Type of fish: Peacock Cichlid, clownloach, Gold spot pleco, bristlenose
Symptoms: Heavily Gasping ~ majority eating, swimming around (schooling, others sitting alone, struggling to stay alive)
Other tank mates: Originally colony of 18, now 13.
Tank size / capacity: 450L. 5.8 Ft
Type of Food fed: Fluval Flakes. (vegetarian)
Feeding frequency/amount: Originally twice a day, reduced to once as they seem less reluctant to feed.
Substrate: Coral sand
Type of filtration: 2200L/ph external cannnister
Frequency of filter cleans: Once a month
Frequency and % volume of water changes: Originally once a week, now once a day as the situation has worsened
Last water change: Today
PH: 8.0/8.2
EDIT: KH: Limestone aquascaping, with a large Vallis plant
GH: Unsure
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0
Ammonia:0
Phosphate: Unsure
Water temp: 26C
Medications used recently to date: Prime, Stress Zyme +
Any recent changes..new fish/filters/power outages etc etc:
I had the fish for ~ a month, perfectly healthy preforming weekly water changes with no problem.
Overnight they started to gasp heavily, i noticed that the clown loach had symptoms of ich, and other cichlids had flecks of white scales/damaged scales. I turned on the UV filter for 12 hours in hopes of fixing the problem, The white spots on the clown loach seemed to of healed.
After which the cichlids were still gasping and looking worse.
I did a complete tank clean, and did a 40% water change, removing all waste and some aqua plants to hopefully keep them alive.
The tank has 3 air stones, a powerhead and an additional sump filter attached to a UV filter, and two heaters.
I have experienced a similar situation 4 months ago when all my colony died overnight without any symptoms. So i did a full quarantine of my tank, drying out all substrate rocks, filter and washing all rocks in boiling water to ensure there was no contamination. afterwhich i stocked the tank with mollys, tetras, bristles to get the bio filter active.
I have had no problems over the past 4 weeks and have been doing everything to keep them alive.
The fish show signs of tiny grey/white marks,but doesn't look like white spot as i've encountered that before.
The fish are breathing extremely heavily and gills moving rapidly.
This has been ongoing for the last 6 days, and ~ 1 fish dies everyday (all different sizes)
There has been no water contamination or anything added to the tank since day 1 (besides prime and stress zyme on water changes)
I have no treated the tank for Ich (with white spot remedy), and Worms with the proper dosage of levimisole.
EDIT: I do notice when the LED Tank light is on, they start gasping more
EDIT: Upon inspection of one of the dead fish, the gills look completely swollen over, all red. ~ i have now starting treating with levimisole soaked food, again.
EDIT: Also notice that they pick up sand in their mouth and spit it out very often.
This is my last cry for help, as over the last 2 years i have been unsuccessful and going to sell off everything if i can't keep these fish alive,
As an aquarium hobbyist to another, please help.
Edited by Melee, 14 September 2015 - 09:56 PM.