# HELP! 2 Dead already!



## eaoct22 (Nov 1, 2010)

Hello. This is actually my first post here so I will try to make it so its understandable!

I have a 29g tank which is currently only holding 2 Dalmatian Mollies and 2 Mickey Mouse Platys. It was cycled with Stability and water conditioner before I put the fish in, which was about 2 weeks ago.

About 72 hours after I put the fish in I had a Cardinal tetra die. I read a little and saw that they are very sensitive to changes. We had a power outage the night before so I chalked it up to that. Last night I had my other cardinal tetra die. Two days ago we had another, but much shorter power outage (very bad storms in our area lately)

Yesterday I did a water change of about 30% as well.

Last night I noticed what I think is ick on my platys. Its not completely covering them and I don't think there flashing but they are swimming faster and I just hate to think there uncomfortable. One of them seems to, what I call wagging from side to side. 

Today I went and bought some Mardel Maracide and put it in the tank.
I have read numerous times that salt and raising the temp can help it but I have a preset submersible heater (came in a kit) and I cant adjust the temp on it.

Since the water change the water seems to be even worse, with little white specks floating all over the tank.

I am wondering if maybe I am crazy and its not ick, and if so if the treatment I am already doing will be enough.
I cant really see any spots on the mollies but they are a lot of white so its sort of hard to tell. I don't want to lose anymore fish and since I am fairly new at this I am really confused on if I am doing the right thing!

Thanks in advance for all your help!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

White specs in the water? That doesn't sound like ich. More like dust from the substrate or the air (I get kitty litter dust floating on my tanks. See if you can get it by floating a paper towel on the surface. 

Take a magnifier to your live fish. Ich looks like grains of salt. If it looks fuzzy, its not ich but fungus or bacteria (columnaris). Treating ich at normal temps is fine, you just have to treat longer, but it may be easier on the fish anyway.

You put in the Stability 2 weeks before the fish? Did you feed the tank (ammonia, fish food, shrimp)? Without a source of ammonia the bugs will starve and you'll have to do it again and you might have ammonia now from "new tank syndrome". If you did feed the tank, did you change water before you put the fish in? If you feed and don't change water, you can end up with high nitrite or nitrate before you add fish. 

What equipment did you use for the water change? Did you use an old, dusty bucket? Invest in a new clean one, (rinse with a little dish soap and lots of water) and you eliminate one potential source of trouble.


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## sbetsy (Apr 6, 2010)

Yeah, I've never actually seen any ick floating in the tank. Maybe that's not the problem.


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## LilSums (Aug 2, 2010)

Can you upload a pic? May help us help you


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## eaoct22 (Nov 1, 2010)

Thank you all for your help, unfortunatley, I think I was still to late. 

For starters the white specks I was seeing in the water appear to be gone for the most part. Since I had just done a water change I am assuming it was from the gravel. 

I have lost a mickey mouse platy to what I now think is velvet. I did a little more reading and from all the symptoms they are exhibiting and their outward appearance, I am pretty sure that is what it is. This morning when I got up he was on his side next to a decoration at the bottom of the tank. When I took him out he looked bloated so I have no idea what he really died from. 

I have one platy left that still looks like he has the gold dust coating and has clamped fins and is shimmying through the water as he swims. I am very concerned he will be next but I am treating with Mardel Maracide that says it treats for ick and velvet so I am hoping it does the trick. Today will be day 3 so I will treat as soon as I get home from work. 

When I cycled my tank I used water conditioner and stability for about a week before I put fish in. I did not put any food in the tank, the store I used said that did not good only caused an ammonia buildup. It is not a chain store, but a family run, well respected and recommended place that has been around here for a long time. I did exactly what they told me to do and now I am worried about adding more fish ever with the same consequences. 
I used a gravel vacuum for my water change along with a brand new bucket that I had bought the day before. 

I will try and get some pics when I get home from work of the ones that are still alive, especially the platy that has the clamped fins. 

Thank you again for your help. :fish:


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If you add stability and don't feed the tank, you need to put some fish in right away. Bacteria with nothing to eat starve regardless of where they came from. 

You are right to be afraid the disease will come back. If a disease wiped out a tank of my fish, I'd bleach the tank and start over.


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## eaoct22 (Nov 1, 2010)

So I just got home from work about an hour ago and immediately added my next round of treatment of Mardel Maracide. 

I just want to be clear so I know what to expect... you are saying that regardless of the treatment I give them, the velvet will keep reeking havoc on my tank? The dalmatian mollies don't seem as affected as my remaining platy. Although of course they are black and white and mostly white so it is harder to tell. 

If this is the case I will not keep treating if it is fruitless. I will just wait and then clean it out as your suggested. 

I thank you very much for your help and hope you can understand that I am just a beginner and am learning a lot. I certainly did not mean to kill a whole tank of fish! 

Thanks again! 
:fish:


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If you use the right treatment on a tank, you should kill all the disease and it shouldn't come back unless you bring in more unquarrantined fish. If the disease wipes out your fish before you find a cure, you have no way to know if the tank is safe, so its easier to try kill everything and start new.


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