Not Sure What To Do...

[FishFriend]

Hello all.  This may be a long-winded post, as I feel like it has been a never-ending uphill battle with my community tank and I have no idea what may be related or relevant, or if perhaps its a cumulation of it all.

Some things to note:

• I have researched more than I ever thought I would and am frustrated with all the conflicting information on certain things.
• I am in Canada, which has a ridiculous rule about fish medications.  I honestly feel like this is the main issue relating to my tank.
• I test my water religiously. pH=7.6ish; Nitrates=water change when it nears 20-40; Nitrite=0; Ammonia=0; Temp=78-80
• Fish Types in Community: Mollies, Platies, Guppies, Julii Corydoras, 1 Angel, 1 Hillstream Loach, 1 Kuhli Loach (only because I lost 3)

I believe that there may be a parasite affecting my fish; however, I am unable to get medication to treat it and I have heard that salt is bad for the scaleless fish.  I have also dealt with bouts of Ick and possibly other types of ailments that I think may be byproducts of the stress from the parasite?

Over the last few months I feel like I am constantly treating my tank for something (and I think the constant treatments may have caused the loss of the kuhli loaches); however, I have also lost Mollies, Platies, and Guppies to seemingly different causes.

In the past I have treated with APIs Pimafix, Melafix, and Super Ick Cure...which are pretty much all I can get locally.

There is never a large "die off" of fish which is what my aquarium store owner said would happen with diseases (that it would wipe through the tank in a couple of days).  It seems like I have only one fish sick at a time...then it dies...then another one gets sick...and so on (and not always from the same cause...at least how it appears).

Currently I have a Molly who is swimming oddly and likes to hang out next to the heater swimming vertically; however, not always.  He eats normally and swims fine when doing so (although perhaps a little more wiggly than normal).  He appeared to have white spots, so I am treating the tank again for Ick.  I also have a Platy that used to be outgoing and now hides in the back and I would have thought maybe she was just pregnant except that the last time I saw her swim, it almost looked like her tail wanted to float upwards.  And last night I lost a Kuhli Loach (absolutely broke my heart).  The rest of the fish seem normal.

The previous fish to die was a Guppy who almost looked like he got fin rot, but not sure, as he went quickly.

Before that, a Molly that seemed to perhaps have a fungal infection, but it was clearing up when he died.

Before that, a Platy that developed a curved spin and was very thin.

And there have been others...some that seemed to have no cause, others that were behaving oddly before hand, etc.

I have noticed sometimes, white stringy feces, which I was told is a sign of parasites, but there always seems to be other symptoms.

I was so excited to get into this hobby and my 3 small tanks are all fine (*knock on wood*), but this big tank has been a struggle from the get go and it breaks my heart every time I lose a fish.  It is honestly making me question whether to give up all together.  I am so frustrated that I am unable to get the medication I thought I needed that perhaps could have ended this awful cycle of death a long time ago.

I don't know if I am asking for help or just really needed to vent to people who might understand (my family doesn't understand when I get so upset about losing a fish).  Sorry for the long post.

[Fish Folk]

Don't give up, @FishFriend

Help us help you: What size is this community tank? What temperature are you keeping this aquarium at? What is your water source -- city / town / public -- or well? How often and how much volume (%) do you water change? Is this a planted tank? 

On a very, very generic level, fish ailments _generally_ fall under (1) Internal, or (2) External headings. External illnesses are sometimes the results of internal weakness or sickness. But there are typically tell-tale signs.

In a community tank, once one fish gets sick, it is often likely that others will get sick as well. I am not sure what you are referring to with salt and non-scaled fish, but I think you can treat livebearers with salt, as long as you follow some reliable guidance.

Here is a reliable blog from the CoOp on treating with salt. I recommend reading it carefully if you haven't already.

I think it may be that one medicine you could really make good use of would be Levamisole. Unfortunately, it is probably a restricted substance in Canada. Do you know anyone who runs a livestock farm, or raises animals? My bet is that they've gotten Levamisole as a dewormer you would only need a tiny amount. But I cannot properly advise . . . since the proportions might well be wildly different between treating fish vs. mammals. Greg Sage at Select Aquatics in US sells it dosed properly for fish, and I'll bet if you reached out to him via his e-mail, he'd have excellent advice.

Hang in there. We're rooting for you!

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Fish Folk

[FishFriend]

Thank you @Fish Folk

It is a 30 gallon tank kept between 78-80 degrees (seems to fluctuate according to my digital thermometer).  I get my water from the city and depending on whether I am dosing for something, I change between 25-50% approximately once a week (depending on what my tests are showing).  It is not a planted tank.

With regards to salt, I have heard that it can adversely affect my Corydoras, Hillstream Loach, and Kuhli Loaches; although I have also heard that people have luck dosing up to 1 tbsp/3 gallons without killing things; however, with everything already happening in the tank, I don't feel comfortable adding to the stress level of those fish that would be stressed by it.

[Colu]

Have any of your fish developed a sunken belly White stringy poop flashing rapid breathing 

[FishFriend]

@Colu I have not noticed any rapid breathing.  None of my current fish have a sunken belly, but it is possible that one of the previous Mollies I lost might have.  Have noted random flashing, but not much....just currently one Platy that otherwise seems normal, so associated it with the medication.

Definitely have noted the white stringy poop with more than one fish, but usually they don't show any other symptoms.

[Colu]

On 3/15/2022 at 8:18 PM, FishFriend said:

@Colu I have not noticed any rapid breathing.  None of my current fish have a sunken belly, but it is possible that one of the previous Mollies I lost might have.  Have noted random flashing, but not much....just currently one Platy that otherwise seems normal, so associated it with the medication.

Definitely have noted the white stringy poop with more than one fish, but usually they don't show any other symptoms.

White stringy poop can be poop with no food in it just the mucus lining and fish will occasionally flash if their doing it a lot then I would worry are you using a dechlorinator when doing water changes 

[FishFriend]

On 3/15/2022 at 2:22 PM, Colu said:

White stringy poop can be poop with no food in it just the mucus lining and fish will occasionally flash if their doing it a lot then I would worry are you using a dechlorinator when doing water changes 

If anything I worry that I over-feed some of them, lol (have a couple piggies in the bunch).  I will watch closer in the future as to which fish(es) it is.  I do use a dechlorinator when I do water changes.  Was using Prime, but switched to API's one in the fall at the recommendation of local fish keepers due to something regarding the seasonal change and its affect on the water.  Plan to switch back soon.

Edited March 15, 2022 by FishFriend

[Colu]

With being in Canada treatment options are limited API melafix and primafix are basically mild antiseptic treatment they are not effective at treating anything more serious what I would do is add aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 3 gallons as it aids Gill function and add essential electrolytes and treats external bacterial and fungal infections and monitor if you notice any other symptoms then it can be narrowed down just remember to only put the amount of salt back in that you take out so if you do a 5 gallon water change put 1table spoon back in if you think it's internal parasites you could get medication from a vet

[FishFriend]

On 3/15/2022 at 2:34 PM, Colu said:

With being in Canada treatment options are limited API melafix and primafix are basically mild antiseptic treatment they are not effective at treating anything more serious what I would do is add aquarium salt 1 table spoon for 3 gallons as it aids Gill function and add essential electrolytes and treats external bacterial and fungal infections and monitor if you notice any other symptoms then it can be narrowed down just remember to only put the amount of salt back in that you take out so if you do a 5 gallon water change put 1table spoon back in if you think it's internal parasites you could get medication from a vet

Will the salt affect my Corydoras, Hillstream Loache, or Kuhli Loaches?

I have spoken to my vet (and others), and no local ones seem to even know what to do with regards to fish.  The nearest one that could help is 3 hours away and they would require me to bring my fish in.

[Colu]

On 3/15/2022 at 8:58 PM, FishFriend said:

Will the salt affect my Corydoras, Hillstream Loache, or Kuhli Loaches?

I have spoken to my vet (and others), and no local ones seem to even know what to do with regards to fish.  The nearest one that could help is 3 hours away and they would require me to bring my fish in.

1 table for 3 gallons shouldn't affect your Cory's or loach just monitor them after adding the salt if you notice any signs of de-stress do a water change to remove some of the salt 

[Wadikus]

Hi FishFriend, I'm also in Canada. 

Are you in Ontario?