Pipergirl

My fish are dropping like flies

I suspect an advanced case of velvet. There is a dusting of white all over them that I just noticed this morning. Not ich....much smaller. I've lost 2 angels, a cory and a platy since this morning.
So I am treating with Pimafix and melafix. Is this ok? it says that this will get rid of it but I'm wondering if those of you who have been through this before can tell me how you got rid of it? This is totally my fault for being a stupid newby at this I don't have a quaranteen tank set up yet and went out and bought two angels that i noticed were acting kinda weird when i got them home. They were the first to kick off and now my (previously healthy) other fish are rapidly dying....ACK!
My water perameters (sp?) are good. My ammonia is non-existant, my nitrite is 0.1 and my nitrate is a 3 (5 being the lowest on the test but the color is several shades lighter so I am guessing a 3)

Any advice would be much appreciated


Carrie

mike

How long has your tank been set up for? i would take out all decorations including fake plants leave the gravel bed alone, then waash them in hot water try to remove the film then clean your glass with any old aquarium cleaner pad, if there are particals floating after this skim it with a net. and if you are using mela fix be sure to remove your filter media and if your tank is a new setup your just going through your cycle and that would explain your fish die off. good luck

Pipergirl

Thank you for answering

My tank has been set up for almost 8 weeks now and I have cycled so I know it is not that

I have live plants that I just bought and put in there (ack! ) and don't want them kicking off as well.
So far since waking up this morning I have lost another 3 fish and my remaining corys look very ill.


Carrie

Tommy Gun

I had a case of velvet once in my current cichlid tank and was able to 'fight it' well with quick cure and a very high temp in the tank. All of my fish survived, except for (and I know you dont want to hear this part, sorry) my clown loaches who are basically scaleless fish. I believe that your cory cats are going to have a hard time with this problem because the lack of scales somewhat complicates things here.

I really believe that quick cure was a great med for this situation, and I am never really big on the meds or chemicals at all. I would suggest picking some up and just treating the whole tank, without quaranteening any fish, since it seems to pass from fish to fish in almost an instant. I would dose the quick cure in the morning, and do a 50% water change, and then dose again according to how many gallons you just put back into the water. It was a pain in the butt, but I refilled my tank one gallon at a time using a milk jug (that was from drinking water, not milk). Like Mike says, take out the carbon filters in the tank and turn up the heat to around 80 to 85 degrees. I would be as quick as possible too.

If no quick cure, find something with Malachite Green and Formalin (the two ingredients in Quick Cure...just read them off my bottle). The Malachite Green is actually a dye (sometimes used for clothes even) and so be prepared to change out any clear airline hoses and maybe being left with stained silicone in the corners of the tank, if it is glass. I think that would be the least of your worries right now though.

Pipergirl

Thank you for all the help

It makes a big differance getting peoples help and suggestions

Well...i bought some of the quick cure and have started treating for velvet (or whatever it may be)
So far (fingers crossed) I haven't lost any more fish. So hopefully this helps. it was this awful buel green color that makes my water look yucky but that is the least of my worries right now.

Sarah84

yes the quick cure will make ur water blue/green for awhile ..... that's normal.... no worries.

__________________
34 Gal SW Reef
55 Gal FW

Tommy Gun

Yea, until about a month ago, I had always thought the fish medicine companys were adding a coloring agent to their product so that people could tell that the tank was being treated or so that one would know how much meds were still in the water depending on if the water was darker or clearer. Turns out that both were not even close and it is the dye that is the acutal medicine. I thought that was interesting when I read it.

Like you point out, this coloration is the least of your worries really. The only ill effects I was left with is a slightly blueish tint to the silicone in my tank, but I dont think that unless you knew it was there you would notice it. We can help you again when it comes time to get the tank back to normal, hopefully sooner than later!