Wasting Away WCMMs (White Cloud Mountain Minnow)

Hi

10 months ago I bought 10 WCMMs (White Cloud Mountain Minnows) 5 golden and 5 normal.  For the first 6 months everything was OK then 1 died.  There were always a couple that seemed thinner than the rest and a bit mis-shaped, so I put its death down to failure to thrive. Since then I have lost 1 WCMM a month, a total of 3.  Always the same symtoms they get skinny, their head is the largest part and their body seems to bend.  If their tail is parallel to the surface then they are looking down.

I have tried putting them in the quarantine tank and giving them lots of different food to fatten them up, even dosed them with EsHa 2000 but with no success.  When the last one of the original mis-shaped fish died, I thought maybe it was due to intensive breeding.

Now one of my previously healthy normal shaped fish is coming down with the sme symptoms. 

I have had a look on line and the nearest thing I have found to match their symptoms is fish TB but that isn't meant to be contagious so not sure.

These are the only fish I have lost since setting up my tank and originally wasn't too concerned as I have read posts about how it is normal to loose a few fish and they were slightly different.

Any suggestions or thoughts.

Anne

Hi sue

My tank is kept at approximately 19-20 degrees.

I know what you mean about fish TB being rare but it was the only thing that seemed to fit most of the symptoms, my other thought was that it might just be old age but it seemed odd as they weren't that old.

When I checked the fish this morning one of the healthy WCMM did have what I can only describe as a white/cream blob protrusion out of its vent, I thought it was a prolapse.  When I checked tonight it had gone.

I feed them flakes (2 different types one more veggie based than the other) most of the time and live or frozen food once a week.

The thin ones do make an effort to come out at feeding time from their hiding place at the back of the tank but they don't seem to have the energy to actually eat anything.  They also swim in a jerky motion, it's hard to tell if their fins are clamped.

I am at a lost at what to do next and am not looking forward to watching them taking it in turns to wast away and die.

The other fish in the tank are fine, peppered Corey's and platies, though I have permenantly moved one of the female platy to another tank with harder water as she wasn't coping too well with the soft water.

Anne

Shrimps can be very sensitive.

Try eSHa 2000 or Waterlife's myxazin.

Aw Anne, that's really sad for you.

I know how distressing it can be watching your fish die one after the other. The first six I ever bought were endlers and they were all infected with something from the shop which they admitted so they replaced the fish. Over the course of the few days I had them I had to watch them die one after the other and there was nothing I could do.

I really feel for you (and the poor lonely survivor)

Thanks Sanjo and fcmf.

He's been in the main tank for 2 days now and is doing fine, he coloured more or less straight away when I put him in.

He has decided to join the glowlight danio group but unfortunately they aren't communicating very well.  He keeps swimming along side them displaying, which they of course don't understand.  The danios keep trying to show him his place in the group by nipping him which he doesn't understand.  Other than that they are getting on well.

Anne