Fish have white dots on skin...

Question
Nori,

Thank you for all your suggestions.  I never realized how hard of a hobby this could be.  It seems just like when I get ahead and through one problem another one comes my way.

The three fish I have left are still very active so I will reduce feeding clean the tank a little and add some new water.  What kind of bottled water do you suggest?

THanks,
Mark
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Followup To

Question -
Fish are dying but this is not working.  Should I be treating daily with Cycle?  The one fish can't move its tail now.  Crazy how hard it is to keep fish alive...

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Followup To

Question -
I have had some Sunburst Platies, at least that is what I think they are.  I just was thinking I was on role with fish after I had figured out how to get rid of green water that I had asked a previous expert and water changes really worked.  Anyway I have gone a few months now and my tank looks really clear and good with no cemicals and green alegea is starting to grow a little on the rocks.

This problem is I just went to go feed my fish but three were laying on the bottom, which seemed wierd and upon closer look of the fish I noticed white dot on the skin.  One fish shot up and then went down head first into the rocks as if the skin disease is really affecting them.  It came out of nowhere and hit quick.  What do you suggest....

THanks in advance,
Mark

Answer -
Hi Mark,
Thank you for your letter. My aquarium care system is posted here:
http://steamboats.com/aquarium.html
The only conditioner I recommend is "Cycle," which is freindly bacteria (organic, not a chemical).
If you are using that already, the also try the ICK treatment I recommend on the page using Stress Coat.
Read and print out my web page for future reference.
Write back if you want to discuss further.
Nori

Answer -
Hi Mark,
Yeah, what's up with this hobby? It's heart wrenching at times.
The best thing to do is stop all feeding. Treat the water with Cycle and let it sit for a little bit. Clean about 10% a day, adding pure water (bottled) and the recommended amount of Cycle. The Cycle will add friendly bacteria to the water and gradually detox the water. Changing the water and starting with a little fresh water each day just speeds up the process.
Do not feed them while they are sick. If they are as deranged as you say, they can't eat very well anyway. Every other day, you can feed them, but just one or two flakes per fish. Really, they do not need much.
You might also use the Stress Coat treatment for ICK, but only use a little bit, just enough to coat the fish.
It just clouds up the water if you're doing a detox treatment.
If they recover, start out with a very sparse diet. Max you should feed is about 3 - 4 flakes per square inch of fish per day. Any more than that pollutes the tank. Fish food contains animal products that putrify, just like if you threw a hamburger on the floor and left it there. So the less of that in the tank, the better. They will eat more than they need, but that just leads to more fish waste polluting the tank.
Sorry it's so hairy. If worse comes to worse, I encourage you to try again using the holistic principles. Just to prove that you can do it.
Write back if you want to discuss further.
Nori

Answer
Hi Mark,
Yeah, this hobby is a b----(rhymes with witch).
Especially when parents think it will be "fun" for their kids to have a fish. (Yeah, but what do you tell them when it dies?)
Or people give a fish to a friend or parent, or someone takes care of their friend's tank and all the fish start tipping over.
I have heard it all. Anyway, I have also committed sins killing the little critters. That's why I volunteer. It took me years to realize that overfeeding is the key to most fish disease and fish loss.
So, it's my crusade to help other people with this situation. Not only to save the fish, but to teach people about holistic care of eco systems. Instead of dumping in chemicals to cure a problem, stop the cause of the problem.
It only makes sense. Too bad the whole medical establishment is fixated on chemical drugs. If they just gave us good air, water, and food, most disease would go away.
Oh, sorry - here's the soap box. You can rant too if you want.
Nori