Problem with Community Tank

Question
QUESTION: When I turn on my light in my aquarium (either in the morning or when returning home from work) I notice a LOT of tiny beige creatures all over the driftwood and on the sides of the aquarium.  They disappear whenever the light is on.  I am also noticing threads of red and white in the tank too.  I called a local aquarium shop last week, and they said it was some kind of worm.  They told me to use Melafix (5 ml per 10 gal), which I have now used for a week.  I have also added a tablespoon of aquarium salt every other day too.  We did a 1/4 water change last night (which we do weekly regardless of a problem or not).  This morning when I turned the light on there were an enormous amount of these tiny creatures in the tank.  Please help!  I've lost quite a few fish prior to using the treatment.  I've also removed the carbon from my filter (per the manufacturer of the Melafix's instructions on the bottle) and am concerned how long my fish can go without the carbon.

ANSWER: Hi Kathleen
Don't worry about the carbon.  That's mainly used to remove medicines or odors from the fish tank.  I don't use carbon in any of my tanks, not a necessity.

Melafix won't do anything for parasite infections on the fish, or worms in a tank....That was very poor advice on behalf of the pet store.  Melafix is an herbal remedy that helps treat minor bacterial infections or wounds.  It is good stuff to keep on hand though.

Now, for the creatures in there.  Do they look kind of like a small snail or slug with an arrow shaped head?  Or, do they look like small, thin worms that swim in a S shape?

What kind of fish are in the tank?  Which ones died?  And what size is the tank?  Some fish can't handle salt in the tank, like tetras, loaches, cory cats, plecos, etc.  Depending on the tank size, and how much salt you added, that could've killed the fish, but I see you said the fish died before the treatment started.  How were they acting before they died-anything unusual?    

You're water change schedule is good!  I usually recommend 25% once a week, and vacuuming the gravel good too.

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for responding, Christy.  This problem is beginning to get out of hand now.  I replaced the filters with the carbon in them on Monday.  This morning one of my beautiful Angel Fish was found dead.  In my weekly water changes I was told by someone at an aquarium shop to add 1 T. of aquarium salt every change.  I recently stopped adding the Zyme, as I was told it is not necessary anymore after having the aquarium up and running for a year.  The creatures resemble small snail or slugs (there are many of them).  They are still there.  The Melafix did absolutely nothing as far as I can tell.  My tank is a 36 gallon.  The fish who have recently died are 2 krebs, 2 rams, 1 serpae tetra, 1 angel fish (large size), and at least 3 or 4 different varieties (whose species are escaping my memory at the moment.  I have a community tank with 1 angel fish, 1 golden killifish, tetras, 2 corys, 1 pleco, 1 shark.  I noticed some had stopped eating before they died.  I feed them twice a day too -- is this too much?  I feed them the TetraMin color bits.  I'm getting very depressed over this situation and losing so many fish recently.  The worms I see are either thin (unless it's excrement) and thick red (unless that is the same too).  Can you help with this problem?
ANSWER: Hi Kathleen
Regarding the salt...everyone has their own opinions on using salt and what kind of salt to use.  Some say it's a must to prevent diseases and parasites, and others(like me) only use it to treat the problems when they arise, saying it doesn't work as a preventative.  Here's a good but kinda boring article on it, and I pretty much take the same stance on it:

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/salt.shtml

Now, you're adding 1 Tbsp to a 36 gallon tank once a week correct?  That's really not going to do much in the way of anything.  And it is a small enough dose, the corys and plecos and possibly even the tetras wouldn't notice it.  So honestly, I'd just quit using it.

The creatures that are snail like, if they're white or clear colored and have the arrow shaped head I mentioned, those are planaria.  Totally harmless to you and the fish.  They usually show up in tanks where the fish are being overfed, or there's a lot of uneaten food down in the gravel/substrate.  

For the feedings, my opinion-yes that's too much.  I feed my fish once a day, what they'll eat in about 5 minutes.  I usually skip one or two days during the week as well.  Also, you should start varying their diet more.  Fish, like people, need different vitamins and minerals, and the best way to get that to them is with different foods.  A good flake food should be their main staple.  Then during the week switch up a few times with some frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, spirulina flakes, & shrimp pellets and algae wafers for the cory cats and pleco etc. Just look around the fish food shelf, there's lots of stuff they'll like.  Especially with the angel too, you may want to pick up a small bottle of a pellet food for it's main diet.

As for the fish dying, it sounds like your tank was way overstocked.  The way your tank is now, I would add only one more fish-once everything settles down a bit, and that would be a cory cat.  They do best in groups of 3 of the same kinds.  Not sure how many tetras are left, and it still may be pushing overstocked with the angel fish in there.  But, that would be it, no more fish.  

Also, if you don't have one, pick up a good test kit.  There's 2 kinds, a dipstick test kit and a dropper test kit.  The dropper kits are better and more accurate.  API sells one that test ph, high ph, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.  But, it's about 30., but it's worth the money.  When a tank gets overstocked, the beneficial bacteria can't keep up to remove/convert the ammonia and nitrites.  I have a feeling that's probably why the fish died, from ammonia or nitrite poisoning.  Also, with the planaria showing up in the tank, that means there's lots of uneaten food down in the gravel, which would also contribute to the ammonia problem.  

Do you use a gravel vacuum/syphon when you do the weekly water changes? If not, I would strongly suggest getting one, they're fairly cheap.  Be sure to actually dig into the gravel with it to suck up everything, you'll be amazed at all the gunk that's underneath all the gravel/substrate.  

To get rid of the planaria, takes a bit of time, but cutting back on the feedings, and vacuuming the gravel really good to get rid of the uneaten food and such will help to get rid of them.  That's basically cutting off their food source, and they'll eventually starve off and die.  The other worm type things you're describing, I'm thinking it's probably just the pleco poop.  They'll produce long strands at times, depending on how much food they're eating, and the color will be the same as the food as well-I'm guessing the color bits are kind of a red color?  And, the thickness or thinness could be it's a bit constipated as well.  Be sure to drop in an algae wafer at night when the lights go out for him.  They are pretty good about cleaning up some food and such, but the algae is their main food staple.  If the strands are not moving, and just laying in the same place, that's probably what it is.  If they're swimming around to other parts of the tank, then that would probably be a parasite.  Sometimes the pleco poop is hard to remove with a gravel vacuum, I remember having to use my little fish net to remove it.  

Hope that helps!  Let me know if you have more questions or problems!!

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks, Christy.  The food I feed now is a pellet.  I will switch to a flake food then and your other food suggestions.  I do vacuum with the water changes, and yes, there's a lot that gets swirled up inside the vacuum (expecially when I dig deep).  I also feed an algae tablet every other day.  Should I increase this to every day, and only at night?  Right now I give it with the morning feeding.  Is it better to feed the tank in the morning or at night, or doesn't it matter?

Should I still be adding the zyme (bacteria) to my tank?  I stopped adding it last week.

One of my fish (a ram) had a cut of some sort on it before it died.  I've also had fish (a killifish) that had a cotton like substance growing on it before it died.  Two of my fish now (a serpae tetra and a danio glow fish) are very bloated.  What could this be?  The other fish that have recently died showed no signs of any problems.

How many fish do you think are enough for my 36 gallon?

The creatures in the tank are beige in color.

My corys are different species -- one is an albino, and the other is a green speckled type.  I had a panda cory at one time too, but it didn't last long.

How often do you suggest I test my water?  I don't have a test kit, but will pick one up.

Sorry to inundate you with all these questions but you are very knowledgeable in this field.  I get attached to the fish, and hate it when anything happens to them.
ANSWER: Hi Kathleen
My apologies for not getting back to you last night.  The site wouldn't let me on for some reason...

If you're using a pellet food now, that's fine, if they're eating it.  I had just assumed it was a flake food.  Or, you could still use flake food with the pellet and vary it up, that's fine as well.  

Good, I'm glad you are using a gravel vac as well.  One thing too, not sure how deep your gravel bed is, but usually they say about 1 inch deep.  You could go less then that as well, makes it easier to clean.  If there's not a lot of algae in the tank, I would feed the algae tablet everyday.  If the pleco is coming out to eat it in the morning, when you do the regular feeding, then go ahead and continue with that.  It's just that usually their nocturnal, and a lot of people don't see them till the lights are off.  If that's working out for you guys, then I wouldn't change it.  

I wouldn't bother with the Stress Zyme.  

Those symptoms the fish died from, it's kind of hard to say what's going on.  Could be a bacterial infection and/or a fungal infection.  The bloating could be dropsy, another bacterial infection.  Usually diseases and such show up when the fish are stressed out.  Definitely get that test kit, and let me know what the levels are reading.  If the water quality is poor, that's what most likely brought on those symptoms/diseases.  Depending on what the water quality readings are, I would test the water at least once a week, until they read perfect for a few weeks.  Then at least once a month should be fine, just to check on it.  

I still think those creatures are the planaria I mentioned earlier.  Like I said, cutting back on the feedings and the frequent water changes should make them disappear eventually, but again, they're harmless.  

For the cory cats....I'm not sure lol.  I know most people suggest keeping the same kinds, because they do like to "be with their own".  I have seen one or two people on forums mention, their's were different and all hung out.  I've had a few different kinds, and I noticed like when I had 3 albinos, 3 emeralds, 3 julii's, they only hung out with their own.  Mine had gotten old, and were slowing dying off on me, I was left with 3 emeralds and 1 albino.  The albino always stayed off to the side of them.  So, since you have 2 different ones, maybe getting a 3rd different one would work out and they would still hang out.  I'm just thinking if you got say another albino, the odd one wouldn't group up with them....just a theory there though.  

And don't worry about indundating me with questions lol :)  I don't mind-as long as they're easy for me :)  I just had a problem with my community tank a few weeks ago-was my fault, I didn't quarantine my new fish(actually never have before) and it all caught up with me after 7 years....ended up losing 1/2 my fish-all my older ones I've had for years and years.  Like you, I get attached, I was so mad....so I do understand :)

Take care, it'll all straighten out, just takes time.  Let me know if you have more questions!!

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Yes, I do think it is planaria too.  What should I do about the bloated fish (I have 2)?  Also, I have been noticing a black fuzz on my plastic plants (at the tips).  What could this be?  I also notice black spots on other plastic plants (the leaves) as well.
ANSWER: Hi Kathleen
The algae sounds like beard algae.  Here's a link that describes it a little more, and has some solutions for getting rid of it:

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/maintenance1/p/algaebeard.htm

The bloated fish, it's most likely dropsy.  Very hard to treat bacterial infection.  If they're still eating, the best thing to try is an antibacterial fish food.  That way it gets the meds inside them.  It's generally not contagious to the other fish, but if you can move them to another tank, that would be best for them.  You can also try giving them an epsom salt bath.  The epsom salts are supposed to help draw out the fluids that are building up inside them.  1 teaspoon per 5 US gallons, can either put it in the tank if you separate them, or fill up a bucket with the tank water, add the epsom salt, and let them soak in that for about a 1/2 hour.  If they start rolling over, immediately put them back in the tank-that means there was too much salt for them.  Like I said, it's a very hard problem to treat when fish get it, so honestly I wouldn't get your hopes up of them being cured.  Still worth a shot though, I always try to save mine when they get sick.

Good luck with the treatment!

Christy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Christy, should I get a Chinese algae eater for the bearded algae problem?  I don't have one.  I have the pleco, 2 corys and shark (which are my ground dwellers).

Answer
I believe it's the Siamese algae eaters that eat the beard algae, not the Chinese variety.  You don't want a Chinese algae eater, they grow quite big, and when they get bigger they also tend to get meaner and territorial towards the other fish.  They also have a tendency to stop eating the algae as well.  

You could add one to the tank, just be sure that and you supplement both of them with algae wafers.  If you do get a Siamese AE, be sure to compare the pictures, a lot of times the Chinese AE are sold as Siamese and vice versa...

Siamese Algae Eater
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cyprinids2/p/siamesealgae.htm

Chinese Algae Eater(sometimes has spots instead of stripes)
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cyprinids2/p/falsealgae.htm

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1564&N=0

Christy