly clear the issue up altogether.  Do please watch for any other symptoms of illness, as well; it may be a good idea to get the fish on some antibacterial food (perhaps with Oxytetracycline, provided you can find it), in case it is a bacterial issue.  Otherwise, it'd be a good idea to use a good, broad-spectrum antibiotic like Kanamycin in the water.>
Thanks a million for any help (and for all the help you've given in the past simply by posting your replies to other people's questions!)!! AJ
<Our pleasure, AJ!  I do hope this reaches you in good time, again, I apologize sincerely for the delay.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Ailing Rainbowfish   5/14/06
Good afternoon, everyone!
<Well hello there - this is Jorie>
I have searched through your site but still have a few concerns... I appreciate any advice since I know you are
all very busy answering questions. :)
<I'll try my best to help - Rainbowfish are one of my all-time favorite FW fish - I've got several different species!>
One week ago, I bought two Rainbowfish, a Boesemann's and a what I
believe is a Lake Tebera. I have a 29 gallon community tank with two red platys, three zebra Danios, two young lemon tetras, two elderly black tetras, one mature Angelfish, and two sword tails. Also two common Plecs (the other one is recovering in this tank from a bad fin nipping - seems to be doing fine now, happy and active with beautifully healed fins!) and two small Corys.
<Yikes! My friend, this is a lot of fish, some pretty sizeable (esp. the common Plecos, the angel, and the boesemanni).  First of all, if there's any chance of returning the rainbows, I'd say that is your best bet.  Rainbows are schooling fish, and do best (both health-wise and color-wise) when kept in groups. Obviously you don't have room to add any more rainbows to your tank, so if it's at all possible, I'd say find them another permanent home.>
I do 10-15% water changes every week,
<I'd be doing at least 25%, probably more like 50%...>
use Stability each week,
<...I am not familiar with this product...>
sometimes using Amquel+ & NovAqua+ combo instead.
<I assume this means you are using tap water? Many people think rainbows are super-easy beginner fish, but this just isn't so.  In my experience, rainbows demand *pristine* water conditions; in fact, due to continuous problems with my boesemanni and ended up investing in a RO/DI water system and a UV sterilizer...>
This tank is very stable,
<...great...>
never had any incidence of ich except when I bought two clown loaches from Wal-Mart (very bad impulse buy, will never do again),
<Hey, we've all learned this lesson the hard way.  All you can do is take the knowledge, incorporate it, and move on, smarter and stronger.  I hope you've now learned how big clown loaches can grow (i.e., min. of 12"!)...definitely too big for your tank, notwithstanding the fact that you are already overstocked...>
and everyone in the tank is acting and looking
perfectly normal, with good appetites and activity level. Water tests are as follows - ph 7.0, nitrite 0.5 ppm, somewhere between 250-425 ppm total hardness. (These Mardel starter test strips leave a lot of room for the imagination when it comes to hardness!)
<Yes, test strips, in general, are notoriously inaccurate...I'd suggest investing in a good liquid test kit, like Tetra's Master Test Kit...everything you need is in there, and it's fairly reliable...>
I live in Central Florida, so tap water is pretty hard.
<Fish generally appreciate consistency more than exact precision, so that's the most important thing.  However, as I mentioned above, I never had much success keeping rainbows in tap water.  Check out www.airwaterice.com for good deals on RO/DI units...they are quality products with long lifespans, and I think you'll see a great improvement in the rainbows, as well as the other fish.>
This morning I found the Lake Tebera (I think) Rainbowfish hanging out above the powerhead, near the heater (temp is 78 F, and I'm using a Penguin 125 w/BioWheel, BTW), with his eyes looking red and cloudy and acting as though he were blind. He bobs along, bumps into fake plants, doesn't eat. His tail fin seems to have what looks like a tiny bite, but I am worried is maybe fin rot? Most distressing though are his red cloudy eyes. One eye is so badly clouded that his pupil is not even visible.
<This sounds like Popeye - a bacterial infection usu. caused by poor water conditions.  Based on your complete information, am I correct to presume you did not quarantine your new rainbows when you first got them? Quarantining all new livestock is truly the best plan, but is even more important when you are introducing wild-caught fish, like rainbows, into your community.  They are notorious for bringing along various diseases and should be observed in QT for a min. of 3-4 weeks.  
Having said that, all you can do is learn from the experience.  At present, you need to get the affected fish into his own hospital tank...>
(Oh, and I say he, but I have no idea what sex this fish is.)
<It can be difficult to tell with rainbows, esp. when they are juvies.  Once they mature, the males and females have different colorations that make it a bit easier to know...>
I have a Styrofoam cooler (holds maybe 3 gallons if filled to the brim), and I put him in there. I put in a new, never used Fluval 1 filter that I was planning on using for a turtle tank, so that the water stays clean and aerated. I put in 2 tsp of Epsom, since the tank is filled with 2 gallons of water -- half is tank water, other half is brand new dechlorinated tap water, as well as two .5L water bottles of Zephyrhills just to top it off, heh) and also a few drops of Stress Coat and NovAqua+. Could this medication do any harm?
<First off, distilled water is not generally great for fish - it is missing essential elements, minerals, etc.  Also, you may have shocked him when you transferred him from straight tap water in your main tank to this setup.  For now, consistency is key - keep the water clean and do not go back and forth between tap and distilled.  I'd stick with tap.  Also, in this QT, is there a heater? Make sure there aren't significant temperature fluctuations, as this can wreak havoc on a fish's immune system.  I don't think the Stress Coat and NovAqua+ will do any harm, but I'm not generally a fan of adding all sorts of chemicals.  Right now, you need to focus on keeping the water clean and stable.  Also, you may want to try a broad-spectrum antibiotic, such as Maracyn I and/or II. Whatever you choose, dose according to instructions and keep a close eye on the fish...>
I am very reluctant to try any OTC fish medication and thought maybe these conditioners would help.
<I applaud you for not running out any buying every medication in town - that can many times make matters worse.  Conditioners, however, won't generally help a sick fish, and in my opinion, nine times out of ten are unnecessarily used also.  For you, if you stick with distilled water, you will need to look into additives like ElectroRight and pH Adjust - as mentioned above, distilled water is lacking certain necessary elements for fish, and likely has a pH of 5.0 - way too low.  And, if you go the route of a RO/DI filter, those products work nicely as well.  If, however, you stick with your tap water, you will simply need a chlorine remover, as you have been using, and that should be sufficient.  I cannot stress enough that stability is much more important that a precise pH, level of hardness, etc.  Use your test kits regularly to ensure there isn't great fluctuation.>
The CopperSafe I used for the clown Ich outbreak seemed to be so harsh!
<Copper is a very harsh medicine, no doubt about it.>
I also cut a plastic 1 gal water bottle in half so that he would have a little transparent "cave" for security,
<Nice thought, but your fish might appreciate a non-transparent one...>
and put a 120v incandescent
bulb over the water. (It's a ceramic heater type lamp, which I was planning on using for the turtle tank, also.)  I am hoping the plastic and Styrofoam will help keep the water warm without a heater, as I have no extra heaters at the moment.
<Do keep an eye on the temperature of the water - you don't want it to fluctuate.  If need be, you can purchase a 25watt heater for this 2-3 gal. tank.  Do be sure there's a thermometer in the water.>
I made sure to cut the plastic bottle very smoothly; I didn't want him to run into anything sharp in his blinded state.
<Good idea.>
Also, I know this was a bad idea, but I thought he might be hungry so about three hours after putting him in the makeshift hospital tank, I caught him with my hands (freshly & carefully washed with Dawn) and put him back in the main tank.
<You are right - not a good idea.  You can feed your sick fish sparingly while in QT...>
He didn't eat anything, but I thought he looked worse. He seemed so pale, with a whitish cast over him and his eyes seemed a little redder (though maybe I'm imagining this.) The thought of salt on red irritated eyes sounds so painful, but I realize this is probably a secondary bacterial infection so I thought I'd try Epsom salt on my own before writing to you guys.
<Epsom salt cannot hurt and may help.  You need to stop moving this fish back and forth, though, as you are needlessly stressing him out.  Also, when you do need to transfer him, please consider investing in a fish-safe net - this is much less traumatic on the fish.  For now, keep him in QT, observe with the Epsom salt, keep the water clean and stable, and heated, if possible.  If conditions don't improve or worsen, look into a broad spectrum antibiotic.  Also, be sure to feed him quality nutritious food, esp. while he is ailing - bloodworms (frozen, then thawed), or Mysid shrimp, or a good quality pellet (such as Spectrum New Life) if he'll accept them.>
Sorry for the wordiness of this e-mail.
<It's helpful to have more, rather than less information - don't apologize!>
If you could give me an idea of what else to do, I would be so grateful!
<Hopefully I've done so.>
I feel I have been irresponsible somehow and the death of this little guy might prompt me to start re-evaluating my skills as a fishkeeper, or for that matter, my worthiness as a human being... ;(
<OK, don't do that, but do keep in mind QTing is very, very important, whenever you get new livestock.  Also, with your current stocking list, you really shouldn't be looking to add any new fish.  All you can do is learn from your mistakes - we've all made them, and ultimately, it makes us better fishkeepers!>
You all do such terrific work! To think, it is purely in the volunteer spirit. If I ever hit it rich I'll contribute richly to the WWM!!
<LOL! Thanks for the kind words...'tis a great group of folks here at WWM and they have and continue to help me immensely!>
Thank you in advance,
Nicole
<You are welcome.  BTW, how is the boesemanni doing? Jorie>
P.S.
Oh, forgot to mention that he is back in hospital tank now since he didn't seem hungry or sociable, and I wanted to treat him and
quarantine him in case his condition is contagious.
<Excellent - leave him there and monitor him closely.  After he's improved, you'll still want to leave him for at least 2 weeks to ensure he is totally healed and doesn't relapse.>

Re: Ailing Rainbowfish   5/14/06
Hey Jorie!
<Hi again, Nicole!>
Thank you for the lightning-fast reply! I do realize my tank is
overstocked right now. This is because these are two tanks -- a 20 and a 29 gallon -- consolidated into one. I know this seems very mean and careless to do! It's because I had to move, going from having my own 2 bedroom apartment to being somebody's roommate (long story, I'll spare you the details, just that I am having some financial difficulties right now).
<I totally understand - financial difficulties are no fun for anyone.  As long as you realize that your take is quite full, that's quite different that not knowing.  I am sure you will do right by your fish and provide them with a bigger space once you are able.  In the meantime, just be sure to do more, rather than less, water changes, to keep up with the extra bioload.>
I am setting the 20 back up soon, but for right now I have one very busy tank. It seemed like things were ok because everyone gets along real well and seems to have found their own place in the tank, but I am getting to work on the 20 now that this poor guy has developed this crud. Popeye, you think? His eyes don't seem swollen, just cloudy and red.
<He could have injured his eye, and this is a secondary bacterial infection...>
I will continue to observe and treat him as I have been, if he doesn't improve I'll try the Maracyn.
<Sounds like a good plan.>
I have the established gravel and the old filter and filtration unit from the 20, but not the heater, I accidentally cracked it :(.
<Been there, done that! Glad you realized before you put it in the tank!>
When I set it back up I'll let it cycle -- fishless cycling for about 3 weeks -- maybe by then he will be looking and seeing better.
<Sounds like a great plan.>
Oh, I forgot to mention this, but I do get R/O water, about five
gallons worth, from my LFS to do my weekly water changes. I just used tap water right now for the emergency W/C and 50% water for the quarantine tank. The 5 gallons is what I do my 15% change with, but I will buy another canister and up that to 10 gallons a week.
<Got it.  When you have some spare $$$, I'd suggest looking into your own RO/DI unit - it will definitely save you money (not to mention the hassle of lugging 5 gal. of water around!) in the long run.  When you are ready, as I mentioned, www.airwaterice.com is a great site...very helpful folks.>
My 20 gallon was my beginner aquarium, hence where my platys and Danios came from. Also the source of the other Pleco and the
angelfish, who was such an adorable little baby - now grown up to the size of a moon pie!! Alas, what else could I have expected?
<Hey, most of us have been there - this is how we learn. And, side bonus is having the larger fish to control the livebearer population - my rainbows must be eating all my platy fry, as I haven't seen a single one in about a year now!>
I am sorry to say I did not quarantine the rainbows. I didn't realize they were wild caught fish, I just heard that they were very adaptable to hard water, easy beginner fish, etc. as you mentioned.
<Many people will tell you they are an easy fish - I tend to disagree based on personal experience and second-hand stories from folks like you.  I really don't know why so many LFS tell people how easy they are to keep.  They definitely require stability more than anything - they just aren't as "forgiving" as platys, for instance.>
My LFS seemed not to know much about them (they specialize in marine setups, although that to me seems like no excuse), since they were labeling them "rainbow tetras."
<Ugg - perhaps you should politely educate them?!>
The Boesemanni is doing just fine, beautiful color, eats everything. Except for glassworms, which the container said were a favorite of
"rainbows, ram cichlids, etc." but nobody seems to like these. I do feed a variety of foods every day. For example (feel free to skim this part)
<...no, this is helpful info!...>
Freeze dried: Spirulina flakes, color flakes, Bio Blend granules, brine shrimp, Cichlid omni and Community formula flake food from Ocean
Nutrition, Frozen: Bloodworms, Spirulina & vitamin enhanced brine shrimp, also the glassworms duds.
<Sounds great.  The only change I'd suggest is substituting Mysid shrimp for brine - much higher nutritional content.  But, of course, use up what you already have!>
For the bottom feeders: sinking pellets, algae tabs and blanched zucchini. The platys liked skinned peas but nobody else did, and what a mess!
<LOL! At least you must have had very "regular" platys...>
I know I shouldn't have gotten the Rainbows with the stocked
conditions, but I had planned to have my 20 already set up by now.
*sigh* It just seems so daunting to set up an aquarium, on my one day off a week! But with this new impetus I will be doing just that.
<It is a lot of work at the beginning, but will pay off in the long run...>
I also have been wanting to give the angel away, either trading him in or selling him since he has grown so large, but the LFS I got the rainbows from doesn't sell angelfish, and the other store is an all purpose pet store that doesn't take trade ins. Also the aforementioned LFS is not interested in any fish like Danios, platys, etc. They would probably take them for free as feeder fish, maybe!
<I couldn't bring myself to do this, either.  With regards to the angel, maybe try www.aquabid.com or even post on the forum at www.wetwebmedia.com Maybe someone local can/will help you out?>
Any ideas? Besides giving back the rainbows, which I will do if I have to, but I sure do hope to find another alternative. They have really grown on me, probably my favorite fish...
<Yes - me too!  Play it by ear...I'm glad the boesemanni is doing well.  Hopefully your other rainbow will recover as well.  In the meantime, you can read up on your new "favorite" fish in Dr. Gerald R. Allen's "Rainbowfish: In Nature and in the Aquarium" (ISBN: 1-56465-149-5).  I cannot wait to have a rainbow species dedicated 90 or 110 gal. tank one day:-)>
A million thanks,
Nicole
<You're welcome...hope all goes well. Jorie>
P.S. Thank you for the advice on the liquid test kit. I am going to look online for one.
<Try www.drsfostersmith.com - good prices on dry aquarium goods, generally.  Or www.bigalsonline.com>
P.P.S. I have heard conflicting advice on netting fish. I do have a
big and little net, those coarse green ones, but... heh, my hand just seemed less harsh on red, irritated eyes than that mesh! I won't move him again, though - he is staying where he is for a couple of weeks until he is all the way better.
<I am surprised you were able to catch him w/ your hands! Maybe b/c he isn't feeling well...my rainbows are impossible to catch!  The green nets are just fine, but if you are truly concerned, you can always pick up one of the marine white ones that are softer, with less holes...truly not necessary though.>

Parasites Attacking The Rainbows  - 05/10/2006
Hello!  I seem to have encountered a problem that I cannot answer through the vast resources of this website, or even my home library on fish diseases.  I have a 125 gallon tank set up primarily for Rainbowfish.  There are 18 various
Rainbows in there at the moment with a handful of Corydoras, loaches and a Pleco.  
This is an established aquarium that I have not added any new fish to in over six months.  A couple of days ago I noticed one of my Rainbows (m. parkinsoni) had almost a perfect segmentation in its color, or rather, the complete
absence of color starting at the tail and reaching halfway up the body.  It is almost as if the latter half of the fish is not receiving proper circulation.  I thought this may have been due to a change in diet, since I have been feeding
more flake food than normal.  These fish are accustomed to frozen treats like bloodworms and brine shrimp, which I resumed feeding.  Now a second fish (g. Wanamensis) has this same half de-coloration.  I ran the normal water tests,
ammonia/nitrite read 0 and nitrates only came in at 10 ppm.  The pH read 6.8 which is the same as fresh tap water where I live.  To be safe, I moved the two fish to a hospital tank but I have not begun any treatment since I don't know
what I may be treating them for.  Any ideas?  The Wanamensis is still eating.   The Parkinsoni I'm afraid has stopped taking food.
I seem to recall encountering something similar to this a few years back.  Ironically, it too involved a Rainbow, m. Splendida I think, but I had the afflicted fish in quarantine and I returned it without learning what it was or the
outcome for that particular group of fish. Any insight you could share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Brook
< I have found that these things turn out to be bacterial and respond well to Erythromycin. Watch for ammonia spikes because this medication will affect the good bacteria needed for biological filtration.-Chuck>