McTurtle Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 (edited) I bought a tank of kiji and since I put it in use all of my fish have become ill/ died. First there was an ich infection. I treated that and there were no more parasites to be found. However, my betta that had recovered from ich got terrible tail rot. I treated with salt water, more frequent water changes, betta fix and then kanomycin and then a fungal treatment. Nothing helped and my poor betta passed away. I cleaned the tank with boiling water, salt and vinegar and replaced the gravel and filter. I let the tank cycle and then put a new betta in. This betta also became pale, clamped his fins and eventually died despite any and all treatments. Something must have transferred to my other tank because that fish also got unstoppable tail rot. In a third tank the betta seems to have symptoms like dropsy. He floated at the top and appeared bloated/constipated. He was not constipated. Epsom salts help him a little, but he still could't dive. I assumed something was wrong with his swim bladder. After 3 months or so he passed away. I cleaned this tank and replaced the fish. New fish then developed the same float symptoms. So there is something causing the problem... My 10 gallon tank has been going for years with no problems. Now I have one guppy left. I am soooo frustrated!!! What can I do to get rid of this pathogen? Is there any way to salvage my plants? What is the best way to clean my tanks? Salt, vinegar and hot water don't do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Do I scrap the tank heaters? I've never run in to this kind of problem before. Edited October 19, 2012 by McTurtle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 seems like you have cleaned the tanks enough. I know nothing about plants but have you added one lately that maybe the fish do not like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted October 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 (edited) No, all the plants have been around forever. Nothing new. I don't think it's the plants as it transfers from tank to tank. I think my next step may be to dose with hydrogen peroxide. Edited October 19, 2012 by McTurtle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 I had something similar when my water de-chlorinator expired... What kind of water conditioner do you use? What is your water like? I know some water sources have ammonia straight from the tap (and some water conditions also cause the ammonia kits to show ammonia). I also know that several towns (like mine...) have recently added chloramine to the water - does your conditioner remove this and other heavy metals? How many tanks is this effecting and how big are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted October 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 I'm using Prime. I buy the small bottle every ~6 months. I tend to over treat the water, but I don't think that would cause this issue. I'm using Edmonton tap water. The tanks are all small. 1 x 1 gallon, 2 x 2.5 gallon, 1 x 5 gallon and 1 x 10 gallon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted October 19, 2012 Report Share Posted October 19, 2012 I have never had a problem with prime. I over treat with prime as well. How long do you let the water (and conditioner) sit before adding it to the tanks? I am not entirely sure it is a pathogen... (well, besides the ich, but almost any fish from the pet stores seem to carry it - easily treated by adding extra salt to the water). You cleaned the tanks better than I ever have. If you don't mind me asking, can you describe the tank setups? I am just trying to understand what kind of tank setup you are using. What kind of filters are you using? Is the substrate just regular aquarium gravel? How many, and what kind, of fish are in each tank? Is it just the bettas? I have no real experience with bettas other than if they survive the first 2 months, they tend to live for 5 years in my tanks. I find the ones from the common chain pet stores aren't really healthy. What other fish have died, and what were the symptoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperGuppyGirl Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Not an expert by any means but I'm kind of wondering about the sealants on the 5 & 10 G tanks if these are the ones with issues, could have been resealed with a non aquatic safe sealant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 it probably is something in the water before it is anything else. Make sure that your paremeters are where they should be. Also check your test kit/ strips for an expiry date to see if they are giving acurate results. the poster above may be on the right track with the silicone, had that kill off some critters once. If your still convinced its an illness from living things, than bleach everything. 1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water, give your plants a quick dip (than into clean water with extra prime to knock down the bleach) your syphons, water change pails, glass scrubbers, tank, gravel, filters, heaters, aire supplies, decorations..... you name it... if it gets wet, it should get bleached. People are often terrified to use bleach beside their living system. It is powerfull, but used properly it is just the thing... think about it, we drink a little chlorine with every sip of water.... pretty rare to hear of someone dying from chlorine poisoning right? my two cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Do you know if the tank has been resealed? They may have used the wrong silicone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gettingthere Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Is your heater working constantly and consistently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted October 20, 2012 Report Share Posted October 20, 2012 Most pet stores offer free water testing. Maybe take a sample in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McTurtle Posted October 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Thank-you for all of the replies. I've done water testing for ammonia, nitrate and pH. All seem to be within spec and the kit hasn't expired yet. It can't be the silicone since the 2.5 gallon tanks are acrylic and the 10 gallon was bought new and hasn't been re-sealed. I'm not sure about all of the heaters, but the water is at the right temperature when I check it. I don't have a monitoring system for them. I've bleached my tanks, washed them with baking soda, let them dry and now I'm rinsing them with salt water before trying to set them up again. Wish me luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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