# my demasoni keep dying



## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

i have 3 fuelleborni, 6 labs, 8 acei, and 18 dems. along with one catfish and 2 plecos.

the other day i noticed the catfish was dead and ate up and 2 dems were dead. i cleaned my tank and found 4 more dead dems. i'm guessing they gave bloat. i watched one die yesterday and got him out and he had no torn fins or holes or fungus on him. he just looked a little fatter. kind of what they look like right before they spawn. it wasnt even huge like i thought it would be for bloat. i just realized that maybe they got big enough to kill the catfish and eat him and pick at him and this caused a few of them to get bloat? i dont know what else it could be. i removed the 3 fuelleborni because i wasnt sure if they were causing aggression/stress and i'm not sure there fuelleborni anyway. i added a little extra epsom salt and now i'm getting ready to treat the entire tank with clout that i got from petco after i just read the article on bloat from this forum. is there anything else i should do? any guess why it would just affect my demasoni? should i continue feeding them?


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

ok now i have a small lab that looks puffy and is acting wierd. i just noticed she has a hole/damage under one of her fins on her side.

i added the clout. should that do the trick. also i got some from a friend so when should i do a water change. i did one yesterday and added the medicine today. should i just wait till i do my regular weekly change?


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

under her pectoral fin


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

It may be bloat but you haven't give enough information to say for sure.

A few questions: 
How big is this tank and how long has it been set up?
Have you tested the water recently?
When was the last time a partial water change was done?

Did you notice any unusual behaviors or symptoms in the days leading up to the deaths? Were any of the fish hiding? Not eating? Did you notice any long white or clear feces?

The fish that has the injury in it's side may have an injury or it could be a bacterial infection. Can you describe the wound better?

Bloat usually takes about a week or so with a build up of symptoms during that week so it's important to know what symptoms your (now) dead fish had and when they had them. Their appearance after death really doesn't tell us a whole lot. 
If they went from eating and swimming normally to death in a day or two then it doesn't sound like bloat.

I'm concerned about your water quality. Any time you've got dead fish for any length of time you can be sure there's going to be ammonia. Did you do a partial water change prior to using the Clout?

Please post back with more information.

Robin


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

hey thanks for answering me back robin. i'm going to respond to your questions in your post in bold. sry i forgot some details.



Robin said:


> It may be bloat but you haven't give enough information to say for sure.
> 
> A few questions:
> How big is this tank and how long has it been set up?*75g and a little over 3 months*
> ...


[/b]


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

the clout turned the water very blue and i removed the carbon pads from my filter but now the waters back to clear. does that sound right? should the 8 tablets i added be enough?


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## Robin (Sep 18, 2002)

That's normal for Clout. As far as the dosage goes: follow the package directions.

Make sure you test your water throughout the treatment as there's always the chance that the med is going to impact your bio-filter and especially where you've got a heavily stocked tank.

You've got a lot of fish in there for a 75 gallon and that means your water quality can go down hill much faster then in a tank that is not so heavily stocked.

Nitrates between 40-80ppm is considered high. While not nearly as toxic as ammonia and nitrite, high nitrates will weaken your fish and leave them susceptible to all kinds of illnesses. When nitrates get up that high they can kind of get 'stuck' and it often takes numerous and frequent partial water changes to get them back down. Daily or every other day, 20-40%, using a good quality declorinator--the Prime you're already using is just the thing.

How is the fish with the sore on its side? Ideally you want to remove that fish and treat with an antibiotic--Maracyn and Maracyn-two used together would be a good choice but there are others. Watch your other fish closely: bacterial infections ARE contagious.

You could be looking at Columnaris--at least as far as the fish with the open wound goes. To help prevent it from spreading: increase water movement and add aquarium salt at the rate of 1 tablespoon per five gallons. Also: turn the heat down to 76. Keep in mind: this is not a cure all in itself but it may help to prevent the bacteria from attaching to the fish's skin.

I'm rushing out the door at the moment but I'll check back with you later--

Robin


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

ok thanks i think the lab with the sore died, today them seem happier and hungrier from what i seen. the numbers are way down now. i got the meds from a women from petco for free so they didnt come with directions. i just got a basic set of directions of the internet but different ones conflicted with each other. thanks again


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## BLACK_AFRICAN (May 21, 2008)

Robin said:


> That's normal for Clout. As far as the dosage goes: follow the package directions.
> 
> Make sure you test your water throughout the treatment as there's always the chance that the med is going to impact your bio-filter and especially where you've got a heavily stocked tank.
> 
> Robin


Here is the direction from the package, Robin will advise/respond soon.

*Remove carbon from filter and discard, but DO NOT discontinue filtration. Take a disposable cup and 1/2 fill with aquarium water. *Dissolve 1 tablet for every 10 gallon (38 liters) * Disperse the medication throughout the aquarium (or treating receptacle).

*1 treatment should be adequate, some external parasites, especially anchor worm may remain attached to the fish after an effective treatment. If parasites are still present 24 hrs after initial treatment, change 25% of the water and treat again. *24 hrs after final treatment, replace filter carbon, replace filter carbon. If at any time during treatment fish experience stress, change 75% of the water immediately. *Advisable to check water quality before and after Clout may harm nitrifying bacteria (as Robin said). *


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## BLACK_AFRICAN (May 21, 2008)

*Do not use with:* Piranhas, Metynnis species, scaleless fish, *bottom feeders*, Marine Sharks, Lion Fish, live rock or invertebrates as per directions.


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## SpeedFreak (Mar 14, 2008)

thanks. i think they're better. i'm going to get them some good veggies and start things going normal again. luckily i didnt sell the 9 baby demasoni i have. not sur ehow many i lost but i think i lost a lab or two as well. thanks for all of your help. its a shame i was doing soo good with them. anyway thanks again


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

It's very important to remove dead fish from the tank as soon as possible...So if you _think_ you lost some other fish, I'd start looking!

Don't feed them until you complete the treatment, unless you're feeding medicated food.


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