Here's more info on the situation.
20gH tank, there are 6 glowlight tetras and 5 ghost shrimp currently in this tank. The glowlights have been in one tank or another for about 5 months now with no prior signs of illness. About 2 weeks prior to the stress point, I had purchased the last 2 bleeding heart tetras from PetSmart $1 sale, and the next day the larger bleeding heart was dead, no obvious signs of illness or why it died. The other bleeding heart appears to be fine.
Stress on the tank:
For a 2 day time period this tank was stressed by being overstocked with all the fish from our 40gB while we set up the new 75g. During this overstocked time frame, one seemingly healthy blue mystery snail climbed over the side of the tank, falling to his death prior to any fish showing sickness. The two other mystery snails acted normally and were then placed into the 10gL just in case a fish had been picking on them to cause the snail overboard.
The 75g was set up using the established filter, sand and plants from the 40gB, fish were transferred into the new tank, leaving just the 6 glowlights and 6 ghost shrimp. Silly me, being so preoccupied with the new 75g, I had forgotten to do a major water change after removing all those fish from the 20gH, my terrible mistake...I know.
A few days later, my husband did water testing on all the tanks (we have three) and everything was looking fine, he mentioned the nitrates were slightly up on the 20gH, we then did about a 10 gallon water change, thinking that would fix any issues. This was obviously a day or so too late and I'm feeling like a bad fishkeeper right now and I've been keeping fish for nearly 20 years.
Last week, one shrimp died, could have been age, no idea. Also last week, I noticed white "stuff" by the eyes, mouth of one glowlight that had separated from the rest, then it was on a second glowlight, those fish were scratching as well, so I assumed Ick. But I didn't have any meds to treat with and I'm very low on funds at the moment, so I attempted the old natural remedy of salt and higher temp (I increased oxygen as suggested), nothing really improved, I have also changed most of the water three times with a python doing gravel vac as I go. I noticed much uneaten food flakes coming from the gravel, I feed them once a day, not very much, so they may not have been eating much for a while?
I did finally get some Ick medication (water change before and after), but it doesn't seem to have helped. The white "stuff" on the main infected fish did seem to lessen, but there is still a white something above one eye that looks more like it's an indentation or a scratch on the fish instead of being on the outside of the fish, the most infected fish had color loss, their red lines were gone, they also appeared to be turning opaque with a thick, yellowish color on the inside, no longer being "clear and transparent" in the body cavity.
Today, all the fish have lost their normal coloring and are showing the yellowish coloring inside their bodies and I have finally found out by searching online images that they most likely have the terminal Neon Tetra Disease. I know they are not curable and they are doomed. I have found information that the entire tank will need to be sanitized and dried out for a few months before being used again, just to be safe.
But what about the ghost shrimp? Are they doomed as well? Are they immune to fish diseases and can I save them and place them into one of the other tanks, most likely the 10gL? Would they somehow carry the NTD with them into the other tank and then infect the cherry barbs? I've never dealt with this fish disease before, any help or information is greatly appreciated.
I am keeping an eye on all the other fish as well, no other fish are showing any signs of illness, the small bleeding heart tetra is happily schooling with other fish in the 75g and doing well. Of course I'd love to add a school of bleeding hearts for him, but now I'm afraid to get any more fish at the moment.
How do YOU deal with a sick fish when you know it's terminal? I'd like to know the best way to do this.
Thank you.
20gH tank, there are 6 glowlight tetras and 5 ghost shrimp currently in this tank. The glowlights have been in one tank or another for about 5 months now with no prior signs of illness. About 2 weeks prior to the stress point, I had purchased the last 2 bleeding heart tetras from PetSmart $1 sale, and the next day the larger bleeding heart was dead, no obvious signs of illness or why it died. The other bleeding heart appears to be fine.
Stress on the tank:
For a 2 day time period this tank was stressed by being overstocked with all the fish from our 40gB while we set up the new 75g. During this overstocked time frame, one seemingly healthy blue mystery snail climbed over the side of the tank, falling to his death prior to any fish showing sickness. The two other mystery snails acted normally and were then placed into the 10gL just in case a fish had been picking on them to cause the snail overboard.
The 75g was set up using the established filter, sand and plants from the 40gB, fish were transferred into the new tank, leaving just the 6 glowlights and 6 ghost shrimp. Silly me, being so preoccupied with the new 75g, I had forgotten to do a major water change after removing all those fish from the 20gH, my terrible mistake...I know.
A few days later, my husband did water testing on all the tanks (we have three) and everything was looking fine, he mentioned the nitrates were slightly up on the 20gH, we then did about a 10 gallon water change, thinking that would fix any issues. This was obviously a day or so too late and I'm feeling like a bad fishkeeper right now and I've been keeping fish for nearly 20 years.
Last week, one shrimp died, could have been age, no idea. Also last week, I noticed white "stuff" by the eyes, mouth of one glowlight that had separated from the rest, then it was on a second glowlight, those fish were scratching as well, so I assumed Ick. But I didn't have any meds to treat with and I'm very low on funds at the moment, so I attempted the old natural remedy of salt and higher temp (I increased oxygen as suggested), nothing really improved, I have also changed most of the water three times with a python doing gravel vac as I go. I noticed much uneaten food flakes coming from the gravel, I feed them once a day, not very much, so they may not have been eating much for a while?
I did finally get some Ick medication (water change before and after), but it doesn't seem to have helped. The white "stuff" on the main infected fish did seem to lessen, but there is still a white something above one eye that looks more like it's an indentation or a scratch on the fish instead of being on the outside of the fish, the most infected fish had color loss, their red lines were gone, they also appeared to be turning opaque with a thick, yellowish color on the inside, no longer being "clear and transparent" in the body cavity.
Today, all the fish have lost their normal coloring and are showing the yellowish coloring inside their bodies and I have finally found out by searching online images that they most likely have the terminal Neon Tetra Disease. I know they are not curable and they are doomed. I have found information that the entire tank will need to be sanitized and dried out for a few months before being used again, just to be safe.
But what about the ghost shrimp? Are they doomed as well? Are they immune to fish diseases and can I save them and place them into one of the other tanks, most likely the 10gL? Would they somehow carry the NTD with them into the other tank and then infect the cherry barbs? I've never dealt with this fish disease before, any help or information is greatly appreciated.
I am keeping an eye on all the other fish as well, no other fish are showing any signs of illness, the small bleeding heart tetra is happily schooling with other fish in the 75g and doing well. Of course I'd love to add a school of bleeding hearts for him, but now I'm afraid to get any more fish at the moment.
How do YOU deal with a sick fish when you know it's terminal? I'd like to know the best way to do this.
Thank you.
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