Ok my 5 gallon Marineland fishtank seems to have some sort of invisible mysterious disease floating in it. For about a month now, any fish I put in seems to develop something which causes them to sit/hang out at the bottom of the tank until they die. They just lie on the gravel as the symptoms get worse, eventually they are on their side and then they die.
I can rule out the usual suspects. I see no white spots, cotton or fungal growths, no redness or bleeding around gills or fins. no descaling. no swollen bellies. no sores. There doesn't seem to be any visible signs other than the drowsiness/sitting on bottom symptom.
At first I thought it was just a fluke since my tank has been up and running for several years now. I had one Gourami and an ottocinclus. Both died within days of each other. I switched to a Zoomed 501 Nano Canister filter a few months ago with good results. Readings for ammonia, nitrates are within acceptable parameters. I do water changes every 2 weeks and never overfeed. Its a planted tank and I do not overstock.
When the Gourami and otto died, I did a major water change. I waited a few days and got a Betta, and eventually, another Ottocinclus, and a Kuali Loach, waiting a week between new additions to the tank.
Now, two weeks after I got the Betta, it seems the mysterious disease has struck again cause my Betta is sitting on the bottom, tilting to the side. He has no appetite for food and seems to be breathing fast. I can see his gills pumping faster than normal, like he's got labored breathing. He's also hanging out near the pump intake like he's not strong enough to fight the current.
The oxygen flow should be adequate in the tank..since I have the Zoomed's drip tube set up so that water drips into the tank with enough force to cause bubbles and ripples.
I'm thoroughly confused as to what this disease could be. The only measure I've taken is to add a few drops of Melafix (tea tree oil) as a general treatment. I don't want to start dumping antibiotics or etc. until I know more.
Has anyone else had any experience dealing with something like this? Can anyone offer suggestions as to what to do? Thank you in advance.
I can rule out the usual suspects. I see no white spots, cotton or fungal growths, no redness or bleeding around gills or fins. no descaling. no swollen bellies. no sores. There doesn't seem to be any visible signs other than the drowsiness/sitting on bottom symptom.
At first I thought it was just a fluke since my tank has been up and running for several years now. I had one Gourami and an ottocinclus. Both died within days of each other. I switched to a Zoomed 501 Nano Canister filter a few months ago with good results. Readings for ammonia, nitrates are within acceptable parameters. I do water changes every 2 weeks and never overfeed. Its a planted tank and I do not overstock.
When the Gourami and otto died, I did a major water change. I waited a few days and got a Betta, and eventually, another Ottocinclus, and a Kuali Loach, waiting a week between new additions to the tank.
Now, two weeks after I got the Betta, it seems the mysterious disease has struck again cause my Betta is sitting on the bottom, tilting to the side. He has no appetite for food and seems to be breathing fast. I can see his gills pumping faster than normal, like he's got labored breathing. He's also hanging out near the pump intake like he's not strong enough to fight the current.
The oxygen flow should be adequate in the tank..since I have the Zoomed's drip tube set up so that water drips into the tank with enough force to cause bubbles and ripples.
I'm thoroughly confused as to what this disease could be. The only measure I've taken is to add a few drops of Melafix (tea tree oil) as a general treatment. I don't want to start dumping antibiotics or etc. until I know more.
Has anyone else had any experience dealing with something like this? Can anyone offer suggestions as to what to do? Thank you in advance.
