Help with illness...

[Zoomies]

First, a little background:

A started a new 46 gallon bowfront. Spent about 5 weeks fishless cycling. Then a week ago I added the following fish:

1 Blue Gourami
6 Neon Tetras
3 Corys
4 Red-Eye Tetras
4 Guppies

The fishless cycle was great! After a week, I show the following:
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 10 ppm
PH - ~8.0

However, after the first day or so, one of my Red-Eye tetras began to hang out on the bottom of the tank. After three days, he was dead.

Now I've noticed that another of my Red-Eye tetras has odd red markings on him. They almost look like blood bruises. There is one rather large one on the lower rear of his tail, and one right above his fin. I'm pretty sure the marks weren't there when I bought him. (The one that died had a smaller red mark like that on his tail - I didn't think anything of it at the time because it was there when I bought him.) I think the Red-Eye is acting funny - but it could just be my imagination.

Anybody have any idea what it is? Is it some kind of parasite making him bleed internally? Should I pull him out and put him out of his misery. (I don't have a quarenteen tank yet.)

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Turin Turambar]

The blood usually indicates some bacterial disease. Try dosing some cure with methylene blue and acriflavine... but that will trash your plants and nitro-bacteria... so, hurry up and buy some hospital tank. It aint't that expensive.

 

[Zoomies]

Well.. I actually have a 2 1/2 gallon - that will have to do for now. Certainly don't have time to get another tank cycled, so it will have to be frequent water changes.

I'll try the methylene blue and acriflavine. What do you think the chances are of him pulling through? Also - are the bacterial diseases very contagious? How do you think my other fish will do?