My fish are getting sick and dying help!?

What you're seeing is a parasite commonly known as ich. Ich forms is poor water conditions. Check your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and carry out a 40-60% daily water change until your ammonia and nitrite return to 0ppm and your nitrate is under 20ppm. This will help rid the parasite. The next thing you will need to do is put slowly raise the temperature to 86F, this will speed up the life cycle of the ich causing it to die off faster than it can reproduce. As well as raise the temperature you will need to add in an air stone, remember, the higher the water temperature the lower the oxygen will be. Keep the temperature up for a few weeks to confirm that the parasite will not return.

To prevent further sicknesses keep up with weekly 25% water changes, don't overfeed, have proper filtration and don't overstock your aquarium. How many gallons is your aquarium? Did you cycle your tank prior to adding fish? How long has your aquarium been running?

It is Ich. I suspect your tank is over-stocked (you didn't mention what size it is, so I'm guessing). Over-stocking creates stress, which makes fish more susceptible to disease. I imagine your water quality is bad, too.

Ich is fatal if not treated promptly. Ignore heat and salt treatment advice. You need to know what you're doing for that to work. Catfish cannot tolerate salt at all, anyway. Go to the fish store and get a commercial Ich remedy that is safe for the fish you still have, and use according to directions.

I strongly suggest you seek out a locally owned and operated fish specialty store, not Petsmart or some place like that. Clerks in the big chain stores usually don't know diddly squat about fish. The people working in your local fish store usually know their stuff, or will ask someone who does. I cannot recommend a specific brand because I have never dealt with this, fortunately. Someone at your local fish store will know what to suggest, though. Do not delay, if your fish are dying, you don't have long to act.

While you are out, pick up a beginner's book on aquarium keeping. You will find it to be chock full of valuable information. Good luck!

They probably have ich(ick) or another fungal disease. It's very common and fairly easy to treat. Buy some Rid-ich by Kordon. It works super well. Just follow the directions on the bottle. Also, how big is your tank? Having had 2 balas and 2 pictus I'm hoping at the very least 75 gal? If any less than that for 12 similar sized fish and that could be the reason they weren't strong enough to fight the disease off.

Anyway, here's what ich looks like.

http://www.directtropicalfish.co.uk/images/ICH1.JP...

And here's the product that may help.

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd...

I hope this was helpful.

Good luck.

Sounds like it could be ich. Ich is a parasite that borrows uner the fish skin and creates these white spots kinda like grains of salt. The best way to cure ich is with API super ich cure

http://www.apifishcare.com/Products/Product.aspx?P...

I sware by this stuff when my fish get ich, and I've never lost a fish because of it.

If I were you I'd get a double dose cus it sound like your fish have it bad.

When you go to put it in your tank first remove the carbon from your filter cus carbon will remove the medication. Next crank up your water temp to between 82-85 deg f. This will speed up the parasites reproduction cycle and will help you kill it faster. Te medication is doses and I believe you let it sit for 48 hours and then dose again for another 48 hours and then replace the carbon and filter. If your fish have it that bad I would make sure the spots are all gone if not dose again for 48 hours and that should do it. The powder WILL turn your water bright green, this is normal, and it may stain some decorations, If you are woried about it remove them till your done.

Once you are done with the medication do a big water change and replace the carbon and you should be ok. I think each box treats 50 gallons so depending on how big your tank is you may need more than one.

Good luck and I hope your fish turn out ok.

This sounds like Ich. With those fish, you should have at LEAST a 50 gallon tank. If you have twelve of them, you should have an even bigger tank. At least 75 gallons.

Ich is easy to treat. Most catfish cannot be treated with ich medicine, so the best and most healthy way to treat it is add salt (I do one table spoon per 3 gallons) and turn up the heater to about 84-86. Continue this for about a week, until all of the parasites are gone, then a few days after that to kill the free-swimming parasites.

Ich is usually caused by stress and poor water quality. It sounds like you have fish that should not get along well, which will cause them to stress a lot and get sick and die. Bala sharks need to be in a tank by themselves.

It looks like sugar or salt sprinkled on them right? If so then that's ich. Ich is a parasite that is deadly.

You need to get aquarium salt, and an ich cure. Slowly rise the tempurature to 86 degrees F. Add in salt and a cure. Follow directions on the bottle or box that the cure is in. Treat the whole tank.

Please do some research on the care of the fish you have, and I imagine you will realize your tank is poorly set up. The spots are Ich. There are a few ways to treat it. Type "Ich cure" in google.

it sounds like ich. It is very contagious and lethal. You should isolate the sick fish in a different tank and treat them with ich medicine and aquarium salt. Also, you did not mention the size of your aquarium and heating/filter

It can either be because your tank is too small but go to petco or petsmart and pick up "Lifeguard" medication tablets. They cure any fungal infection fast.

They have a fungus growing on them go to the store and get some fish medicine