Help! Fish are very sick!

[hobbylover]

I have a serious problem with my fish. About 2 weeks age I introduced a catfish to my tank, and over the next day or 2 it developed white spots all over it. The other fish had been scratching against objects so I assumed a parasite and treated them with parasite clear. The other fish started showing spots on them after this treatment so I assumed it was ich. I then did a 25% water change and started treatment with quick cure. The catfish died the next day. I am on the 5th day of treatment (another 25% water change after the 3rd day. Second round of treatment as is in the directions.) My fish are worse than ever. They haven't eaten in several days and I'm beginning to wonder if it is ich. They are totally covered now in an almost solid, whitish, flaky substance. Please help!

[AngelMom]

It's likely that they have a secondary bacterial infection either from the parasite or something the catfish already had ... I'm assuming you didn't quarantine him first?

I'd suggest adding Maracyn 2 to the Quick Cure to make sure the bacterial infection gets knocked out.

Good luck!

[hobbylover]

Thanks, I'll try to get some tommorrow, since I don't have any on hand. I've been all over the internet for an answer, but it's all kind of confusing and this is my 1st time dealing with this. The fish are pretty sick, so I hope they can hang in there long enough for this treatment. Thank You!

[hobbylover]

:( Unfortunately 3 out of the 4 fish died last night. I rushed to town to get the maracyn 2 but couldn't find any. I did find Melafix and have added that to the tank. I hope he hangs in there. This has been a good learning experience. At least I'll know what to do if this happens again. Thanks.

[AngelMom]

I would not expect the MelaFix to work at this late stage ... it's just not strong enough. I'm sorry, but it's likely if 75% of the fish have died, the other will too.

The best thing to do to prevent bringing illness into your main tank is to get a small tank (10 gallons or so) to use as a quarantine tank. All new fish should be quarantined for at least 3 weeks to make sure they are disease free. And if they aren't, it gives you a place to treat them without affecting the main tank.

[hobbylover]

Thanks so much for your time. I really appreciate it. The last little guy did die yesterday afternoon. I drained the tank and am letting everything dry out. That should kill the ich right? Or should I bleach everything?

[AngelMom]

It would be better to leave the water in, raise the temp above 80 and treat with the Maracyn 2 to kill the bad bacteria. Drying everything out will kill off the good bacteria and you'll need to cycle the tank again.