God Help Me...

All my fish have been recently possessed by the water demon (bad water quality) and are quickly dying of different diseases associated with bad water.

Params:
pH: 7.2 steady
kH: 130
Soft water
NitrIte: 0
NitrAte: 0
(used test STRIPS, probably inacurate, i just found out)

Tank: 29 gal
Filter: Common carbon filteration for 30-60 gal tank
Big Aeration stone
-This tank has been running since November of last year.
-Before, I used to not change the water very much, recently; I do a 25% water change per week unless it needs more.

Last month I bought 2 new GF, a tiny black moor and a GF that looks like a whale. I added them to my 29 gal tank that housed one rather big Lionhead FG, one 2in. Fantail and one 2in Plecostomus. They were all very happy. Then my pleco died suddenly. I fixed the tank appropriately. I was very sad so I went to my local pet shop to get another bottom-feeder. I bought a rainbow Shark, oops, and I couldn't resist the cutest fish ever, a celestial eye 2in. So they all lived in unison nicely until the water started to get extremely cloudy so I bought a 10gal tank and put both bubble eye fish in it. All levels were normal.
I was feeding my babies just before I had to leave town for the weekend, Friday 17th of March. I then noticed that they all had a rather nasty case of ich!! I was torn up and I didn't want to leave but I had too. So I took out my carbon filter in both aquariums and added the appropriate amount of formalin and malachite green to them. When I got home I was happy to see that they were all still alive and had much less ich. Small, brief victory. Then immediately I saw that the lionhead had some bad finrot due to the bad water. The small Fantail GF had it too, but not as bad. The little whale-like fish seemed fine. In the other tank, the black moor couldn't tolerate the ich and was in a wasting stage as was the celestial eye. On Monday, I tore down the 29 gal and cleaned it all up. Today, Tuesday March 21, I found the rainbow shark stuck to the filter intake tube, dead. Later today, the balck moor and the celestial eye died. Now my lionhead has bad finrot and has a thick mucous coat and small white cottony patches on the fins that he has left. The small fantail has dropsy and is constantly gasping. The whale-like GF seems fine, for now. I see death as emminant to the fantail and the lionhead if I don't act very very fast and accurately. If I loose my lionhead, I will surely be in tears for weeks, I have had him for two years. I have never had this problem, what happened and what do I do?????????

Are you still having troubles with the ich? I can't help much with the dropsy, I just lose a fish to it myself . For the fin rot you can add a broad spectrum antibiotic, like Maracyn and Maracyn 2. Heres a link to a treatment page http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/...showtopic=12600 .

The lionhead, Chubby Lumpkins, is in his final stages now.

Small fantail, Fluffy, is hanging in there with little hope.

I think I have done all I can do. I have tried to hold them under water to feed them but they keep throwing it back up. I have tried the medicine-qtip technique but think it's just too little too late. I just wish I knew what to do.


BLB

Oh I'm so sorry!

Maracyn 2 is great for dropsy but only in the early stages. Im so sorry to hear that youre having so many problems with your babies.

:

Had to give Chubby Lumpkins the Clove Oil and Tank water treatment about thirty minutes ago.

Word of advice for new fish keepers: Don't ever leave your fish unattended when they are sick if you want them to live. This sent my baby to a very early grave. Now I am left with nothing but guilt and an intense sense of emptiness.

:

I am very sorry for your loss :-(

Dave

This really is good advice and i'm so sorry for all your loses - I hope you feel better soon