Sick killi with red spots

[Cashmere_socks]

Hi guys,
The good news is I bought some killifish!! The bad news is one of them is sick.

They came in the mail, and long story short, the box was crushed. That is a whole other story that I will post another time. So, the poor killie survivors were injured and stressed. I watched them carefully and they all seemed ok and were swimming and eating. It has been a few weeks since I got them.

Now one has red spots on him, fins ragged and very lethargic.

I thought at first it was ammonia poisoning, but the water tests were normal. I did a 50% water change anyway last night and will do 25 today.

Perhaps fin rot? The red looks like it is specific to each little scale. It follows the curve of the scales and one scale is completely red.

I have pictures, but I don't know how to attach them to this with my phone.

Any ideas & suggestions would be helpful. I have not experienced this before. Thanks in advance!

[Cashmere_socks]

Here are some photos, you can see the difference between the spots that are part of its colour and the ones that are just weird. You can also see how torn up the fins are.
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[alLexX]

could it be internal bleeding? and when you say fine,what is "fine"? what test kit are you using?

[GaryofMontreal]

It looks to me like bite marks. That would go with the jagged fins, which show no signs of rot. That's how a killie's fins look when it has had a solid beating. The scales are not 'out', so it doesn't look like generalized blood poisoning - I'd say someone is biting. The fish is also really thin, which points to bullying at feeding time too.
The dorsal bleeding is probably from the fish being driven down to the bottom. That could be a rogue male attacking, as the fish is a female.
So what are the tankmates?

[Dan_G_Calgary]

I concur with Gary. Looks like she' getting the crap beat out of her. Do you have a spawning mop in the tank? Quite often an aggressive male is trying to get some spawning going. At the very least, it is a spot for her to hide in. More hiding spots might be a good idea. Or isolation if possible.

[GaryofMontreal]

I in turn agree with Dan - she may need to come out to recover. The red spots should heal as nothing in those pictures says infection. If you change 20 percent of the water every second day, she can probably do fine in a small(ish) container. Ice cream buckets are wonderful things. You can buy one, flush the useless contents and voila, killie hospital infrastructure!
The dollar store critter carriers, ideally not the smallest size, can be economical emergency shelters. When killies are stressed, they jump.
She'll need clean water and food - she needs to get some weight on. The weight loss is more dangerous to her than the bites. Who ever has been attacking her has really worn her down - either a male of her own species or another species in the tank that finds her a ready mark.

[Cashmere_socks]

Thanks for the ideas. I think you were right. Yeah, that's past-tense. She died.

I didn't know what to do, so I separated her in a breeding trap, and treated the tank with Melafix for 10 days. All the spots and fins healed. I put her back in the main tank, and left for vacation. When I got back, she was very emaciated and I put her back in the breeder trap. I tried to get her to eat, but catching her must have used up her last reserves of energy and she died overnight.

I don't know who was attacking her, I have two Strawberry (white skirt) Tetras, one Corydora, and 4 juvenile Aphyosemion striatum (like her) and one Aphyosemion splendopleure (I suspect him, if its a 'him').

There is a huge clump of Java Moss in there, and thats where I found her, but it wasn't enough I suppose.

Thanks Again.

[CACAdmin]

Sorry to hear you lost her but at least you now have an idea of what might have been going on. Nothing you could have done while you were away on holidays. These things happen but it's all a learning experience.

[GaryofMontreal]

I suspect the tetras, but it could be the splendo. Hmm. Murder most foul...

[Cashmere_socks]

Most foul indeed...
I have been keeping an extra eye on the tank, and actually the cory is my prime suspect. I have seen him chase a few fish around.
He is alone, and i know i need to get him some buddies so that will be my next job and maybe he will calm down.

[GaryofMontreal]

Cory's don't usually have the tools to harm - they just aren't built for it. They chase but they don't catch.
White skirts are peaceful, but you only have two and that's a six specimen plus schooling fish. It's liable to take runs at another fish just because it's bored and has a limited social life. They nip in groups as normal behavior, but with two, they can get strange.
Any male killie could also be guilty, although that is uncommon too. Sometimes fish can be like birds - if they see a weakness or an injury, they will kill the injured fish. So you may never see the nasty behavior and it may never repeat. Your dead killie could have had a defect or illness the tankmates spotted, and at that point, different mechanisms kick in.