Ember tetra dieing

[Roko]

Hi all new here, i am from Europe but following aquarium co-op for last few years.

I have problem with my ember tetras it's new tank (3 months) cycled and planted i had around 20 of them. No physical signs of disease they one by one keep going out off school and just swim harder and harder until they die. almost every or every other day one or two are dead. I am thinking that it's internal parasites problem and i need some advice. But first i will write needed informations:

Tank size - around 25 gallons

Ammonia -0

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 15

Ph - around 7

KH - 8

GH - 7

Temperature - 23 C around 73/74F

Weekly water change up to 50%

Filter -Fluval 206

Food-flakes, granules, frozen artemia, frozen daphnia - in rotation 2/3 times a week frozen

Stock- 4 Otocinclus (no sign of illnes), now around 11 ember tetras and 4 amano shrimps

Now if you think that there is internal parasites problem please help with medication choice, if not then help me to find out where is a problem.

I have two choices for parasites

1. eSHa ndx - Active ingredients: 54 mg Levamisoli  hydrochloridum (Levamisole hydrochloride). Other ingredients: 0.85 mg Methylis parahydroxybenzoas, 1.4 mg Natrii metabisulfis, aqua.

2. eSHa gdex - 1 ml contains: 66 mg of praziquantel

I would much rather get second one but i am not sure would it be enough.

Btw. i am adding picture of one ember tetra that just started showing symptoms and probably will die today.

1 photo

2 photo

 

Thanks for help.😊

[Hobbit]

Hi Roko! Welcome!

This actually sounds similar to this person’s problem: 

 I’m not sure it’s the same problem, but you can take a look at the pictures and videos and see if you think it sounds similar.

[Roko]

Tnx for sharing the post. It dose sound similar one difference is that my fishes doesn't spin in mid water. First they go from group and keep close to the bottom then after some time they start going sideways but still in a place. If i come to take picture fish will swim away like nothing is happening. 

I am not big fan of bombing my tank with antibiotics with only assumptions because i think killing good bacteria and treatment will lead to more stress...

[Roko]

So just an update.  I treted my whole tank for bacteria, fungus, and two times for parazites. Added heater(until now i had them on room temperature that wasn't going two lof but had 1-1.5 Celsius fluctuations), i added air stone and still they are dieing. They stay low and "hide" like they are scared but when it's food time they eat and swim all around.

My other and arguably more sensitive fish are great and thriving (otocinclus, amanos, Apistogramma trifasciata, cobalt goby) all active with great color.

Just those embers i can't get whats wrong with them.

[Roko]

One more thing symptoms slightly changed. Now they look normal color and shape and for two days in a row i saf ember tetra just for nothing start swimming like crazy hitting bottom and then dies like it had heart attack😬😶

[Colu]

Ember tetras like temp between 24-28 your temp to low

[Roko]

i did research and i saw that embers like temparatures from 20,22,23 up to 28 Celsius so i think that 23 C is fine for them and in any case month on that temparature wouldn't kill them.

In any case things started looking better they are mora active and looking good for last few days.

[Colu]

No but they could be suffering for form shock have you recently done a water change 

[Colu]

Do  you make sure you are matching the temp when  doing a water change

[test.tin]

I wouldn't worry about temperature tbh. I have embers in my tank and I run no heater. My tank dips to 70f at night and to about 76f during the day.

And I don't think shock from water change is the culprit either. When I do my water change, I do 50% and pretty much just dump my bucket of new water into my tank through a colander. Although the temp matches, the quick fill of water should shock them and cause them to die, but they haven't.

I think the most likely cause Is that your tank couldn't handle the addition of the 20 new fish. Your tank might have been cycled but only for the amount of waste/living things in the tank. Adding the 20 fish at once could have been too much for the tank to handle biologically. Prob causing spikes in ammonia/nitrites.

As for recommendations, I say try doing more frequent and larger volume of water change. This can help get rid of the spikes in ammonia and nitrite until the beneficial bacteria in your tank can handle the additional waste. Second recommendation is hopefully, your tank will stabilize and be able to handle the remaining embers. At that point, don't go buying more to add in. Let the tank continue to mature and slowly add more embers if you like.

Edited December 5, 2020 by test.tin

[Mmiller2001]

I had this exact same problem. I dosed PraziPro for 2 weeks and they stopped dying.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Mmiller2001

[Roko]

@test.tin tnx for replay. 20 fish weren't added at once. And i do large wc 50% once to twice a week. Additional to that at first i was thinking the same so i dosed prime every 24 hours between water changes. All in all i think it's parazites or bacteria problem in the end.

[Roko]

@Mmiller2001 i was thinking the same i dosed full dose two times of available med. maybe i will try second treatment jus to be sure.

[Roko]

@Colu shock wouldn't last for few weeks. And i do make sure that water is same temparature.