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Last weekend I went to a different shop to purchase two Bristlenose Ancistrus to help me control the every growing algae problem in my tank. My normal supplier of fish didn’t have any… :-(
Figure 1 – One of the new ancistrus settles in my munching algae on one of my many rocks
The second day after introducing the ancistrus, one died. I couldn’t ascertain cause of death as it didn’t seem to show any signs of disease. I removed it as soon as I noticed it was lifeless at the bottom of the tank.
Ammonia and Nitrate readings at 0ppm. Nitrate at 20ppm. I did a 20% water change to be on the safe side.
Day three, the second ancistrus did a disappearing act. I presumed it had also died. I then noticed that the Cardinals (Paracheirodon axelrodi) had white specks on their bodies. It would seem that these new fish had introduced white spot/ichthyophthirius (ich) parasites into my tank. My lamb chop harlequins seemed unaffected by the parasite, which could be expected since tetra are much more sensitive.
Figure 2 – Cardinals start to show signs of Ich/White spot
Treatment for white spot is either, organic – by raising the temperature slowly by 1 or two degrees every hour until 83-86 degrees farenheit. I know this is an effective treatment, however, I think raising the metabolism of the fish when they are affected with a parasite could stress them even more.
Some sources claim that the introduction of aquarium salt will also help, however with a planted aquarium I will not be adding any salt.
I opted for a chemical treatment. My local fish shop recommend Waterlife Protozin which contains a solution of formalin and malachite green. Protozin is introduced to the tank on day 1, 2, 3 and 6.
Figure 3 – Protozin contains a green dye that turns the tank into a hazy green colour.
Day 1 of treatment seemed to go well. I added an airstone and strong air pump, since most medications will reduce the dissolved oxygen levels in the tank. All fish were eating well and responding well when I was interacting with them.
Day 2, three cardinals died following the introduction of the second dose of protozin. Symptoms were not moving, clamped fins, and in some cases lying upside down. With further research it seems that if the parasites have infected a fish in a massive way, the infection can cause swelling in the brain and other major organs causing these symptoms
Day 3, another cardinal died, this was before I introduced the third batch of protozin to the tank, same symptoms as the fish that died on day 2. Three remaining cardinals no longer showing signs of white spot.
Day 4 and 5 are observation days. We are currently in day 4. I think another cardinal will die in the next few days as it is showing similar symptoms to the ones that died on days 2 and 3. Two look very healthy, as do the lamb chop harlequins.
I’ve learned a hard but important lesson. Always buy from a shop that you trust, and if possible quarantine all new fish. I wasn’t planning on quarantining until I’d built up my fish stock. I’ve now only got nine fish :-(. Not a good week for me, but I know things can only get better!
Martin
P.S. have a read of ‘the skeptical aquarist’ for a no-nonsense myth busting guide to Ich.
