Rainbows

[minze611]

So in my 55 gal i used to have..8 neon rainbows, and 5 other rainbows of which i dont know the name of, in about a span of 3 weeks they all died one by one..i am now left with one. None of my other fish ( congo tetra's, yoyo loaches,Cardenal tetra's) have died or even appeared sick. The rainbows bloated up and there scales puffed out.. i think dropsy? should i avoid rainbows all together now?

[CACAdmin]

So sorry to hear you lost the rainbows. ::(: Dropsy, from my understanding, is a symptom of kidney failure as opposed to a diesase in itself. It could have been something like a bacterial infection which the rainbows were more susceptible to.:Dunno: I have never kept rainbows so don't know too much about them.

Hopefully, someone around here with some experience in keeping rainbows might offer some insight.

[GaryofMontreal]

How long did you have them? I love rainbows, but the biggest problem with them is getting good stock. They are not blessed with the most powerful immune systems on the planet, and they suffer greatly from the very fish farm conditions that allow us to buy them. A pathogen that other fish shrug off can wipe rainbows, especially since they are extremely prone to fish tuberculosis (Mycobacter marinum), a dangerous disease that is common in fish farm conditions. If they carry marinum, it weakens them, and then minor diseases become major.
Dropsy isn't a disease - it's a symptom of kidney failure brought on by internal infections.
If you get good rainbows, they live for years and are very hardy. The best source though is hobbyist breeders and aquarium clubs.

[Melody]

There is an excellent article about Mycobacteriosis & Rainbowfish here (http://members.optushome.com.au/chelmon/Myco.htm). Supposing that was the problem, the fish that survive are probably immune carriers. Any Rainbows or other fish added to the tank who are not immune themselves, will probably pick up the disease. This disease can progress slowly or quickly, making quarantine an iffy preventative measure, but it's better than nothing. It often appears to be more prevalent in the Summer but I believe that's because the temp's rise, which can cause the disease to advance more rapidly.

I would try adding fish to the tank again after a quarantine period, but if it happens again then chances are you're looking at Mycobacteriosis and all of the fish in the tank will have to be euthanized. Then the tank will have to be disinfected before you use it again. If you've used nets or other equipment in other tanks, they may have the bug as well.

I'm sorry to hear that you lost your Rainbows. Hopefully something else caused the losses and this will be the end of it.

[minze611]

Iv had the neon rainbows about 5 months and the others about 3 months, i have one small female left it was acually the smallest outa all of them. sould i get it some buddys or will it be ok all by itself, looks kinda sad all alone ::(:


How long did you have them? I love rainbows, but the biggest problem with them is getting good stock. They are not blessed with the most powerful immune systems on the planet, and they suffer greatly from the very fish farm conditions that allow us to buy them. A pathogen that other fish shrug off can wipe rainbows, especially since they are extremely prone to fish tuberculosis (Mycobacter marinum), a dangerous disease that is common in fish farm conditions. If they carry marinum, it weakens them, and then minor diseases become major.
Dropsy isn't a disease - it's a symptom of kidney failure brought on by internal infections.
If you get good rainbows, they live for years and are very hardy. The best source though is hobbyist breeders and aquarium clubs.