RE: Sick rainbowfish advice

["Hess, Clay A" <clay.a.hess@boeing.com>]

Darcey,

This sounds very much like a bug I have going through one of my African cichlid 
tanks (100 gal).  The only additional symptom I have seen is that there seems 
to be some patchyness to the skin of the fish.....not big cottony spots or 
small ick spots, but, rough looking scales with a light fuzziness to it.  

I have been using Neosulfex to knock it down and that seems to work for awhile, 
but, then it comes back a few weeks later.  I am unsure how to kill it off 
completely.  Please let me know if you find a cure, I would really appreciate 
it.  I have added Formaldahyde to the list of things I am using against it now 
too. But, it has only been a week  so far this time.  This same diesase wiped 
out a 100 gal community tank I had full of rainbows and tetras.  I fixed that 
tank with the Neosulfex and raising the temp up to 82 degrees and leaving it 
there.  I have had no problems with that tank since, other than my plants are 
succumbing to the elevated temperature.

Clay

-----Original Message-----
From: Darcey Harding [mailto:darceyh@drizzle.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2003 9:50 AM
To: gsas-member@thekrib.com
Subject: Sick rainbowfish advice


I have a rainbowfish panting at the surface, with flared gills.  He's just
hanging up near the top, breathing hard with his gills somewhat extended.  No
air gulping, no eating, hardly moving.

Tank is a 125T, planted, with CO2. Water chemistry checks out at 7.4 pH, 3KH, 0
Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I've done three 40% water changes in the past ten
days to bring an algae/nutrients issue into check, but kept the chemistry
consistent throughout. Big Eheim canister filters last cleaned two weeks ago.
Bunch of rainbows and barbs in there, most of them under two inches each. I've
upped the salt this morning to try to ease the fish's breathing.

Two rainbowfish appear to have died of this in the last 24 hours, and I've got
another on the way, though everyone else looks healthy. Is this bacterial? And
if it is, is there any way to spend less than the $100 The Fish Store wants to
charge me for five packs of Maracyn II?  Will a compounding pharmacy or vet sell
me cheaper antibiotics?

Thanks
Darcey H
Green Lake

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