All my fish are randomly dying!

[tylr_am]

I used too have 8 fish and now I’m down to 3 most have randomly started showing symptoms like fast breathing sluggish and just laying there or not moving and I have treated the tank with prazipro in case it was flukes or some parasite but it doesn’t seem to be helping it randomly comes and only infects usually 1 fish at a time the water quality is perfect I have no idea what is going on someone please help there is no photos because nothing is visibly wrong with the fish at all someone please help

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

tylr_am Welcome to the Fish Disease Treatment and Diagnosis Forum!

The #fishmedic team and other knowledgeable members of our community will do our best to help you resolve your questions. Please provide as much of the following as you are able:

• Brief description of the issue you are observing and answers to the following questions:
  • How long have you had the fish with the condition?
  • Did you quarantine with medication when you first acquired the fish? (If Yes, which medication?)
• Current water quality measurements
• Clear photos of the issue taken using WHITE light and/or a short video of any behaviors (post in your response or on YouTube).

If you can help us by providing as much of the above info as possible, it will make diagnosing and providing recommendations for treatment MUCH easier! The Fish Medic team will get back to you as quickly as possible. In the meantime, other members of our community may also share their experience with similar situations and advice that they may have regarding your situation.

You may also feel free to provide a more detailed description of the condition if you wish to share more info than the above list.

Additionally, these links may be useful while you await a response:

• CURRENT QT PROTOCOL LINK
• HOW TO ASK FOR DISEASE DIAGNOSIS HELP LINK

 

[littlefoxx]

@vetteguy53081

 

[vetteguy53081]

I used too have 8 fish and now I’m down to 3 most have randomly started showing symptoms like fast breathing sluggish and just laying there or not moving and I have treated the tank with prazipro in case it was flukes or some parasite but it doesn’t seem to be helping it randomly comes and only infects usually 1 fish at a time the water quality is perfect I have no idea what is going on someone please help there is no photos because nothing is visibly wrong with the fish at all someone please help

Please furnish clear you tube video under white lighting. May be velvet or indeed flukes,
What are some behaviors you are seeing such as loss of appetite, gasping at surface, hiding, swimming in front of powerhead, itching.
The ones you describe suggest velvet which would require coppersafe as treatment followed by prazi after 30 days. Adding aeration will also help.
Video will offer clues

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I used too have 8 fish and now I’m down to 3 most have randomly started showing symptoms like fast breathing sluggish and just laying there or not moving and I have treated the tank with prazipro in case it was flukes or some parasite but it doesn’t seem to be helping it randomly comes and only infects usually 1 fish at a time the water quality is perfect I have no idea what is going on someone please help there is no photos because nothing is visibly wrong with the fish at all someone please help

It is possible/probable that the fish are not dying from the same issue(s). In my experience, it is very difficult to figure things out after the fact. Flukes are one cause though, of fish loss spread out over time. However, there are symptoms associated with that - scratching/flashing mostly, sometimes tattered fins, cloudy eyes and rapid breathing.

What fish have died and can you get us a video of the remaining 3?

 

[tylr_am]

It is possible/probable that the fish are not dying from the same issue(s). In my experience, it is very difficult to figure things out after the fact. Flukes are one cause though, of fish loss spread out over time. However, there are symptoms associated with that - scratching/flashing mostly, sometimes tattered fins, cloudy eyes and rapid breathing.

What fish have died and can you get us a video of the remaining 3?

My Fiji puffer died first then lemon peel angel fish lastly my file fish the last two died from natural causes it’s very hard to get a video as all the fish are hiding in one corner I haven’t seen any scratching or cloudy eyes just rapid breathing staying in one spot or not being able to find them for a few hours and then they just randomly appear there is also no visible issues with them I check almost everyday for anything visible on my fish and there is nothing

 

[tylr_am]

Please furnish clear you tube video under white lighting. May be velvet or indeed flukes,
What are some behaviors you are seeing such as loss of appetite, gasping at surface, hiding, swimming in front of powerhead, itching.
The ones you describe suggest velvet which would require coppersafe as treatment followed by prazi after 30 days. Adding aeration will also help.
Video will offer clues

I will try to get a video later if they move out from the back

 

[MnFish1]

Agree with the others - did you quarantine you fish using a protocol of some kind - (i.e. copper for 30 days followed by Praziprox2 doses?). If not I would start with that and leave your tank fallow for 6-8 weeks. As Jay said - it's extremely hard to say the exact cause. I would think velvet would be a faster killer - (i.e. killing all of the fish at once). However if you didn't do a QT/treatment properly, it's not going to hurt to start IMHO.

 

[tylr_am]

Agree with the others - did you quarantine you fish using a protocol of some kind - (i.e. copper for 30 days followed by Praziprox2 doses?). If not I would start with that and leave your tank fallow for 6-8 weeks. As Jay said - it's extremely hard to say the exact cause. I would think velvet would be a faster killer - (i.e. killing all of the fish at once). However if you didn't do a QT/treatment properly, it's not going to hurt to start IMHO.

I don’t have a separate tank so I could not quarantine the fish and have been treating the tank with prazipro for a week already but it doesn’t seem to be helping

 

[tuveyReefes]

do you have cleaner shrimp they may help

 

[jmoney7]

do you have cleaner shrimp they may help

how would a cleaner shrimp help?

 

[tuveyReefes]

if it is ick or something they will camp and wait for a fish to come by and then examen them and if is ick or something like it they will pick at it and eat it

 

[Formulator]

Sorry you are dealing with this. I was just looking at your post history to see how long you have had the tank (checking for possible cycling issue) and it seems like you have a history of fish problems. Can you please share your water parameters, what you are dosing, and how you manage freshwater top-offs just to see if there is a chronic issue that we can help you solve? Is it a FOWLR tank or do you have corals also?

 

[PharmrJohn]

How old is the tank and what are your current parameters?

 

[tylr_am]

do you have cleaner shrimp they may help

No I don’t sadly

 

[tuveyReefes]

No I don’t sadly

they are realy cheap

 

[tylr_am]

Sorry you are dealing with this. I was just looking at your post history to see how long you have had the tank (checking for possible cycling issue) and it seems like you have a history of fish problems. Can you please share your water parameters, what you are dosing, and how you manage freshwater top-offs just to see if there is a chronic issue that we can help you solve? Is it a FOWLR tank or do you have corals also?

I can’t get water parameters because I’m not home I’m dosing the tank with one teaspoon of prazipro for a 20 gallon as it states i just did a big water change yesterday I have no corals and it’s is a FOWLR tank

 

[tylr_am]

they are realy cheap

I have always wanted to get one but just haven’t gotten one yet

 

[Formulator]

I can’t get water parameters because I’m not home I’m dosing the tank with one teaspoon of prazipro for a 20 gallon as it states i just did a big water change yesterday I have no corals and it’s is a FOWLR tank

Understand, please check parameters when you get home tonight and let us know. The lethargy and rapid breathing without any other visible signs of illness sounds like a water issue to me. Oxygen, ammonia, chorine, or heavy metals perhaps. In a 20 gallon tank, it is extremely easy to get off track with water quality.

Do you run a skimmer? If not, how do you oxygenate your water? What kind of salt and how do you mix your salt water? Do you use tap water or RODI? What do you do to replace water lost to evaporation? How many fish and have you tested for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates recently?

 

[tylr_am]

Understand, please check parameters when you get home tonight and let us know. The lethargy and rapid breathing without any other visible signs of illness sounds like a water issue to me. Oxygen, ammonia, chorine, or heavy metals perhaps. In a 20 gallon tank, it is extremely easy to get off track with water quality.

Do you run a skimmer? If not, how do you oxygenate your water? What kind of salt and how do you mix your salt water? Do you use tap water or RODI? What do you do to replace water lost to evaporation? How many fish and have you tested for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates recently?

I do not run a skimmer I use an air pump and a bubbling strip. I buy my water from my local fish store I don’t know if it is RODI or not but I have been using it for a long time with no problems. i usually just add more fresh water when it gets low due to evaporation. I have 3 fish I tested for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates last night and they were all 0 ppm.