Caryl Posted July 3, 2010 Report Share Posted July 3, 2010 I have a major problem in my 250L (approx) community tank. Haven't had white spot for over 25 years but I have now! All was fine last Sunday ('cos Joefish! spent ages studying them during our fish meeting) then he visited again on Wednesday and noted all the Rhom barbs were covered in whitespot. As they had been behaving normally (from where I could see them across the room) I had not noticed. I added whitespot treatment according to directions. Can't raise the temp as the tank sits on a heat pad with a thermostat so encrusted we can't turn the knob higher, so temp is 24C. Both my spare heaterstats are out on loan :roll: Yesterday I netted out 4 dead fish - 1 rhom barb, 1 golden barb, 1 giant danio, 1 odessa barb. Did a 90L water change, cleaned out filter and added more treatment. No further deaths today (that I can find bodies but possibly some smaller dead have been eaten. The Hengeli numbers are down but hard to count fish in a heavily planted tank) but fish not happy, although the majority are swimming as normal. Two hoplos are out in the open - most unusual as I only see them when they feed, and 1 defiintely has spots. pH - 7.0 Ammonia - 0 NitrAte - barely colour on lowest reading level of 5 The rest of my test kits are so old they are innacurate. I have no idea what has caused the outbreak but will sit tight and see what survives I guess, apart from adding the teatment. I know many suggest adding salt but I am not keen. Apart from the whitespot, fish look and act normal with only minor clamping on a couple of golden barbs. The gouramis are not well but they are geriatrics now so didn't look 100% to start with. I would treat the cause if I knew what it was! :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted July 3, 2010 Report Share Posted July 3, 2010 I sympathise with you Caryl. This week I have been fighting a massive whitespot infection in one of my 4 footers. I have no idea what caused it apart from perhaps my cold water changes are even colder now its winter. Surprisingly the only visible infection is on some of my fancy plecos and not on any of the clown loaches or other fish that share the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Caryl, the outbreak may not have been tank conditions, it could have just been grumbling along in one fish with a depressed immune system - it is easily spread from there. With any luck, it was one of the ones that died. :-? I would really try to increase the temperature gradually by using additional heaters if possible - otherwise it could take weeks of treatment for the life cycle to complete. Also, it is very safe to add salt, the fish won't mind at all and it will really help to kill off the parasite when it is in its free swimming form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Malachite green / formalin / inline uv steriliser are all effective against whitespot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Thanks Jim. I am sterilising a heaterstat at the moment as I got one back today so the temp should be rising shortly :bounce: Won't salt bother loaches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 I have raised my tank temp to 30 and added about a dozen handfuls of rock salt to my tank. The clown loaches and skunk loaches are not bothered by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 I am sterilising a heaterstat at the moment as I got one back today so the temp should be rising shortly :bounce: Won't salt bother loaches? Nope, it won't bother them at all. You can actually add quite a bit of salt very safely but as with anything, gradual changes are best both with salt and with heat just to be on the safe side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Gutted Caryl These things do hit all of us at times! I hope you manage to get on top of it, salt and temp will knock it for a 6! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Have added 2 extra heaterstats and managed to catch most of the remaining rhoms - probably because they are so sick. I doubt they will survive the night but are separated in a small tnak floating in the main one with whitespot cure and salt added. Not hopeful though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Sorry to hear about your whitespot outbreak. I've been having trouble with whitespot too - my dwarf rasboras have got it and I've been treating them for a while without getting rid of it. I'm going to try raising the temperature even more (I put it up to 28 but will try going up to 30). Tiny fish look really sad covered in whitespot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redracer77 Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 I can also feel your pain, I was speaking to KP yesterday, and I too have a whitespot outbreak, I haven't lost anything yet but only noticed on friday night, I have a few that don't look too happy. I have raised the temp and added some salt and whitespot cure. Will salt drop the PH? Mine dropped over night fri-sat for no reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Perhaps it is a seasonal thing? 6 more rhoms dead this morning. They were in the small tank and had treatment and salt added. 2 more in main tank still looking unwell. When I looked this morning I thought 2 loaches were dead as they appeared to be floating heads up in the front of the tank. Turned out the idiots had wriggled between the small tank and the front glass and got stuck! Pulled the tank away and they swam off happily. Phew! :bounce: Tank temp cranked up to 28C. Since it usually sits around 22C, I am wary of hiking it further. redracer77 did your pH drop before the fish got whitespot or after you added the salt? Could a sudden pH drop have caused the outbreak in the first place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redracer77 Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 I noticed the drop after I notice the whitespot, I wouldn't have thought adding salt could drop the PH but I don't chemistry that well. I didn't have a chance to check the tank this morning but hopefully I haven't lost anyone yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Maybe the whitespot was introduced with the rhom barbs? Were they only a new addition and were they quarantined before adding them? I don't know much about the incubation time and all that stuff but it is possible that at 22C it could have laid dormant for a relatively long period of time waiting for something to lower the fishes immunity and kick in again.. Anyway hope you get on top of it soon, it can be a killer for such a common problem.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 4, 2010 Report Share Posted July 4, 2010 Sodium chloride salt shouldn't have an effect on pH in this application. Sad that you have lost more fish. The treatment is very safe so I suspect they must have been badly affected. Most fish can handle increased temperatures (the loaches can easily handle 31 degrees) but the change should be very gradual to ensure minimal stress. Also, be sure to keep aeration up since warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 5, 2010 Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 The Hengeli numbers are down but hard to count fish in a heavily planted tank Don't worry, you haven't lost any Hengelis. There are four in your tank and there has been so for quite a while, before the fish were infected with whitespot. I'm so gutted that your tank has whitespot, because it is really lovely and the fish are stunning. It is really ashame about the Rhom Barbs dying because they are such a lovely fish and that school of 10 that you had just looked stunning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2010 To top it all off - one fish that did not have whitespot (the flying fox) jumped out of the tank while we had the lid raised after checking the temp regularly. By the time he was found he was stiff as a board 2 more rhoms gone today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 An update. Thanks to Jimr I have a UV in there doing its thing. No deaths today and I can't see any spots on the remaining fish. Hoplos were hiding again (as they used to so this is a good thing. When they were sick they stayed out in front) and only came out to feed. All 3 accounted for and spots gone from them. Only saw 3 BNs which is a worry as there was at least 11 but I know I have lost 2. There was the remains of 1 unidentifiable fish in there today (possibly another loach going by the shape remains). May be missing 2 giant danios. I will do another water change tomorrow and see if there are bodies stuck somewhere I can't see them. If I take plants from this tank, will they be infected with whitespot? Is it safe to take plants from there and put them in another tank or should I treat them with something first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 You can bleach them. Jennifer said to me that it's perfectly safe. You don't need much bleach. This is what she sent me in an e-mail once: Fill an 8 litre bucket with water and add about 1/2 cup of plain bleach. Be sure to be very careful that the bleach does not splash anywhere and only wear clothes that you don't mind getting bleach spots on. Then, put the plants in. Just dunk the moss in for a minute or less. All the rest of the plants can go in for 3 to five minutes. Be very gentle with the crypts, not because the bleach will damage them, but because they don't like being disturbed. I have never had a crypt melt no matter what I do to it but it would pay to just be safe. The bogwood can stay in for 15 minutes. When you take the plants out of the bleach, rinse them gently in leukwarm water and then soak them in a bucket of clean water. Then after about 15 minutes, dump the water out of the bucket and refill it with clean water and soak them again for 15 minutes. They should not smell like bleach at that point but if they do, repeat the soaking with a fresh lot of clean water. At that point they will be safe to put back in your tank. So I hope that helps you Caryl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 I now rinse all my new plants in a bleach solution. There is part of the whitespot cycle that can stay on the plants and you never know if new plants have been exposed to live fish or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Yeah bleach will work well for nonencysted microbes and is safe for all but the most delicate plants (delicate plants require a weaker concentration and a shorter dip time). It also is good for getting snails off (not jelly eggs though). Just don't forget and leave the plants in the bleach for an hour like I did this weekend. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd123 Posted July 11, 2010 Report Share Posted July 11, 2010 interesting ....i too have an outbreak in one of my tanks, mainly affecting keyholes. Happened around the same time and I cant seem to shake it off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim r Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 hi Caryl,any updates ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Spots gone, another 12cm BN dead, but no deaths (I don't think) for 2 days now. I think we may be over the worst. UV has been running 8 days I think (thanks for that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdspider Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 Arghhhh, now I have it, randomly. On Little Hoppy & the clown loaches Have upped temp. & chucked in some salt. *fingers crossed* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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