[Githianki]

26gal Bowfront
T5-NO 7200k light 8-10 hrs a day, plus ambient room lighting
Live plants-Frogbit, watersprite, assorted amazons and anubis(don't remember names off hand)
Playsand/PFS substrate 2" deep
Sponge filter
Fluval 206 canister no carbon

Over a year set up and stable, six months changed over to planted tank.

a. Ammonia-0.0
b. Nitrite-0.0
c. Nitrate-0.0-.5
d. pH-7
e. Don't have hardness kit
f. API liquid kit

25-30% water change every week

Remaining Livestock:

1x Sparkling Gourami-rescue from a friend was only supposed to be temporary, and has been in the tank over a month before the breakout happened.
1x Honey Gourami
1x Neon (had 6)
1x Red-Fin Blue eye pleco
1x Bristlenose pleco
3x Gold Danio (had 6)
3x X-ray Tetra (had 6)
Lost all 6 dawn tetra
Bunch of MTS in substrate

I know...close to over crowded..or it was, but my numbers had been the same for over a year.



So I had what I thought was an outbreak of Velvet in my tank. Woke up one morning and all my dawn tetra's, the neons and 3 x-rays were covered in what looked like powder. I removed them and put them in QT. No meds, so had to wait till I got home from work to treat. I got home and they were all dead, so in less than 24 hrs they got sick and died. Did a 30% change every other day for a week after that. All was good for a few weeks, then this morning woke up to the rest of the fish (minus the plecos) have the same powder going on. Removed and treated with API general cure. See what happens when I get home. I also figure there is something up with the plecs, as they don't eat the veggies I have been leaving this week.

If this wipes my tank I am going to tear it down and start over again.:-(

Any ideas??

 

[Romad]

I'm guessing that some of those fish were added fairly recently? That one rescue in particular? Did you quarantine before adding to your established tank?

It only takes one to wipe out a tank unfortunately.

 

[Githianki]

All of the fish have (had) been in the tank for over 6 months, the rescue spent a 2 weeks in QT before adding to tank. Like I said, stable tank till 3 weeks ago.

 

[MoneyMitch]

you have a sand substrate, stupid question here but are you positive its not sand on the fish? a sandy looking apperance can also look like ich in some cases. im a little stumped here though.

 

[Githianki]

Definately not sand

 

[beaslbob]

Check your carbonate hardness (KH).

I had similiar experiences with neons when using play sand. I found neons did much better with a little peat moss in the substrate. Years later I started testing KH and found KH stayed at low levels with the peat moss but rose to high levels with just plain play sand.

Other than that I have no idea.

my .02

 

[MoneyMitch]

peat moss has a softening attribute with it which is what lowered your kh. some use it under planted tanks with a cap

 

[beaslbob]

peat moss has a softening attribute with it which is what lowered your kh. some use it under planted tanks with a cap

Understand.

Actually not so much as it lowered KHt as it was the same value after two years as the first day of the tank.

It seemed to prevent the rise over time.

Also despite all the lowering pH it's supposed to do, the pH was still 8.4-8.8 with the api high range test kit. Which was the same as with the sand only tanks.


just my observations.

worth at most.

.02

 

[MoneyMitch]

getting the thread back on track here i did some homework for ya. everything your describeing sounds like velvet it is a parasite very simular to ich. velvet does contain chlorofill so shortening/reduceing light is reccomended during treatment. the one article that i read about velvet reccomends copper sulfate for treatment along with darkening the tank. hope this helps and is the closet thing i could matchup to your problem.