# My longtime fish is sick. Bleeding gills/mouth/ pls advise help!



## airlik73

Hi,

I am happy to find this forum. I have taken suggestions and have removed the sick fish to a bucket. I will go and find a bigger sick tank next day.

The recent changes for the tank.
Nitrates were HIGH on the chart, and pH dropped to about 6.
I changed 25%-30% of the water with conditioned water (seachem Prime).
using old water i cleaned the filter media on both filters. Bio-wheel was not touched. And raised the temp to 76-78 F

The ammonia shot up (spiking)....but the nitrites/nitrates/ph are back to normal.

I will provide pictures of my beloved feeder and buddy fish (do not know name). My family raised it as a tiny feeder to this 6-7 inch size today now. 
The buddy fish (white) is legarthic and very bouyant bellying up.

The feeder (orange) is having blood streaks on the inner gills, and looks like internal bleeding in the mouth. the fins are frayed and rotting...this all happen over a 4-5 day period when my family went out to reunion.


Please review and provide help.
They live in a 30G, with Fluval 3plus and BioWheel 280, Optima 803 with air disk. The is two more fishes in this tank: one feeder of the same size 6-7 inches, and another buddy plecto look-alike but white fish.

The treatment tank (bucket) has 1 gallon water conditioned with 1tbsp salt, and NeoPlex (neomycin sulfate meds...by SeaChem) and added double dose of HAGEN CYCLE...to both tank and bucket.

Thank You,
Eric and family


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## TheOldSalt

Hooboy, what a mess.

Well, first and foremost your fish have septicemia, a systemwide infection.
The gills also seem to be fungused, and there may even be some ectoparasites responsible for this whole mess.

The medicine you're using might have some effect. If it doesn't, switch to Furan-2. Maracyn-II might also prove effective if expensive. Good old Jungle Fungus Eliminator is also good for these symptoms, although it works a bit slower and it doesn't look like your fish have much time for that.

That thing in the bucket with them- is that a rock or a mussel? If it's a mussel then that's your problem. Use some CLOUT to eliminate the parasitic larval mussels. It looks more like a rock, but a mussel-shaped rock, so I had to ask.


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## Lydia

What is that white thing on top of the rock or whatever is in there? It looks like a dead fish....

TOS is right about treatment, of course. Good luck!


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## airlik73

Thank you,
I have got the Maracyn-2 for the NEG-type bacterial infections and have added it in to the water after doing tiny partial change.

The fish is getting more lively and active but still tips over and needs me lift him back upright.

The white thing is buddy fish, he looks dead but he is not just breathing so instead of having him underwater deeper with more pressure and put it on a rock.

- Can this be gill flukes?

For now same as first post with maracyn-2 added to both sick tank (new 10g) and the stock home tank 30g.

Thanks again, and more help and advice GREAT!


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## airlik73

nope no mussel.
the dark object is the rock that the white fish -buddy- is lying on.

i think they are called chinese rat fish?...looks like plecto but shiny silvery white.


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## TheOldSalt

Looks like an albino _Corydoras aeneus_ to me.

Yes, it could very well be gill flukes, AND gill flukes have the habit of hatching out and attacking suddenly after a water change, so once you've dealt with the primary problem, treat for flukes.


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## airlik73

Both fishes had past away.
I have given them a goodbye and ziploc'd them to the can.
He died on its side.

Thanks for all your help,
ERIC


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## Lydia

Sorry to hear that 




airlik73 said:


> The white thing is buddy fish, he looks dead but he is not just breathing so instead of having him underwater deeper with more pressure and put it on a rock.



I just have one question about this. It's probably a stupid question but I gotta ask. The buddy fish was still in water right? He was still covered with water?


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