Just read and respond if you can please. Thank You

[TopperMcFly]

I got some matae cats cheap because they were dyeing off. I know I know. One had died but the other 4 have made it about 10 days. I have notice labored breathing and some scratching against the drift wood. I believe the aeration is adequate. I am running a Rena suitable for a 35 gallon tank in a 29 at full bore plus I run a bio wheel filter which also provides very good aeration. The Ammonia and Nitrites read 0. The nitrates are low and the temp was 78. I do not see any ich spots or any spots or marks for that matter. I put in copper safe by the advise of my LFS and realized my plants are going to croak. They are java ferns so I am hoping they are hardy enough to tough it out. Proly in vein, I did a 10 gallon water (out of 29) and ran a pouch of new carbon for an hour. I then removed the carbon and treated with super ich cure from api, which I have used before and really like. I am slowly raising temp to 82 over 48 hour period. Anyway. What is everyone's thoughts? I am barking up the right tree here? Again, labored breathing, scratching, no spots or markings, good aeration, PH 6.7 Temp 78. The Plattys and angel are doing fine so far.

[Lady Hobbs]

Could be flukes that affect the gills. The ick cure you have added may help with this. The would account for the labored breathing.

[Slinky_Bass]

Well Topper, I'm afraid I have no idea, but what I do have is this link to a pretty cool site that lists a whole bunch of disease symptoms, causes and cures. Check it out, I hope it helps.

http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/symptoms.html

[kimmers318]

The only suggestion I can make is to dose the whole tank with stresscoat, and possibly squirt some directly on the fish....it has a tendency to make the fish feel more comfortable by adding to there slimecoat. They may be suffering from ill effects still from before you got them....no telling how long they may have lived in ammonia and/or nitrites....probably even high nitrates. The only time I have seen labored breathing the fish has died....so hopefully you will find the reason and be able to treat it.

[phishmin]

If the rest of the fish in the tank are healthy and thriving, then maybe they just can't handle the conditions of the tank. Not all fish will survive a given tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

The scratching against objects is a sure sign of a parasite. If it is flukes, these attached inside the gills eventually smothering the fish so I hope you can find out what it is before the fish dies.

[kimmers318]

Just an observation, but I do see my cory's occasionally "flick" against an object. This isn't something that happens all of the time, the first few times I thought "oh no, they must have something" but in almost a year, I have not found any indication of parasites, or lost any of the corys. Although, I must admit, seeing fish scratch on objects frequently does make me think something is bothering the fish. Stresscoat (I know, I love my stresscoat:)) and melafix are pretty good at being a safe treatment to at least make them feel better until you can pinpoint the problem or decide on a course of parasite treatment that might hit several different parasite types that could be causing the behavior.