clean up a diseased tank?

[cootwarm]

I did a foolish thing last week. I have a 30 gallon tank I set up for some new apistos in the spring. (Just weeks away!) I moved some borellii juvies and a couple beckfordi Pencilfish into it to keep the bacteria in the filter active.

Anyhow, last week I bought some marbled hatchetfish forgetting that my QT tank was occupied with new mollies that are being treated for ick. It was late when I got home with them so I probably wasn't of sound mind. So I bought them in the first place because they looked so healthy and I had in mind to use them for dithers for my new apistos, I put them in that tank with my borellii juves & pencilfish.

That was a big mistake! In the morning 2 of the 6 new hatchetfish died. The next morning went 2 more. But the 3rd morning the last 2 hatchetfish were dead as well as a few borellii juvies and 1 pencilfish. Yesterday (the 4th morning), the 2nd pencilfish and a few more juvies died. :cry:

I have no idea what killed them. They showed no symtoms at all. Everyone looked fine when ever I checked them, but I would find bodies in the morning or a short time later. What ever killed them worked fast.

So today I picked up a 10 gallon and moved the remaining 8 borellii juvies to it, so now the diseased 30 gallon is empty expect for plants, coconut shell caves, driftwood and oak leaves. Now my question is this: What should I do to "clean" this tank without stripping it completely down?
It has been cycling now for a couple months and the plants are flourishing and the Java Moss has almost entirely concealed the coconut shells and I plan to get my new apistos in just a few short weeks, so I want to disturb it as little as possible.

Not knowing what the vermin is, I'm not sure how to treat the tank.

Should I "salt" it for a week or so?
Should I turn up the temp for a awhile?
What happens to the good bacteria once the fish have been removed?

I suppose I shouldn't worry too much about the filter bacteria, my main concern is not to disturb the plants that have become well rooted. There is time for the tank to re-cycle. Being a mature tank with plants, it probably wouldn't take long to cycle again.

What more can I do to determine the vermin? If I lose another borellii, should I examine the body under a magnifying glass? What should I look for? :?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[fishgeek]

sudden deaths in multiple fish are often attributed to water paramaeters ie hypoxia , toxins,hyperthermia etc

infectious cause's are less commmonly recorded though certainly some baceteria are possible and herpes virus in koi has been recorded

basic investigation would be to check water , i'm sure you have already
any other signs besides being found dead?
then look at any early lesions, clinical signs to help give us a clue as to any possible infectious aietiology

not a nice situation to be in
hope it all works out

maybe you could run a uv unit to take out any water borne parasites , still would not deal with tissue stages if fish left in tank

i'd be inclined to put something in that is less valuable as a test run before your new apisto's however you tackle the prob

andrew

 

[fishboy20]

any wild fish like marble hatchets should always be quarantined before placing with an established group of fish. i had the same thing happen a few years ago with some wild corydoras cats, lost a lot of fish. now that the borellii are by themselves and the thirty is empty, I would just leave the thirty empty for a while. any bacteria/parasites the hatchets should die off. also do not add anything in with the borellii for a while until you know they are healthy. since they were exposed to the hatchets, they might play host and just pass bacteria/parasites on to any other fish that you put in with the borellii. i am sure that the hatchets brought in the usual plague of problems, they are very prone to do that. if you want hatchets, get as big of a group as you can and make sure you quarantine them for at least 2-4 weeks before introducing them in with other fish.

 

[Randall]

Sudden Death Syndrome

Dear Cootworm,

Sudden death syndrome can sometimes be attributed to poissoning. Is it possible that something happened to your water, some chemical, other toxin, etc.? If this is not the case, then some patheogen might have been introduced to the system through the hatchet fish.

The plants will prevent the nitrogen cycle from breaking down, so this is not an issue. I'd dose the tank with potassium pergamate as per the manufacterers instructions. When used accordingly, plants and bacteria colonies should not be adversely effected.

Good luck!

Randall Kohn

 

[cootwarm]

Thanks everyone. I don't think it's my water because it tests good. Also the tank has been established for almost 3 months and haven't lost any fish until now. The hatchetfish were the first to begin dying. I think they're the cause.

I think I'll try the potassium pergamate, as I've been considering it to use as a plant dip.

I'll have to get my fish home before bedtime(I'm an early bird!) so I don't have any more lapses in judgement.
I certainly knew better!

I guess this is the kick in the butt that I needed to get me to learn more about treating diseases and parasites.:wink:

Michael