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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
 Posted - 28/04/2012 : 08:16:56
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So, I think I should say sorry again for dissapearing. I've been quite bad with migrains and it had left me pretty shattered (it runs in the family). But I've got tablets now and they seem to be working for now at least *touch wood*.
I have a problem that I hope peoples on here might be able to help me with. I'm not a part of a fishy group anywhere and I kinda know some of you here. So I hope none of you mind?
I've been seting up a sub-tropical aquarium. I cycled the tank using a biological filter and by putting a tiny bit of food in the tank to sit there. I left it in there for a week and until the water had cleared somewhat. Then I got my first fishies the other week, four Guppies and one lone little Platy girl who was all on her own in the tank. The first little problem came when I realized that one of my four 'male' Guppies was female... and pregnant. Not a real nightmare really. I know that if I just leave her to give birth in the tank then the fry will get eaten. So I'm not worried about being over run really... well, not for now.
So fast forward to last week when I brought home three more females (so that little Gem wasn't all on her own with three randy boys) and two more Platyies to keep my lone girl company.
All seemed well. But there was one little Platy who seemed very shy. He had two rips out of his tail when I bought him so I assumed that maybe he'd been bullied before now and that's why he was keeping out of the way. Now I feel bad for thinking that.
On thurday evening I noticed a tiny little 'cotton-wool' like thing on his tail, around where the nip was. I knew this must be a fugal infection so I looked it up. And I actually found out that it's most likely to be Columnaris. Nasty.
So Yesterday I went up to the petshop to try and get hold of something for him having researched some good things that might work. I came home with the only two things they had in. Aquarium salts and Methylene Blue (they had green as well but I'd read that blue was best for this). So come Friday afternoon the tank was died blue by the MB.
I'm treating the whole tank with all the fish in there including my little poorly Platy boy (in a seperate breeder net for now so I can kep an eye on him easier and so he's out of the way of the other fish) 'cause I read that this Columnaris carries in the water. There's been no change in him yet, but a bit later today I'll dab some of this MB directly onto the efected bit of his tail and see what that does.
He's a very poorly boy and hasn't eaten in two days now.
My questions are: Am I doing things right? Is there anything else I can be doing? Can I add the salt while treating the tank with MB? And what really could have caused this?
I know it can come about through stress. The rips out of his tail are not jaggid. It's definetly not fin rot. Have I done something wrong to make him poorly or is it likely that this was going to happen anyway?
All my other fish are fine. Zooming about, curious in everything. Their usual cheaky selves. There's been no sign of any ichyness from any of them, no rubbing up against things. All seems well. So I'm really hoping I've caught this in time.
And I really hope I can help my poor little Platy boy.
Thank you muchly everybody : ) |
Just me and my zoo. |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 28/04/2012 : 13:35:00
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Hi, sorry to hear.
I'm definitely not an expert on fish medication - but I reckon Mystra will know. However, in my experience I've found that the guppy is the 'canary' of the fish world when it comes to anything being amiss with the tank, disease, water quality or whatever, and I feel very guilty about the guppies I've lost through mismanagement, but from what you say, it doesn't sound as if what's affecting your platy is affecting the others, and I think it would have done by now.
Good luck - and sorry to hear about the migraines too - only good thing about those things is that they can stop as suddenly as they start - do hope yours go away soon! |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 29/04/2012 : 08:00:29
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Thanks for your reply BATS : )
Unfortunatly I had to put my little boy to sleep yesterday. He was obviously in a lot of pain and I couldn't stand and let it happen that way. I'll not go into how I helped him 'cause I don't think it's a good idea on a family forum but lets just say that I used a certain oil and then a certain large electrical aplience. He was fast asleep before the end.
He was such a pretty little thing too. His name was Mouse. Strange name for a fish, but the first Platy I brought home is a Micky Mouse Platy so I called her Micky. And my little boy was also a Micky mouse Platy, and with him being so small and seeming so 'shy' I called him Mouse.
He was a lovely pearly white colour with a big red spot just after his dorsal fin and then the 'Micky Mouse Head' on his tail. Kinda like this one: http://www.fishlinkworldwide.com/fish/index.php?productID=610
But Mouse had these little black 'freckles' along his back too.
I'm going to bury him in my herb pot outside.
All my other fish are fine, at least it would seem. Bright, shiny, playful. But I think, if it's a good idea, I might keep up the tank treatment for a two week period. Would that be a good idea or not? And what about the salt?
When all this is hopefully over then I can post some photos if you'd like? Most are blurry 'cause they're so fast, but I can try get some sharper ones.
I feel like I've failed again. This time with my little Mouse. I've tried so hard and been so careful to have everything right for these little fish and it hasn't worked... |
Just me and my zoo. |
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7384 Posts |
Posted - 29/04/2012 : 11:20:52
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Aww sorry to hear. RIP Mouse. Don't feel you've failed - that fish was very probably sickening before you got him; there's a low survival rate among pet fish; they're bred and transported in huge numbers and some are virtually stressed to death and already developing illness by the time they reach the buyer's tank. Aquarium shops often guarantee a fish for 24 hours but to play fair it ought to be a week.
I see what you mean about them being called mickey mouse platys - they're cute.
I honestly don't know about the tank treatment - the most I've ever done is just use tapsafe and filter aid for water quality. Hopefully Mystra will be along soon - she'll know more. Or an aquarium shop might know.
Yes would be interested to see pics - know what you mean about photographing fish - took me ages to get a decent pic of my lot. |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 30/04/2012 : 07:59:50
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Thanks BATS.
I use Safe Guard to treat the water with. So it can't have been that. Thinking back now I think he probably was sick before he came home with me. I should have noticed it before and thought better of it to bring him home. But he did seem fine. This Columnaris thing can be in a fish's system all thier life, I think, with no bother as long as the fish stays healthy, so I don't think there will ever be a way of knowing wheather or not he was going to make it.
I've desided to start doing small daily water changes untill I've replaced the whole tank's water. That should sort it out eventually. Yesterday I did quite a big water change just to start with, but I'll just do a little one every day till I'm happy that everything is OK.
The rest of the gang still seem as happy as ever. My preggers girl, Gem, looks like she's swallowed a bit of the gravel 0_0
And my randy boy, Lemon, is as erm... active as he always is. |
Just me and my zoo. |
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paulie78
Hatchling
United Kingdom
97 Posts |
Posted - 30/04/2012 : 10:41:09
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Sorry to hear about your migraines and the loss of your fish i hate losing fish the thing to bear in mind with all livebearers is to keep a ratio of 4 females to every male male minimum otherwise the males will harass the females to death or just ovrbreed with them
from what you described it did sound like cotton wool fungus which is very quick spreading meth blue is a bit of an archaic medication theese days i wouldnt reccomend it as a lot of fish are quite sensitive to it melefix is a very good all round natural rememdy its a lil pricey but it does the job or there are usually more specific interpet treatments around a fiver each the bottles are numbered speficially to help u find the right treatment
have you tested you water ? if your paramaters are out id suggest doing small regular water changes eg ten percent daily till you get them right if you dont have a test kit most fish shops will either test your water free or for a small fee its worth doing just to get a baseline
Try not to beat yourself up though lievbearers theese days are just so weak from generations of inbreeding its most likely nothing you did and was probably doomed from the start unfortunately good luck though |
"Don't put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That's why they're called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes."..Terry Pratchett |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 08:31:23
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Thanks for your reply paulie.
I've stopped treating the water with the MB. I only gave it one dose. I assume it's like cold medicines and the more you use one thing the more likely it is that the fungus/bacteria will become imune to it (one person says something works another says it did nothing). So I didn't want to make things harder for a possable next time. Plus people say that if there's no change after two days then it's not working anyway, and it certainly wasn't working for Mouse.
I do know the fish are sensitive to it as well, another reason I've not put any more in the water.
I will find some other, hopfully better, treatments to keep in the house.
I am now doing small water changes every day and also treating the tank with Aquarium salts. That seems to be the one constant thing that people say works, is salt.
I don't understand what percent is so I'll explain what I'm doing and hopefully it's the right thing...
So I filled the tank with a mixing jug. It took 34 full jugs to fill the tank first time. There are two litres in each jug (it says so on the side. 68 litres?). So on Sunday I changed nine jugs of water just to start with, and then for the days after that I've been changing three jugs a day. Adding the salt afterwards along with the water treater as I was putting the new water in. Does that sound right? I'll do this till I've replaced to whole tanks worth of 'old' water.
The fish actually seem happier with the water changes and I'm wondering if I should be changing the water more often than just once a month? That's what I thought was best since it means your not getting rid of too much of the good bacteria. But now I'm thinking that I should do water changes once a week? Some people say that's better?
There's still no sign of any more casulties, and right now everyone is enjoying some cucumber after their clean out : ) They do get tropical fish flakes and three times a week they get a frozen block of bloodworms too. But for Monday and Tuesday I've desided an all veggie diet might be a good idea. Yesterday they had some steamed lettuce. They loved that.
I don't test the water for anything 'cause I read that both Platies and Guppies don't care about that sort of thing and they just adapt, but now I realize that everyone tests the water and I think maybe that's what made my little Mouse ill? I must have missunderstood everything I was reading about...
What am I testing for? Amonia and nitrate? Anything else? I'm sure my petshop will sell testing kits but if not I'll find one. Are there different kits to buy, or just one? Anything to look out for in particular?
Oh, and so far I have three male Guppies and four female. But obviously that's going to be it for now while I deal with this infection. The Playties left are both female. But I will be getting more 'cause I don't think two is enough for them to feel happiest. For now all seems well and everyone is getting along. No fighting and no bullying.
Please let me know if I can do anything else. And since the water is now clear again from the MB then I'll try to get some photos soon : )
Thank you again. |
Just me and my zoo. |
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Evolution Morphs
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2265 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 09:02:58
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Api test kits is what I use to use
On eBay they will be the cheapest fist shops will want about £30 for the where I when I brought one it was £16.99 on eBay
As someone told me your not keeping fish you keeping the water
Also best to add one fish at a time as fish are know to have illness or get illness very quickly
And that way you can monitor that one fish you add
As for cycling I alway though it was best to run the tank for 4 weeks
I know not very good as we all want to get fish as soon as
Cycling is needed to grow the bacteria in the filter to get rid of the ammonia
I alway use to keep a bottle of melefix
And also there's a bottle that will get your ammonia ,nitrite,nitright down
There's a few more bottle I use to keep but I can't remember it was quite a while since I kept fish
I never had any luck keeping guppies
They would get split tails get stressed then die
Some to think about are
Neons,harlequins,Molly's,
I found them 3 quite hardy
It's all about the quality of you water when keeping fish
The water test kits a must ;)
Good luck with the fish keeping
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Western Hognose |
Edited by - Evolution Morphs on 01/05/2012 09:04:13 |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 09:36:39
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Thanks D3lboys-Morphs.
My Guppies are all fine. That's the thing. People say they're the first to go when something is wrong, but mine are all going strong *touch wood*. My two remaining Platies are doing fine so far too.
I was worried about Gem, my little preggers girl. She's so small compared to the others I thought she might be prone to getting it. But she's very good at pushing her weight around and looking after herself around the other bigger kids, and she's as fast and lively as ever so I'm a little bit less worried now. She's eatting like a little piggie too X )
I will get a testing kit.
My tank isn't big enough for Mollies says the internet world. I know nothing about Harliquins and I'm not sure I could keep Neons in my unheated tank. The water is lovely and warm, but I'm not sure it's warm enough for them.
The initional plan was to have Guppies, Platies, Barbs, Black-Skirts and some sort of algae eaters like the little Oto Cats. But I think now I might give the Barbs a miss seeing how different the little Platies can look. I would love Barbs, the golden or the rosy, but I know they can be nippy and I'm not sure now about them around the Guppy's tails.
My Guppies aren't the long-finned messed about with things (I know they're all messed about with, but you get what I mean). They're all fantails. The boys are gorgious metalic/iridecent colours. They look different in different lighting. But they're not overly fancy.
I won't get anything too fancy with too much finnage. I don't beleive they do well and I can't really see how you can be happy when half of who you are is fins. Plus I think they look a bit daft to be honest.
But, yes. Testing kit now on shopping list!
There isn't a way of telling if the water is OK meanwhile is there? |
Just me and my zoo. |
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Evolution Morphs
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2265 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 11:13:00
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I think guppies are middle level fish one way to tell if there up at the top of the tank
To much ammonia will make the fish go to the top looking for fresher water
Nitrite or the other niright is what you don't want as its a killer
I think one makes the other
But as I say you need bacteria to build up in the filter and it will take care of the three as well as
A 20-30% water change every 7-10 days
Wi a 50% water change say every 6-10 weeks
Neons are community fish as are harlequins and need the same warmth are guppies
And are lovely have a google for them they are small
About 2-4 cm
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JB2012
Hatchling
United Kingdom
77 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2012 : 23:37:25
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Hi, are you dosing with a filter starter as well as the fresh water treatment?
(this encourages the bacteria to grow)
When cycling a new tank there is always a nitrite spike at some point, typically around 4 weeks after the fish are added. I set up a new tank just before Xmas, and it was around 6 weeks for me (I lost some Tetras before I realised what was going on) I used an interpet start up kit, which has tap safe, filter start, and the test kit you'll need to get started.
I typically change 20-30 litres weekly, from my 90 litre tank. Since the filter matured, I've not had any water quality issues (touch wood)
hope it all settles down quickly for you
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Coming soon... |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2012 : 08:11:48
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Hmm, well maybe I was getting a nitrate spike before I started doing these water changes daily? But weather it was the columnaris in the water or a nitrate spike or whatever they do definatly seem happiest now. Could that be a sign that the columnaris bacteria have been killed off? Or is there no real way of telling?
I never had any filter starter. To be honest it's the first I've heard of it. I started the filter off by putting a tiny bit of flake food in the tank while the filter ran to start off the bacteria cycle. I left it like that for about a week before taking the food back out. I read that was a good way of doing it along with using amonia instead of the food.
I don't have a filter cartridge in at the minuet. I just have the filter running without one. I took it out while I dosed the tank with the MB to save the good bacteria, but now I realize that the columnaris bacteria will probably be in the filter cartridge too, so I'm waiting for a new one. Should have it in by Monday. I know it's not good to go too long without the filter cartridge but I just want to be safe rather than sorry. In the mean time I'm doing the daily water changes and netting any left over food and bits of leaf etc every day. I do that anyway, but I'm trying to be extra-clean right now.
I really did think that the little Neons were tropical fish. Then again at one point I thought that about the Guppies. Now I know that actually they die early in tropical tanks 'cause they can't handle the warmth.
I'll have a read up on them, along with the Haliquins too.
Right then. From now on I'll do weekly water changes and a 'big' clean out once a month or so. And I don't need to worry about killing too much of the good bacteria?
Also, I found a master testing kit on Amazon that gets five stars. So I'll be ordering that.
Thanks again for all your help in this : ) |
Just me and my zoo. |
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JB2012
Hatchling
United Kingdom
77 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2012 : 19:36:18
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Good to hear that they're doing well.
I use the 'community creator' on the website below, it's got some really good info regarding suitable tank mates, stocking levels, water temps etc... There's some really helpful articles as well.
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/community.html
The filter starters help to produce the 'good' bacteria needed to break down the nasties. I can recommend interpet filter start, which I still use to dose the water changed.
Good luck
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Coming soon... |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2012 : 09:10:33
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It was all going so well...
An hour after their water change yesterday all my fish were looking sick. Flame and Gem, two female Guppies weren't looking as bad, but everyone was at the top of the tank with their fins back and tucked in. They looked very upset about something. I assumed it must be the salt 'cause I've been increasing it by a teaspoon a day. I was only up to three teaspoons but I could only think that that's what it must be. So in panic I took out six jugs of water and replaced it with no salt this time... I thought I'd poisoned them.
Things seemed to go from bad to worse when Sunny, my biggest (and secret favourite) male Guppy seemed to almost give up. He looked exhausted and was sitting his belly on the gravel. Just like Mouse did. So I took him out and put him in the only thing I had clean, which is a tupperware tub. I know it's not ideal, but I thought anythings better than nowt. So he sat in there. I rung my mam and asked if someone could go over to the other petshop (the one I can't go in myself) and see what they could find. I realed off some names and brands, but this petshop is a proper fish one so I figured they'd know what to sell anyway.
So I now have a bottle of Waterlife Myxazin. This is supposed to be good stuff, right? People seem to recomend it a lot. It's the only thing they had there that is supposedly meant to kill Columnaris. And obviously this MB is doing knack-all. And I have to assume that the salt isn't either?
...This morning the first job I had was to bury Bluie.
No, I wasn't expecting that either.
He was my smallest male Guppy. There wasn't a scratch or mark on him anywhere. His eyes were clear, his gills were the right colour, his colours were bright and shiny, his scales were fine...
I still have Sunny in his tub. I dosed it with some MB yesterday 'cause back then that's all I had. He's not showing any signs of getting beter, but no sign of getting much worse either.
My questions are, firstly, if Sunny has now been treated with MB can I still treat him with this Myxazin Now, or have I ballsed it up and now he has to wait?
The other fish seem OK this morning. Yesterday they wouldn't even eat their flakes and this morning they're all begging for food. So should I still dose the whole tank with the Myxazin? Should I put Sunny in the main tank in one of the nets and just dose everyone the same, or keep him seperate in his tub?
This Myxazin contains Formaldehyde. Is it even safe for such tiny things?
My tank is apparently a 15 gallon. Lets say 13 with all the gravel 'n' plants and a peice of wood in there. So I need to dose 1ml for the whole tank, right? Every day for five days? Have I got that right?
Have I poisoned them with salt? Have I over-stressed them with the water changes? Have I not dissinfected things properly? Have I introduced something from outside into their tank? Is it really Columnaris? How can I tell?
I really do feel stuck here. There's nothing to see on any of the fish, not even Sunny. No nips, no rips, no scratches, no damaged scales or fins or tails or gills... Nothing looks wrong. Everyone is lively and shiny... but I know there's something in that water. There's something not right in there. Every time I think it's getting better it gets worse. I didn't even suspect poor Bluie.
It's like a waiting game, to see who will die next. I just feel like I'm not doing things right, like I should be able to fix this.
I know I'm not the only one who has to deal with these things, but I just feel so stupid and so powerless... these little fish rely on me and I don't know what to do for them. |
Just me and my zoo. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2012 : 09:29:49
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Hi, Blue, very sorry to hear. Hope someone more knowledgeable will be along soon, as I'm not experienced at all, but I do know that the filter aid that I use contains formaldehyde, and my two surviving guppies are fine with it.
I would never have another guppy tbh. They are such enchanting little fish - I used to have a whole shoal of different coloured males and it looked fab, but sooner or later one would 'drop out' and go and lie on the gravel, and I'd know that was it. No matter how clean I kept the water and filter etc. I think these last two must be super-guppies, had them a couple of years now. But I do think that many pet fish have problems before they even leave the shop - and a shop's a pretty stressful place. Last time I was in pets at home there was the inevitable happy family with two young kiddiwinkies beating tattoos on the fishtanks ...grrrr!
Hope you get the problem sorted, good luck with it. |
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Evolution Morphs
Old Royal - I Post too much!
United Kingdom
2265 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2012 : 09:50:58
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Can I ask why you were putting salt in the tank I've never hear that before
There fresh water tropical fish guppies
Ain't salt for the marine fish |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2012 : 10:26:11
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I was putting the Tonic Salts in the water 'cause it was reapeated so many times when I've been looking up what this could be. To put salt in the water, a little bit at a time, to treat Columnaris. I'm not sure how it does it but people seemed to recomend it a lot and a good few people seemed to have success with it. No-one metioned not useing it with certain fish.
I was sceptical myself too, but I haven't put any more in the tank since yesterday anyway. And I think I'll give it a miss for a while too.
I was under the impression that Guppies were hardy fish, even the ones you find these days. But BATS, your saying that your's haven't been, and I think it might be true that they're not a hardy as I thought. I chose them and the Platies 'cause I thought they'd make good starter fish for the tank. But now I think I might have done the wrong thing.
This is my plan. My new one. I've read up on this Myxazin and how to dose it properly and I'm sure I understand it right. So, I'm going to take Sunny out of his tub and put him in the main tank, but in one of the nets so I can keep a close eye on him and so at least he can't come into direct contact with any other fish.
After half an hour/hour (so it's not straite from one medcine to the next) I'm going to dose the whole tank with Myxazin. I'm going to dose it for five days reguardless of weather or not things look better. I'm just going to get on with it and see where it gets me.
No more salt and no more MB. And no more water changes till the five days is up. That way I know that the dose everyone is getting is right and is the same every day.
No fannying about thinking everything is better when clearly it isn't.
How does that sound?
On a slighty lighter note... and I'm a bit scared to say it in case I jinx anything, Sunny has just eaten two flakes. He didn't want anything yesterday. Not even a tasty bloodworm. And he seemed to eat in a normal excitable way that Guppies do. Can't be a bad thing can it?
Bless him, he's a strong boy. That has to be his biggest strength right now. |
Just me and my zoo. |
Edited by - BlueDragon on 03/05/2012 10:27:05 |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 08:05:37
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So I dosed the tank yesterday with the Myxazin. And I've just done the second dose this morning.
Sunny is in one of the breeder nets for now. I can't say there's an improovment with him, but he's definatly not any worse. He's still sitting on his belly, genrally just acting knackered. But he keeps getting up and swimming around. He's trying to get higher and higher off the ground, his own little goal I think. And yesterday afternoon, just before their light went out, he managed to swim right up to the top of the water.
Last night he didn't look well again. His breathing was fast and he wasn't moving much. To be honest I was expecting the worst this morning...But he's up and about, swimming around. Trying his hardest. And I have to say that it is starting to look just a tad easier for him.
The others all look much better again now too. All fins are up, no hiding in corners, no sitting on bellies and no hovering near the top of the water. They're all begging for food again and today is bloodworms day again.
I'm hoping that Sunny will eat a few bloodworms too today. I'm sure the protene will do him some good. But I'll offer him his fakes too, later on, and see if he wants those.
I'm not going to say anything untill I'm apsoloutly sure this time that everything is fine. But for now things would seem to be happier in my little fishy world. |
Just me and my zoo. |
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JB2012
Hatchling
United Kingdom
77 Posts |
Posted - 04/05/2012 : 23:15:41
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Hi blue, sorry to hear things are still tough
Have you managed to test the water quality yet?
for a new aquarium ammonia, Nitrite & PH are likely to be the biggest indicators
Did you say that you've removed the bio material from the filter? (typically white cylinders)
These are where the good bacteria grow, which Break down the toxic waste produced by the fish. without these it's highly likely that you have insufficient bacteria to cope with the current level of fish.
Personally I would try to rule out water quality issues first, before dosing with chemicals,
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling.htm
http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/cycling2.htm
Maybe a brief timeline showing what you've done to the tank so far may help.
Also, what temperature are you holding? (do you ensure the fresh water is the same temp?)
Apologies if I'm stating the obvious, but I wish someone had tried to cover all possibilities when I was starting up, it may have saved me some stress.
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Coming soon... |
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BlueDragon
Sub Adult
United Kingdom
876 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2012 : 10:17:23
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It's OK, sometimes it's good to point out things like that. I think sometimes it's easy to forget when your trying to learn everything at once. : )
I've got a master test kit on order from my petshop which I'll be able to get on Tuesday (Would be Monday usually, but with this holiday 'n' all that). So I should be able to tell you what my water is like then.
Can I ask though, what can I do if my water is no good? I mean apart from getting it from someone else, which seems a bit ridiculous, I can't think of what else I could do. My water treater gets rid of chemicals and amonia and is also got stuff in to encourage the fish to produce their 'slime' and to stay healthy. So if there's nasty chemicals or something in the water does that mean the treater isn't working?
I did have a filter cartridge in to start with and have only taken it out while I'm treating the tank. That's hopefully another thing I'll be getting on Tuesday. I don't want to put this old one in incase it's harbering any of this Columnaris bacteria in it. I do realize that going without on for too long is a bad idea though.
I'm not sure if I can put a new one in while I'm treating the tank 'cause some people seem to think that it won't harm the bacteria in the cartridge and some people say it will. I'd like to put a new on in ASAP, obviously, but it's pointless if I'm just going to be killing all the good in it.
I think my temp is 72 (sometimes 73 when a bit warmer). I got a thermometer that has a green band where the temp should be 'cause I knew it would be easier for me to understand. The lower end going up towards the middle is for sub-tropical and the higher end is tropical. I have it steady at a bit above the lowest end. I don't get the numbers on it really. It says 60 and then 80 on one end but inbetween that it says 20 on the other side. But I think I must be at 72 'cause 70 comes between 60 and 80. I don't get what the 20 means.
... I can take a photo on the thermometer if you like? You might be able to make more sense out if than me.
But I was assured that my temp is fine for the fish I have.
Does that give a clearer picture?
If I can put the new filter cartridge in when I get it then I will.
And of course if there's any way I can change anything wrong with the water then I'll do that too.
And a quick update. All fish are doing well. There's been no more funerals. Sunny is still not himself, still sitting on the floor of the net. But he's eating more, and swimming seems easier for him. He's much more able to swim around in there without it looking like he's having to swim through gel. His dorsal fin is high again, which it wasn't before, and he seems to have a bit of interest in what's going on (I can see him following everyone with his eyes now, even if he still can't join in). But he's still tired and still needs to rest lots. Yesterday he ate a load of bloodworms and two flakes and thismorning he's eaten three flakes. Came all the way to the top of the water to get them too, instead of waiting for them to fall. |
Just me and my zoo. |
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JB2012
Hatchling
United Kingdom
77 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2012 : 12:57:11
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If the water treatment you mentioned is like the one I use (interpet fresh start), this is purely for treating what's in the tap water, not what's in the tank. The 'nasties' in the tank come from unbeaten food and fish waste. These produce ammonia, which is deadly in high levels.
Once the good bacteria starts to work it breaks this Ammonia down into nitrites.
As the filter matures it produces a second type of bacteria, which breaks this down further into nitrates.
Nitrate levels take longer to become a threat, and are usually kept in check With regular water changes.
From the various bits I've been reading, most treatments don't affect the bio filter media. (carbon filters should be removed though, as they typically remove the medication from the water) if this needs to be be removed, it should tell you on the medication bottle / packet.
If water quality is an issue, you will need to keep doing daily water changes to try to keep the levels in check, until the bacteria has matured
If you know someone with a healthy aquarium, you could always see if they'll let you have some used bio media, or failing that, I hear that a handful of gravel from a healthy tank can kickstart things..
I would also try to make sure you don't over feed, I'm guilty of this, as mine always look 'starving' 
(you could always take a water sample in to your local shop, most will test the water for free)
With regards to temps, I think the 20 would probably relate to degrees Celcius.
I think you may be a little low at the moment, according to the details below.
(sorry, it takes a little while to load)
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/community_results.php?id=80.html
http://www.thinkfish.co.uk/community_results.php?id=82.html
Online temp conversion
http://www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.htm
I would recommend a digital thermometer as well, they're much more accurate, and can also be used to measure the fresh water as well.
(changes of more than a degree in temp can be very stressful)
As a side thought, how are you oxygenating the water?
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Coming soon... |
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My New Nightmare...
