Sick fish?

[mcps95]

Recently I noticed one of my blue female gouramis has red streaks on his fins and feelers. He also has reddened gills and small white marks (definitely not ich, I'm sure of that) on his pectoral and tail fins, which look somewhat cottonlike but do not appear to be spreading.

For a few days, I've noticed a couple of my clown loaches' black markings are looking pale gray (not "grayed-out", as in when they are fighting and the orange markings become dark and gray).

I wrote this off to stress from their recent relocation (I just moved into a new apt a couple weeks ago and figured they might still be adjusting, especially since their color seems to return to normal while they are being fed). Just yesterday, I saw a couple of them flashing. There are no other visible symptoms of illness (no spots, attachments, sores etc), and other than the coloration, they seem perfectly healthy and are eating normally. All other fish appear healthy as well and I have not observed any flashing (other than the loaches).

My tank is over 2 years old and well established. Here are the stats (tests done late last night):

55 gal planted tank
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40 (last water change on Monday)
pH: 7.0

I've tried doing some research on my fishes' symptoms, but they seem to indicate a variety of different issues and no single solution. I'd venture to guess that the gourami has septicemia (or other bacterial infection), but I wanted to get a second opinion before doing a Maracyn and Maracyn-Two treatment. Also, I'm curious if flashing could indicate another problem or if I'm reading too much into it.

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[plah831]

the nitrates are high, that's my first impression. How often do you usually do water changes? I personally try to keep mine below 12.5 ppm at the highest. About 10 ppm is ideal for me, and I even add nitrates for my live plants.

When nitrates get as high as yours, it feeds bacteria and other pathogens which can all lead to the symptoms you're describing.

also, how far did you move? Did the fish have to adjust to new tap water?

 

[mcps95]

Because my old plants were covered in green spot algae, I chose to toss them before moving. I've since restocked with some plants, but haven't been able to get my hands on enough to bring down the nitrates. LFSs are hard to come by around here, so I have to get what I can from PetSmart.

I do 50% water changes once a week.

I moved about 15 miles away and the water out of the tap tested to be about the same as the water from my old apt, with the exception of 5.0ppm nitrate vs. 0ppm at my old apt.

When I moved, I brought about half the tank's water along with me, so the adjustment to the new tap would be minimized. I also use Seachem Prime, which takes care of chlorine and chloramine in the tap.

 

[plah831]

hmm, if you're doing 50% WC weekly and nitrates are still that high, my impression is you may be overstocked. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It just means you have to be extra good about tank cleaning. As long as your fish are able to act normally (i.e. no aggression from lack of space), then extra water changes is the best route. Of course, someone may come along who is of a different opinion.

The algae growing on the live plants also tells me that the water could be cleaner. If there are enough excess nutrients to allow algae to get that bad on other plants, then I'm pretty sure there was enough to feed bacteria. It does sound like you may be dealing with bacterial infections. Antibiotics like Maracyn may help now, but will not eliminate the source of the issue.

I've got a slightly overstocked tank, too, and have to do 50% water changes on it at least twice a week. This past week I did four water changes on it. but my fish couldn't be happier, and my plants look green and healthy too. No algae problems either.

 

[mcps95]

I will admit the tank is slightly overstocked. No issues with aggression, though.

I did two 50% water changes yesterday and was able to get the Nitrates down to about 10ppm. I'm also using Maracyn and Maracyn-Two to treat the (possible) bacterial infection.

I will also be adding more plants this week when a new shipment arrives at the store. Hopefully, this will help combat the nitrate problem in the future, along with more frequent water changes.

Thanks for the help, plah831!

Mike