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View Full Version : DEAD Pink Tilapia...Good News...Bad News



Apollo
01-31-2014, 10:27 AM
Someone...anyone, that can tell me what's going on. If you look at the pink area on the head, that's was the color of all my tilapia. Half of them are headed this way...the more they turn gray, the less active they are and the less they eat. Check out "Sick Fish???" to see more information on this fish.

foodchain
01-31-2014, 03:48 PM
Based on the pictures, they have similar markings to what I have experience with brown blood disease.
I have fixed a wide variety of problems by adding salt...Epsom salt from the old people section at local pharmacy to water and increasing aeriation. I am not saying that's what your problem is, but I have seen it work wonders on mine.
Based on pictures look at your water.....something is wrong with your water. Once you determine what the specific problem is, look to cause.
I can guarantee you though it's your water. Have you tested it? What is your dissolved oxygen reading?
When stressed, fish stop eating and change color. Do you have labored gill movement and/or gulping action at surface?

foodchain
01-31-2014, 03:49 PM
Have you added vitamin C? This can aide in relief as well.

Apollo
01-31-2014, 04:18 PM
I have added 1500 mg of vitamin C, than a week later did it again. On the DO, I have about 1,200 gals per hr. going back into the FT thought my aerator ring and the same amount doing a splash down into the FT from the GB. The only time they come to the surface is when being feed. Not overstocked, no kids or pets to stress them out, none of the gold fish have it.

PH @ 7.4, Ammonia has always been under 0.25, Nitrite has always been 0, Nitrates was up to 160 but is down to 60 since my large water exchange. This problem started 3 weeks before the water exchange.

If my FT holds 650 gals, GB holds 300 gals, filter holds 55 gals, how much Epsom salt should I add? Or I'm I just treating the sick fish and not the water in the FT. If so can I add the Epsom salt to a smaller tank and just treat the sick ones? How much Epsom salt for a 10 gal tank and how long do I leave them in there?

foodchain
02-03-2014, 08:24 AM
I am not sure how the salt will effect anything in your growbeds. So think about that before you do anything.
I start treatments with salt at 1 tablespoon per gallon of water and watch for improvement in symptoms/body language/gill labor. Tilapia can tolerate high concentrates. I have read where they are working to grow them in brackish to salt water conditions. My MAX is 3 Tablespoons per gallon.

Dissolve in tank water before adding to main water. Make changes slowly if you decide to go this route.
I keep mine fairly "salty" all winter and completly fresh during summer. Salt does aide them in wintering in my systems.

Apollo
02-09-2014, 12:03 PM
I talked to the breeder that sold me my Pink Tilapia frys, five months age. Fish turning gray is called "blue belly" or in my case the whole fish, just something that can happens...those fish have more of the blue tilapia chromosomes.

DEAD FISH is probably do to several conditions; Metal toxin might have weaken fish and done some gill damage, 95% water lose on top of that was major stress, water temp at 64 to 66 is OK, but not so good for a traumatized fish.

He recommends treating the water with fish salt but says trying to catch & remove fish would cause more stress and make things worst. Salting my whole AP system would work but would rather not have the salt in my GB's. Anyone who would like to comment on this, it would by appreciated.

He knows of a breeder that slices Oranges right across the equator ( thin slices ) and puts them in the FT. They float, fish eats out the center area, remove after 48 hours.

So not as bad off as I thought I was, no decease, water good, I just have 4 or 5 depressed fish that are not eating well.
Bought some of the original fish food from the breeder, smaller and easier to eat (he has it shipped in form Missouri).

Got home and found one of the pink tilapia dead, fish was on the bottom of the tank not eating just 3 hours before. I notice that the fins on its back was standing straight up, first time I ever seen them do that.

Roger L.
02-09-2014, 05:40 PM
Apollo that last fish looks much healthier than your other dead ones you had. No signs of stress or abuse. Maybe a coincidental death???

Apollo
02-27-2014, 10:09 PM
I had five more of the pink tilapia die...ones that look like the last one pictured on Feb. 9th. All lost interest in food and became less active...weeks later they become floaters.

Is this because my Nitrates levels are too high? (140 - 160)

dead_sled
02-28-2014, 07:15 AM
Man, that is rough. I wish I could offer some advice. You may enjoy this thread, if you haven't already....
Maximum Safe Nitrate levels for fish? (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?1071-Maximum-Safe-Nitrate-levels-for-fish)

dead_sled
02-28-2014, 07:49 AM
This document mentions that 300-400 ppm of nitrate can cause nitrate toxicity. Well above your levels. It also mentions carbon dioxide can cause problems at levels above 40 ppm.
http://fisheries.tamu.edu/files/2013/09/SRAC-Publication-No.-282-Tank-Culture-of-Tilapia.pdf

Roger L.
02-28-2014, 08:28 AM
That sucks Apollo. You've been loosing fish for a month now. Others have had similar Tilapia die offs as well. Makes me worry about mine. This is more a question for the group rather than just you, could there be something growing in the garden that are harmful to Tilapia?

Roger L.
02-28-2014, 08:36 AM
Just looked at your other post. You finished your "Vertigrow" setup shortly before the fish started dying. There is no formaldehyde in the lattice work or deadly chemicals in the white paint is there? Grabbing at straws here but that's the project you did just before the fish started dying. Look back at all the pieces of that and see if that could be the cause.

Apollo
02-28-2014, 10:38 PM
Thanks Roger, I went back to 1-5-14 "Metal core on pump", which started to corroded after 12-1-13. Then 1-7-14 with a 95% water lose to the system...about 6 fish not eating very much (stress). First fish die on 1-31-14, the other 5 died within 3 weeks of the 1st one. My guess is they were the ones that got stressed out when the water went down. It just took that long before they died from starvation.

My "Vertigrow" setup is all made from PVC material except for the 4 x 4 end frame work it's wood painted with 100% acrylic. We haven't had any rain since I build it, so nothing could of been washed in to the system. Not much growing in the growth beds yet to cause any problem.

All the gold fish are still doing GREAT...they look like little body builders (all buff).

I'm attending a AP tour on Sunday and will have a chance to see and talk to a person in my area with a large AP System.

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I HAVE NOT FAILED. I'VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON'T WORK. Thomas A Edison