quikv6

Great advice above: Test regularly. Erythromycin has the potential to harm beneficial bacteria, especially in a "non-seasoned" tank. Check for ammonia, as the cloudiness can (not always) be a sign of a disrupted cycle.

Thanks Colu...I'll try to get you a pic tomorrow. Basically 3-4 white, dull streaks on an orange platy, on back and side. There isn't a shine to the fishes scales...looks like soft velvet. (The material....not the illness.) I'll see if I can get a pic. Thanks for your insight, as always.

Colu, Being you are the treatment guru, what do you know about Tetrahymena? I have been treating a platy for what I thought was Columnaris for the past month or so. He has the typical white/grey saddleback patches. They are not cottony, so I really don't think it is fungal. I have done 2 rounds of Triple Sulfa, along with 2 rounds of the Kanaplex/Furan combo. I have also added Maracyn 2 to food. There has been no improvement visually, and it hasn't worsened either. I am starting to think it is not Columnaris, but possible Tetrahymena....which I know nothing about. Any help/opinion is greatly appreciated.

In my opinion, the trio dose one/dwell week thing is more for a preventative/precautionary thing for new addition fish. In your case, there more clear, direct signs of illness. In this case, I believe it is better to dose based off instructions, and choose a med to target specific symptoms, if possible. First off, make sure there is zero ammonia and zero nitrites. Any level can stress a fish, especially one that is already ill. Don't underestimate clean, fresh water. 50% water changes can be your friend during treatment, if needed. Secondly, a bit of salt can help. Plants can tolerate a small amount of salt. (1 TBSP per 5-10 gallons). If you end up ramping it up to a medicinal level (such as 1 TBSP per/2-3 gallons), then it may be best to treat in a hospital tank. Third would be medication. I don't know bettas, and can't tell much from your pics, so a broad spectrum antibiotic would be a reasonable choice. Maracyn (for gram +) Maracyn 2 OR Kanaplex (for Gram -) would be a good choice. If you suspect a parasite (White stringy poop/wasting away/thinning), then the Paracleanse that you are using is a good first choice. I have found these may be best mixed into food...although I realize your betta isn't eating. Kanaplex is good in food as well. As for food during treatment, there are varying opinions. I would not fast the fish, personally. Food can boost the immune system, and help fight off illness. Bloodworms soaked in Garlic Guard may be tough to resist, and are a good choice when trying to get a fish to eat. Good luck, and keep us posted. Colu is a member here, who always has solid advice regarding treatment. I am sure he'll chime in.

When you do your water change after initial treatment, be sure to vacuum the bottom really well. I have used Levamisole, just not specifically the Expel-P, but I'd imagine it is similar. I put a towel over the tank to prevent light from coming in, and I believe I did 3 full courses overall. I just let the med degrade, without using carbon to remove it. Good luck!

There is a big box store that does carry 125s. I had purchased mine there during a black friday sale. Hint: it's not the $1 per gallon store, but the other one. It may be smart to check out their inventory.

The Prime is a great idea to start initially, but will only temporary detox ammonia for 48 hours, max. Since you don't have a test kit yet (Strongly and respectfully encourage this asap), you can double or triple dose Prime every 48 hours proactively. If you have a 20 gallon, 1 capful should be 2.5x dose, which should be a good starting point. If ammonia goes higher when you get the test kit, I believe you can dose up to 5x the dose. (Roughly 2 capfuls)

Do you have a test kit? It looks like you may be at the beginning of the cycle, with the bloom. The cycle takes time, and throughout, there will be toxins such as ammonia, and later nitrite, that can and will harm/kill your fish. Here is what will help: 1) Test kit - Levels will change daily in a new set up. 2) Water Changes, based on the test results. Ultimately with fish, I would be leery letting ammonia rise above 1ppm, at the most. Even there I am leery...but see #3. 3) Seachem Prime, which can help detoxify the ammonia (see post 2) for about 24-48 horns. It will also remove chlorine and chloramine.

I agree, it's time for levamisole....and soon. I would skip the Prazi, though I think it would be fine alongside the Paracleanse. Fritz also sells a lavamisole product called Expel P, though I have never used that one. In the interim, I would try to feed the fish some food with Paracleanse soaked in. Ingesting the med may be the only way to correct the condition, especially if it is getting dire.

If the Furan 2/Kanaplex combo doesn't work, another good option for Columnaris would be Sulfa-based meds. (API Triple Sulfa, and Seachem SulfaPlex). They will be tough to find, but can be quite effective against Columnaris. I had a Platy that had developed the white lips and slight graying of the scales in spots, and Triple Sulfa did the trick. I did not have luck with the Furan/KanaPlex combo with that particular fish. Colu is spot-on though, as that is usually the go-to combo for Columnaris.

You may also want to try Levamisole, as it is a relatively well regarded treatment for internal parasites....sometimes parasites where paracleanse/general cure may be ineffective. Levamisole is usually a med/dewormer recommended for wasting disease. I have done quite a bit of reading on this disease, as I have had a few platys come down with it. One of the traits that is sometimes seen with wasting is the desire to eat, but food will be spit out. Effectively, it's sort of the equivalent of a sore throat/inflammation, where the fish just can't ingest the food, and ends up spitting it out, and continues to waste away. Flubendazole is also another option in the case where a fish is not eating, as it is absorbed by the fish, and subsequently is supposed to ease the "sore throat", of sorts. I would try Levamisole first, as it is pretty easy to dose, and has much better solubility in water, as opposed to Flubendazole. To be honest, I have been treating a really stubborn case with a platy currently. The poor fish has had General Cure, Metroplex, PraziPro, Levamisole, and just finished Flubendazole, all over the course of a couple of months. While the fish is still very skinny and appears to have a sunken belly, he can now swallow food, and swims actively, instead of sitting on the bottom as he was doing. I am clinging to that improvement, and hoping he pulls through. Good luck.

Prime will not prevent the growing bacteria from utilizing the ammonia towards the cycle. It's a win-win.

A couple of thoughts: 1) The tank went from zero to 14 fish instantly. That is a big increase in bioload all at once. I do think the bottled bacteria works, but usually is better paired with a very slow, incremental increase in bioload. Nothing to beat yourself over, and thankfully it's a relatively large volume of water which helps. I think a daily "dose" of bottled bacteria will help as well. Sometimes one-and-done just isn't enough. 2) As mentioned, Prime would be a great dechlorinator for you, as it can "detoxify" any ammonia you may get for 24-48 hours. There are folks who literally rely solely on Prime to get through the full cycle. 3) Another possible culprit of the fish deaths could be osmotic shock. Usually this can occur if your water is significantly different (PH/GH) than the water they came from, without proper acclimation to the new water. I am curious what your PH/GH/KH values are, and if they are close to the store's water. I also wanted to welcome you to the hobby. Just the fact that you are here on this forum is a great sign that you will be a great fishkeeper. Mistakes will happen...don't beat yourself up over them. We are always learning, and that means we will always improve, which also up's the enjoyment and satisfaction!

To be honest, I trust a thermometer more than I do the heater dial. I've had multiple heaters of the same style that were off quite a bit. I use the black digital thermometer AND a glass one. It's good to have checks and balances.

Be careful with 100 percent water changes. They can really stress fish out. A workaround would be a 50% in the AM and 50% in the PM. If using Ich-X, you will need to do daily smaller water changes during treatment, per the directions.

Also, I noticed you have 0 KH. This can cause a PH swing or crash, which can cause stress, and in turn bring on illness. Stability is important, especially when treating for a potential issue.

Are ammonia levels 0 as well? If not, ammonia can certainly be a contributing factor.

Do you have any means to test the water yourself? Even a multi-test strip is a great investment, and pretty much necessary at times for fishkeeping. For example, A neutral PH (7.0) may not stay neutral very long, and can turn acidic rapidly if there is 0 KH (buffer). A PH crash can certainly stress fish, at the least, and cause problems. Specific values are really helpful in diagnosing problems.

That last pic really looks like Ich. I think switching to a proven med such as Ich-X would be valuable.

I am assuming you are referring to PH when you say "neutral". All water parameters (with specific values) would be extremely helpful, and can certainly serve to point towards a potential problem/issue.

A KH of 0 can be concerning, as it means you have no buffer, and PH can fluctuate or crash.

I fully understand this viewpoint, however I think it's a bit broader and more complex. Sometimes helping the competitor is an unintended biproduct of actually helping the customer. In this case...a forum member in need of help, guidance, or a product. And furthermore, helping the competitor may actually help the hobby of the whole, whether it be by healthy competition, or just keeping options open for hobbyists. The nucleus and primary objective of this forum seem to be about helping the members, and helping one another. If that is indeed the case, then I believe it leaves (or should leave) the rules a bit open to interpretation of intent at hand.

Sounds like you may have lost your cycle, and are in the process of cycling again. 1) Please post water parameters for folks to help in a targeted fashion....we all want to help Buddy! 2) I'll go out on a limb and say it would be helpful to get some Seachem Prime, to detoxify any ammonia or nitrate that may arise from a cycling. (I believe it detoxifies for 24-48 hours) Also...I am assuming you are declorinating your water.

First off, I want to commend you for your "pull out all the stops" effort to save your fish. It is always special to see a bond with any pet, and I appreciate your determination, and wish Booyah a complete recovery. Colu always has solid advice on here, so I think it would be good practice to follow the aquarium salt guidance in the tank that was recommended. I have used Epsom salt Baths (no more than 20 mins at at time) while the main tank had aquarium salt, and never had any noticeable issues doing so. I was treating a prolapse at the time. Also, quick question. If Booyah was at 72 degrees for years, what was the root cause of raising it to 76? Was that done gradually? Sometimes a quick change in temp can cause stress, though I wouldn't think 4 degrees is a huge increment, though I have not kept goldfish either. Metronidazole is the active ingredient in Metroplex. If you cant find thatthere, perhaps you'd have better luck finding API General Cure, or Fritz Paracleanse, as both have that ingredient as well. I have one last option to explore, though it will be a tough find: API Triple Sulfa. It is a broad spectrum antibiotic that sometimes works when Kanaplex doesn't. I had luck with it for Columnaris, where Kanaplex was unsuccessful. (It works better in higher PH, so I have read.) I am looking at the back of the box now, and the fist thing it says it treats is Hemorrhagic Septicemia, which may be applicable in your case.

Okay...I'll amend my 40 breeder nudge. Get a 40 long! 🙂