Rainbow Trout Problems

Spinniker

Hey Guys,

Being reading for a while and have come across a problem that I cant solve.

I started with 10 Rainbow trout couple of months back and I am now down to 3. I had a pump get unplugged which cause my problems and 1 fish jump through the bird netting.

With the last 3, 2 are swimming an eating normally around the air stone and I have one swimming up sidedown near the surface. I have tested as per below:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: - Not sure
Nitrate: - Note sure
PH: - Not sure
Salt: 0ppm
Temp - bloody cold
Air pump in the system running 100%
Pump is constant fill / drain.

I had a fish doing this couple of weeks ago and it died 1-2 days after swimming up side down.

Tank is 150Ltr Blue drum, with 2x half blue drums as Growbeds.

Any help would be great.

faye

Mmm does sound like a lot of fish in a very small space and lack of oxygen is certainly all it takes to shorten their life span. It might be a good idea to get a test kit that will determine your nitrite and pH readings and a thermometer for temperature. I would remove the sick fish, sounds like it will die anyway and as you have already lost some I would add some salt at the rate of at least 1kg per thousand litres which equates to 1ppt. 150 litres of water - 150g salt or as much as 450g - 3ppt.
Is there any sign of disease?
Strawberries will suffer with the salt but most other plants will be okay. Use straight pool salt. Any chance of a couple of photos of your system and a bit more of an explanation including what media have you used?

bunson

Here is a dit that I found a little while ago whilst looking for some other information, but I kept this because it sounded plausible and worth a try if ever I had a fish with the same problem:

Quote:

If your fish swims upside down it most likely has a swim-bladder disorder/disease. This happens when the swim-bladder, a gas filled organ that controls the fish's buoyancy by inflating or deflating, is unable to control itself and causes the fish to either stay at the bottom of the tank, float helplessly at the top, bob-around head first at the bottom, swim on its side, or swim upside-down. A swim bladder problem can be caused by constipation, bacterial infection, poor water quality, physical damage to the swim bladder, or physical deformity of the swim bladder. This condition is sometimes hard to treat because its often hard to diagnose the cause before its to late.

The first step to take with a fish that has a swim bladder disorder is to test the water quality of your tank. It is usually a good idea to move the affected fish into a 5-10 gallon hospital tank for observation/treatment to ensure that the other fish do not become sick also. A good first act of treatment for an unknown cause of a swim bladder disorder is to try feeding the fish a shelled thawed or cooked unsalted green pea (the green pea is a laxative and will relieve your fishes swim-bladder problem if it is constipated). If this does not help you may want to start the fish on a antibacterial medication. Do frequent water changes at this time because having good water quality will offer relief for the affected fish.

Also lower the tanks levels so that is is about 1/2-2 inches above the fishes dorsal fin (this reduces pressure on the swim bladder causing the fish much relief).If the fish looks swollen that is often either the beginning stages of dropsy or a sign of constipation. If dropsy is suspected than you would want to start the fish on antibacterial medicated food soon! Often fish do not recover from a bacterial infection of the swim bladder. Bacterial infections will usually result in dropsy- which is terminal.

I'd go with the hospital tank with the water level as mentioned above and try the green-pea feed in the that tank. I'd also salt to 5ppt with plenty of air (use the water from the main FT as this is already at the right temperature and pH so as not to cause more shock to the fish). Slowly change some of this water over a few days. You can make a good intensive care unit for your fish from an esky as it will help to keep the smaller volume of water at a more constant temperature.
I'd also salt the main FT to 1-3ppt in case there is a disease issue there, and in any case, a little bit of salt helps the fish and provides some essential sodium to your plants (except strawberries).

Scott

Charlie

Im banking its nitrite poisening / 'brown blood disease' because the blood turns brown from a increase of methemoglobin. However, methemoglobin causes a more serious problem than changing the color of the blood. It renders the blood unable to carry oxygen, and the fish can literally suffocate even though there is ample oxygen present in the water.
Different species of fish tolerate differing levels of nitrite. Some fish may simply be listless, while others may die suddenly with no obvious signs of illness. Common symptoms include gasping at the surface of the water, hanging near water outlets, rapid gill movement, and a change in gill color from tan to dark brown.
Fish that are exposed to even low levels of nitrite for long periods of time suffer damage to their immune system and are prone to secondary diseases, such as ich, fin rot, and bacterial infections. As methemoglobin levels increase damage occurs to the liver, gills and blood cells. If untreated, affected fish eventually die from lack of oxygen, and/or secondary diseases.

Simo

10 trout in 150L, my money is on lack of oxygen air pump or not. Tell me, when they are at the surface do they appear to be gasping? do the dead ones have an open mouth and flared gills? If so then over stocking is your issue.

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Rainbow Trout Problems

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A place to discuss aquaponics