red bruises & eyes pop out

[BottomDweller]

Hi Everyone;

I really hope that someone here can help me out with this.

Sorry for the long post. I'll just try to answer everyones questions right off the bat...

I set up a new (larger) aquarium about a month ago. I used the water and filter media from my old aquarium to help the cycle. The previous aquarium had been running for the better part of a year without any problems. In the last week, I started loosing fish in dramatic, heart breaking fashion.

They get what appears to be red bruises along large portions of their bodies and in some cases their eyes sort of pop. (see photos). I look painful and it sucks that I can’t seem to do anything for them.

You can see the photos here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1921201...7604106060381/

From the time that the first symptoms are seen to the time they are dead is no more than a couple of days. Sometimes it’s just hours.

I bought a half dozen Panda Cories last week. One of them only lasted overnight and four others have died in the last few days all with the same symptoms.

One of the Bettas also died with discoloration around her abdomen but she was too dark to see any red coloration. Other than this fish it has only affected bottom feeders.

I’ve never seen this before and searching online, the symptoms seem to (kind of) fit into a number of different diseases.


The tank
75-gallons
2 AquaClear Filters (1 with just peat for water quality)
UG Filter w/ powerhead

The inhabitants:
2 – 4” discus
1 – 7” discus
20(or so) - tetras
1 - pl*co
1 - bronze cory
1 – (remaining) Panda Cory
3 – female bettas (used to cycle tank and just left in there)

The Water
ph – 6.5
gh – 3 degrees
kh – 1 degree
No2 – next to 0
Nh3+Nh4 – next to 0
Temp - 80
Tested twice a week, before water changes. Daily for the last week. They don’t seem to change much.

10 to 20% water changes a couple times a week. More frequent and larger changes since I have started having problems.

The Food:
Frozen bloodworm
Frozen spirulina infused brine shrimp
Spirulina algae tablets
Flakes and pellets

I have also started feeding fresh vegetables (zucchini, broccoli, peas, yam & lettuce) (washed and steamed or brazed); coincidently, I started this around the same time the fish started getting sick.


And now, it’s transferred to my other tank with a breeding pair of Bristle Nosed Pl*cos. (bare bottom & spotlessly clean). I thought that I had the 2 tanks fairly well isolated, but I now remember taking a piece of driftwood and a filter sponge out of the 75g & putting them in the breeding tank as I was setting up the 75g a month ago… Shitty.


If anyone has any ideas they would be much appreciated.

Thanks!!

[RainMan]

Looks and sounds like this... Epistylis or Red Sore Disease.

Whoops... posted before I was done: Doing a search, i read it is common in catfish... cure is salt. Not 100% sure. I've never seen it in person. But, the description and pictures I've seen match.

[angelcakes]

hello and welcome........

[RainMan]

It also sounds like it can be cured with Malachite Green or Formalin.

That's a nasty looking disease. Sorry that I don't have any more experience with it. Hopefully someone else here has.

You came to the right place though... welcome to the AC... sorry it has to be this way.

[SkarloeysMom]

If there is no broken skin with those red spots I think you might look at the possibility that it is hemmorrhagic septicemia. The eye thing looks like pop eye. I believe that both of those can be treated with Maracyn-2.

Did all of these deaths occur right after you got the panda corys? If so I would assume that they brought the illness with them. If this illness is spreading to your other fish you might want to treat your whole tank.

Pandas are cute little guys but they are not the hardiest of corys for sure. I'm sorry for your losses.