Illness/Sickness: 30 plus day olds now dying off!!!

[Hellcat73]

I'm SOOOO unhappy Right now! After culling to a managable 48 babies...I am now done to 15 axo babies! Last week I had a die off,but I assumed it was my fault with body lotion on my arms...I use 2-5 gallon water buckets filled with tap water and Prime. The tubs are all individual plastic(food safe unknown) but used them to house older axos i was selling lst yr with no effects. As one bucket is near empty I start using the second 5 gal bucket...first time, i noticed a shiny layer on the surface..so i scooped it off(dumb I know!) and used it...lost half of my 48 babies! They shriveled up their gills and looked fuzzy or weird,not floating though...and after yesterday a nice feed of BBS I cleaned their tanks,yep I scrubbed them out with warm water and my hands and 100% water change. I do this 2 times a day! Woke up today and lost all my GFP Leucistic and a couple Leucisics..now I am nervous!!! What factors should i look at? I dont always have time to sit the water buckets overnight...coud it be my used bottle of Prime? My tap water? My 5gal Buckets or my individual plastic tubs? My babies are growing nice and have back legs coming in...so im really taking this hard! Please respond...I read the other psts on this but really need some advice,im missing I also have each one in their own batchlor pad,so they are not spreading a fungus...not with my 2 times a day cleaning..

 

[auntiejude]

At about a month old any genetic defects in the babies become apparent and you often get a die off. It's not your fault.

 

[Hellcat73]

Yes I was reading that,but just seems like it was me..Ie bad tap water,not letting my tap water sit overnight...etc..but my temps are perfect,etc..so Im at a loss..I really hope your right,it really burst my awesome care bubble...and raising hatchlings has become less fun...sigh...but i will learn from this...makes me wish I kept more of the hatchlings...before culling...damn...but it was just too many to handle.guess if i wanna play with the big dogs I have to get off the porch..lol:smile: