From: mattk@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (matthew.kaufman)
Subject: Re: Killing the "Bad" Bacteria
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 13:44:53 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.174707.10660@ncsu.edu> paeckman@eos.ncsu.edu (PATRICIA A ECKMAN) writes:
>How do you kill "bad" bacteria in a FW tank without killing the
>"good" bacteria, too?  Over the course of about a month, I have
>lost 12 fish to (according to Fish Pros in Raleigh, NC) a bacterial
>infection.

Is this a fish store?
>
>30 gal.
>honey-red dwarf gouramis
>neon tetras
>white-lyre tail mollies
>cory cats
>live and fake plants
>established since 1/92

You realize you have fish that thrive in soft acid water (neons and cories)
and fish that like hard, alkaline, nearly brackish water (mollies.)
>
>The most recent outbreak has one of the cory cats with ragged looking
>fins on top and swimming on its side.  Fish Pros told me to take him
>out and put him into a bucket with some yellow stuff they gave me in
>the store.  I was to leave him in there with an air stone for an hour,
>then return him to the main tank.  The water I used in the bucket came
>from the main tank.

Now, if you were sick, and your Dr. prescribed some 'yellow stuff, take it
2x day,' you'd probably ask what it was. Well, what is it? It *sounds*
like acriflavine, a fungicide. So, if your fish has a bacterial infection,
according to the shop, why are you treating with a fungicide?

Did you measure your metabolites - ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? That's my
guess as to where the problems originate. Do a couple big water changes
and clean the gravel well and get the ammonia and nitrite levels to 0 and
the nitrate to <20ppm and this usually clears up.
>
>I did this the first day, and when I took him out he was bleached white
>and not very happy.
>
>The next day, I was told to treat the main tank with 1 tsp. of the same
>stuff for 24 hours, and then do a 20% water change.  This killed off 4
>neons the next day.  I have done 2 20% changes since, and the neons
>left (9) seem ok.

Probably killed your filter and the resulting ammonia spike did in the fish.
>
>I then put the cory back in the bucket for another dose, and I thought
>he was swimming a little better and eating more.  But this morning,
>he was laying in a plant.  I went to net him and he swam away, but I
>expect he'll be dead when I get home from work.  Poor thing, I don't
>know what to do.

Well, without any clue as to what the medication is, there's really no
way to help. Personally, I'd stop medicating immediately and do some
big water changes and perhaps add a little marine (non-iodized) salt.
What kind of filter?

>
>How long will this go on?  Till all the fish are dead?  What is this
>evil intruder?  It killed the other fish (2 mollies, 2 gouramis, several
>tetras) fairly quickly.  The only warning seemed to be lack of appetite 
>for a day and then they were dead.  Only a few lasted long enough to
>actually look wasted.

No evil intruder - just foul water from insufficient water changes.
If you're using an undergravel filter, medicating your tank is probably the
worst thing you can do as it kills the filter dead.
>
>Sorry this is so long, but just for completness, I need to fill in the
>entire treatments I have done.  The very first sign of trouble was a 
>gouramis with a hole in its side.  I used pipzine dissolved in freeze-

Pipzine treats internal parasites. Your fish appears to have a wound, which
should be treated with a topical antiseptic, or by isolating the fish
in a hospital tank, raising the water temp to like 80 and using 1 tsp/salt
per gallon.
>dried tubifex for a week, once a day.  I continued to lose fish (about
>8) until suddenly, things seemed to stablilize and I stopped the pipzine.
>
>I usually do 25% water changes twice a month, although someone at Fish
>Pros said that was too much and I should only do monthly.  
Nonsense. It's not enough, especially if you have a small tank (like a 30.)
25%/week should be fine, 25%/day wouldn't be a problem.
Find another store.
>
>I would really appreciate any comment/suggestions from anyone.
>Thanks. -t.-
Don't rush to medicate. You should never lose any fish except due to old
age - I have annual killies that typically live 1.5 years, tetras that are
easily 3 years old, etc. etc. Fish losses are not acceptable. Your tanks
been up since January - probably should be established. Gratuitous use
of medication in a display tank is crazy.
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