Help! My QT fish are dying

[LabradorGirl]

I have a 10 gal QT. I added 5 blue green Chromis who looked great and were eating well upon arrival. At Day 4 I added 2.5ml of Prazipro. I noticed the next day that one of the fish had a damaged tail fin as if he had been bitten. I never saw the others bully him but, he did distance himself and did not school with them any longer. Day 6 - I noticed another fish with labored breathing. Day 7 - one fish was dead this morning, just noticed this evening that the one with the injured tail has died. None of the remaining fish look healthy. They are all hiding and breathing rapidly. One of the remaining 3 fish has dark spots on his body. They are not red spots but, more like brown patches. What is this? Did I does the Prazipro incorrectly? This is the first time, I’ve used Prazipro. I usually QT and observe for 30 days but, after recently going through an ich outbreak, I’m determined to avoid that again at all costs. Please help, I’m so frustrated.

 

[Irishman]

What’s your filtration like for your QT? Are you doing water changes?

 

[FFFishy]

Have you tested for ammonia? 5 fish in a 10 gal tank can generate 'too much' ammonia in a 7 day period. What are you doing to control it? If the problem is ammonia, you could add Prime, or do a very large water change.

 

[LabradorGirl]

Doing water changes every other day. Ammonia alert badge shows I’m in the clear. Foam filtration.

 

[LabradorGirl]

Doing water changes every other day. Ammonia alert badge shows I’m in the clear. Foam filtration.

 

[LabradorGirl]

Doing water changes every other day. Ammonia alert badge shows I’m in the clear. Foam filtration.

 

[LabradorGirl]

Doing water changes every other day. Ammonia alert badge shows I’m in the clear. Foam filtration.

 

[LabradorGirl]

Water changes every other day. Ammonia alert badge shows in the clear.

 

[stevewright1]

possible faulty Ammonia alert badge? a second opinion from a trusted test kit would be my initial reaction
Prime will do the trick if Ammonia is the issue

I might also suspect low oxygen as a possible reason for the breathing issues - and I would do water change and increase surface movement to help with gas exchange

 

[Jekyl]

I think the problem was the 6 fish at once. Even if it were a 50 gallon you'd have issues. Slow and steady wins the race

 

[LabradorGirl]

The 3 remaining look better this morning. We did a large water change and checked parameters. Everything looks good. The one with brown patches looks normal now. Could that have been stress coloring? I think we will add a power head in addition to the large air stone for improvement in oxygen exchange. I also think a 10 gal is too small for QT. Especially if I need to QT larger fish next time. Thank you for your help!

 

[Mjrenz]

Prazi reduces available oxygen in the water quite a bit, heavy aeration and a powerhead are a must to have when using it. A bottled bacteria like biospira is very helpful to control ammonia, prime will only bind ammonia for 24 to 48 hours so it's not toxic and prime cannot be used with copper

 

[LabradorGirl]

Prazi reduces available oxygen in the water quite a bit, heavy aeration and a powerhead are a must to have when using it. A bottled bacteria like biospira is very helpful to control ammonia, prime will only bind ammonia for 24 to 48 hours so it's not toxic and prime cannot be used with copper

That makes sense. I haven’t used Prazi as part of my QT protocol before but, wanted to follow Hubble Fish. I think low oxygen levels must have been the problem if not at least part of it because ammonia was not an issue and we did large water changes daily since the QT is so small. Every time I add something it’s a different issue. This is a very difficult hobby but, a very enjoyable one at the same time. I’m thankful to have access to this community for guidance.

 

[ihavecrabs]

I wouldn’t write of 10g size as long as there are not too many fish or too large of fish being QTd. The most overlooked item in QT is a small power head and bubbler. I use both because medications often kill O2 levels quite rapidly.