# Sick fish, constantly slapping around



## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

Soooooo... Long story short, I had a devastating outbreak of camallanus worms. I treated and treated and finally got rid of them, I think. It decimated my tank and I lost 95% of my fish. I'm sure it killed all the bacteria, both good and bad with all the meds in the tank, huge water changes, and new filter cartridges. 
Now, the worms look like they are gone, but most of my fish still died. I don't know why. I only have 2 adult platies, several baby platies, and 1 african clawed frog left. The fish all keep slapping around the rocks, leaves, and ornaments. I have treated for bacteria and parasites. I had a fish with frayed fins and other that rotted away so I thought bacteria. BUT, that same fish and others have white stringy poop so I am thinking parasites. Talked to my LFS and I have tried many different meds, Triple Sulfa, Prazi Pro, Seachem Metronidazole. Nothing is helping. Some of the poop looks better, but they are still slapping all over the place. 
I lost 2 frogs. Looked like fungus, but not sure. It came on quick and they died quick. The last one looks like he/she has cloudy eyes or a film over the eyes. 
Ph is about 6.9
Ammonia is about 1.0 (kind of high since the tank seems to be cycling again)
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
Temp is around 82-84 (Too high? Used to have angel rams before this whole mess and kept the temp high)

Any thoughts or advice. I'm going crazy. I have spent so much on meds and nothing has happened. I don't know what to do. I don't want to give up, but I'm getting no where. It's been weeks. 

Thanks


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Bury the fish, tear down the tank, bleach it out, and start over. Anything else would only be a waste of time and money.


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

Really??? Plants and everything? Log? The frog? Filer cartridge? Damn, I don't know that I can just kill my fish and frog. :/  

I also have a 10 gal tank with 20+ platy fry. No issues or signs of parasites with that one. I had the real sick platies in there until I saw they gave birth. Then moved back into the big tank. 

:/ :/ :/ :/ :/ :/ :/ :/ :/


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

well wait until those guys die and then strip down the tank.
up your water changes too in the main tank for the sake of the frog and remaining fish. 
The fry will grow faster with more frequent water changes. Keep their tank away from the tank with the problems.Some disease etc seems to travel in the air and from water splash.
Do not use anything in the fry tank that has been used in the main tank either.


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

The tanks are in the same room, but not close enough to each other for splashing into each tank. I have been using separate nets after bleaching them. The only thing I have used in both tanks is the gravel vacuum since I only have one. 
The fish don't seem to be slapping around as much. I have only seen the adult platies slap around recently. I had recently dosed the tank with prazipro so I was waiting to water change. I am planning to do one today and vacuum the gravel. Maybe another dose of prazipro?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Try Fenbendazole instead. It's probably your last real hope, since the prazi hasn't been able to get the job done.


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

I used the fenbendazole to get rid of the camallanus worms. That stuff is a huge mess. Didn't dissolve well and turned the water milky. I could barely see into the tank. Plus, it coated everything in there. Took several water changes to get the remaining stuff out. I tried to convert 3cc recommended does into grams (since the packet is in grams) and it was A LOT!! What dosage would you recommend? I have a 45 gallon tank.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I wouldn't, since it depends on the formula of the batch/brand you have. Just follow the directions on the label. It does sound like you maybe used too much last time, though. hehe. On the other hand, if you already tried that and got rid of the worms, then there's no point in trying it again.
All this "slapping around" business... are you sure they don't just have ick? That and flukes are the most common causes of that sort of thing.


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

I don't see any signs of ick on them. No white spots. Not sure about flukes. Just looked it up online and they have some of the symptoms, but not all. How would I know for sure if they have flukes? What's the best way to get rid of them?
The fenbendazole I have I got from petsmart or petco, but the label reads for size of the animal in pounds. Hard to know how to convert that for fish.

I really appreciate the help!!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Well, actually, any flukes you might have had should have been wiped out by now, but something made for flukes, like Fluke-Tabs, should do the trick if that's the problem. For now, though, just clean things up and let the fish recover a few days before hitting them with another round of anything.


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## DigzTheBeatz (Dec 6, 2010)

I did a big water change, put in a new heater (my old one was recalled), and haven't noticed any slapping for a few days. The seem happy and healthier. I did notice now that one of my fish has a spot on her. It looks like she lost some scales. Not sure what happened. She still hides a bit, but comes out when there is food. She has always been weird.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Hmmm.. well, that's encouraging. Let's hope for the best! Good luck!


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