"miskairal" wrote in message
...
Oz, I think it's our Aussie climate. I have not added new fish for over a
year and about 6 weeks ago developed the same sort of symptoms you
describe and I also put it down to Columnaris.
I totally agree with you. My water has been at 29/30C for ages now and I
can't get it down for more than a few hours. This in itself is enough to
stress some weak fish IMO. I am in total agreement that temperature has more
than a passing contribution to this.
My tanks temps have been regularly over 27 and for quite some time were
over 30. I gravel vacc twice a week without fail. I have read over and
over that Columnaris is nearly always present in a tank and something
triggers it to blow out. I reckon the heat is a trigger.
I have had several of the other factors like dirty gravel, unstable water,
stress, sudden water quality shifts and low dissolved oxygen.
I am getting into a routine now of daily gravel vacuuming and generally
tidying the tank up and I think this is going to be the norm from now on if
I don't want to lose fish left right and centre for no apparent reason..
I'm hoping to have something sorted out for cooling by next summer
although I doubt it will be for the same fish as I'm losing one a week.
Sorry to hear that. It's terrible that it's so sudden and unexpected too.
One minute they are fine and the next they're dead!
I've learned that:
* Melafix and Pimafix are expensive and can lower the pH of your tank
dramatically. It only slows down the problem, doesn't cure it.
I am finding this out too by visiting discussion boards.
* Malachite green seems only available with formalin which can cause major
damage to your good bacteria
Shouldn't be an issue if I use it in a temporary hospital tank.
* UV sterilization seems complicated if you don't have the right filter to
push the water through the device to start with.
I can't begin to even think about this through lack of financial resources
* I can't find a dose rate for potassium permanganate
If I do, I'll post it for you. I am looking at this seriously and I can get
PP very easily.
* A water cooling system seems also comlicated and untidy (I am a female
* We don't seem to have access to antibiotics formulated for fish here in
Oz and if you buy them from the vet, apart from expense, it will be in a
form for some other animal and may have additives unsuitable for fish ie.
an injectable form of the drug that has some liquid to "carry" the drug.
I wonder why we can't buy medicated food in this country?
I think it's time to really get the tank clean and keep it clean. That's the
first thing I should do.
And ultimately hope that summer passes, so we can all get our water down to
a reasonable temperature, but then at lower temps we get ich if we're not
careful - it's a minefield this aquarium thing!
If you come up with any answers PLEASE tell me.
Don't worry I will
Good Luck!
Thanks.
Oz
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My Aquatic web Blog is at
http://members.optusnet.com.au/ivan.smith