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| FAQs on Freshwater Environmental Disease
5
Related Articles: Environmental Disease,
FW Disease Troubleshooting,
Freshwater Diseases, Choose
Your Weapon: Freshwater Fish Disease Treatment Options
by Neale Monks,
Related FAQs: Environmental Disease 1,
Environmental Disease 2,
Environmental Disease 3,
Environmental Disease 4,
Cycling Trouble-Fixing,
&
Toxic Situations,
Popeye/Exophthalmia,
Nutritional Disease,
Aquarium
Maintenance, Establishing Nutrient Cycling, African Cichlid Disease 1,
Cichlid
Disease,
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 |
Re: problem with aquarium system,
disease... emphysematosis, induced... no reading 7/8/08
Hi,
The system is run by a 1 hp pool pump.
<... For this many gallons? Why? You want to read/look into a better,
non-high-pressurized pump... this one will "drive you into the
poor-house"... See WWM re Pump Selection: Here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i2/External Pumps/External_Pumps.htm
and the linked files at the bottom>
There is a lot of air/water mixing in the strainer chamber so i guess there
is pressurized water there.
<... yes... this is along with the improper pump, the cause of the trouble
here>
Is there a possibility of having too much oxygen in the water which is
causing "the benz"?
<As in Mercedes? Yes>
i notice that when the fish were removed they recovered quickly in a medical
tank using MelaFix.
<... you're joking right? Ridiculous>
the water renters the tanks through 1" tubes emptying by the top and there
are fine bubbles in the return water into the tank. The bubbles on the fish
though are coming through their skin, not attaching to them. The pH is 8.0
(African cichlids) ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0. Thanks!
Don
<... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/PdBblDisease.htm
and the linked file related at top. BobF>
Re: problem with aquarium system,
disease... emphysematosis, induced...
Thanks for all the help! I'm off to shop for a new pump!
Don
<Ah, good! BobF>
Fish Bent in Half: Improper Housing -
7/1/08
Hey guys!
<Hello! Benjamin here today>
My fish is in a bowl on his own, fed regularly but only a small
amount, washed regularly and given attention.
<Hee! I don't know if he needs 'attention' but it sure is fun to
watch our fish! On the other hand, there really are no fish that are
suited for life in a bowl. I assume you have a Betta or a goldfish-
a Betta needs a heated, filtered aquarium; a goldfish requires at
least 15 gallons of living space to prevent toxic build-up of
wastes. Please read on wetwebmedia.com re the specific needs of
whatever the denizen of your bowl is>
He is currently almost bent in half and led on the bottom of the
bowl. When he swims, he swims in circles but keeps sinking to the
bottom. Can you please tell me what is actually wrong with him and
if there is anything I can do to help him?
<Based on his living space, probably poisoning from ammonia or
nitrite compounds; otherwise a late-stage symptom of internal
infection of the coelom or gas bladder. If your fish has not reached
expiry by the time you read this, small frequent water changes with
dechlorinated water may help- as will some time spent reading about
proper husbandry for this fish and future charges>
Thanks in advance,
Vicki
<Best of luck, Benjamin>
Re: Fish Bent in Half: Improper Housing: Since the Sun has Risen
Yesterday, Surely Tomorrow... - 7/1/08
Hello!
I have kept fish in the same tank for years and most usually live
3-5 years. But thanks anyway for your advice.
<Past successes do not dictate future ones...Bacon would have things
to say here...
<<! A new high! Sir Francis evoked on WWM!!! RMF>>
the point in case here is that your fish is improperly housed and
one way or another its demise is imminent and hastened by being kept
in a bowl. Please read re basic fishkeeping, ethics on
wetwebmedia.com. If this is a Betta spp. you are slightly under the
expected lifespan; if this is a goldfish you have barely reached a
sixth of their low-end life expectancy. Ultimately, although bowls
may be popular they simply cannot be used conscientiously- that they
are safe or adequate for any fish is false. As G.K. Chesterton
points out, "Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they
become fashions">
Vicki
<Benjamin>
|
Struggling guppy, New Tank Syndrome
6/17/08
Hi. I am hoping you can help me. You have helped me with fish in the past
that I have had to return due to poor retail advice.
<Will try.>
I have 3 guppies in a 10 gallon tank. I have been bringing my water in to be
tested weekly for about a month, as I wanted to add another but want the water
to be right. I have had the tank for about 2 months and the guppies for about a
month or more. The water keeps testing high in ammonia.
<This is a big problem, perhaps you need more filtration.>
I started with 4 guppies and one died (I'm assuming ammonia poisoning -bloated,
gasping, stayed at the very top and then the bottom before I separated him and
he died.)
<Sounds like it.>
I would like to get a new one to replace him and maybe dwarf Corys.
<I would not even think about adding anything until you get your water
parameters in check.>
Last time I brought the water in, the salesperson told me to start with a Ph
test kit. I have been using it. This sounds like a dumb question, but after
reading a previous q&a on your web site, I want to be sure. If water is testing
at 7.6 or higher... which do I use, the up or down solution.
<For guppies I would do neither, that is just about perfect for them. They
prefer hard, alkaline water, even slightly brackish water.>
Of course, confused again because the salesman the week before said that the ph
was fine, ammonia high. But, this salesperson said that the ph drops would help
with the ammonia.
<It tends to make the ammonia a little less toxic, but having ammonia at all is
such a big problem that finding ways to rid it from your tank is more important
than slightly reducing its toxicity.>
Also, one of the guppies was the smallest to begin with. The other two guppies
play with each other all day and ignore him for the most part. He doesn't get
much food, he is slower to the take and they grab it. I have tried to feed them
first and while they are eating, drop flakes right at the other fish, but they
always get it first. He is showing signs of fin rot. He is losing most of his
orange tail. He also seems to be struggling with thicker orange poop. What can I
do.
<Improve conditions, perhaps separate to allow it to feed and get stronger.
Guppies are very tough on their weaker tankmates.>
My husband is ready to "toss the tank" --- that it shouldn't be this hard and
the kids are affected each time since they are their fish.
Thanks so much in advance.
<Keeping exotic animals alive in small glass boxes is more difficult than most
people expect. Check out this excellent article by Neale Monks for a start, and
read through our guppy sections for more.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/guppies.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm . Also be aware,
contrary to popular opinion fancy guppies are not the most robust fish, and
beginners in the hobby often struggle with these fish which were sold to them as
starter fish.>
<Chris>
Re: struggling guppy 6/17/08
Thank you for such a quick reply!
<Welcome>
One more question. I have been told that
frequent water changes can just delay the cycle. However, with poor water
tests, how often and much would you recommend I be doing?
<Since you have fish in there, they may be necessary to do daily, ammonia is
extremely toxic and needs to be controlled in this situation. This will slow
down your cycle but really you don't have much choice.>
Also, the tuxedo guppy still has the "poop" he was struggling with when I left
over an hour ago. I guess it's more brown than orange. Is this probably "poop"
or could
it be something else?
<Most likely poop.>
Thank you again. Your quick reply was truly appreciated!
Beth Crenshaw
<Welcome>
<Chris>
|
FW Cardinals, and something sinister- Stressed Fish Start To Have Problems
06/15/08
Hello WWM crew. First, I have to thank you again for this great resource-
your time and
expertise help so many people. You helped me a great deal in the past with the
curious subcutaneous worms plaguing my Cardinal tetras. Thank you so much.
< Thank you for your kind words.>
Treating the tank with Seachem's Cupramine at ¾ of the recommended FW dose
worked well; every single Cardinal pulled through! The only "casualties" were a
clutch of eggs that my male M. altispinosus decided to eat despite his mate's
valiant efforts at guarding them (they are usually a great breeding pair).
That being said, something sinister seems to have creeped into the tank. About a
week ago, I found a Cardinal looking emaciated and lethargic. He had hidden too
well in the plants and I had not found him in time to effect any positive
change. A few days later, a heat wave struck. When I arrived home, the
temperature was close to 90 degrees F! Everyone was either floating oddly or
lying on the bottom. Off with the lights, on went the AC, and I floated sealed
bags of ice on the surface. Remarkably, everyone recovered
fully except for one large female Cardinal, who I found the next morning.
Yesterday, another Cardinal started "shedding"- imagine a dog shedding its winter
coat,
but a fish shedding its scales. He also appears to have popeye! This evening,
another Cardinal appears to have the beginnings of popeye. One Cardinal could
have been an isolated incident. The second could have been an accident. But four
Cardinals within a little over a week? I DON'T like those odds.
Everything sounds environmental, but- Ammonia = 0, Nitrite= 0, Nitrate=0
(aquarium is long established/cycled, I just have a lot of very happy plants),
water is soft (RO mixed with tap, cleaned at least weekly), pH is 6.6,
temperature is 82 degrees F. Is there something else that I should be testing
for? Could there be another connection between these incidents? There has only
been two recent change to the tank: one day before the first Cardinal's death, I
added a new Fluval canister filter to the existing tank filtration (which
remains in place), and I had begun using new ferts for the flora (iron enriched
"Plant Gro" by Nutrafin, since I can't find Flourish with iron locally- but I do
use Flourish root tabs). Coincidence, correlation or causation?
Tank mates include:
28 Cardinals (not that I can actually count them)
4 M. altispinosus
3 Otocinclus (Very fat and happy)
1 Longfin Bristlenose Plec
1 SAE
Last edition to the tank was the Plec, but I have had him for a long time and
transferred him to my main tank because guests always commented on how beautiful
he was. Everyone was quarantined for no less than one month prior to their
introduction to the tank. Their diet (in case it is relevant at all…) consists
of mashed peas, thawed frozen bloodworms, Nori (which I think they play with
more than actually eat), Spirulina flakes, Tetra granules and Nutrafin Max flake
food (and whatever eggs/fry tank mates manage to steal from the rams and the
Otos). I would greatly appreciate any insight into my Cardinals' plight- advice,
guidance, suggestions, musings, criticisms or reasons why atmospheric pressure
is conducive to the integration of pachyderms into society.
Thank you so much, and enjoy your weekend,
Tianna
< Here is what I think is going on. During the heat wave your fish and
biological filtration were stressed. Oxygen levels were low and metabolism was
up. Not a good combination. You fish may have somewhat recovered but the stress
made them vulnerable to bacterial infections. For a short time period you
probably didn't have much biological filtration because the beneficial bacteria
died off during the heat wave. If nothing else their numbers may have been
affected. As bacteria start to colonize the canister filter they consume oxygen.
Some filters get to the point they consume all the dissolved oxygen going
into the filter. Make sure that the return tube forces the returned water to the
surface so it can be oxygenated. The infections can be treated with Furanace but
this will turn the water green, and the plants and bacteria will be affected. I
would recommend to isolate any diseases cardinals and treat them in a hospital
tank with Furanace type of antibiotic.-Chuck>
HELP-URGENTLY PLEASE... FW... hlth./env.
6/12/08
Hello,
I have a 500L tank which consisted of the following: 6 Oscars, 2 Yabbies, 2 blue
Acaras, 1 Texas, 1 Synodontis nigriventris, 2 Severums. Things have been running
smoothly for about the last 6 months. About a week and a half ago one of the
yabbies died, not to my knowledge as it was hiding in a cave at the back of the
tank. The tank then started to get cloudy, I did a water change and then
realized the yabbie was dead. He was in pieces, At first I thought it was one of
the Oscars who had attacked him a I could see the rest of his body. A day or two
later after the water change I found the rest of his body and discovered that
the other Yabbie had also died. I got the rest of all the yabbies out of the
tank.
<By "Yabbie" I assume we're talking about crayfish here? Oscars eat crayfish in
the wild. That's why they evolved those strong jaws -- not to catch fish as many
people think, but to crunch the shells of crabs, crayfish and snails. So mixing
crayfish and Oscars isn't a brilliant idea.>
A day or two later the tank started to get a little dirty again, I looked and
found more bits of Yabbie. I'm getting into detail with this as I'm not sure
weather this was the cause of the problem I had now with an increasing number of
my fish or it was just the start of the problem (My suspicions are that it was
the cause as there have been no change in food, no new fish and no change in my
very strict routine in caring for them, but can not be sure.). That night after
cleaning the rest of the Yabbie out of the tank I went to feed them and realized
that the Texas was gasping at the top of the water and her colour was nearly
black and had a pale film over one eye, I removed her straight away and put her
in my smaller tank which has a small variety of other fish, as I don't have a
hospital tank.
<My instinct here would be to assume the dead crayfish wrecked water quality.
Cichlids are very intolerant of nitrite and ammonia, and that's the issue with
the Herichthys. No need to move any fish -- just to a 75%+ water change, make
sure the filters are in working order and not blocked with grunge, and if
possible add some aeration to help the cichlids recover.>
The same night I took one of the Acaras out as he looked a little down sitting
on the bottom so just to be sure I put him in with the Texas.
<I'm amazed the Aequidens hasn't been destroyed by the Herichthys yet. Matter of
time... While Aequidens rivulatus is robust enough to mix with Central
Americans, Aequidens pulcher certainly isn't.>
At this time all the other fish looked fantastic and the water was looking
great. Two days went by and the Texas had improved dramatically and the Acara
looked fine, so I put the Acara only back in the tank. The next night he was
gasping under the log and had a bulging eye which was cloudy.
<Classic cichlid reaction to poor water quality. Do check nitrite and nitrate,
this latter being very dangerous in cichlid tanks.>
A the same time I noticed my Synodontis nigriventris had holes of flesh taken
out from all over his body which looks more like a flesh eating disease.
<Hmm... not sure about this. Synodontis nigriventris is a small catfish and
could potentially be damaged by these robust cichlids, or for that matter by
large catfish. As you perhaps don't realise, Synodontis nigriventris is also a
gregarious species, and should be kept in groups of 3 or more specimens.
Singletons are very shy.>
I took them both out and put them into the smaller tank, a day has gone by and
there has been no improvement.
<There won't be. Once the bacteria and/or Hexamita infection gets started, you
need to treat with suitable medication. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfishmeds.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/metranidazole.htm
Would recommend doing the antibiotics first, and then the anti-Hexamita
medication next. Cichlids won't "get better" by themselves -- they die.>
I have now also noticed that two of the Oscars have which looks like pop eye
only in one eye, I was looking at a third one and he looks as though he is
starting to form a film on his eye. Otherwise the other fish look fine.
<Treat. Now!>
I am doing a 50% water change tonight as thought it would be the safest option.
I'm wondering what you think the best option for me to do next to treat these
problems.
Thanks
Teags
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
RE: HELP-URGENTLY PLEASE
6/13/08
Hi,
do you recommend using one of the treatments listed under the "Bacterial
Infections (internal)" heading first? for example API erythromycin or an
equivalent we could find in our country Australia)
<Outside of the US, antibiotics (as opposed to antibacterial drugs) are usually
only sold with a prescription from your vet. So with that in mind, if you need
to use Erythromycin, you'll need to call your vet. This doesn't add dramatically
to the cost, but it is another hoop to jump through. This said, with cichlids
your first line of call will be to use Metronidazole to medicate against
Hexamita, the more likely pathogen at work in your system. Again, outside of the
US this is a prescription-only drug, though some alternative, over-the-counter
medications may be available. In the UK for example, there are things like eSHa
Hexamita 'Discus Disease'. Invariably these alternative medications only work if
used early on in the disease cycle. Cheers, Neale.>
|
Extremely contagious and
lethal(?) Disease 4/4/08
Dear WWM Crew,
I have two, freshwater tanks. One is 55 gallons, and currently is stocked with 1
Pacu, 2 kissing fish, 1 Pleco, 1 blue Gourami and 1 powder blue Gourami, the
tank currently has 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate, a ph of 6.4, and moderate
alkalinity.
<I hope you realise how big the Pacu will get! Seriously, even a 250 gallon
aquarium will be too small for this fish, let alone a 55 gallon one! These
things are gigantic! Up to 1 m/3' in length, 30 kg/70 lb in weight.>
The second tank is my hospital tank (recently converted from an isolation tank
for a catfish who killed 8 other fish) which is 10 gallons, and I believe is
currently overstocked with dying fish. These fish are, 1 catfish, 2 tetras (
species unknown, they are roughly silver dollar sized) and 2 goldfish. The
ammonia is 0, the nitrite is very low, 0.5 to 1, and the nitrate is around 5,
and the ph is 6.4.
<Well yes, dangerous overstocked. There is no such thing as "very low" nitrite.
It's like being pregnant, it either is or it isn't. If you have nitrite in your
aquarium, it's dangerous to the fish. Period. So you need to get those fish out
of there. A 10-gallon tank is certainly not viable for Silver Dollars, Goldfish,
or most catfish except perhaps dwarf species of Corydoras.>
Both tanks have a temperature of 84 degrees Fahrenheit (probably too high, high
in hopes of killing mystery sickness).
<Why do you think this would help? And yes, it is too warm and likely stressing
at least some of these fish.>
The tanks also have a tablespoon of aquarium salt for every 5 gallons, and 5ml
of Stress Coat by API for every 5 gallons.
<Again, why do you think salt is helping? None of these fish come from brackish
water. Adding salt to the water is at best pointless, and at worst another layer
of stress.>
The 5 fish all have a variety of symptoms, but all of them seem to have the same
root.
<Unquestionably poor water quality.>
The goldfish both suffer from quickly decaying fins (since I first noticed on
Sunday, march 30th) one, only having bloody stubs where fins are supposed to be
They also suffer from scale loss, having "bald spots" where scales once were.
<Finrot and/or Fungus and/or Mouth Fungus. Curable, but caused by environmental
conditions so those will need to be remedied as well. Fix water, and treat with
something like Maracyn or eSHa 2000.>
The tetras I have had for 2 years and used to be my most resilient fish. One is
blind in both eyes ( the eyes being covered by a thick, slimy, white coat) and
one eye has a red, organic mass hanging out of it. The other Tetra is only blind
in one eye, and I only discovered this today.
<From bad to worse. Likely bitten out by aggressive fish, though perhaps caused
by poor water quality.>
Both tetras also suffer from mildly decaying fins, and the inability to find
food ( will they starve, eventually?).
<Oh dear oh dear oh dear. "Mildly" decaying isn't really all that cheery; it
merely means they're not at Death's door just yet. Same causes/solutions as the
Goldfish.>
The catfish has a bad record, and also suffers from the same kind of blindness
the tetras have, which is remotely an upside, because now he can't find, and
eat, his tank mates, he too also suffers from mild fin rot. What is this
disease?
<Basically the disease is YOU! You can't keep fish, or at least aren't making
any effort to keep them properly. If I could, I'd be around to your house to
rescue these poor animals! Since that's not an option, let me tell you what you
need to do. Firstly, these fish need much bigger tanks. Some of them likely
can't be kept with tankmates at all. So you need to sort that out. Send us
photos, and perhaps we can identify the fish and tell you what's friendly and
what's not. You need to massively upgrade your efforts at keeping your tanks
clean. That may mean additional filters, and it certainly means less feeding and
more water changes. You need to be striving for zero ammonia and zero nitrite
every single day. Big fish need big tanks and big water changes. You should have
filters offering not less than 6 times the volumes of the tank in turnover per
hour, so a 55 gallon tank needs a filter rated at more than 330 gallons per
hour. You need to be doing 50% water changes every week. And you need to spend
some time reading books on fishkeeping. You're making lots of mistakes, and your
fishes are suffering horribly. This is a catalogue of animal cruelty, and you're
getting a lot of very bad karma. So fix things, make your fish happier, and
really enjoy the hobby.>
And where did it come from? Most importantly, how do I save my sick fish?
Thank you, for your time.
Koda
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Re: Extremely contagious and
lethal(?) Disease 4/4/08
Dear Neale:
Thank you for your input about the tank. My son was just looking for some sound
advice not shitty criticism. As a 13 year old this is the beginning of his fish
hobby which I hope he continues after the really crappy things you had to say,
such as "the disease is you". I will not be recommending your site any longer to
anyone, as, well, you seem to be a contaminate yourself. I hope your fish are
happy with you because from the brief encounter I have had I am sure you do not
make too many other PEOPLE in your life very happy.
Thanks again!
Jennifer
<Hello Jennifer. I'm sorry you didn't feel my advice was helpful. But being
thirteen years old and starting out in the hobby doesn't allow someone to treat
fish badly and let them suffer. The fish your son has had either died, had their
eyes bitten out, or developed severe Finrot. In no way at all were they being
cared for properly, and there was no sign at all that research had been done
prior to purchase. For example no-one in their right mind buys things like a
Pacu for a beginner's aquarium. As I said, these things can (and will) get to
the size of big dog. Your son asked me what was going wrong. I gave it to him
"straight up" rather than candy-coated -- the problem was how he was keeping the
fish. Period. End of discussion. I then went on to suggest things he could do to
correct things. I took half an hour out of my life to spend reading and
analysing the problem. My e-mail was constructive even though it was highly
critical. If you feel your son was offended by something I said, I apologise.
But that doesn't let him (or you) off the hook as far as those poor, suffering
fish goes. If you choose to ignore my advice, and watch yet more fish suffer and
die agonising deaths, then that's between you and your conscience. I've done the
best I can. Cheers, Neale.><<Well-done Neale. RMF>>
An apology for Neale
In this case, I mean apology in the sense of "in defense of". 4/4/08
<Indeed?>
Neale has received a few nasty remarks lately because of his direct answers,
which for most readers seem to be just what they need. When he responds, the
information is always well laid out. Suggestions for improvement are presented
in a procedural manner that anyone can follow. He evaluates the situation like a
mechanic evaluating a problematic car. Whereas most people
don't feel offended when their mechanic says, "Your oil is dirty" or "Your brake
pads are worn", certain people take it very personally when he explains what is
likely to be wrong with their aquarium.
<Certainly what I try to do. But as CJ once said in 'The West Wing', "we can all
be better teachers". If in trying to explain things to someone I only succeed in
making them angry, then obviously I'm not doing the best I can.>
To refer to a specific example, an enraged mother wrote in after her son asked
for help and Neale laid out the facts. Thirteen years old seems like old enough
to know better to me... nevertheless, every child matures differently, so let us
accept that this young man truly never considered that it might be *him* that is
the problem and not the fish. How could any responsible parent just watch their
son's aquarium crash and burn? And how exactly could Neale's words be more
off-putting than the rising body count of dead fish?
<I would tend to agree here.>
I work at a library, and I see several books on rodents and ferrets being
checked out. Most people read about pricey reptilian pets such as bearded
dragons and iguanas before they purchase them as a family pet. If replacement
fish were not generally so cheap, parents would perhaps be more attentive to the
mishaps in their child's aquarium!
<I think this is at the heart of things. Community tropical fish are cheap. Many
species cost only a couple of dollars. Cut flowers are more expensive than many
tropical fish! So people tend to view them as disposable things. I have made the
point many times here at WWM that while fish are wonderful pets for children, it
is up to the adults to ensure that the needs of the fish are met. No-one would
buy a cat or dog and leave it to their child to ensure it was fed, taken to the
vet, and so on.>
Sorry, I digress. In short, Neale is a fantastic writer! His wit and candor make
the daily FAQs all the more enjoyable to read. It's a shame that a few take
offense, but please don't be discouraged, Neale - the majority of us are so
grateful you came aboard, gracing us with outstanding content. I have bookmarked
several of your articles, many of which I have passed along to other fishkeepers
who need a jumping off point. I appreciate that your articles are sophisticated
enough to engross a more experienced freshwater aquarist, yet not too technical
so as to put off a complete novice.
<Thank you so much for the kind words!>
EVERYONE does a terrific job at WWM...but a special thanks to you, Neale!
<Very much part of a team, alongside whom I am glad to work.>
Have a nice weekend, everybody.
Nicole
<And likewise to you Nicole, and happy fishkeeping! Neale.>
Re: Extremely contagious and
lethal(?) Disease 4/4/08 4/5/08
Neale,
Bravo! Well Done! Five, yes 5, gold stars for you. Its replies to 13 year olds,
and their parents, like this one that I personally think should be more of the
norm when situations dictate. Bloody well done mate!
Craig
<Hello Craig! Thanks for these kind words! I'm not sure WWM necessarily wants to
have a reputation for savaging errant teenagers, but as you observe, perhaps
once in a while it's not entirely out of order. Sincerely, Neale.>
|
Boesemani Rainbows in
trouble. New tank syndrome... - 3/21/08
Hi guys,
<Andrew>
I've learned much from your website in the past, but so far have not been able
to find any sort of real answer to my question.
I have been keeping marines and corals for about three years now, with great
success, but recently decided I'd like to go back to my roots and set up a small
FW tank. In addition to my 75Gal deepwater reef setup (LPS and soft corals) I've
had a 20Gal tank that was home to a nice BTA and clarkii clown, along with a
yellow coral goby and Gold headed sleeper goby (who put on heaps of weight after
purchase!). Anyway, the idea was to move what stock I could to my main display,
and traded the BTA and clarkii back for store credit.
I stripped and cleaned the tank THOROUGHLY and refilled it with new filter
media, and substrate, and of course FRESH water. I ran the tank for three days
and tested PH only and it was 7.2, with temp of about 78 (which fluctuates cause
of the ambient air temp here in Aus) I got myself 6 neon tetras and popped them
in, and they seemed to be quite happy despite the fact that they like slightly
acidic water usually.
<Mmmm... how was this new FW system cycled?>
The whole idea behind this tank was to raise some juvenile Boesemani Rainbow's
and move them to a new home when big enough, so seeing that the tetras were
doing fine I bought 8 X 1 - 1 1/2" rainbows. Now I know that this is a rather
large load for a new filter, but was able to use a little filter media from
another healthy FW system to get it started (this is starting to read like war
and peace!).
<Mmm, no... this is far more exciting>
After about three days of happy swimming (and daily 15Gal water changes with
dechlorinated tap water) the fish began developing white opaque patches on their
bodies, one at first then the others day by day. It did not look like anything
I've seen before, almost like slightly cooked flesh! and though I could not try
it looked like it might rub of with your finger.
I continued with the daily water changes as per plan to alleviate filter
overload, but the fish continue to succumb to this white patch. after about a
day, each fish moves to the surface where it breathes rapidly and dies almost
hours later. Of course after seeing the first fish with the gasping symptoms, I
cranked the Air bubble up to max to help with oxygen saturation in the water,
but it had no effect, as I imagine their gills were likely coated in the same
"substance". I also tried using Stress coat (with aloe vera) as I thought this
might help, though I've never used the product before.
<Is a good product... but not efficacious here... for what you have going on
won't work>
Strangely enough the Neon tetras seem to be unaffected, and none have any signs
of disease. I have now lost 3 Rainbows in total, and expect to lose another over
night. Now I know by now you neck must be sore from all the shaking with
contempt, but any help would be much appreciated = )
Andrew
<Is really very likely "just" new-tank syndrome... the Rainbowfishes being more
sensitive than the Neons... I would either look for a real bacteria culture
product like BioSpira or Dr. Tim's equivalent... or move the Melanotaeniids to a
better-established setting. Bob Fenner>
ick in an uncycled tank,
Oranda treated with heat and salt. acidity in water. Iatrogenic troubles,
reading 03/16/08
FW Daily?
<? all are posted>
Hello. First, thank you for your website, which I have perused many times over
the last 2 years while getting interested in keeping fish. I have mainly been
interested in the cold water section, as my parents have a pond and I have been
helping them with their Shubunkin issues.
My interest in their fish led me to get really interested in aquatic life in
general, particularly in goldfish.
<Ahh!>
Now to my current issue which concerns my new fish, and temporary tank.
I am building a 55 gallon tank for them next week when I get paid. Last week on
Friday, I bought 2 x >1.5" Orandas and placed in a 20L tank with filter
(un-primed, but dosed with Stress-Zyme)
<Mmmm, this won't work... the system needs to be cycled>
and an air-stone, and thermometer. The filter has a heater, so I switched it to
minimum (18C), for a stable temp
<Good>
(it can get cold in our house at night). They were acclimatised to the temp for
one hour in the bag and then I mixed tank water into the bag three times over
the next hour, then released them (with the water which I now regret). I added
dissolved rock salt to 0.1ppm, to help them settle down. I kept the tank light
off until day 2. Their daily routine is (and has been since): curtains open, 30
minutes before tank light which is on for 8 hours, then tank light off while
room light on for an hour, then room light off; and darkness until morning. I
didn't feed until following day and gave them cucumber. Next day, a part of a
pea, next day a blanched leaf of romaine lettuce and dried blood-worm, next day
some dried Nori which I soaked first. I noticed red-cap fish flashing against
the airline tube on the 2nd day. The other is an orange Oranda.
From the outset, I checked parameters 3 times a day (pH, ammonia, nitrite, salt
level, occasionally checking nitrate). Their water was always conditioned with
dechloriminator at water-change time (and upon the first tank-fill). I changed
25% per day. On the 4th day I started to see ammonia, so I did PWC partial water
change, and added a drop of ammo-lock.
<This is only a temporary fix...>
I used Stress-Zyme to help prime the filter.
<Won't do this>
The red-cap was flashing still. I was still feeding lightly with greens as
above, including blanched spinach.
Back to the 3rd day, I was shocked to see my red-cap covered in white spots. I
Googled, diagnosed Ich, and Googled some more. I added more salt up to 0.2ppm.
<Not an effective cure...>
The feeding continued, very lightly, with different greens.
On 4th day, added more salt up to 0.3ppm and increased the temperature slowly.
Following days; I kept up with parameter tests, increasing temperature until 29C
over two days. The water was going more and more acid, down to between 6.5/7.0
(my tap water comes out at 7.5). I also noticed fluctuation in temperature, so
bought a second heater, and installed it too. I set it to 29.5C,
<!>
and bought another thermometer.
The temp in the tank was stable at 30C on the thermometers and the salinity was
stable at 0.3ppm.
Both fish seemed fine, no gasping for oxygen, I was watching them day-in,
day-out. Plenty of aeration, filter making a waterfall, bubbles breaking the
surface well. On the 5th day, the infected fish started losing its spots, and on
the 7th they were all gone (so I am timing 70 hours until I turn the heat down
gradually, or earlier if necessary, or later if possible). Also, the few black
coloured ammonia burns that only the red-cap had, started to go away. Both their
appetites are great, they try to eat my fingers when I put them on the surface.
<A good sign>
The water was beginning to smell a bit rich, I thought it must be the heat. Not
bad smelling, but rich. Organic and a bit fishy. Some slight foaming around the
tank corners.
Last night (day 8), the pH was down to 6 (yellow on test card) with only another
2 days to go before I start to lower the heat over a period of days. So I tried
not to panic, and decided to do an immediate PWC. I looked at my change-water,
already heated to the correct temperature and matched in salinity, and decided
to throw it, and get some fresh. The reason being, I used the hot tap to fill
it, and let it cool rather than use the cold tap, just for convenience. I
panicked that the carbonates were being depleted with this method,
<You are wise here>
and I didn't want to add more acid water, or rather water which wouldn't buffer.
So, I mixed fresh cold and warm water together, aware that I should err on the
side of caution with pH, and added the salt as before, and heat, and dechlored
it.
Meanwhile, still panicking, I thought I would add the tiniest pinch of bicarb,
premixed with a little water. Well, I tested the tank 5 minutes later and the
result was a little more green, but still green-yellow 6.5. This could have been
a whole .5 raise, and of course I felt terrible that I could have altered it too
much, too fast. I kept the lights dimmed in the room the whole time to keep the
fish calm. But I think I saw one of them go upside down in the bubble stream
(the orange one who didn't get the Ich). The red-cap seemed fine. I regret
adding it, because I read afterwards on the net, that goldfish will tolerate a
pH down to 6 if it was gradual, but on the other hand, I heard that Orandas were
more sensitive than other goldfish. I learned about panicking after I did this.
I kept the lights dimmed, but sat and watched for a while. Only the orange fish
was acting abnormally, although I could have been imagining it. It seemed to be
dazed, and rather than resting, it was just glass-staring and going to the
corner and back, and repeating. The red-cap seemed fine, perusing the gravel
looking for things, like he does at night, in dim light. After a while, I put a
bit more light on and approached the tank. They were both full of life, and
excited to see me. I talked to them a while, then checked the temperature of my
change-over water. It was matched, so I did a 25% change, checked the pH again,
it was still green-yellow 6.5.
<No worries>
My plan for the next day (now this morning), was to do 4 or 5 small small water
changes throughout the day. I want to reduce any DOC (concerned about the smell
and acids) and get any poop from the bottom before it goes acid. I will continue
with this the following days, and see if the pH rises any. Otherwise, it must be
my Dechlor, or ammo-remover, or bio-load turning the water acid. I was leaning
toward ammo-lock and bio-load. The fish will have to fast until I've worked it
out.
This morning at 8 am, checked the pH and its more orange-yellow!!! I panic
again. I don't think under 6 is going to be good for my fish. I added the
tiniest pinch of bicarb this time, more diluted in filtered water, and dripped
half the mix in the water, then a 25% water change too. I added some activated
carbon but there is no room in my filter because I put a lot of filter wool in
it, so I placed 3 pieces in the various currents in the tank. It then occurred
to me to flush the filter media with temperature-matched salinity-matched
dechlored water.
Having done that into a waste bucket, I now know where most of the problem was
coming from. There was a green leaf salad and waste in there (the Nori, and
possibly bits of cucumber, and green poo), so I flushed it out of the media, and
replaced the filter. The foaming on the water has reduced, as has the smell.
Just more water changes today are planned and panic over, I'm sure. I also stood
by with the net, because my fish were pooing spinach like machines.
Any more pH rises when I change water should be gentle with smaller / more
frequent water changes, and any acids in the water are now minimised I hope -
wouldn't you say?
<Mmm, no... see below>
The carbonates in the water won't be eaten so quickly too, but I don't want the
pH to get too far back to neutral until the ammonia phase is over.
An hour later (now), tested for ammonia and it was up to 0.25.
<... toxic...>
My change-water Isn't heated yet, so added a drop of ammo-lock. Not worried too
much as the pH is still 6.5. ; then dosed the filter with Stress-Zyme.
In another hour, will do a 25% change, and test the ammonia and pH. if the pH is
still 6.5, I will do another 25% (or less) a bit later ??, and remove the
carbon.
Update: have done the above water change, pH 6.5, ammonia between 0 and 0.25 -
slightly green coloured.
This is all notes as I've gone along, from about day 5, written up to give to
you for help. If you can offer me any advice on how to get through the next
days, and help me out with this fear that it's all going to go wrong, I'd really
appreciate it. My fish seem perfectly well, I just want them to stay that way.
Thanks very much, David.
<Troubles... initially... This volume is too small for these fish... it wasn't,
isn't cycled... Your reliance on chemical treatments won't work to adjust for
nitrogenous accumulation... the Salt... I'd be setting up the 55 gallon, using a
bacterial prep. to cycle it stat.! And moving these goldfish ASAP. Bob Fenner>
Dying black neon tetras...
Iatrogenic mis-stocking issues, FW 2/24/08
Hi, yesterday I went to a Petco and bought 5 Neons tetras, 5 black Neons, 3
cherry barbs, and some weird looking catfish its white and black.
<Need to find the name of this fish...>
I already had a plecostomus about 6 inches an orange finned shark,
<Incompatible>
1 black skirt tetra, and 10 guppies. About 4 days ago I bought a 29 gallon tank,
my old one was 10 gallons. the temperature is about 78 and ammonia pH nitrate
levels are all fine.
<What does this mean? And... how is this new tank cycled?>
So far since yesterday 2 black Neons have died and 1 is swimming awkwardly and
seems to be losing some color. I don't know what is wrong with it also another
one of the tetras seems to have a bite mark in it. do you know what is wrong?
<Likely the minnow-shark is bullying the others, perhaps the catfish as well...
You've placed too much, and incompatible life too quickly here>
also one of the cherry barbs seems lonely it is laying on the ground in the back
corner of my aquarium and only come out to eat, while the other
two barbs are swimming around peacefully and full of energy, it also looks like
this barb has the beginning to a shredded tail. Is there anything I can do to
have the barb become more energetic? Thanks
<... Need to go back a few steps here... Look up the physical needs,
temperaments of the life you have jammed in to this too-new setting. What you
list is incompatible... some likes hard/alkaline cooler water, others
soft/acidic more tropical... What you have will not work. I suggest looking up,
reading re... starting where you were initially instructed:
http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
Bob Fenner>
Um.. I'm worried... Oscars...
simply fighting, or an electrified situation? 2/18/08
I have 2 albino tiger Oscars. A couple of nights ago my larger one started
freaking out and trying to almost jump out of my 55 gallon tank.
<Yikes! Two of these fish need more room than this...>
I would hear a crash and splash and it seemed he was almost unconscious in the
water. My other one seems to be following his pattern because I picked him up of
the ground this morning. I do have a top but they jumped threw the lid.
<Yes... can happen>
They are both very scared up and have almost knocked them selves out. It keeps
happening but there's nothing wrong with my other fish in the tank. Im really
worried could you please help me with your advice.,,,Aki
<I do hope so... I am concerned that you may have a situation here of "stray
electrical current"... making these fish "jumpy"... DO be careful around the
tank till this can be checked, solved... Have someone check with a volt meter...
FIND the fault... DO install a GFCI on all aquarium gear that uses
electricity... IF this is not the root cause here, I suspect the two Oscars were
"just" fighting... need to be separated, ultimately placed in a system of twice
this size or larger... Bob Fenner>
|
Sick jack Dempsey I haven't
got a clue!!! Poor English, no reading... 2/8/08
hello,
my jack Dempsey and 2 Plecos have something sticking out of their anus and he
appears to have a white film on the top of his head. It doesn't appear to be
nematodes its little (less then a centimeter) on all 3. The tank is a 75g with
a1 one and a half inch flower horn, a one inch jewel, 5 or 6 inch convict,5 or 6
inch ob peacock, two 3 inch clown loaches, the 5 or 6 inch jack, one 1 or 2 inch
Texas ,and a 4 or 5 inch Brazilian. The ph has been at 6.2 for 3 months plus
<This is much too low... indicative of?>
but everything else seems to be fine when I test the water.
<... data>
Iv been doing 20%water changes weekly and just noticed that they were sick a few
days ago. His body isn't swollen but maybe a little sunken in and he is still
eating. My fish now have ich.
<Also indicative of poor water quality, stress>
He and the convict are the only two that don't have visible symptoms I am using
Maracide
<...>
and hope to get ether get Maracyn oy Maracyn 2 but don't know what med. to treat
<None>
him with??? So the description as I see it is its white and short kind of stubby
there is no sign of his anus being swollen as in swim bladder (which I had a case
of also not to long ago which has been treated) if you could offer any help I
would greatly appreciate it!! Iv been looking every where and have found
nothing.
thanks a lot, Kristin
<Likely the root problem here is environmental stress... I recommend reading,
water changes and the use of your spelling/grammar checker. Please start here
with the second: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/cichliddisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: sick jack Dempsey
I haven't got a clue!!! 2/9/08
Thank you,
<Kristin>
I've tried chemicals and nothing seems to work for the ph.
<Mmm, what did you use? We should start as far back as you think... to
see what needs doing here>
So I put some sea shells in Tuesday night.
<Can we start with your tap/source water? What is the pH, and alkalinity
or hardness?>
and tested the water last night to see if there was any change, the
alkalinity was up to 40 from 0
<!?>
so I thought that was a good sign. I did use the spell check!! Thank you
for your help!! I was also wondering I have a turtle also and I put one
of his decorations from about a year ago in the fish tank sun. night
after washing it off and Monday the fish had ich could it be that they
got the ich from the decoration???
<Mmm, no... the ich had to have been in the tank, on the fish already...
but in a low population... not a very infectious state...>
Thanks again,
Kristin
<Will you please test your water again and report to me? In the
meanwhile, do keep making partial (10-20%) water changes daily. Bob
Fenner>
Thank you for your
help!!! Re: Sick Jack Dempsey, Water Testing f' 2/14/08
hello,
I contacted you last week about a sick jack Dempsey. I took a sample of
water both from the fish tank and the tap to the LFS and everything was
fine the ph is 7.2 the nitrates are fine!!! I was using a test strip
which they said is inaccurate after a couple times of opening the
bottle. I had no clue, the gave me some different ich med. because my
fish are dying fast!! I would have not taken my water up if you hadn't
suspected a problem so thank you very much for all of your help!!!
Kristin
<Welcome! BobF> |
|
Bloated Molly/Possible
Compatibility Issues... FW env. dis... reading – 1/26/08
HI WWM,
I've read tons of info on your site over the last few weeks and now have a
problem of my own. I'd keep researching but I feel like time is ticking for one
of our Mollies.
We set up a 55 gal. tank approx. 1 month ago.
<Is it cycled?>
All of the water parameters are all in ideal range, with 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia,
<Were there ever?>
neutral pH, hard water, high alkalinity, 82 degrees F.
<A bit warm for the livebearers...>
No air pump, but we do have the filter that looks like a double waterfall as the
water is pumped back into the tank (I wish I knew what it was called, I feel
very stupid right now.)
<No worries. Your description is useful>
I leave it running during water changes in order to allow for aeration of the
new/old water for that brief period of time. Not sure if it's at all effective,
but I feel like it might be. Is it?
<Should be>
Should we add an air pump to the setup?
<Some redundant circulation, aeration is a very good idea>
In the tank we have:
5 Mollies (3 Golden Lyretail, 2 Dalmatian)
6 Guppies
1 Bamboo Shrimp
1 4.5" Elephant Nose
<Mmm... you need to do a bit of researching here... the Mollies are brackish
animals... some of the livestock "likes" hard/alkaline water, others
soft/acidic...>
So far we've been doing about 30% water changes and vacuuming gravel weekly...
with the exception of 2 days ago when I dropped the entire container of food
into the tank and immediately vacuumed it all out and took about %75 of the
water with it.
<Yikes!>
All the water was replaced immediately, all water params were still stable
afterwards as I check everyday (I worry a lot.. :). I just did the first filter
change today, only changing one of the cartridges in order to keep some of the
bacteria the other side was holding onto.
<Ah good>
Plan to change the other one in about 2 weeks, maybe earlier.
<Ditto>
We're very very inexperienced in keeping fish, which is why we chose what we
were told are very "hardy" species.
<Mmmm... I'd be reading... doing independent assessments here. Compatibility is
not such an issue with this mix, as the fact that there are different/varying
"water types" of freshwater environments on this planet... and the life there
not of infinite tolerance/range>
In addition, up until now I never questioned our fishes' compatibility just
because I felt like I'd researched enough and gotten every employee at the local
petstore's opinions on the compatibility of these fish before we purchased any
of them.
<... Live and. hopefully, learn>
So now we've got a problem. Last week I noticed one of our Dalmatian mollies (we
used to have 3 of them) was hanging out at the top of the tank and being a lot
less active than he had been previously.
<... here it comes>
Upon closer inspection I discovered a bulging eye, a mouth that was stuck
hanging open, and torn fins. Clearly he'd been attacked by another fish, but by
who?
<Whom? Not necessarily "anyone">
Do you think it was an issue of Molly on Molly violence?
<Can only hazard a guess, but likely "simple" environmental disease...>
Do you think the Elephant Nose is capable of killing a Molly?
<Mmm, not likely>
(We expected the EN to be territorial, and he's got 2 great places to hide
during the day, but he prefers to swim through them occasionally and spends the
rest of his time bullying the fish. He'll calm down occasionally, but usually
not for long. We feed him frozen bloodworms, which the Mollies seem to enjoy, so
not sure if he's territorial with food? He's like this at all times, not just
feeding time.)
Anyway, that Molly ended up dying within 2 days of when I noticed his problems.
<The others will soon be gone as well>
And today I came home to discover another one of the Dalmatian Mollies staying
at the top of the tank and being a lot less active than is typical of them. Went
up for a closer look and discovered severe bloating in his abdomen, so much so
that his scales are already sticking out. I'm certain this developed overnight
since I usually watch them when they eat to make sure there's no leftovers left
to sink.
<...>
So I read as many articles as I have time for today about adding aquarium salt
for the Mollies (we have a 55 gallon, so for now I'll just add 2 tbsp., enough
for 10 gallons..
<Uhhh....>
and ease into the recommended amount for all 55 gallons in order to avoid a
drastic change.) Every article I've seen says that salt is OK for the Mollies,
some say it's OK for guppies, some say it's not.
<Is okay for the Poecilia>
I haven't seen anything about how well the Elephant Nose and Bamboo Shrimp will
tolerate aquarium salt at the rate of 1 tbsp./5 gal. if they will tolerate it at
all!
<They don't "like it" one bit>
So what do I do now?
<Mmm, at least two systems if you want to keep these species>
At the moment we have nothing set up to isolate the bloated Molly... very very
very hopeful that it's not dropsy and will not affect the other fish. I read
that it could be constipation and to feed a shelled, frozen pea, but right now
he's not at all interested in the regular flake food and doubt that he'd pay a
pea second thought.
<...>
Do you have any suggestions for me? Should I add the salt? Add no salt? Add
some, but not as much as recommended? Do any of the species need to separated to
stay in freshwater and turn the tank we have no into a brackish tank? I don't
know what to do!
<Read, decide for yourself... You have two very different, incompatible mixes of
"water type" species here... one cooler water...>
I'd appreciate any advice you could give me regarding what/how we should handle
these issues and thank you for your time! (If you've made it this far, I know
I've taken up a good amount of it.)
Thanks again!
-CM
<The "Systems" of all these species are gone over on our site... as are their
foods, compatibility... and unlike your LFS, we're not charging you for this
information. Lucky you! Bob Fenner>
Re: Bloated Molly/Possible
Compatibility Issues 1/28/08
Thanks so much for your quick reply. So should we keep the mollies and
guppies together and invest in a new setup geared towards the elephant nose and
bamboo shrimp?
<Yes. Elephantnoses need very specific aquaria: largish, sand substrate, lots of
floating plants, no fish likely to compete for food. Bamboo shrimps should be
fine with Elephantnoses.>
Also, the Molly ended up dying that same night. We quarantined it that
afternoon, treated the water with Melafix (as per the LFS suggestions) and
overnight he passed away.
<Melafix is not all that good really. It's cheap, which is why it sells well;
but it isn't terribly effective, and you're much better off using stuff that's
been tested in labs.>
We also treated the main tank with melafix in order to get rid of anything else
that might be lurking in it. We don't want anyone else to develop anything else.
<Doesn't work this way. Think about it: if tea-tree oil really was a medication
that got rid of everything nasty, wouldn't doctors and nurses use it for
everything? But they don't, because it doesn't. Besides, disease in aquaria is
directly related to [a] quarantining and [b] water quality. To keep all your
fish healthy, you need to concentrate on these two aspects. The direct parallel
is with human health. Is it having a cabinet of drugs that keeps you healthy, or
clean water and safe food?>
Now the water is cloudy. We added aeration and the EN seems to have calmed down
a lot because of it. Do they need water flowing over their gills continuously in
order to breathe?
<No this isn't how it works. Fish ventilate the gill cavity using muscles, and
basically draw water in through the mouth in a way analogous to how we breathe
air.>
Is that why he would never calm down before?
<No.>
What can we do about the cloudy water?
<Water changes, time, replace the mechanical filtration (usually filter floss)
part of your filter.>
Is it because of the Melafix?
<Unlikely.>
The bottle says nothing about it. Or is it because of the aeration?
<No.>
The removal of the carbon from the filter, maybe?
<Carbon serves no particular function in a properly maintained freshwater
aquarium, so the lack of it shouldn't matter. In any case, carbon removes
dissolved organic materials, the stuff that makes old water yellow and acidic.
It has zero effect on silt.>
So many questions... so little time.
<Hence we tell people to read books first, buy fish second.>
Thanks for your help!
-CM
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Bloated Molly/Possible
Compatibility Issues 1/28/08
So how should we go about treating the water to make sure whatever bacteria
gave the first molly dropsy isn't going to affect the remaining 4 mollies and 6
guppies?
<Let me make this crystal clear: you can't. The bacteria that cause systemic and
Finrot infections in fish are in the aquarium anyway. They're things like
Aeromonas spp., which mostly sit around breaking down organic materials. They're
the equivalent of E. coli bacteria on your body. In and around your colon, they
don't do any harm, and perhaps some good. They only become problematic when they
get into the wrong part of your body and, for whatever reason, your immune
system can't deal with them. Ditto the Aeromonas bacteria in the aquarium. They
become a problem when fish have been damaged (e.g., fin-nipped) and/or exposed
to ammonia/nitrite (because this suppresses their immune system). In other
words, if your aquarium is stable and the water quality good and the fish all
happily swimming about... Finrot and Dropsy don't happen! Simple as that.>
I know how important water changes are which is why we've done them at the rate
of at least 30% every week since we've gotten the aquarium. In the first email I
mentioned the spilled bottle of food in the tank, after which we vacuumed all
that we could, taking 70% or so of the water with it, and then replacing all of
that water. This was last Thursday, so the water in there now is OK, I'd
imagine. PH is fine, temp at 78 now, nitrate and nitrite are at ideal levels, if
not climbing slightly over the past few days.
<OK, you've lost me here. Nitrate is one thing, and will indeed rise slightly
over time. It goes up in between water changes, and then drops down when you
dilute the nitrate with a water change. Simple enough. Nitrite is something else
though: the filter should be removing it in real time. In a properly run tank,
there is zero nitrite, all the time. If you ever detect any, you have a problem
-- either overfeeding, under-filtering, or overstocking.>
alkalinity is high. Should I be changing the water more often than I already do?
<25-50% per week is adequate. The more the better.>
Also, two of our mollies are very pregnant, obviously not something we're ready
to house. Since we can't keep them, and none of the petstores want them, several
people have mentioned adding barbs to the tank. I hate that it's coming down to
this, but will the barbs be compatible with the older mollies and guppies (and
shrimp and elephant nose until we buy them a new home)?
<Depends on the barbs. Not all barbs are good community fish. Puntius tetrazona
(sold as Tiger Barbs, Moss Barbs, Albino Barbs, and others) is most certainly
not compatible with your fish. It is a notorious fin-nipper, and unless kept in
a big group (six or more specimens) tends to be belligerent towards other fish.
Puntius pentazona, on the other hand, is a nice little fish. A few barbs live in
brackish water, such as Puntius ticto, so could be kept with Mollies and Guppies
in a low-end brackish system. Among the other barbs in the trade are subtropical
species (Puntius conchonius) and bloody great big barbs (Barbonymus
schwanenfeldii), so research the barbs on offer, and act accordingly.>
Also, since diseases are directly related to quarantining and water quality, and
no new fish had recently been added and the water quality is good (we're new at
this, but like I asked before, aren't the water changes we're doing now more
than sufficient?) what else could have caused the Molly to get dropsy?
<I do get bored saying this, but the problem with Mollies is that they just
aren't easy to keep. They are reared in brackish-water ponds on fish farms, and
while in theory they can be kept in freshwater (and certainly are freshwater
fish in the wild) in freshwater aquaria they just don't seem to do well. The
reasons aren't at all clear to me, but genetics may be part of the story:
Mollies are hybrid fish, and at least some of their ancestors were brackish
water fish. But nitrate-intolerance may be the bigger factor. Unlike most other
freshwater fish, Mollies do not tolerate nitrate well. Salt reduces the toxicity
of nitrate, so the more saline the water, the less delicate the Mollies become.
In brackish water, and especially marine conditions, Mollies are an order of
magnitude easier to keep.>
What else can we do to prevent it?
<Quarantine new stock, choose livestock appropriate to your ambient water
chemistry, be critical about your level of experience and choose hardy species
first, and more delicate things later on.>
Thanks for your time.
-CM
Also... when I try to research these things I find so many contradictory
opinions from different sources. Is there an EXCELLENT book you could recommend
to me on keeping a freshwater tropical aquarium? I'm ready to just accept one
person's opinion, just want to make sure that the book I buy is written by a
reliable source.. and who better to ask for recommendations than WWM?
<Ah, there are many, MANY good books. Picking one is difficult. But if there is
one book I think every freshwater aquarist should have, that book would be 'The
Interpet Manual of Fish Health' by Andrews, Exell, and Carrington. It's bee
reprinted many times, and 2nd hand copies are easy to buy cheaply online. Why do
I like this book? It isn't about species of fish, but about water quality, water
chemistry, diet, disease, and all those things you need to understand if you
want to avoid problems. It has got lots of diagrams and pictures, as well as
very useful sections that help you diagnose problems and determine the best
solutions. The second book -- practically my bible -- is 'Baensch's Aquarium
Atlas', possibly the best encyclopaedia of freshwater fish. While there are
other (often very good) multi-species guides on the market, this is the one I
like the most. Now runs into many volumes, but Volume 1 is the one to start
with, and it covers not just fish but also plants, diseases, water chemistry,
etc. The 'Fish Health' book is a better and easier read on healthcare and water
chemistry topics, but 'Baensch' covers the basics. Both of these books will last
you a lifetime. Cheers, Neale.>
|
Sick Fish? by Rob 1/9/08
Hello Wet Web Media
<Hello Rob,>
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I have a newly set up
freshwater community aquarium of 10 gallons.
<Adequate for Neons, marginally so for Guppies, but too small for Platies.
Please understand a 10 gallon tank is very difficult to stock, and one of the
worst tanks for beginners to start with. Size matters, and a beginner should
always choose a 20 gallon (or larger) aquarium.>
The aquarium has been in operation for about a week and contains 3 Platies, 3
Guppies, and originally 5 Neon Tetras (two are left) within the first 3 days or
so a white growth started to appear on the Platies sides and fins which could be
true fungus but I am unsure. Along with the white growths, red streaks are
starting to appear next to the growths.
This symptom could be a internal infection but I need a professional answer for
this one.
<Likely both Finrot and Fungus, which will often occur together in immature
tanks with poor water quality (almost certainly the case here). Use a proper
combination medication that treats both simultaneously (e.g. Maracyn or eSHa
2000, but NOT Melafix/Pimafix). Also monitor the nitrite level in the tank, as
it is ammonia and nitrite that are stressing the fish. If you can detect nitrite
above zero, then do a water change. While a tank is immature (that's the first
six weeks) it is a good idea to change 25% daily, at least for the first month.
Only when the tank is settled down can you relax and do the normal 25-50% water
change per week (in a small, difficult to keep aquarium like a 10-gallon system,
I'd HEARTILY recommend 50% water changes per week.>
Along with the red streaks the Platies gills are becoming red and appear almost
non-existent which could also mean a internal infection.
<Unlikely an internal infection. Much more like nitrite/ammonia poisoning.>
All of these symptoms together could mean that they received these diseases in
the pet shop but I am unsure of the origin.
<Forget it! Nothing to do with the pet store. These symptoms are 100% typical of
too many fish being added to too immature a tank that's receiving too few water
changes. Your fault, not the fish shop's.>
All of the fish are eating fine and their behavior is the same as I know them
by.
<While the fish are sick like this, don't feed at all. When the nitrite level is
zero, then start adding tiny amounts of food, literally one or two flakes,
crumbled.>
I added aquarium salt in the time of the set up of the tank and allowed it a few
days to normalize before adding fish.
<Did you read an aquarium book before starting? Please make an effort to do so.
Resting the tank for a few days achieves precisely nothing. Why should it?
There's no magic involved here: the bacteria in the filter grow when they
receive ammonia from livestock (or an inorganic source). If the tank is empty
and just sitting there, there's no ammonia, so the bacteria don't grow. Adding a
whole bunch of fish like you did certainly provides the ammonia, but the
bacteria population takes weeks to reach full capacity, so until then, the poor
fish are swimming about in an ammonia-ridden cess pool! Hence their deaths. This
is why when you "mature" an aquarium using fish, you start by adding just one or
two small species, and then a couple more a few weeks later, and so on across
the next few months. What you've done won't work. In addition, none of your fish
need salt. Who told you to add salt? While salt can have therapeutic value under
some situations, it isn't something you should add without thinking, and
certainly not something that needs to be added on a regular basis. Rather, you
should be monitoring water quality and chemistry using those test kits I hope
you bought (at least a pH and a nitrite test kit) and acting accordingly.>
I have consulted many sources and hope that the Platies sickness can be cured
with your consulting.
<Ultimately, yes, they can be cured, but depends entirely on whether you're
prepared to start keeping your fish properly or not. Your move.>
Thank you for your time.
<Not a problem, and hope this helps.>
Rob
<Cheers, Neale.>
Direct Answers re Gas Bubble
Disease 1/9/08
Hello and thank you again to Mr. Fenner for your advice on achieving perfect
water and then on fish compatibility.
<It's actually Neale here at the moment!>
Now, a new problem arose and by the articles in the archive I seem to have a bad
case of GBD.
<Not really a disease but a symptom. Gas Bubble Disease is perhaps most similar
to "the Bends" in humans, in that it follows on from problems with the
solubility of gases in an aqueous medium. In this case, if aquarium water is
super-saturated with oxygen, differences in the chemical composition of the
blood inside a fish cause the oxygen to come out of solution where they form
bubbles, particularly in the capillaries. The bubbles cause damage to the
surrounding tissue, killing the cells, and ultimately allowing secondary
infections to set in. There's no cure as such, since it's essential a wound
caused by improper conditions. So the best you can do is fix the environment so
it doesn't happen again. Very rarely a problem in freshwater tanks, because
freshwater holds a lot more oxygen than seawater, so is less likely to become
super-saturated. It's also less common for freshwater tanks to be intensively
aerated with things like protein skimmers and ozone generators. It is possible
for rapidly photosynthesizing plants to super-saturate the water though, but
you'd have to have massively powerful lights and incredibly fast-growing plants
for this to be at all likely.>
First a Corydoras was found dead in our standard rectangular 75g tank with ideal
ph, ammonia and nitrate and nitrates all zero, but the Cory was found with no
eyes. Then our 10" Bala was dead the next day with red rings around the eyes
that seem to protrude. Then suddenly my African Brown Knife with popped looking
blisters on the skin and Black Ghostknife with no outward signs also died.
Then when we spotted our upside down catfish struggling to swim sideways with a
large bubble on his side, I finally found out what this was on your site.
<Does indeed sound like GBD, though I'd also check other, more probably, factors
such as poisoning. For example, I once made the mistake of putting wood in a
tank I'd taken from the garden, without knowing someone had recently sprayed
with insecticide. The end result is some fish died and the rest went loopy
within an hour of the wood being put in the tank. Poisoning causes a suite of
different symptoms depending, presumably, on the fish. But things like inflamed
gills and improper swimming ability are among them. Other potential poisons
include paint fumes, excess tobacco, and the sorts of things children might pour
into an aquarium accidentally/on purpose, such as beverages.>
I'm still confused on the difference between GBD and emphysematosis and how
exactly to treat this.
<No practical difference, and no treatment other than remedial action to remove
the causes.>
Your seminal article that was a fun read about pond Koi with GBD was actually no
direct help for freshwater home emergencies.
<GBD is incredibly rare in home aquaria, particularly freshwater aquaria. You
need a large pump system, such as that in a Koi pond, plus wide environmental
changes, such as day/night temperature swings, to cause the necessary
super-saturation of oxygen PLUS the changes in solubility. In the average tank
with a poky little filter in a centrally heated home, just isn't going to
happen.>
Could you please tell me what should one do STEP BY STEP in an emergency
situation like this to save the other fish who are likely in pain from the gas
pressures?
<Review any possible sources of super-saturation, and act accordingly.>
As a diver myself, I'm having nightmares about them suffering from the 'bends.'
<Broadly similar. Fish can of course adjust the blood chemistry to adapt to
changes in the environment, but their ability to react to SUDDEN changes is
usually limited.>
Clues: We are running two AquaTech 30-60 with each having free falling cascade
waterfalls on the surface, four anchored small air stones and two bubble wands
across the back.
<Quite possibly overkill right here. Switch these devices off, except for the
filters, and adjust those so all they do is move water, not create aeration. No
aquarium needs aeration; the function of the bubbles is merely to create
movement from the bottom of the tank to the top, so the bottom layer of water
can receive fresh oxygen. This can be achieved at least as well with a powerhead
or filter.>
We've always kept the temperature at 80 degrees but lowered it to 78 tonight in
the hopes it will help.
<Lower temperature = high solubility of gases, so will help. By default, aquaria
should be kept at 25C/77F; anything above this should be done only in specific
cases where required for breeding or by a particular fish's requirements. Many
species, including Neons, Danios, and Corydoras, actually want lower
temperatures than even this. Neons for example do best around 23C/73F.>
We also removed all the plants we put in the tank two weeks ago and stopped
doing 50% weekly water changes due to the fears of winter tap waters having more
dangerous gas conditions.
<Shouldn't make any difference provided the water is left to warm to at least
room temperature first. It's never a good idea to add freezing cold water to a
tropical tank.>
We vacuumed the gravel 4 times in a period of two weeks with up to 50% water
changes when fish began to die -- now I see we might have exacerbated the
problem.
<Hmm... cleaning the tank shouldn't cause any problems.>
Please help, we're desperate. The internet sites I searched only offered
definitions, chemistry equations and some high-tech expensive super large
canisters to de-gas water for hatcheries.
<GBD just isn't a common problem in fish tanks, hence the lack of information.
While it is possible this is going on here, perhaps thanks to overzealous
aeration, do also consider the alternatives.>
Thanks so much for saving their lives - you are really true life heroes,
Michelle
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Malawi Cichlid Wipeout!
12/26/07
Happy Holidays! I had a tragedy over the holiday season that I am trying to
find an answer to. I had a tank full of Malawi cichlids and all in the same day
EVERY single fish in the tank were on the bottom dead except for a few.
<Water quality, chemistry, air pollution, or temperature are the only issues
likely to kill all the fish at the same time very quickly. Check all and act as
required.>
I thought maybe it was a water quality issue so I did two fifty percent water
changes and put some tiger barbs in. Before I knew it, they were covered in
small white spots all throughout the body including eyes.
<Likely common whitespot/ick, caused by stress. So whatever was at a lethal
level when the Malawians died is now merely at a stress level after the two
water changes. Transportation of new livestock can often trigger these sorts of
infections too.>
What I am trying to understand is why not a single white spot of ich or velvet
showed up on any cichlids, they were completely asymptomatic.
<Which is why it's a water issue. Things like paint fumes, pesticides, alcohol,
etc., can cause the rapid death of lots of fish. Blocked filters, overheating,
etc., can also cause sudden and otherwise asymptomatic deaths.>
Have you ever heard of African Cichlids being completely resistant to fish
parasites/protozoan?
<Nope.>
Or is it a coincidence and did they die from something else and the barbs
happened to get ich?
<Coincidence is two fish dying in the same week. All the fish dying at once
isn't a coincidence.>
Thanks
<Cheers, Neale.>
Parrotfish... mis-mix,
FW...-12/22/2007
Hi guys,
<Shana>
I just purchased my 29 gallon aquarium. Based on the information I received at
the pet shop, it houses: a male Betta, a tiny red-tail shark, an angel fish, an
eel and what looks to be a blood parrotfish (though it is more a coral pink than
red).
<... "Just" purchased...? Was this system somehow "pre-cycled"? The mix of
fishes you list is untenable... Not compatible behaviorally...>
I was told all of them should get along fine.
<Not so>
However, it seems the parrotfish is terrorizing the eel. He has a nip taken out
of his tail and the parrot has taken over his "house". Did I make bad tank-mate
choices?
<Someone did>
The fish were chosen for beauty and the eel to satisfy a 7 year old boy's
fascination.
<More to the world than this...>
I haven't seen the parrot bullying anyone else.
<You will... or the results thereof>
I have seen the Betta take quite an interest in the eel as well, so it may have
been him that took the nip, but the parrot is the one that has evicted the eel
from his hiding hole. Should I just get a couple more hiding spots so the eel
has a place to get or should I consider taking one of them back?
<You should read... re the Compatibility, Systems, Feeding of this life, all
other life you think you may place together. At least on WWM>
The parrot is a beauty, but I don't want a bully. I'm also concerned that I read
on your site that
they can get up to a foot long?
<More like half this in such a small setting>
If that is the case, this tank isn't going to hold him long, huh? Lastly, can
you recommend any other fish that will go well with this mixture of fish? I
would kind of like a bottom feeder or two to help with the gravel vacuuming. :)
Thanks for any advice.
Shana
<Best for you to "take a few steps back" here. Return the Parrot Cichlid for
now... read re the rest of the menagerie here... put together a workable
assortment... What you have won't work. Bob Fenner>
Parrotfish... mis-mix, FW...
12/22/07
Bob,
<Hi Shana, Jeni/Pufferpunk here with you today.>
Thank you so much. Holy moly, "won't work" was an understatement, huh? I
couldn't have picked a worse mixture if I had tried.
<Easily prevented with research beforehand.>
Obviously the lady at the pet store was just as clueless as me.
<She saw a newbie with a wallet.>
The parrotfish and shark are going back today. If I see the Betta having trouble
I will but him in a bowl.
<Bettas do not belong in bowls. They need at least a 5 gallon tank with a
heater. As far as your "pink" parrot fish, please read:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/paintedfish.htm >
My remaining questions concern the eel and the angelfish. The eel has been
nipped and it is turning white around the area. Will that heal or do I need to
do something for him?
<For now you could add Melafix, as long as it doesn't look infected. (I'm sure
Bob will have something to say about that...)>
The owner of the shop I got the fish from (different lady from the one that sold
the fish to me in the first place) says that the aquarium salt (1 tbs per 5
gal.) will keep infection at bay. Is this true?
<Not necessarily but you could try. I'd start with 1 tbsp/10g & table salt is
fine. I wouldn't go spending any more money than you need to at that place.>
Also, I read on your site that eels need sand rather than gravel. I have not
seen this eel burrow at all, even after being evicted from his hiding spot. From
your site, I gather that he is a Mastacembelus armatus. Do you think he will be
ok to keep?
<Hmmm... if that is the species you have, it grows to quite a large fish, about
3'. There are much smaller species of spiny eels. Mine doesn't seem to have any
problems burrowing in small gravel.>
I would also like to keep the angel if possible. This is a brand new tank though
so I'm a little concerned for his well being.
<As well you should be. Please read up thoroughly on cycling a tank before
adding any fish. You have two choices: Return all the fish right now & fishless
cycle the tank. While it's cycling, you can read up on the species you & your
son are interested in; their adult size & recommended tank size or keep the
angelfish only, purchase Bio-Spira & add it to your filter, after doing an 80%
water change on the tank. Bio-Spira is the ONLY product containing LIVE
bacteria. DO NOT LET THE STORE TALK YOU INTO ANY OTHER PRODUCT! None of them are
the same as Bio-Spira & all the rest of similar products contain dead bacteria,
adding to your bioload.>
He has been in the tank for only about 2 days, but seems to be doing fine so
far. Opinions on keeping him?
<Your tank is a good size for 1 large angelfish (don't worry, it will grow), a
couple schools of 2 types of tetras (4-5 each) & about 4 Cory catfish. You could
also get one of the smaller species of spiny eels. That would make a lovely tank
for you & your son!>
Thank you so much, again. Lesson learned: research for myself before purchasing
and don't just take the word of a pet shop employee! Yikes!
<Sounds like you've got it now. ~PP>
Shana
Re: Parrotfish (gone, now
trying to fix tank) 12/24/07
Hi all,
<Shana>
Ok, I can't take the fish back (the weekend plus the holiday) so I need to do my
best to fix this as is (loaded). I have not been able to find Bio-Spira yet. I
will have to travel to the city to do that.
<Unfortunately, it can be a difficult to find product. I'd call around
first--save gas $$$.>
Just got my testing kit and here is where I am:
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: .5
Hardness: 75
Alkalinity: 300
PH: 8.4
<You need to know what your ammonia level is too. No need really, to test
hardness or Alk.>
No need to tell me this is all very bad, I know. What I need to know is what %
water change to do & how often to correct this asap without shocking my fish
worse than they are.
<There is never any reason not to do large water changes on your tank, unless it
has Old Tank Syndrome, which means there hasn't been a water change done on the
tank in a very long time. Since you are dealing with New Tank Syndrome, large
water changes are the only thing you can do right now to keep the fish from
poisoning themselves with their waste. You must try your best to keep the
ammonia & nitrite at 0 (any amount is toxic) & nitrate below 20. I would do 80%
daily water changes, until you can return most of those fish. Add Prime to
dechlorinate the water, it will detoxify some of the ammonia/nitrite in there.
Be sure to try and match the temperature of the water you remove.>
Again, my population is:
1 male Betta
1 angel fish
1 eel
1 Pleco
2 fancy guppies (male)
2 Bubble mollies (male)
2 Green Tiger barbs (presumably male)
<Where did the parrot go? The tiger barbs will nip at the long fins of the
Betta, guppies & angelfish Common Plecos grow to 18".>
I know, I know, a heckuva wreck.
Thanks again, Shana
<Work hard at finding a place that will take those fish. ~PP>
|
New Community Tank with
Issues... FW plethora of errors... mis-mixed stock, uncycled, wood decomp...
-12/14/07
Hi,
<Hello>
I've written in before about a Green Spotted Puffer. Sadly, the little guy
didn't make it.
Tank Stats (I know you want 'em):
Size: 160L
Temp: 75 F
pH: 6.7
KH: 4
GH: 4-6
NO2 and NO3 both at 0
My husband and I started a 160-liter tank about five weeks ago. We cycled it for
nearly a week,
<Mmm, usually more time is needed...>
with a piece of driftwood being the only thing in there. Almost right away, the
stick was covered in white, goopy fungus.
<Nice description... opportunistic (the best kind) decomposers, eh?>
We gradually added plants (with snails, Stowaway and Freeloader) and fish, and
scouring the stick has become a routine. Every few days, it starts growing the
fungus, so we douse it in boiling water and scrape all the dead, stinking gunk
off.
<Uh... I would not do this... for one due to the cost of energy, for two,
because you'll end up with no "stick" in time>
Issue 2: We started out with a nice, small school of neon tetras that have
stayed strong. A week later, we added four guppies.
<Mmm, well... these fish species actually "like" different water conditions...
don't have much overlap...>
One died the next day, and one the following. Each lost all color and
coordination and their tail fins literally fell apart (We were thinking Neon
Tetra Disease).
<The guppies? No>
We went back to the store once we were sure that the remaining guppies were
going to make it. We added ten more Neons, a plecostomus (sp?), a firetail, and
a lizard-fish
<... Can you send a pic, or maybe the scientific name of these last two?>
(at least that's what they call it in Swedish). The plecostomus died under the
stick, covered with the goop-fungus. The firetail is a bit pale and has started
flashing. The lizard-fish is just plain weird, but I think that's just how he
is. The troubling bit is that our neon tetras are dying in droves. We lost five
in one day, and just lost another. They start the crazy loopy swimming, then
just stop, but the latest one also had a few white fungus-goop-looking blobs on
him before he died.
We're really wondering what to do here. We isolate the sick fish as soon as we
see them, but it's still not going well.
Thank you!
Maria and Ola.
<I do wish our resident FW guru Neale Monks was here (he's in transit, visiting
in the States)... You have a few issues going here. For one, the driftwood/stick
may not be suitable for aquarium use. Please read here re:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/rkwduseaq.htm
and the linked FAQs files above... I would leave it out, soaking in water
elsewhere, till it stops (or doesn't) decomposing). It may be mal-affecting the
water quality, stressing your fishes... Secondly, the mix of species you list is
not compatible. I suspect the lizard fish is brackish: Is this it?:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/Dragon_Gobies/Dragon%20Gobies.htm
The system is NOT likely cycled... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
and the linked files above... Your water quality? What tests do you have? Please
read re the Systems of the life you list... make notes re the water quality...
pH, hardness, temperature... of all... Do you start to see the errors here? You
need to READ, and stop just jamming life into your system. Bob Fenner>
Re: New Community Tank with Issues -12/14/07
Hi,
<Hello again>
The 'firetail' is actually a Red-tailed Black Shark, and the 'lizardfish' is a
Homaloptera cf. zollingeri.
<Thank you for this... These should provisionally be fine. The "shark" can be a
bit to very "mean" with growth/age... and the Hillstream fish needs high
dissolved oxygen...>
Tank Stats (using the JBL EasyTest): Size: 160L Temp: 75 F pH: 6.7 KH: 4 GH: 4-6
NO2 and NO3 both at 0
<Good...>
We'll be taking the driftwood out, certainly. It seemed like it was for
reptiles, but was with the fish things, and the store clerk claimed it was great
for tanks.
<I see... I think s/he was/is mistaken>
I suppose the question now is what to do. We'd also been told that the bacterial
cycle we purchased would have it ready quickly. We will check out these articles
and others. Do you have any other advice?
Maria and Ola
<I do think the system is cycled... if you have no nitrite... Did you ever
measure any of this or ammonia? BobF>
New Community Tank with
Issues... FW plethora of errors... mis-mixed stock, uncycled, wood decomp...
Neale's input 12/15/2007
Hi,
<Hej,>
I've written in before about a Green Spotted Puffer. Sadly, the little guy
didn't make it.
Tank Stats (I know you want 'em):
Size: 160L
Temp: 75 F
pH: 6.7
KH: 4
GH: 4-6
NO2 and NO3 both at 0
My husband and I started a 160-liter tank about five weeks ago. We cycled it for
nearly a week, with a piece of driftwood being the only thing in there. Almost
right away, the stick was covered in white, goopy fungus.
<As Bob said, cycling typically takes 6 weeks. During that time, you add either
an ammonia source (such as small amounts of rotten seafood) or very hard fish
like Danios. The white stuff on your wood is fungus. Very common on bogwood that
hasn't been "cured" properly. It's the edible material on the wood being used up
by the fungi. Basically decay. Plecs and certain other fish will eat the fungus.
It isn't harmful, but it does mean oxygen is being used up and metabolic waste
is being dumped in the water.>
We gradually added plants (with snails, Stowaway and Freeloader) and fish, and
scouring the stick has become a routine. Every few days, it starts growing the
fungus, so we douse it in boiling water and scrape all the dead, stinking gunk
off.
<Assuming it's a smallish bit of wood, I'd just ignore the white stuff. There's
nothing you can do to stop it. The white fuzz are fungal hyphae, in particular
the reproductive bodies. Scraping the white stuff off does nothing to the fungi
in the wood. So it grows back very quickly. You may as well let nature take its
course. Wood is best cured outdoors in Mother Nature, but if a low-tech
alternative is to stick the wood in the cistern of a toilet. With each flush the
wood will be washed, and after 6 months decay should have diminished to
invisible levels. It never really goes away, and eventually all wood rots.>
Issue 2: We started out with a nice, small school of neon tetras that have
stayed strong. A week later, we added four guppies.
<As Bob said, not a great combination. Guppies need hard, alkaline water and are
extremely sensitive to disease in anything else. You will have better luck
keeping them in marine conditions than the soft, acidic water you have! Guppies
need pH 7.5-8.0, general hardness 15 degrees dH upwards, and carbonate hardness
8 degrees KH upwards. Guppies also appreciate warmth, at least 24C and ideally
around 25-28 C. Neons require different conditions. Neons like soft, acidic
water; they hate brackish water; and they despise excessively warm water (22-24C
is ideal). So while both could be kept in moderately hard, slightly alkaline
water at a medium temperature -- say, pH 7.5, 15-20 degrees dH, 24 degrees C --
it would be optimal for neither, and therefore making them less likely to do
well. Your water chemistry is ideal for Neons, and indeed most other tetras, so
I'd concentrate on them.>
One died the next day, and one the following. Each lost all color and
coordination and their tail fins literally fell apart (We were thinking Neon
Tetra Disease).
<Almost certainly Finrot and/or acidosis. Your water conditions are basically
unacceptable for Guppies and most other Livebearers. If the tank is immature,
ammonia and nitrite may be poisoning the fish as well. Guppies ARE NOT hardy
fish any more. Wild Guppies may be, but fancy Guppies most certainly are not.>
We went back to the store once we were sure that the remaining guppies were
going to make it. We added ten more Neons, a plecostomus (sp?), a firetail, and
a lizard-fish
<No idea what a "firetail" or "lizard-fish" is. I wonder if the Lizard Fish is
Butis butis, a kind of sleeper goby (family Eleotridae). It is a hardy fish that
needs brackish water. It will also do well in marine conditions. Lifespan in
freshwater, especially soft/acid freshwater, is not good.>
(at least that's what they call it in Swedish). The plecostomus died under the
stick, covered with the goop-fungus. The firetail is a bit pale and has started
flashing. The lizard-fish is just plain weird, but I think that's just how he
is. The troubling bit is that our neon tetras are dying in droves. We lost five
in one day, and just lost another. They start the crazy loopy swimming, then
just stop, but the latest one also had a few white fungus-goop-looking blobs on
him before he died.
We're really wondering what to do here. We isolate the sick fish as soon as we
see them, but it's still not going well.
Thank you!
Maria and Ola.
<Without knowing specifics, my assumption here is that you have high levels of
ammonia and nitrite in the tank. Do not add any more fish until your buy a
Nitrite Test Kit. Use it. Once the nitrite levels have gone down to zero, you
can SLOWLY add more fish. By slowly, I mean one or two small fish every couple
of weeks. If you don't do this, all the fish you add have a high probability of
dying. Also read up on the needs of freshwater fish. Unlike marine fish -- which
have essentially uniform water chemistry requirements -- freshwater fish come
from many different types of environment. Some will do well in soft/acid water
-- but others will not. Characins, Corydoras catfish, loaches, and barbs all
tend to do well in soft/acid water. Livebearers, many cichlids, Goldfish, some
Rainbowfish, and many "oddballs" need hard/alkaline water. Brackish water fish
-- like your Green Spotted Puffer -- are different again, and need water that is
essentially halfway between freshwater and salt water in salinity. With few
exceptions, brackish water fish can't be mixed with freshwater fish, so it's
best (normally essential) to keep either one type or the other. Any aquarium
book will describe the preferred temperature, pH, hardness, and salinity of a
particular fish. Use this as a guide to what fish to add to your aquarium. Hope
this helps, Neale.>
Re: New Community Tank with
Issues 12/16/07
Hej,
<Ave!>
Thank you so much. The nitrites are also at 0, and we have some algae growth as
well. We'll need to look for an ammonia test and the high dissolved oxygen.
Would that do any harm to the others in the tank? Thanks for all your help!
<Zero ammonia and high oxygen concentration will be beneficial to all your
livestock. Plants tend to not like strongly aerated water, but that's more
because of the loss of CO2 than the oxygen concentration itself. A bigger issue
with Homaloptera species is their preference with relatively cool water. Avoid
anything above 25C, and aim for 22C. Some tropical fish do better in water at
this temperature (Danios, Corydoras, Neons, etc.) but others will not do well
and will become prone to disease when kept too cold.>
Maria and Ola
<Cheers, Neale.>
|
Re: L-25 Scarlet Pleco
feeding, Now: Grounding proves vs. freshwater
tanks (RMF feel free to comment)
12/11/07
Neale!
<Hello again!>
I'm back :) Thank you very much for the great information. Anyhoo, this one is
slightly off-topic. I was wondering what was your take on grounding probes? Is
there any hard evidence that it is of any use?
<No personal experience. Can't do any harm, and they certainly don't cost much.
So if you want to use one, go ahead. But I'm sure other things, like water
changes and filters, have a much greater impact on overall fish health. In any
case, have a read of this brace of replies on the topic for other peoples'
comments...
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/grdprobeaq.htm
I get the impression these are more an issue for marine aquarists.>
There are articles
out there stating the down sides of using grounding probes, how they create a
complete circuit for current to flow, bypass the use of GFCIs in a way, etc...
I comprehend their views on this situation, but then there are others out there
who states grounding probes are an absolute necessity. Natural bodies of water
simply have their own way of handling stray voltage and since they are in direct
contact with the earth, there is no issue there, but when we have an enclosed
system of water, shouldn't we be providing a path for that voltage to complete
itself?
<No idea. Doesn't seem a major problem compared with nitrogenous wastes and pH
fluctuations in aquaria. Freshwater doesn't hold much charge anyway, at least
not compared with brackish/salt water.>
Are there any proven evidence of its uses/harms?
<Nothing scientific that I'm aware of. There are all sorts of stories about
"stray voltage" causing lateral line erosion and all that sort of thing, but
whether or not these have been adequately proven is beyond my knowledge. It's
the sort of thing that strikes me as being so minor in impact, if it exists at
all, that an aquarist's attention is better focused on water quality, water
chemistry, diet, and social behaviour first.>
Any personal experience from you?
<Nope.>
I'm asking because I got one a few months ago, but have yet to ever install it.
Should I install it just to be "better safe than sorry" or will it just cause
more problems? I checked my water with a DMM today and found it at approximately
35 V. Understanding that voltage itself creates no harm until amperage/current
is supplied, the idea that a grounding probe might due harm in the event of
something shorting out in the
tank and creating a circuit path sounds really reasonable to me.
<If you haven't needed it thus far, I wouldn't bother. I don't know any
aquarists with freshwater tanks who use these things. Marine aquarists seem more
interested in them.>
Question is
does stray voltage causes diseases in fish that the ground probe was designed to
rectify?
<The evidence that "stray voltage" (whatever that is!) would cause sickness in
health may or may not be true, but compared to other factors like water quality
its impact is surely very, very small.><<Am in total agreement. RMF>>
How do you see it?
<No strong feelings either way.>
Anyhoo, this time I promise I will "try" to stay out of your hair as much as
possible :) Thank you very much.
<You're welcome, and good luck, Neale.>
Sick Bolivian Ram...
mis-stocked, salt use, env. dis. 12/7/07
Hi -
<Hello Laura>
I have an 80 gallon FW tank that cycled for 6 weeks prior to adding fish. I
added one tablespoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water when I set up the tank
<Why? That is, for what purpose?>
and continue to add salt at the same rate when I do water changes.
<Again, your rationale?>
The LFS suggested I try 3 Bolivian Rams, 2 Rubber Nose Plecos, 2 Botia
Angelicus, 3 Kribensis, and 3 Neolamprologus Sexfasciatus.
<... suggested? Mmm, these fishes "like" quite different water conditions...
some soft/acidic, others hard/alkaline... Mmm, maybe see all these species
ranges for such posted on Fishbase.org>
They told me the fish would be OK together in an 80 gallon tank with plenty of
rocks and plants so I created 3 separate groupings of rocks/caves and plants
then added all the fish to the tank at the same time. They were doing great the
last 3 months until now.
<Okay>
The female Ram stopped eating 2 weeks ago. She hides in the plants or hovers
near the heater, she doesn't seem to be eating and is getting thinner, her feces
are thin and pale, looking more like empty casings than anything else. She
doesn't swim with the other Rams the way she used to. Also, today her breathing
seems to be more labored and I thought I saw some swelling inside her gills.
<Mmmm, could be internal parasite issue... perhaps (a smaller likelihood) the
water conditions, salt catching up with it metabolically... even psychological
reaction to hassling... by the Botias or African Cichlids...>
The only other sick fish is one of the Plecos - it has a strange looking spot on
it's tail that looks like a chunky ball right on the middle edge of the tail
fin. Could that be a fungus? He seems healthy otherwise - swimming and feeding
as usual.
<Seem WWM re funguses/infectious disease of FW fishes... and of Loricariids...
True fungus is rare... very much more likely here is trouble with your water
quality... Again, the salt, too hard water...>
I'm sure these problems were created by poor water conditions
<Oh, I agree>
and overfeeding which I have hopefully rectified. I fell behind on water changes
and the nitrates spiked to almost 80. I've been doing small water changes every
2 days for the last 10 days.
<Mmm, this may be too much... what percentage are you changing out?>
Water quality seems to be ok now - nitrites and ammonia are zero, nitrates are
down to 15, temp. is 81 degrees F. I will be maintaining the tank with a weekly
schedule of small water changes from now on.
<Good>
Is there anything else I can do to make the Ram healthy again or is it too late?
<Never too late as long as the animals are alive...>
What do you suggest for the Pleco's tail?
<The same as for the Rams...>
Should I treat all the fish at the same time in the 80 gallon tank?
<Mmm, no>
If I need to move the Ram and Pleco to a hospital tank, can they be in the same
tank for treatment?
Thanks, in advance, for your advice!
Laura
<Not advice per se... but systematically this is what I would consider: Moving
the soft/acidic animals (the Rams and Plecos) into another system, or the
hard/alkaline water (the Africans and Botias)... into another system (they're
not compatible physically or psychologically)... Next, giving up on salt... See
NealeM's input here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/saltusefaqs.htm
Reading before taking anyone's advice (mine, ours inclusive)... The mix you have
now, salt use are untenable... won't work.
Bob Fenner>
Strange fish behaviour... Crowded, too-small FW sys. 12/7/07
Hello !!
<Hi there!>
I have a 30 litre tank, with a sucking loach, a Cory catfish,
<Are social animals...>
5 tetras and an angel fish.
<Mmm, the Angel needs more room than this>
Lately, I changed the gravel to sand and took out some of the catfish's
favourite hiding places, as the tank was too crowded. Since then, he has started
to quickly dart around the tank, keeps going to the surface and chases the other
fish. He has always been very peaceful and calm, and sits at the bottom of the
tank. Now he never stops and is worrying me as he is my favourite! I wondered if
it was just because he has no where to hide?
<Possibly... though more likely resultant from water chemistry changes>
I tested the water, all nitrates, nitrites, PH and ammonia levels are fine.
<For what you can, did test for>
Also, I have an angel fish that has been swimming up-right for about 2 months
and seems really out of the ordinary. It doesn't eat as much as it used to and
hovers at the top of the tank gasping for air.
<It may be>
It doesn't seem to be able to keep itself upright and floats upside down, on
it's side or facing upwards. Could this be something to do with it's
swimbladder?
<Yes... or nutrition, or internal parasite...>
Please help !!
Thank you !!
<You need a larger, more stable system... The Corydoras more of its own kind.
Please read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwangdisfaq3.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Flashing lights... hlth.
11/28/07
Hello Bob,
<Paula>
I just read a post from 8/28/06 under FAQ Anabantoids/Gouramis, on the WWW site
that you had some input in. It concerned bright light and a Gourami flashing and
swimming around the tank like crazy. Post was titled " Gourami Help". My late
father, who was an Electrical Engineer used to like to tell us "interesting" new
developments in his field. One night at supper, he told us about a study that
was done, I believe in Boston, that cited that recent increases in petit mal
seizures in school children could be directly linked to the spectrum of the
particular Fluorescent lights being used throughout the school system.
Evidently, the price was right and lots of the same flour. tubes were bought for
use throughout the school system. When the particular lighting was replaced the
incidents of petit mal seizures dropped! It was the color range of the spectrum
rather than the brightness that caused the rise in seizures, or so the theory
went. This made sense as some seizures are related to, I believe, to red lights.
Now, this was back in the mid 60's and I never forgot it as later I had a cat
with seizures and the quickest way to end an episode for him was to place
something like a towel over his head, block all light and he would respond
immediately. We never did figure out what the trigger was as to light with him
though. Could it be possible that this is what's at work with some fish too,
given the range of types of fluorescent lights out there, for plants, daylight
full spectrum, etc. ? Would be interesting to find out if fish that exhibit this
behavior reside in incandescent or fluorescent lit tanks.
<Possibly>
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