# Harlequin rasbora loss



## SRP3006 (11 Oct 2020)

Hi all,

Recently added 15 new rasboras to the 15 that are around 18months old. (28/09)
I have had 2 die on my in the last 4 days, one was very small and TBH I put it down to possible bad stock from LFS or generally a weak specimen. However the second one I've lost is one of the established ones that have been breeding recently.
At the minute water changes are at least once a week of 80% but most weeks I manage one mid week as well, the ones that look ill (2 I can spot) have clamped fins, generally look unhappy and have some from of either white growth or rotting fins. Plus their fins are held against their bodies, and the top half of the 'copper' colouring has a cloudy sheen. I have attached a photo to try and help but it's not the easiest to capture when they won't turn and show their bad side.
Can anyone help please.

Forgot to mention, tds sits around 170ppm, ph around 7.3, temp 22.5 and the fish are fed a diet of bug bites, mealworm micro granules, frozen brine shrimp and daphnia, jbl colour plus granules and live grindal worm. 

The first photo you can see a healthy rasbora in the shot as well. First photo established one, second new stock.


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## Majsa (11 Oct 2020)

I haven't been particularly succesfull in treating sick fish in the past but let me share my thoughts...
The fish in the second photo looks really bad. From the discoloration I'd suspect it is bacterial and not easy to treat. Do the sick ones still shoal and eat? If there are no spots and the fish are not flashing, you could start with daily water changes and run a course of Esha 2000 as soon as you can get it. It is possible that you lose some more fish during the treatment, but hopefully the rest will not succumb to whatever it is. 

Your maintenance and feeding regime sound fine to me. How big is the tank? 
I used to run an "extra" planted tank with just a few low-grade shrimp and snails so that I could QT new fish and store spare plants in there, but have given it up now for another tank...


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## dw1305 (11 Oct 2020)

Hi all,





Majsa said:


> I used to run an "extra" planted tank with just a few low-grade shrimp and snails so that I could QT new fish and store spare plants in there


That is <"what I do">.

cheers Darrel


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## Majsa (11 Oct 2020)

I was browsing though your posts and I think this tank is the new AS900, is it? It looks great! About medication, I'd check first if it stains clear silicone


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## SRP3006 (11 Oct 2020)

Majsa said:


> I was browsing though your posts and I think this tank is the new AS900, is it? It looks great! About medication, I'd check first if it stains clear silicone


Thank you, I've not had much experience with medications. Yea it's that tank, all my tanks have snails in, but I do have a spare tank I could put the fish in and try and treat. It's hard to figure out what it's could be, some reports say it could be fin rot from breeding and rivalry. Is esha 2000 my only option? If its bacterial I'm guessing it will continue to spread throughout the entire shoal?

The fish still shoal, no flashing until near the end, but don't eat unless it's put in front of their noses.


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## Majsa (11 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> Thank you, I've not had much experience with medications. Yea it's that tank, all my tanks have snails in, but I do have a spare tank I could put the fish in and try and treat. It's hard to figure out what it's could be, some reports say it could be fin rot from breeding and rivalry. Is esha 2000 my only option?



A spare tank sounds good. There are probably good alternatives for Esha, maybe others have ideas. I agree it is hard to know what it really is. I am currently treating a single sick oto with Seachem Paraguard but he has another issue and I am not sure if it's helping either. Esha 2000 is generally well tolerated and can be combined with Exit for even broader spectrum treatment. I don't like the idea of medications where you need to unplug the filter etc.



SRP3006 said:


> If its bacterial I'm guessing it will continue to spread throughout the entire shoal?



That's a difficult one, probably there are strong ones who wouldn't get it in any case. But you just can't tell in advance.


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## alto (12 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> It's hard to figure out what it's could be, some reports say it could be fin rot from breeding and rivalry. Is esha 2000 my only option? If its bacterial I'm guessing it will continue to spread throughout the entire shoal?
> 
> The fish still shoal, no flashing until near the end, but don't eat unless it's put in front of their noses.


Start with a White Spot treatment - actual medications NOT the temperature/salt version
eSHa Exit has decent reviews

The fin clamping is classic for external parasites (& these will spread quickly through the shoal)
The reduced food response indicates that fish are feeling quite poorly - so don’t muck about looking for perfect Tx or Tx tank - even just moving the fish to a clean bare bin with fresh water (none from tank), aeration and suitable heat will improve fish situation
Then continue moving fish every 12-24h to a new clean bin
If you want to add a filter, the media should be “clean” as well - yes tank will be “unfiltered” but ammonia can be managed with water changes and the transfers (also addition of Seachem Stability or Amquel ... or both, also high doses of Prime)

I suspect the slight clouding of skin, fin fraying etc are secondary bacterial type infections - though excess skin mucous production (fish response to external parasites) can also give a clouded appearance
(this is also seen more often with “velvet” but less common than ich)

Unfortunately even if you remove fish at this stage, parasite stages will likely still remain in the tank - eg,  if _Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, _this can remain in substrate for significant time (certainly longer than the popular 2 week limit reported)

If you look about ukaps, I think you’ll find several reports of eSHa med use without apparent staining of EA Aquascaper tanks

Note that Seachem Prime will “destain” some of the dye medications ... I suspect it may also sequester active ingredients, so I always allow at least an hour between Prime addition (re water change) and medications

In a bare, fish only system copper medications can also be used (definitely not with inverts or sand substrates) - copper based meds are more effective against “velvet”, also some ich strains

When keeping fish in an unfiltered “tank”, consider fish density, also remove uneaten food after feeding - easiest to just feed fish an hour or so before a planned “transfer” 
If you only have a single Tx bin, just do 90% water changes PLUS wiping down all surfaces (again every 12-24h)
Even though Harlequin rasboras are small try to use a 10-20 gal bin - re improved water quality through dilution


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## alto (12 Oct 2020)

FWIW I’ve never observed fin rot or other infections from breeding/rivalry within a harlequin (and similar sp.) rasbora shoal  

While this MAY occur, I suspect there will be contributing factors - poor water quality being a major factor, and unsuitable tankmates/general conditions so that fish are already considerably stressed before they ever thought about a spawning run

Unfortunately these symptoms are not unusual in harlequin etc rasboras ... and easy to miss under shop conditions


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## SRP3006 (12 Oct 2020)

Thank you @Majsa and @alto for the incredibly helpful posts 
Today was slightly manic, trying to sort a spare tank after work. 
All the Harlequins are in the 50l cube as I could not treat the main tank due to nerites and ramshorns, also shrimp which limited my choice of medications. They were relatively easy to catch so I think they are all slightly unwell, with the few that are very ill. 2 more died today.

The tank is running a hob and heater, bare bottomed, nothing apart from the fish.

I was limited with medication I could get my hands on today but luckily my LFS stocks eSHa meds. So I started the fish on a coarse of eSHa 2000 and eSHa exit, as per the instructions as a very broad spectrum antibiotic.

Am I on the right path to try and help these fish?


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## alto (12 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> very broad spectrum antibiotic


a little bit of everything and specific of nothing 
(aquarium marketing literature is always teeming with possibility)

This older topic gives some detail 
http://www.fishkeepingbanter.com/showthread.php?t=58431

Just take care with water quality - I believe eSHa does not follow recommendations of daily water changes and dosing, so you may want to add active biomedia (sponge etc from your EA900 filter) to the HOB
Look for some daily progress of individual fish

For the main tank, carry out maintenance re large water changes, vacuuming substrate, wipe down glass etc - this will help limit reinfection when fish return ... I’m assuming all fish have been removed?

If some fish remain in the 900, I’d treat with eSHa Exit - most snails and shrimp will manage limited treatments  (shrimp that have just moulted are sensitive to changing parameters for 18-36h), just increase aeration (filter return splashing/strong surface agitation) and add medication dose in 2 parts, waiting an hour or so between


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## SRP3006 (12 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> Just take care with water quality - I believe eSHa does not follow recommendations of daily water changes and dosing, so you may want to add active biomedia (sponge etc from your EA900 filter) to the HOB
> Look for some daily progress of individual fish



I took some media from my established filter, not the AS900. Added some matrix and a sponge to the hob filter.
And yes eSHa don't recommend water changes until the 3 day course is completed, I'm guessing I should follow those instructions? Unless treating for a longer period.


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## SRP3006 (12 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> For the main tank, carry out maintenance re large water changes, vacuuming substrate, wipe down glass etc - this will help limit reinfection when fish return ... I’m assuming all fish have been removed?



I left the otos, cherry barbs, cherry shrimp, Amanos and snails. Have I foolishly believed that it would only infect the Harlequins


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## SRP3006 (12 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> If some fish remain in the 900, I’d treat with eSHa Exit - most snails and shrimp will manage limited treatments (shrimp that have just moulted are sensitive to changing parameters for 18-36h), just increase aeration (filter return splashing/strong surface agitation) and add medication dose in 2 parts, waiting an hour or so between



The Amanos seem to be moulting frequently, 2 large water changes per week (most weeks) and they seem to moult after every water change (some not all of them) also will the nerites be OK with the exit? Don't want to kill the rest of my stock trying to fix something that has not effected them as yet (not saying it won't)


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## alto (12 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> otos, cherry barbs, cherry shrimp, Amanos and snails.


The cherry barbs are often relentlessly sturdy (except when they aren’t, but I suspect these shipments were affected by Columnaris and already ill at the distributor) so they may be OK, Otocinclus often seem less affected (though they are not immune) ... but given the clear signs of external parasites in the Harlequins, I’d be inclined to treat (lately every time I’ve done the wait and see route, I’ve regretted that choice)

- also how long since you added the new group of Harlequins (I’m implicating them as the Source)?

I typically have Hikari IchX (Formalin only version) on hand, and find that shrimp and snails (and most fish) are very tolerant of this treatment - a 2-3 day treatment at the start of “something” is always much more effective than waiting to see if the cherry barbs will develop obvious symptoms
Going by reports on here (and other forums), eSHa Exit seems very well tolerated
(as mentioned, begin with a halfdose, watch for any shrimp distress, then add remainder - you can even wait until evening/morning before continuing with the dosing - note that most ich meds have photosensitive components so I try to dose after photoperiod, so medication has a good 12h to act before Lights On; you can also leave lights off during Tx but some plants may be less pleased (though again this has a time/duration element))

As they are apparently unaffected at present, I’d also hesitate to place them in the 50l tank with the Harlequins (who won’t appreciate that relentless “good cheer”)

Shrimp and snails are unlikely to be affected by most fish ailments, though snails have been shown to harbour various parasites - but in aquariums this is uncommon


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## SRP3006 (13 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> The cherry barbs are often relentlessly sturdy (except when they aren’t, but I suspect these shipments were affected by Columnaris and already ill at the distributor) so they may be OK, Otocinclus often seem less affected (though they are not immune) ... but given the clear signs of external parasites in the Harlequins, I’d be inclined to treat (lately every time I’ve done the wait and see route, I’ve regretted that choice)
> 
> - also how long since you added the new group of Harlequins (I’m implicating them as the Source)?
> 
> ...


So do you think I'm best doing a 3 day course of exit on the main tank? However that means no water changes for 3 days. Should I remove the purigen from the filter whilst I treat?

The Harlequins were added on the 29th September, the cherry barbs approx 14 days ago. All the barbs seem fine and are actually a lot more adventurous since the rasboras were removed.


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## alto (13 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> However that means no water changes for 3 days.


eSHa exit dx
Standard dosage
(for 100 litres / 22 gallons)
Day 1: 20 drops
Day 2: 10 drops
Day 3: 10 drops

I’d just do Day 1 dosing for 3 days with daily water change of ~ 50%

(Also from package dx “Replacing some of the water during or just after treatment effectively removes some of the treatment. Compensate by adding a proportional amount of medication after a water change.”)

I’d remove Purigen and carbon products during any medications


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## SRP3006 (13 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> eSHa exit dx
> Standard dosage
> (for 100 litres / 22 gallons)
> Day 1: 20 drops
> ...


Thank you, forgive me for being slow on the uptake but the day 1 dosing for 3 days compensates for the water changes or would I still need to add more?


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## alto (13 Oct 2020)

I suspect you could do it either way - eSHa wants to avoid publishing ingredients these days, so I’d send them an inquiry 

(are they really increasing water column levels on Day 2 & 3, or is the active ingredient being removed from the water column through various processes ... other studies have shown that eg, Formalin and Praziquantel water column levels in bioactive aquaria differ dramatically from those compound levels in “water” - actual “lifetime” in aquarium was 6-12h depending on dosing day)


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## Majsa (13 Oct 2020)

They do seem to advice water changes in severe cases: https://www.eshalabs.eu/europe/faq.html (see the first question of the second section)


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## alto (13 Oct 2020)

From that eSHa FAQ



> It is possible that your fish have been infected by a persistent strain of spot, such as *importspot*. This strain of spot develops more slowly than the regular whitespot and, therefore, it takes longer to treat it.
> Secondly, chemically-active products such as water conditioners, adsorbing filter materials etc, may have influenced the effectiveness. (check also the Advice section, subjects "Water conditioners" and "Chemically active products").
> 
> 
> ...



Some thoughts
- 50% water change without water conditioner would definitely severely stress (& likely kill some) already ill fish, depending upon chlorine level/use of chloramines 
- exactly what is the scientific evidence for “importspot” ... medication resistant strains of _Ichthyophthirius multifiliis _have been identified in various populations 
- there have also been documented instances of _Ichthyophthirius multifiliis _where the lifecycle completes on the fish (treatment is euthanasia) forming amorphous faintly yellowish “blobs” rather than the distinct sprinkling of white spots 
- presumably one carries on Day 3,4 ... 14 ... 21 etc without water changes (deviating far from standard fish veterinary disease treatment protocols)

Again risk assessment would be simple if eSHa would report active ingredient concentrations when their medications were dosed as recommended 
(this was once typical information on aquarium hobby grade medications and eSHa labels included all medication ingredients)


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## SRP3006 (14 Oct 2020)

I've been dosing and doing daily water changes. I haven't lost any today but I've noticed 3 more refusing food and showing slight symptoms. So not sure if it's having any effect whatsoever. Obviously time will tell.
The eSHa direction aren't exactly helpful, 'dose this amount' but if its a certain strain 'dose a little more' how are we ever supposed to know where we stand and what to dose if there are so many different instructions and dosage amounts.


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## Jayefc1 (14 Oct 2020)

Hi mate sorry to hear about your fish issues hope things get better can you not just dose the max amount allowed I've not had anything like this before so not sure 😕


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## SRP3006 (14 Oct 2020)

Jayefc1 said:


> Hi mate sorry to hear about your fish issues hope things get better can you not just dose the max amount allowed I've not had anything like this before so not sure


Thanks Jay, you see the thing is they don't tell you exactly what's in the stuff. Also the packaging says one thing and as you see above in @alto post the faq's on their website say something different and very vague unless I'm missing something. Also the bit about not dosing water conditioner seems like a really bad idea. Especially recently with all the rain we've had I've noticed a stronger smell of chlorine during water changes, probably due to surface water (I think).
All the fish (harlequins) are in the 50l tank (which I had to tear down in 20min after work which was a shame) and don't look great to be honest. They aren't happy in there, but itll always quarantine new fish from now on.

Just makes you feel like a shoddy aquarist, when all we try to do is keep our little piece of nature healthy and happy. When we can't I guess it's only natural to look to ourselves for reasons why.


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## Jayefc1 (14 Oct 2020)

Maybe the medication conditions the water so if you added more it would make it less effective the thing is are you going to.lose them all in any case so better off trying everything to save them


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## SRP3006 (14 Oct 2020)

Jayefc1 said:


> Maybe the medication conditions the water so if you added more it would make it less effective the thing is are you going to.lose them all in any case so better off trying everything to save them


I thought I was dosing the correct amount according to the paperwork, with water conditioner it just seems cruel to put them through that if you know what I mean. Causing them to suffer when there is no guarantee of curing them seems a wrong choice. Maybe a moral one. Dunno bud.


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## Jayefc1 (14 Oct 2020)

I mean is the water conditioner stopping the medication from working does the medication condition the water 

If conditioner stops the medication working there is no point in medication


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## Majsa (14 Oct 2020)

We don't have chlorine/chloramine in our tap water so I am lucky I don't need to use conditioners. But if you do, then it doesn't sound right to me to expose them now, when they are ill already.  Are there any alternatives, like aerating the water before WC? Or is it not effective enough? Maybe ask Esha?


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## SRP3006 (14 Oct 2020)

eSHa's website has lots of information without lots of information if you catch my drift. They mention under normal circumstances quite a few times but there is no mention of what normal means as if you are treating your fish for a infection/disease then this is not normal for me....

From the website,

Under normal circumstances and dosages water conditioners cause no problems. However when used excessively, because of their strong binding capacities, water conditioners (de-chlorinators, heavy metal binders, etc.) can potentially decrease the effectiveness of products such as disease treatments, algae / snail treatments, etc. or even give rise to reactions.

Again what is excessive use of water conditioners, I use as per the instructions on prime so again I am not sure what excessive means. Or is it just a clause/covering their a** for any treatments that do not work as they would like. 

With the fish struggling with growths on their skin I don't think adding chlorine to the mix would help them,
On their website they even mention plant fertilisers and plant substrates as binders of nutrients and can possibly effect how the treatment works.


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## Majsa (14 Oct 2020)

I think I'd just keep on doing WCs with conditioner and adding the medications an hour or so later as @alto recommended in an earlier post. Your situation should count as "normal circumstance" (normal usage of Prime as per instructions), the rest being disclaimers.


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## sparkyweasel (14 Oct 2020)

Majsa said:


> . Are there any alternatives, like aerating the water before WC?



If it's only chlorine, aeration will drive it out , or just leave it to stand (exposed to the air) overnight.
@SRP3006 could check with his/her water supplier if they use chloramine, - that stuff doesn't go away by itself.


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## alto (15 Oct 2020)

sparkyweasel said:


> or just leave it to stand (exposed to the air) overnight.


Unless the container is relatively shallow with a large surface area to volume ratio, this is only effective for the upper 8-10cm or so of water - don’t quote me on the depth as it’s been awhile  (since I read the book/article)
Aeration is much more efficient


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## alto (15 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> However when used excessively, because of their strong binding capacities, water conditioners (de-chlorinators, heavy metal binders, etc.) can potentially decrease the effectiveness of products such as disease treatments, algae / snail treatments, etc. or even give rise to reactions.


Yes this sounds like a nice bit of a** covering - there are factors which do impact various medications - and again knowing exactly which active ingredients and formulation and concentration would rule out much of the guesswork 

For fish that are more impacted by skin infections, you can try some dip treatments BUT again this is still guessing at which might be most effective, also the stress of capture, even when the fish are not evading much - yet another sign that fish are very ill, and likely relatively low oxygen levels due to heavy gill infections - can precipitate death (though I’m usually of the mind that these fish are very unlikely to survive even prior to intensive treatment) 

eSHa should be able to supply you with recommended dosing for short term bath treatments - this is usually 10min to an hour at most, it’s important to again have good oxygen levels in this short term bath
(and no chlorine/chloramine!) 

It’s sad that this has happened to you/your fish but also realize that the disease likely came in with newly shipped fish - the wholesale distributor and shop should’ve noticed some problems with these fish in terms of daily DOAs, reduced activity/food response etc 

Fortunately most fish are quite robust and manage even without quarantine at the shop or before being added to your home tank BUT after something like this happens, it does make the running of a Q tank more attractive


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## SRP3006 (15 Oct 2020)

I've completed a large water change as I've lost 7 today, worst day so far 
Wiped all the glass, siphoned any debris and gave the filter a quick clean. 
I'll give it a few hours and dose day one levels of medication. But I'm going to be honest and say I'm not holding out much hope here, they're all looking pretty sad at the moment.


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## SRP3006 (15 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> yet another sign that fish are very ill, and likely relatively low oxygen levels due to heavy gill infections - can precipitate death (though I’m usually of the mind that these fish are very unlikely to survive even prior to intensive treatment)



I think I agree to be honest, I feel everything may have been a little too little too late on my part.


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## Conort2 (15 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> I think I agree to be honest, I feel everything may have been a little too little too late on my part.


To be fair looking at the quality of your new harlequins I doubt there would be much you could do regardless. Some tank raised species are of such poor quality now. This Often happens with neons tetras, dwarf neon rainbow fish, dwarf gourami, guppy’s and sometimes harlequins. All you can do is keep up the water changes and the treatment and hope for the best.

cheers

Conor


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## SRP3006 (15 Oct 2020)

Conort2 said:


> To be fair looking at the quality of your new harlequins I doubt there would be much you could do regardless. Some tank raised species are of such poor quality now. This Often happens with neons tetras, dwarf neon rainbow fish, dwarf gourami, guppy’s and sometimes harlequins. All you can do is keep up the water changes and the treatment and hope for the best.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Conor


Thanks appreciate that, guess it's only natural to start blaming yourself when things like this happen. The original Harlequins were great fish and breeding regularly, were really starting to show some nice mature colours. 

Now I've got 5 grindal worm cultures on the go with only a few barbs to feed.


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## Majsa (15 Oct 2020)

Sorry to heat about the losses, sad that the original harlequins are affected too. I think you are doing all you can, hope tomorrow will be a better day.


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## alto (16 Oct 2020)

If you’ve not seen any improvement in your Harlequins - how many original vs new fish are remaining? 
I’d begin to suspect Columnaris rather than external parasites 
(which should be alleviating with the eSHa medications - it seems unlikely they would be resistant to both Exit and 2000 ingredients ... I’m assuming old literature reports are reasonably accurate)

If my guess is correct, I’d suggest euthanizing the remaining fish and just focus on the main tank

For the 900, I’d complete the 3 Day Exit Tx, then just do daily water changes (is 50% manageable?) with as much substrate cleaning as possible - for the next 2 weeks 

Don’t add any new fish for at least 4-6weeks (again this is conservative) 

If you haven’t spoken with the sale shop, I’d call in and ask to speak to the manager just to let them know what happened (the shop should take note and more carefully inspect incoming stock etc)


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## SRP3006 (16 Oct 2020)

Majsa said:


> Sorry to heat about the losses, sad that the original harlequins are affected too. I think you are doing all you can, hope tomorrow will be a better day.


Thank you.


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## SRP3006 (16 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> If you’ve not seen any improvement in your Harlequins - how many original vs new fish are remaining?
> I’d begin to suspect Columnaris rather than external parasites
> (which should be alleviating with the eSHa medications - it seems unlikely they would be resistant to both Exit and 2000 ingredients ... I’m assuming old literature reports are reasonably accurate)
> 
> ...



To be honest I've not had to euthanize any of my fish before, not ideal. I'll check how many are still alive from the 'mature' group as soon as I get home.
I'll follow your advice re the 900, and water changes aren't a problem.
I'll call the shop but to be honest I'm not expecting a very good response. Somehow it'll be my fault that they were ill. 
Thank you for your help with all this


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## SRP3006 (16 Oct 2020)

I have lost 4 more today, the others don't look great either.
I only had 3 left from the original group. So I've taken the hard decision to end the suffering, letting them die slow isn't fair.
They were dispatched using clove oil, very quickly so at least that's a blessing of sorts.


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## PARAGUAY (16 Oct 2020)

So sad sorry about what's happened. Set up a  quaratine tank planted as advised.  Add 6 small tetras at a time instead of any more and more later when they have got through quarantine. Nothing you done you did your best. Try and find best recommended shop you can or might be hard these times a fish club society usually have fish for sale from members


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## alto (17 Oct 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> They were dispatched using clove oil, very quickly so at least that's a blessing of sorts


If they slipped away with little reaction, they likely had little time remaining 


What are the dimensions on your 50l tank?

I’d likely set it up with minimal decor - bare tanks can be varying degrees of stressful for fish depending so although a bare tank is more predictable/manageable for medical treatment, the actual tank I have for Q/H is usually a planted tank BUT this can be difficult to assess as “clean” if you’ve lost a group of fish in there, and then want to use as a Q tank for new fish 
(much depends on previous “likely” pathogens)

I would not place 6 small tetras/rasboras etc in a bare tank - this is going to be very stressful for any shoaling fish - instead choose juvenile fish (if there’s concern over bioload from “more” fish), add at least 12-15 fish etc 
I usually choose fewer fish species and larger shoal, and prefer to purchase fish only once 

Fish clubs may be an excellent source of healthy fish (or there may be a long time seller of livebearers exposed to camallanus worms )


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## SRP3006 (18 Oct 2020)

alto said:


> If they slipped away with little reaction, they likely had little time remaining
> 
> 
> What are the dimensions on your 50l tank?
> ...



Dimensions are 45x35x30 (I think), I'm thinking of a thin layer of sand, epiphytes that I have left over and the hob running gently. Everything attached to wood/rock and easy to siphon out sand if needs be. Would that work?
When quarantining fish should I dose as a precaution or just simply leave them be in the tank?


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## SRP3006 (30 Oct 2020)

Just a note to anyone planning or possibly using esha meds in the future, the meds have discoloured my filter pipes. Not sure if it's done the same to the aquarium silicone (can't notice it with water in) but it's something to be wary off.
I used exit and 2000.


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## Hufsa (20 Nov 2020)

SRP3006 said:


> Not sure if it's done the same to the aquarium silicone


They will indeed stain transparent silicone. My silicone was a funky blue color for many years, although it seems to have faded away again now. I don't remember which one of the two was the culprit, but caution is advised.

I would use other medicine options anyway, those two are so mild they hardly do anything.


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## Hufsa (20 Nov 2020)

I just read through the whole thread and im sorry for the loss of your fish. I hope my post didnt come across as insensitive @SRP3006


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## SRP3006 (20 Nov 2020)

Hufsa said:


> I just read through the whole thread and im sorry for the loss of your fish. I hope my post didnt come across as insensitive @SRP3006


Of course not, it is what it is. You live and learn.


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