Starting with a small tank
Dying Fish in Quarantine Tank
Aqua-L - Salt Water Ich
Aqua-L Saltwater ICH
Changing Old Tropical to Goldfish Tank
Gold Fish and Undergravel Filters
Aqua-L - Hexamita I
Aqua-L - Hexamita II
Aqua-L - Heaxamita III
Bumps all over Oranda Gold Fish
Body Slime
Subscription to AQUA-L
Is Aquarium Gravel only for looks in SW Tanks
Saltwater ICH
Fin and Tail Rot
Mysterious Death
Lost Fry
ICH and How it Works - Molly Problems
Hole in the Head
Problems with Koi
Tuberculosis in Guppies
Hole in the Head - II
Puffers and Salt
Using Salt in an Aquarium with these fish
Treatment by the "Shotgun Approach"
Neon Tetra Troubles
ICH
Pink Spots on fish
Black marks on Goldfish
Problems with Mollies and Guppies
Hydra???
Color Loss - Spring Run-Off Warning
ICH is cyclical
Accessories
Internal Backgrounds
External Backgrounds
Silicon and sealing operating tanks
Diseases
Oscar Diseases and injuries
Bacterial Bloom and Fry
Zeolite and Ammonia Removal
Aqua-L - Zeolite and Ammonia removal
Aqua-L - Dissolved Oxygen and pH
Aqua-L - H202 as a delousing agent for Saltwater lice
Salt in a 5.5 gallon new guppy tank
Nitrites still too high in SW tank after 5 weeks.
RE: Nitrites too high in 125 gal SW tank
Fluval - Standard Maintenance Procedures
White Tufts on Gravel
Filter for 7' x 2' x 2' tank with Oscars
AquaClear 500 media for salt water tank
Starting with
a small tank
subject = starting small
Problem = Hello, I've always loved aquariums and I plan to
start with one of my own. I live on a student room - because I
am one - which means I have only limited space. I have a small
tank of app. 5 gallons. My ambitions are to have some (up to 5
or 6) small fish, keep them in good shape and - if possible -
breed them.
Starting with a small tank is kind of tricky - they say. Is it worth the effort for a beginner? Or will I be discouraged and are my ambitions too high?
I was thinking about Neon Tetras. Is this a good choice ?
Any advice is thankfully accepted...
>Size = 5
>Age = ready to make setup
>Type = probably Neon Tetra
>Number = 5
>Change =
>Percent =
>Primary = sponge filter
>Secondary = none
>Media = date
I started with a 10 gallon aquarium way back when things were in the dark ages. (Candles to heat the tank, sunlight to light it - blowing bubbles through an air line to aerate it and keep oxygen in the tank - oh sorry, that's not true, just remembering the ice storm of 98 here in Montreal). But I think that you can see that fish are extremely hardy and they will survive in almost any container assuming they are suited to it and the conditions are kept correctly.
A 5.5 is a small tank, it could house a few (5 or so since they like to be in odd numbered schools) neons happily for a fair bit of time. A betta or gold fish will also be quite happy in a tank of this size, as long as you are not greedy and want to overload it. There are some special issues with small tanks, most have to do with heating. A heater can overheat the water quite fast, since there is so little of it to radiate the heat away. If the heater malfunctions, then there will be an excessive rise. Also remember that lighting in these small tanks is usually by incandescent light, and this also can raise the temperature during the time they burn, and then it will drop to room (or the heater's setting) quite fast.
If you want to keep tropical fish, buy a good heater and keep the heat up about 78, since this is well above room temperature usually, and watch the effects of the light. You may find that you only want to burn it for the length of time necessary for feeding the fish only, that is the least amount of light they really need. You might even want to eliminate the light entirely, that will keep the water temperature very steady, although the other advantage of a light is that it provides a cover and keeps fish inside the tank, and ashes, drinks and other student junk food out of the water.
The other important factor in the small tank, is feeding. Most aquarists want to feed the same way people eat. They are poikilothermic and do not need to heat their bodies like humans. So they need much less food and use much less energy than we do. I personally would feed a small tank like that about once every two days, as much as they can eat in two minutes with nothing hitting the bottom. As the aquarist you are directly responsible for the amount of waste created in the tank, and the more that occurs, the more toxins such as ammonia are created. These build up and need to be eliminated by beneficial bacteria. I suggest the use of Cycle in these cases strongly, otherwise the nitrogen cycle will not occur as rapidly as possible and the right bacteria may not be present. With the Cycle team, the right bacteria are supplemented weekly and become dominant allowing the best possible conditions for your fish, whatever they may be.
Dying
Fish in Quarantine Tank
Subject: Dying Fish
Problem: I set up the tank-in-question as a quarentine tank
for new purchases. The tank was set up and water added (the water
was treated with a chlorine remover). I swapped a heater over
from my established 10 gallon tank. There was some algae or bacteria
(it was slimey). At the same time I was running the corner filter
in my established tank. After two days, I noticed a film on the
surface of my new tank and decided to move the corner filter back
to its tank and start circulating the water. After a day and a
half, the water was clear and I added two Punctatus Cories. One
died the next day with no traces of ammonia in the tank. I got
a replacement and three days later, the other orginal purchase
died (still no signs of ammonia). I went to the store and got
another and two Rabauti Cories. I also got carbon to add to the
filter. I had been running it with just floss in case medicine
needed to be added (I thought this could be part of my problem).
The carbon was rinsed and added to my filter when I got home,
before the fish were added. A day later, one of the Rabauti Cories
started to look ill. I moved all four fish to my established tank.
The been in my established tank for a little over a week now and
are doing fine. The two fish that died showed no visible sign
of disease and seemed to be fine when purchased.
What may have caused the deaths?
Is it safe to add fish to the tank?
If not, what should be done before adding fish?
The quarantine tank has been sitting empty (no fish) with
the filter running for a little over a week now.
>Dying Fish
>10 Gallons
>1 1/2 Week Old
>Cory Cats
>Two Than Four
>No Water Change
>Corner filter is primary filtration
>No secondary filtration
>No media change
I am confused as to the filtration you are actually using for each aquarium. It seems you have a single corner filter for both, and that might be the most important factor.
Generally a slime on the water top will come from oils in the fish food, and will develop over time. If this slime was immediate, then the chances that the water had some form of oil or other compound in it when you set up the aquarium is possible.
To start with, ensure there is no chloramine in the aquarium. I assume that you are doing regular water changes in your main aquarium, and the fish are not showing any distress, however, if there is chloramine in the aquarium, the dosage should be at least twice to three times the dosage for chlorine. If you do have chloramine, it does not go away and could be the cause for the deaths. If the fish spun erratically before they died, this could be a sign of toxicity from chlorine, but that should not have been available after a week, chloramine could be still there. Look at the gills, are they inflamed or reddened, this is a sign also of problems with water that is not right.
You do present a serious problem, since one tank is safe, the other not. I do suggest filtration be run in both, not swapped over occasionally, You might want to consider a Fluval Internal 2, or AquaClear Mini to run one of the aquariums for filtration. Also a heater in each should be considered. I know that this would not be the cause of death in most cases, but you do not want your quarantine tank to cause illness problems, and poor heating can lead to "ich".
One possibility to make the water safer would be to use old water in your quarantine tank. When you do a partial water change, add the old water to your quarantine tank, and the fresh water to the standard aquarium. This would eliminate a possible problem of bad water in the quarantine tank and you will know that both aquariums are close to the same conditions for all the fish.
Aqua-L - Salt Water
Ich
Thanks to everyone who responded to my message about
salt water ICH. Here is more info for those still interested in
this saga....
We have a new preliminary diagnosis: Oodinium, according to a fish parasitologist in our department.
We tried a 1/8,000 formalin bath for 15 minutes on the infected fish yesterday and now 50% of those treated are dead. perhaps the formalin is too harsh on the larvae. the survivors are not very active and may go tomorrow, while their white spots are still intact.
As for the tank dynamics...they are in a 3,000L completely flow through tank. The water is run through a coarse filter only which means that occasionally snails are found in the tank (I know that these can be intermediate hosts of fish parasites so remove them when i can). as there is no recirculation, a diatomaceous earth filter would not work, but thanks for the suggestion.
I'm looking for something mild which I can use on the fish that are presently showing no signs of the white spot disease so that I can effectively disinfect their tank.
Aqua-L Saltwater
ICH
Problem: Does anyone know about salt water ICH (white
spot disease)? Preliminary diagnosis suggests that my witch flounder
(Glyptocephalus cynoglossus) larvae have it. I know it is typically
a problem with warm water systems, my fish are kept at 10 celcius,
which may be why only about 5-10% of my fish are affected. The
white spot starts small and grows while degrading the flesh. Fish
can live with it for over a month, but usually die.
I am waiting for a proper diagnosis from a histology lab, but in the meantime I'm wondering if there are any treatments?
Sorry to hear about your flounders dilemma. From the sounds of it you may have salt water ICH (or Cryptocaryon) despite the low temperatures. You may also have a secondary opportunistic fungal infection as well. The time from infection to death which you are observing may seem long, but at the temperatures you mention, it is within reason. Being a ciliated protozoan, Cryptocaryon responds well to copper treatment (copper is not FDA approved for application to foodfish). Utilize a chelated copper and maintain copper levels between 0.15 and 0.3 mg/liter. In the past I have had excellent results with Earthtec Copper algicide, a very stable chelated form of copper. Keep a close eye on your fish for gill flaring or tetany (indicators of copper toxicity) and watch your water quality as at these temperatures the higher range of copper will effect your bio filter. Remember you will be treating the "swarmer" or "infective" stage of this parasite so at these temperatures a longer treatment period will be required. Plan on treating for 2 to 4 weeks. If you are feeding live feeds, you may want to do water exchanges prior to feeding so as to lower copper concentrations.
If you feel you have a secondary fungal infection, or diagnosis shows the infection to be fungal, satisfy the potassium permanganate demand of the water and then add about an additional 1 to 2 ppm for fungal treatment. Perform a partial water exchange if the water maintains a pinkish color for more than 30 minutes. If allowed to persist beyond 30 minutes, your fish may begin to oxidize. Repeat this procedure every day until the infection clears up.
Good luck with your fish...
Changing
Old Tropical to Goldfish Tank
Subject: Re: gold fish
Problem: Thanks for the informative page. I have just set up my old tropical tank(heated) for gold fish (unheated). The tank has a partial UGF, A SECCI filter with a foam insert and a corner filter with bio beads and activated charcoal. Under gravel filters get really dirty and probably are not needed for gold fish. What do you suggest I replace the gravel at the bottom with? After this change would the two remaining filters be OK. The tank is the standard 3 foot tank. I currently have 4 fish and will probably increase to 8. By the way from a temperature perspective I am in South Africa.
Oh, also how do I prevent/control algae formation in the tank. Is there an equivalent of an a tropical algae eater which will survive in a non-heated tank??
Sorry for the delay in response, in Montreal we are in week two of a major ice storm, Power is fluctuating and prioritization sometimes delays the stuff I like to do in favor of finding firewood or the next warm meal. It is getting back to normal, but delays are inevitable.
As far as your fish are concerned, South Africa is much warmer than Montreal, at least everywhere where I went on my one trip there, so I would not be very worried about a real coolwater fish for eating algae. Ask your local pet retailer, they would have a good idea of the best available fish. I would tend to use a plecostomus, but again a local expert is better informed for your particular area.
One of the best ways to control algae is a combination of proper light durations - ensuring that no direct sunlight hits the tank - and reduced feeding. Remember, the only source of many of the nutrients that the algae needs to grow are added to the tank by the feeding regime. So, when you feed only as much as the fish will totally consume in two minutes with nothing hitting the bottom. I would feed no more than once a day.
Gold Fish and
Undergravel Filters
Problem: One question you did not answer was on
the substitute for the UGF and gravel in the tank. What are your
feelings on this with respect to gold fish?
Undergravel filters are disturbed by goldfish on a regular basis. They tend to dig in gravel for food, one of the reasons they are often seen as dirty fish, they keep disturbing the substrate in their constant search for food. All carp do this, and it is quite natural, normal and expected. I would probably remove the UG filter, but not the substrate, they would not feel as at ease without a gravel bottom.
Aqua-L –
Hexamita I
Problem: Can anyone suggest an effective treatment
for Hexamita (hole-in-the-head) on Tilapia nilotica? I've tried
Clout at 650 mg/10 gals/day for 4 days but a month later I see
the same symptoms: they are smaller and weaker than their sibs
and the numerous holes are still present. Is there an effective
cure? Is it contagious and how?
Try going to your local feed store or IGA farm supply and get a treatment for blackhead disease in turkeys. I believe the product name is Enheptin. Used this for many years effectively...dosage I'll try to find and revert to you later. Heximitiasis intestinalis can spread as it is an intestinal protozoan.
Aqua-L Hexamita
II
Problem: Can anyone suggest an effective treatment
for Hexamita (hole-in-the-head) on Tilapia nilotica? I've tried
Clout at 650 mg/10 gals/day for 4 days but a month later I see
the same symptoms: they are smaller and weaker than their sibs
and the numerous holes are still present. Is there an effective
cure? Is it contagious and how?
Re Hexmita infection and "hole-in-the-head": Untergasser (Discus Health, 1991, T.F.H Publications) claims that in aquarium discus this disease involves intestinal Hexamita flagellates, but has its primary base a nutritional deficiency that allows these to proliferate. He claims this usually involves either calcium, phosphorus or Vitamin D deficiency in this species. Perhaps you should take his advice and check the diet for adequacy.
Aqua-L Hexamita
III
Problem: Can anyone suggest an effective treatment
for Hexamita (hole-in-the-head) on Tilapia nilotica? I've tried
Clout at 650 mg/10 gals/day for 4 days but a month later I see
the same symptoms: they are smaller and weaker than their sibs
and the numerous holes are still present. Is there an effective
cure? Is it contagious and how?
My friend has successfully used metronidazole at 10 ppm for 3-4 days, or mixed with feed at 2% by feed weight.
"Hexamita" genus is a protozoan which in excessive numbers in the ailimentary tract causes disease.
Poor health of the host can lead to excessive reproduction of disease. Check the intestine for cysts, they are oval or spherical in shape, transparent membrane, paired nuclei, and can survive outside of the host for weeks, so if hexamita is your problem, it most likely won't go away unless you can treat for cysts.
Yes, contagious, through oral route, eating cysts and food. Flagellated free-swimming which enter skin and therefore hole.
"the water supply from fish populations suffering from an epizootic of haxamitiasis may carry large numbers of encysted and flagellated organisms to fishes downstream. However, hexamitiasis will not usually develop in the newly infected fishes if they are healthy"
Treatments:
Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) - 0.2 to 0.3% of the diet for three days. Mechanically removes Hexamita organisms by purging the intestine.
This was taken from the Textbook of Fish Health by Dr. Goerge Post
Bumps all over
Oranda Gold Fish
Problem: The fish has bumps all over. It sometimes
floats to the to after eating, it has had these sac bumps about
year. We removed it from other tank about 6months and treated
it with antibiotic but it showed no improvement. The othe oranda
that is with it shows no sign of bumps. >Size: 20
>Age: 48
>Type: oranda goldfish
>Number: 2
>Change: weekly
>Percent: 20%
>Primary: dyno flo (2)
>Secondary:
>Media: n/a
I am sure there are a number of possibilities that this could be, but I personally do not have any knowledge that can help with this slim description. Does it appear parasitic, or is it something under the skin. My tendency would be uses at least a couple of tablespoons of salt per gallon to see if the disinfectant action of salt will alleviate the problem, but with no further description to identify it as something I am conversant about, I would be very careful. Generally the inability to swim is a sign of some genetic imbalance or a swim bladder disease.
Body Slime
subject = Slime on Body
Problem: I have a 30 gallon tank and a 20 gallon tank. I am
using 150 Watt heater(set at 80 deg), whisper air bubble filter,
Aquaclear 200 filter, and couple of air stones in each tank.
On the 30 gallon tank, I am trying to raise oscar(1), Krebensis(2), clown knife fish(1) Paco(1), Uaru(1), african cichilid(1)and a electric eel(1).
On the 20 gallon tank, I have 5 silver dollars, 2 hatchets, 1 angel fish, and a baby arriwana(still has the yolk sack).
All of my fish are still small. They are less than 4 months old. I plan to get another 50 gallon tank in about another 6 months to give more breathing room for them. I also have rocks, ornaments, and live plants.
I do 10-20% water change every 3 days and I feed them variety of dry/live/frozen food.
Recently, I noticed my Uaru and oscar with grey slime on their body. I asked around in pet land and was told to use EM Tablets. I've followed the instruction carefully but it is not working. It has been over 2 weeks and they are getting worst. Oscar is covered with that grey slime all over its body. Strangely, all of the fish are eating healthy and active.
I may have caused something by using the same net on both
of the tank. Now I know better not too. What do you thing I should
do to help them.
>Size = 30 & 20
>Age = 4 months
>Type = 30 gallon = Aggressive 20 gallon = Community
>Number = 30 gallon = 7
>20 gallon = 8
>Change = 2 days ago(ever 3 days)
>Percent = 10-20 %
>Primary = Aquaclear 200
>Secondary = Whisper air bubble
In general a body slime can be a fungus or bacterial growth, so EM tablets probably would have been my first try as well. You seem to be doing things right with the regular water changes, although they are a bit too often for my more relaxed fish keeping. If you are doing such radical changes (about 100% every two weeks) you might be upsetting the chemistry and not allowing the aquarium to cycle properly and stressing the fish.
Look at the bottom, is there any wastes or other debris, if there is some after feeding you may need to back off slightly. In addition I do not suggest you feed the cichlids with any red meat. Although Beef heart does cause rapid growth, it does pollute the aquarium and cause some of the problems you mention. Feed only as much as the fish can eat in TWO MINUTES with nothing hitting the bottom.
You might want to slow the water changes a bit, move to 10 percent if you must do them so often, but if you are doing them because the water is getting dirty that fast, it is a dead giveaway the tank is overfed. If that is the case, stop feeding for three days to let the organics get consumed by bacteria and then resume with less food at every feeding.
Subscription
to AQUA-L
Problem: By the way, what is the Aqua-L list
I subscribe to the Aqua-L (an aquacultural list interested in a number of aquacultural growing topics as well as other technology, etc/ dealing with the growing, harvesting and sale of assorted products from the sea and pond.
There had just been a series of questions related to the type of problem you were talking about and, although I admit freely I don't have all that much time to read heavily into it, the problems and replies were to a Nancy. I guess since the topics were so close and the first name was the same that I was seeing the same person, trying to find out about the same problem. As usual, assumption is not the best way to work.
Anyway, I did not keep the messages, so have no way to verify my statement.
The AQUA-L is hosted by the University of P.E.I and does have interesint topics. I have suggested others to get on but have had difficulty in getting them subscribed, I quote a message in my files for you if you are interested:
Try the following:
To subscribe:
Majordomo@LISTSERV.ifmt.nf.c
Message: subscribe aqua-l
That's a small L at the end of aqua-l
The server will provide you with additional information.
Is Aquarium
Gravel only for looks in SW Tanks
subject = Is aquarium gravel purely decorative
Problem = I also have a second unrelated question pertaining
to gravel. I am inclined to think that gravel is purely decorative.
Is this true or false? I understand that "good bacteria"
need a substrate but is the fine substrate in the filter (the
sponge or the floss) not enough? The reason is that we collect
eggs on a semi-daily basis and the gravel makes that job more
difficult. On a couple of tanks we have switched to a simple mesh
on the bottom that keeps the fish from eating their own eggs.
Can you think of any problem that might arise due to the lack
of gravel?
>Size = 10
>Age = 12 months
>Type = Zebra Danios
>Number = 10
>Change = June 6
>Percent = 50
>Primary = aquaclear mini
>Secondary = none
Your second question about gravel is a different thing entirely. There are a number of reasons to have gravel in the standard aquarium. Yours seems to be a special case, so I would comment that in most likelihood, if you are not relying on the gravel to provide a proper substrate for bacterial populations, then you can often get away without it. In most cases, when I create a reef, I do not use any gravel at all, I rely on the living rock to provide the strata for biological filtration site, as well as the trickle filter, etc. I prefer to minimize anaerobic areas as much as possible, and since an undergravel filter is not part of the set-up, there will always be a large place where anaerobic activity can occur if gravel is used. In addition to that, I like to allow the reef to grow directly on the glass.
The argument that coral sand or even dolomite will help stabilize the pH is largely erroneous, since the gravel tends to become covered with a coating after the first month or so. If it is not disturbed, then the alkaline property transfer is inhibited and the gravel becomes essentially inert in this area. Gravel can often add alkalinity in fresh water as well, especially African Ciclid installations, but again the use of dolomite can be inhibited over time. If I am going to use a substance like that for some pH buffering, I tend to incorporate the active section within the filter so that flow and constant maintenance will ensure it remains active for longer periods.
Hope that helps you somewhat, sorry I can be of no use in the bacterial invasion part of the question, but as I stated, I much prefer to look stupid and not give advice for the sake of my ego, but ensure that you receive only useful information instead.
Saltwater ICH
subject = PH buffer
Problem = look, I have a newly established aquarium (3 months
old) ... and during all that period I had problems ... the fishes
always suffer from the white spot disease ... some of them have
white spots and the others just rub themselves in the sand and
decoration in the tank which as I think it is the early stages
of the white spot disease (isn't it ???) ....
I used "Tetra Marin-Oomed" several times (after removing the coal from the filter) ... but there wasn't any advantage ...
I did some tests ... the PH is low , and also the copper ...some friends said the problem is the PH ... but, unfortunately in our area we have no PH buffer ... is it the same as bicarbonate of soda used for cocking ??? if it is yes, how much should I add ???
can be the problem from the low copper ???
One more thing ... I used a sea sand (natural from the sea) in my aquarium, I didn't wash it before use ... it contains some dead worms, is that may cause the problem??? By the way, the Ammonia, NO2 and NO3 test are okay !!!!!!
Please waiting for your advice !!!
And please, can you provide me with a name of a company
you know that provides tests and medications overseas !!!! so
I can order all what I need to test and fix my aquarium ....????>Size
= 65
>Age = 3 months
>Type = marine
>Number = 12 fishes
>Change = never
>Percent = ??%
>Primary = external filter
>Secondary = -
>Media = never
Your problem seems to be from an incomplete cure of the original disease. Although I cannot help you get any chemicals overseas since at present your country is undefined, I will give you a better understanding of the disease, so you can combat it effectively.
Salt water Ich is a parasite. Parasites do very poorly when they contact copper, so I am surprised that you are still having the infestations. Copper is probably not the reason for the disease, but it is causing stress in the environment and should be eliminated if possible. Water changes with a water conditioner that neutralizes heavy metals may help.
The use of any material in the tank without at the very least a good rinse is very dangerous and could be the original source of the disease. It should have been cleaned and rinsed thoroughly to ensure the assorted debris left in the sand was washed away. It may not have removed all the parasite cystrs, but it would have reduced their viability quite a bit.
I am surprised, with the number of fish you have and the length that you have made it through the Nitrogen Cycle already. Especially since you have not done a water change. If you can, you should test the water for Nitrate, the final by-product of the breakdown of ammonia and nitrite. It is probably close to the time of the water change being vital.
You mention low pH, but not the actual reading. It should be at least 8.2 for marine specimens. Anything lower than that will begin to cause stress on a logarythmic scale. Remember that the changes are in factors of 10, not one, so every deviation is much greater than the simple increment would suggest.
Get the pH to 8.2 and in almost all likelihood you will see a great reduction in stress for the fish and a much better longevity.
Fin and Tail Rot
subject = Bad looking tail on goldfish
Problem = We have a fancy goldfish approximately 2 in long
and quite healthy looking except for its tail. Over the last couple
of days we have noticed its tail looking more shabby. Instead
of its usual large well formed tail it now looks kind if 'scalloped',
as though other fish are eating it, but they are not because there
are no other fish in the tank. The water is clean and well filtered
with a very small amount of algae on the bottom stones.
>Size = 4
>Age = 16 months
>Type = single goldfish
>Number = 1
>Change = approx 2 wks
>Percent = 100%
>Primary = Main Filter- outside charcoal pad type
>Secondary = Additional Filtration - no
>Media = 6 mos
Sounds like a fin and tail rot problem to me, although that is a pretty fast diagnosis without a lot of information and should be used as that. In such a case, I would tend to use an erythromycin based remedy, such as A.P. EM Tablets. I would remove the carbon pad from the filter during medication. And I would begin to do less drastic water changes, 100% water changes are very stressful to fish, a 50% change twice as often in the 4 gallon tank will produce more consistent water quality, and dramatic characteristic changes will be lessened.
Yours is a problem that is difficult, since I am unsure exactly what the filter is. The fact that you did 100% water change opens the fish up to the possibility of a radical pH shift, loss of the biological filtration and possible parasitic or fungal (my guess on the tail rot) problems due to the shock the fish undergoes each time the water conditions change completely in a very short time. I never recommend a complete water change in any filtered aquarium. The only time when it seems it must occur in when the fish is in an unfiltered bowl.
Mysterious
Death
subject = Spiny eel is sick
Problem = We have a community tank with about 26 fish in it
and one of them is a Spiny eel. We have him for about half a year
now and he seemed to be doing fine. As normal most of the time
you don't see them but today he appeared again. Completely skinny
and it seems that he has difficulties breathing, he's laying upside
down and his gills seem to red. I understand it might be a bacterial
disease but I'm not sure. My other fish (angelfish, neons, catfish
etc. ) seem to be doing fine.
I put some Maracide in the tank but am not sure if this will cure the problem and my Spiny eel. I am also concerned for the other fish. This is the first time ever I had any fish being sick in my tank and I hope you can help me and let me know what to do. I already called the petstore over here but the person I talked too didn't have a clue either.
P.s. I have your page bookmarked and used it by setting
my tank up.
>Size = 29
>Age = 1 year
>Type = Community
>Number = 26
>Change = i month ago, is still fine
>Percent = 1/3
>Primary = Main Filter Penguin
>Secondary = aquaclear
>Media =
There are so many things that could be a possibility, that it would be hard to define a particular one. As such, I will probably have to be classed with your pet store that doesn't have a clue.
What I can offer you, is what I would do in the same case in my own tank and hope the advice would be useful. I haven't kept spiny eels before, so I have to rely on past experience. I would guess that the eel has a problem internally, since the gills are red, I would also guess bacterial or viral. Most diseases are not viral, but parasitic or bacterial, so I would define it as bacterial as a hypothesis. Since the eel is skinny, it means it has probably been sick for a while, as it has lost all of its weight.
The first thing I would do is test the water, is there ammonia or nitrite present. If they are, it could explain the reddened gills. I would proceed with a pH test as well. I am unsure of the pH requirements of these eels, but be sure the pH is reasonable to start, between 6.5 and 7.5. I know of cases where plecostomus turn white and die in acid water (pH of less than 7.0) So the first step is always test for at least these three parameters. If in doubt, test the water in the tap for pH, so you can see if there has been a drastic change in pH over time.
Next I would do a water change, paying special attention to the bottom of the aquarium where I would use a gravel cleaner to get rid of all the waste I can see, this is especially important if there is any ammonia or nitrite showing in the testing. Get out the stuff that is rotting and the stress on the fish wuill be much less.
Finally, if ammonia and nitrite are ruled out, I would probably use either EM tablets (Aquarium Pharmacueticals) or Maracyn (Mardel) to see if I could ease the problem, both in the fish and on the ground if there is contamination from fungus feeding on bad water conditions.
I really an sorry I can't give you a perfect step by step discussion of exactly what the disease and cure are, but hopefully the steps will be useful whenever you might need a disease regiment to apply.
Lost Fry
subject = new fish brought it in
Problem = Had stable population of 6 adult guppies, 30+ fry
of various ages. Purchased 6 adult guppies and 6 juvenile mollies.
Kept them in a quarantine tank for 2 weeks, along with 6 fry who
were growing out in the tank. After 2 weeks, fish look good, acclimate
them slowly to big tank. Within 3 days almost all resident fry
are swimming in formation at the surface, breathing slightly more
rapidly. Gills don't look red, nothing observable. During the
next 3 days, 15 fry died, the rest recovered and 2 months later
are looking good. The adults, mollies, and 6 fry in the little
tank never showed any symptoms or distress. I add approx. 1 tsp.
salt per gallon, use Stress Coat, and Living Water Vital. What
did the adults bring in, are all the fish contaminated and is
it safe to share them with others as they are breeding like crazy?
Would it ever be safe to add more fish--not that I really plan
on it! While I'm at it, what is Guppy Disease? I've seen it in
various sources,! but never have found a description/explanation.
Many thanks for your help!!
>Size = 38
>Age = 7 months
>Type = adult guppies, fry, juvenile mollies
>Number = 6 adult guppies 30 variously aged fry
>Change = weekly,
>Percent = 40%
>Primary = 2 Whisper #2's with Triad retrofit sponges for bio.
filtering
>Secondary = none
>Media = change one filter every 3-4 weeks
Lots of questions, and I hope I can answer even a couple of them. As far as the lost fry, I wonder if it was a disease at all, it could simply have been a lack of oxygen for the fry or a concentration of ammonia that killed the weakest and most vulnerable fry. If there are no other signs of disease, and there weren't in the two week quarantine period, it truly would not surprise me that you had an ammonia spike that was just high enough to hurt small and weak fish without creating the same effect for the larger ones. If that is/was the case there should be little problem with giving the fish away to other homes. It would seem the problem was species oriented and not long term.
As far as guppy disease, I must admit ignorance, I have not heard of something described as that, nor have I seen anything about that in the literature I read. Sorry.
I do not know if I am leading you in the right direction with my comments above, but if you should have the same thing happen again, be sure to test the water for nitrite, and ammonia as well as any sudden pH shifts. That may be all there is to it, but I will admit there might be something else I do not know about.
ICH and How it
Works
subject = ICH??
Problem = IN August I purchased 4 Black Molly and 2 Dalmatian
Molly. 2 of the Black Molly died a few weeks ago. The male Black
Molly and the female Dalamatian have a dramatic swelling of one
of their eyes. The remaining female Black Molly has developed
the characteristic white spots of ICH. They have had these conditions
for at least a week. My past experiences with ICH have been a
rapid spread and quick death. I also have about a dozen young
fish that were born in the tank and one of them has a white spot
on the top of its head. The ICH treatment that I have says not
to use with tetra. If indeed this is an ICH problem, what should
I do?
>Size = 15
>Age = 24
>Type = Molly and Algae Eater
>Number = 17
>Change = August 97
>Percent = 80
>Primary = Charcoal
>Secondary = Additional Filtration
>Media =
First, Mollies of any strain, are not tetras. They are livebearers just like guppies and swordtails, so the warning not to use the product with Tetras really does not apply. That assumes that there are only the mollies and their offspring in the aquarium - you mention no others in your fish type list, so I hope I am correct here.
Ich is not deadly if treated correctly, and really requires an understanding of the disease, not down to its latin name, but how to counteract it in the real world. There are three phases of ICH, and only one is vulnerable.
1) White Spot disease, this is the phase where the fish are infected with white spots all over their body. Lots like salt crystals on them. The parasite invades under the scales and reproduces from there. It is not susceptible to medication when it is in this phase.
2) Cysts - the reproduction complete, the disease disappears from the fish, the white spots disappear as the parasite dies off - but before it does it produces lots of cysts that drop to the substrate - they are encased and again impervious to medication. They then mature and grow.
3) Free swimming parasites - after coming out of cyst form, the ICH parasite becomes a tiny (read here invisible to the eye) free swimming parasite looking for a host. If it does not find one, it will die, but the host is of course a fish swimming by. In this part of the lifecycle, the parasite is vulnerable to medication and can be killed. But remember, you can't see it, so most times it has a field day because the medication was used when the fish were "infected" with white spots and then allowed to be filtered out after they disappeared (were cured!)
The medication did nothing to the parasite except when you can't see the free swimming stage. It takes about a week in an ordinary tropical fish tank for the cycle to finish from white spot to re-infecting the host with free swimming bugs. So the rule of thumb is to ensure proper dosing is kept available for at least a week, or even two after a parasitic infection to ensure the free swimming result is killed before it can cause more harm.
The phenomenon of cysts means that not all the ICH activates at the same time, so the tank really can become infected anytime the fish are weakened. Most cases this happens when fish are exposed to a rapid temperature fluctuation. In my experience, most severe cases of ICH seem to come after a fish has been chilled or heated rapidly and then returned to the normal temperatures. In most cases fish will withstand a temperature fluctuation of about 2 degrees with little trouble in a 24 hour period, but greater changes can cause problems.
Hole in the
Head
subject = face flesh/skin
Problem = I have 2 Oscars. Each has the same problem. When
looking face on they have a patch of flesh/skin that seems like
it has rotted away and never grows back. Also on each side of
the bodies there is a row of scales missing about 1" below
the dorsal, front to back. The only other fish in the tank is
a pleco. They are approximately 10" to 12" long and
about 5" to 6" tall. They are 1 and half years old and
have a voracious appetite and seem normal as Oscars can be! I
have about 5 years experience with Oscars.
>Size = 55
>Age = 10 in this setup! 1 year in the previous set up of the
same tank.
>Type = Oscars - Aggressive
>Number = 2 Oscars 1 pleco
>Change = 10/13/97 about every week and a half
>Percent = 25% to 30%
>Primary = Aqualclear 500
>Secondary = H.O.T. 250, An Emporer and a bubble wand.
>Media = 10/1/97 I change one filter set on a rotating basis.
Trying to diagnose disease from far away is always difficult, so I will try to give you my best shot, and hope the comments hit somewhere close to the mark. Generally, I would be carefully looking at the fish for "Hole in the Head" disease. It is somewhat mis-named as it really is a lateral line problem, with some of the most prominent receptors being affected in the head area. Generally, Hole in the heal is caused by a parasite, hexamita - that is almost like a worm that gets into the lateral line receptors and irritates them. In extreme cases there appears to be little worms in the holes.
The only remedy for the problem that I know of that has had any real track record in cure is an old product from Germany called Hex-A-Ex. Originally it only came with German Packaging, but over time they have updated the product to include English Instructions.
In general, the problem seems to stem from overfeeding particular types of foods to Cichlids, most often it can be attributed to fouled water due to beefheart or live leftovers in the aquarium fouling the water and causing a breeding ground for this stuff. Look over your feeding habits and what you are feeding to ensure that there is no waste fouling the water. In general, yoiu can cure the problem, but if the water is bad (it may be clear but still have too many organics decaying in the gravel) the problem will keep recurring.
I know that this is as much a shot in the dark, as anything else. But from your description, and the areas affected, I would be looking carefully at the lateral lines and for Hole in the Head in particular, also since experience tells me that is a very good possibility.
Problems with
Koi
subject = Dead fish
Problem = Noticed one of my domestic koi (about 5") swimming
about close to the surface for the past several days. This had
been a rather slim fish, but seemed to be "gaining weight".
This morning I found it dead. The eyes were bulged, and the rear
of the body (just forward of the tail) was red and mostly scaleless.
I have no idea as to what this could be. The other fish in the
pond seem to be healthy and happy. My concern is that some sort
of disease is present in the pond and will eventually effect the
other fish. Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
>Size = outdoor 200 gals
>Age = 18 years
>Type = koi, shebunkins
>Number = 3 koi, 4 shebunkins, 2 koi fry
>Change = n/a, add water as needed, use dechlor
>Percent = approx 2%
>Primary = PF300 Pondmaster 300gpm, carbon/perlite
>Secondary = none
>Media = July
I won't try to fool you in any way, I have little to no experience with Koi in outdoor pools, and the Koi that I have kept (in a 24' aquarium that formed the wall of a commercial bar) never had those kinds of problems. Alcohol in the water from drunk patrons, ICH, Leaks in the silicon joints of the 8' panels - yes,
What appears to be a bloat, No.
As such I am not able to offer any useful advice, which I personally feel is much better than offering a shot in the dark that can definitely cause you much more harm than any possible good.
If the fish appeared rather healthy right up to just before you found it, I would wonder if the damage you describe is not simply due to the other fish removing the scales after the fact, rather than a problem due to a disease. That is a rather common occurrence, a fish will do its very best to appear healthy and vital until it simply cannot keep up the act anymore. As soon as weakness is shown the fish is marked for attack by all the other inhabitants. In nature, this is seen as the survival of the fittest, and is a carryover from the wild.
Other than that simple comment, I am very hesitant to start diagnosing the causes and the cure of a "bloat" like you are mentioning. A lot of things are caused by parasites, I have treated for ICH that has raised scales, but think you should get a second or third opinion and watch the pool with extra care to see if there seems to be any odd behavior in the other fish as well.
Tuberculosis
in Guppies
subject = Internal Parsites
Problem = Wow! What a site!! I was looking for Jungle Laboratories
and found you, FANTASTIC!
I too have been raising tropical fish for over 30 years.
The problem I am having is that I can't seem to keep my livebearers
alive. I have a 20 gal. tank with guppies and mollies. They do
fine for a while then they will get a crooked,bent body loose
weight and die. I have treated with Jungles hole-n-head guard
at 1/4 strenth. I talked with Jungle a year or 2 ago and they
told me that hole in the head guard was the same thing as internal
parasite guard only concentrated. I do frequent water changes,
at least twice a month. Do you think my diagnosis is correct?
It seems to attack the females first. Any suggestions??
>Size = 20
>Age =
>I don't know how to answer this one
>I have had the tank set up for years. I do a complete makeover
about 3-4 times a year
>Type = Mollies and Guppies
>Number = 15
>Change = 10/25
>Percent = 25%
>Primary = whisper II
>Secondary = none
>Media = Aug. 1997
It is nice to hear from people who like the site, it has been up for quite a while without a lot of changes, sometime, when I get time........
Anyway, to your problem. The only disease I have heard of that causes female guppies to bend at the back and then eventually die has been told to me as tuberculosis. This is from the old days where the older style aquarists basically euthanized the fish because it was incurable. It was also felt to be genetic rather than spread through the tank actively.
I never was able to effect a cure. I guess maybe back then I was pretty gullible, but I have seen the problem off and on over the past few decades. It has always seemed to follow the original explanation, it was mostly in female guppies - to be honest I don't remember a different species having it, but some mollies may have in my dim recollection. It always seemed to be relegated to a single fish, never seemed to spread, and was usually terminal but not really fast.
I know you want the cure, but I really can't offer one, just the anecdotal evidence I received so long ago. Hope it helps a little bit, I would tend to remove affected fish from the breeding population and cull the fish as they are identified, but otherwise, I would wonder if it really can be treated, I never really knew a way.
Hole in the
Head - II
subject = hole in the head ?
Problem = Have a Opaline gourami with pitting in head area
and sore pimple looking spot on jaw, moonlight gourami with pink
pimple that got inflamed near gills, Jurupari ciclid with raised
area on head that started with a pink pimple similar to gourami's
but became elongated and swollen. moonlight's became inflamed.
Treated tank with gram negative (Maracyn two) and immediately
reduced swelling around Jurupari's pink spot and appeared to cure
the problem, 5 days later after 5 days of treatment it was back.
She is not eating as good as she usually does. Moonlight is in
the same tank, inflammation around her pink spot was not affected
by gram negative. Introduced gram positve Maracyn on 3rd day and
it cleared up inflammation in 2 days. Spot is almost gone. Opaline,
in the same tank, showed no reaction to either and actually developed
an irritated pimple on the jaw during both treatments. She has
many pits but because of her markings they are hard to see. (Sorry
for all of my bad ! spellings) Bought hole in the head guard but
hate to use it because of the stress to all of the fish in the
tank. Which include a clown loach and a scaless cat fish (I think)
>Size = 55
>Age = 2 yrs
>Type = Community
>Number = 7
>Change = 11/15/97
>Percent = 50%
>Primary = undergravel
>Secondary = Whiper 2 or 3
>Media = 11/12/97
Treating anything from long distance is extremely difficult. But it really sounds like you have done everything right. My diagnosis also would include hole in the head, as the lateral line apertures on the head do sound infected. But again, I also agree with you that treating with the (I would guess) Hex-A-Ex is risky with your scaleless fish.
I would attempt to clear up the situation with improved water quality, since hole in the head seems often to come from polluted aquariums. I know that you did a 50% water change a couple of days ago, and the media has been changed, but is the gravel dirty. I don't know but you can look. If it is, and the tank is polluted in any way, it might be aggravating the problem. I treat bad water conditions with water changes that employ a gravel cleaner and erythromycin. Basically you already did this with the Maracyn II. So, if your tank went downhill and you did the water change as a result, I would try to do a couple more in relatively rapid succession to clean the gravel. But please don't go over 20% per cleaning so the water conditions don't dramatically change.
Using Salt in
an Aquarium with these fish
Problem: I appreciate you getting back to me. I
will try your suggestion of the salt but will it have harmful
effects on any of my other fish: tiger barb, electric yellow,
red finned borli, yo yo batia, red tailed sharks, living stoni,
scat. I thought maybe my bacteria level had gotten to low. I recently
installed a fluval 303 and am going to invest in a sea storm,
so hopefully that would clear up any ammonia toxicity. Could that
have been the problem?
I would be surprised if the bacteria level gets too low, although there is a huge fluctuation in bacterial populations. I generally recommend the use of Cycle to ensure the proper beneficial bacteria are in abundance.
The fish mix you have is quite varied, some of the common names I am not familiar with, but the ones I identify are able to take the salt. I see African Cichlids, which do appreciate it, the scat also is brackish, so you should have little difficulty. The tank appears to be both aggressive and fast, and the puffers may simply have been outgunned in this system.
Puffers and Salt
subject = one of my puffers died
Problem = I recently set up one of my friends old tanks. It
is a 50 gallon hexagon. I had 2 spotted puffers, 2 figure eight
puffers, 2 red tailed sharks, 2 yo yo batias, 1 living stoni,
2 red finned borlis, 1 scat, 1 electric yellow, and 1 scat. A
few days ago one of my spotted puffers died and I have no idea
why. I have been feeding them frozen variety food once, sometimes
twice a day, because they do not eat flakes. All 4 of my puffers
seemed to be healthy and all of a sudden one died. it did not
seem as though it had be beaten up and but it did have some grey
looking marks around it's mouth. prior to this one dying one of
my other puffers looked kind of sick also. it would just sit on
the bottom of the aquarium, not swim at the top like it usually
did. i was worried about that one and then the other one died.
before the one died, i did an ammonia test and everything seemed
normal, but the pH seemed a little high. i did a partial water
change and added ammolock like the ammonia test booklet said.
After the one died, I added one treatment of ridich thinking it
might be some kind of infection and since the other puffer already
looked kind of sick, i wanted to make sure that no other fish
died. I have just a regular power filter with charcoal cartridge.
I am going to get a fluval as soon as i can. I was just wondering
if you could tell why the puffer died, and what I can do to correct
that.
>Size = 50
>Age = 96 months
>Type = semiaggressive
>Number = 13
>Change = 11/23/97
>Percent = 20%
>Primary = basic power Filter
>Secondary = none
>Media = date
As far as I know, most puffers require salt in their water, they are usually accompanied by brackish water fish like scats, etc. I wonder what your salt content is. I think that may have something to do with the problem. Just like mollies like a bit of salt in the water, I believe so do puffers to be as healthy as possible.
Just to confirm, I looked them up and the suggestion is to add a little salt - they suggest slightly brackish, hard water slightly above neutral. Other than that possibility, I must admit I don't have enough experience with puffers to really give you the reason.
Treatment
by the "Shotgun Approach"
subject = popeye
Problem = my wife bought a beta about three weeks ago. About
a week or so later one of it's eyes bubbled out. She was told
to put tetracycline in the water. For two weeks now she has changed
the water about every other day and added the tetracycline daily.
The beta seemed to get better then yesterday his other eye popped
(bubbled). The original eye seems to be fine now. What can she
do ? We would appreciate any help you can give us.
>Size = 2
>Age = 3 weeks
>Type = beta
>Number = one??
>Change = 1/5/98
>Percent = 50-75%
>Primary = none
>Secondary = none
>Media = n/a
I would stay with the medication that worked on the original eye, and keep doing what you are doing. If you really believe that the problem is recurrent and the medication is being tolerated by the disease, then you might want to switch around, use EM, then possibly chloramphenicol. But you must make a decision here pretty soon, the economics of the cure may make purchasing a new fish the better option, and then starting again. The cost of the cure may be way more than getting a healthy fish to start with.
Neon Tetra
Troubles
subject = Neon Tetra jerking
Problem = I know it is difficult to diagnose something unseen
but here goes. IN a 10 gal tank that is nearly 1 year old we have
8 fish, 4 of which are Neon Tetras. One individual has been swimming
about at about a 40° angle for about a week. Tonight the angle
has increased to almost straight up. I cannot see anything outwardly
wrong except perhaps a small brownish dot on each eye. The fish
looks as if it is having some neurological problem and is unable
to loaf about in one spot.
It can swim in a straight line but the jerky inclined movement starts as soon as it tries to loaf in one place.
Other fish are: 2x Red-eyed Tetras, 2x Otto Cats, 1x Mountain Minnow and the otehr 3 Neons. Tank is at about 70°F and pH is about 7.1. !0 gals, no live plants, bottom filter. Water is nice and clear.
I do not have another heater and tank so I cannot isolate
the "jerky" Neon other than killing it.
>Size = 10
>Age = 11
>Type = Community
>Number = 8
>Change = January
>Percent = 30%
>Primary = air pump in two risers suck H2o thru undergravel
filter
>Secondary = none
>Media = no filter media
Neon tetras can become ill rather easily in my experience, and I must admit I have had little success in treating them. They do have a disease called Neon Tetra Disease, and I though this might have been the problem for you, but the symptoms you mention are not the same. In general Neon Tetra Disease has the fish lose color, so much so that it seems to go almost white and then die. Speed is the name of this disease, since the fish drop off rapidly and it easily wipes out tanks full of neons with little chance of treatment.
One of the problems with tetras of all types is that they are very susceptible to medications that are quite stress free for most other fish. Although I really cannot tell you what is wrong, it does appear to be an actual problem with the individual, rather than a contagious one, by now lots of problems would have surfaced with your other fish.
In guppies the problem you describe could easily be seen as a form of tuberculosis, or at least that is what I have been told when a fish suddenly bends at the tail and ends up hunched over. The shimmy you describe suggests that this really is not the case since often guppies with the same basic symptoms live and swim for a long time.
I really cannot solve your present disease, although I wish I could, I must be honest and suggest you might take the problem to one of the newsgroups like alt.aquaria or rec.aquaria (I think) and open it up to that field of expertise.
If I tried to take a cure "shot in the dark" I would have more chance of hurting than helping, and that is not my aim. So please, accept my apologies at my ignorance. In my own personal case, if I was faced with the same problem, I would ensure that my tank is up to par. A good water change and gravel cleaning must be done regularly, and ensure that the feeding regime was such that there is little or no pollution being added that could cause stress.
ICH
subject = ick
Problem = Although Ick seems to be a common problem, I have
yet to find a medication that is effective and safe for clown
loaches. Quick Cure by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals seems to be the
most effective medication, however, it is lethal to clown loaches.
Although Maracide appears to be safe for them, it does not appear
to be very effective. Any help you could provide would be appreciated.
Also, I have noticed on my Boesman Rainbows, that an infestation
of Ick results in tail rot. What combination of medications do
you suggest to effect a cure to the Ick while treating the signs
of tail rot
>Size = 10
>Age = 1 month
>Type = rainbows, various barbs and clown loaches
>Number = 10
>Change = 3-07-98
>Percent = 20%
>Primary = undergravel
>Secondary = none
>Media = none
Ich is a problem for almost every aquarist, and you get your own favorite types of medication to use. Since this is a hobby, not a science as it is getting to be in aquaculture, the problem becomes which medications work best. I must admit I haven't kept clown loaches in many years, so I won't be of much help, other than to suggest the classic ICH remedy, and to use it like I would use it for tetras and scaleless catfish. That is a preparation of malachite green.
The other problem is that you must keep the proper concentration of the medication for a longer period than - on the surface - appears necessary.
Ich has three phases. The one you see is one that is impermeable to medication. When the fish has the spots, the spots are not prone to being killed by any medication I know of. The parasites are creating spores (eggs) that also do not respond to medication when they drop to the bottom of the tank in the second phase. After a few days, the spores become free swimming parasite looking for a host. During this swimming phase the medication will kill the ich. So a proper dosage of an effective medication must be in the water when the swimmers are around. I suggest you warm the water up somewhat to speed the entire lifecycle and use a low level dose of something that appears to work a little, but use it over a longer period. As I said, I know that malachite green is effective - I use a product called Nox-Ich by Weco, but there are other malachite green products on the market. Use a smaller dosage, but use it for a longer time. That is the only way I was successful with corydoras and other scaleless catfish. Again, I haven't had a clown loach in my tanks for a long time, so I can only suggest use any new remedy with caution.
Pink Spots
on fish
subject = pink spots on molly
Problem = my molly had ich so I treat them. Now the white molly
has pink spot on it sides could this be from the ich. The one
that has it is pregnant, if that make a difference.
>Size = 10
>Age = 4 weeks
>Type = molly
>Number = 4
>Change = didn't new tank
>Percent = ??%
>Primary = Main Filter
>Secondary = Additional Filtration
>Media = date
I have never heard of any ICH being any other color than white, it doesn't even seem to be able to be dyed, so a pink spot is not something I have come across in my recent experience. I would suggest you look very carefully at the spot, it may be a lesion rather than leftover dyed ICH. If it is a cut, I would continue to treat the disease with your present medication to make sure the next phase of ICH that is contagious (when the spores become free swimming and looking to invade a hose) is killed before it can cause further trouble. If you stop medication too soon, the problem always reoccurs since the parasites are impervious to medication in either the phase they are visible on the body or as spores when they drop. They can only be killed when they become free swimming organisms looking to attach to a host to complete the cycle, that occurs about seven days later - approximately since this is dependent on temperature.
As far as the pink spot, try to determine what it is. It could be a lesion or cut, or wound and is open to infection, if it looks like a growth on the fish body, it may be velvet, especially if it appears as a patch rather than a spot.
Black
marks on Goldfish
subject = black marks on goldfish
Problem = I have a goldfish that measures roughly 6 inches
long from nose to tail. On both sides it recently has black marks
that look like smudges. I can't find out what is causing it. I
talked to a local salesperson that has been in the fish business
for 20 yrs. and he says he hasn't ever run into this problem.
Any answers you have will be appreciated. Thank you.
>Size = 10
>Age = 14 months
>Type = 2 goldfish, 2 small catfish, 1 frog
>Number = 4
>Change = 3/31/98
>Percent = 30%
>Primary = Filter that hangs on the backside of tank
>Secondary = none
>Media = date
I probably won't be much help for you either, although I have heard of the problem, I have never found an effective method for treating this or another goldfish specific disease that appears as red blood streaks through the fins. I don't keep goldfish or koi as a regular fish, I really wish I could help you, I know that some of the problems with goldfish can often be cured by adding a level of salt to the water for its sterilizing effect. As far as other remedies specific to the problem, I really do wish I could help, but feel it is better to plead ignorance rather than give bad advice.
Problems
with Mollies and Guppies
subject = dropsy
Problem = In the last month or so, every time one of my guppies
drops her fry, she immediately comes down with dropsy, 4 have
bit the dust so far. This never effects the males. I have added
no new fish for 9 months, other than moving fry from the baby
tank to the big tank. During this same time period, 3 of my 4
mollies also died, of no visible symptoms, they just looked poorly
and rested on the bottom, and croaked. For both these problems
I tried Maracyn 1 in a separate container with no luck. I add
salt, Living Water Vital, and StressCoat. Ammonia and nitrites
are 0, and nitrates are 10ppm. I have to say that when numbers
get high {approx. 40-45} I send some off to the pet shop, so that
would be my biggest variable. I have 2 questions: what am I doing
wrong, and have I contaminated my new 70 gallon as I was using
excess guppies from this tank to cycle it?
>Size = 38
>Age = 16 months
>Type = guppies, mollies
>Number = 35-4
>Change = 4-4-98
>Percent = 50%-weekly
>Primary = Eheim 2224
>Secondary = none
>Media = partial change 1 wk
Sorry to hear about your troubles with the guppies and mollies. In my experience I haven't got anything that might help. Mollies do better in a fair bit of salt, higher than guppies prefer, but you already use salt. As far as the problems with the guppies, I really don't have a cure, or experience with the problem. It has been quite a few years since I kept and bred guppies. I never experienced the same troubles. It would almost seem to be a problem with the fish themselves, rather than something treatable. Without any visible signs that can give an indication of the source. I would look into finding a local veterinary university that might have the facilities to examine and determine the cause of death for you fish. If you were in Canada, I would tend to suggest the University of Guelph to contact, but I am sure there must be something local that will be able to give you instructions on how to pack and ship fish to them for disection and evaluation. Until you get something like this done, all your efforts would seem to be a shot in the dark.
Sorry that I can't answer your problem with an effective solution, but a vet or vet university would be the places I would try.
Hydra??
subject = Diseases or Parasite?
Problem = I was looking in my tank one day and i found a thin-disc
live creature, about 3mm in diameter, there was one swimming around
and I caught it, the other was stuck to my comets tail, thereafter
I took it out using a plucker,
My question is what is this disc like thing which is attacking
my fish and where did it come from?
>Size = 10
>Age = 24
>Type = Community
>Number = 6
>Change = date
>Percent = 50%
>Primary = Undergravel Filter (biological filter)
>Secondary =
>Media = 04/10/98
In am unsure exactly what you have in your tank, although I would guess it is a hydra, it has a relatively flat head and suction cups to attach to the fish. Without actually seeing it, though, I really can't diagnose it.
I do know that these parasites are quite common in goldfish and can come into the tank with contaminated water or a new addition.
Color
Loss - Spring Run-Off Warning
subject = stress?
Problem = I have a tri color shark who seems like he is loosing
his color I also have jumbo danios who also seem like they are
fading the tri color just jumped out of a 46 gallon tank and I
guess that will just make things worse. Do you have any ideas
about why they might be loosing their color? When the shark jumped
out he got hurt so I treated the tank immediately. the pH and
ammonia levels are fine the tank is clean and the temp has not
changed. I have had these fish for over a year and I havn't had
any similar problems.
>Size = 46
>Age = 16 mths
>Type = Community
>Number = 11
>Change = 4-19
>Percent = 40%
>Primary = aquaclear
>Secondary = Additional Filtration
>Media = ?
I would take another close look at the water characteristics, if the fish have been in the tank for over a year and there have been no additions, a sudden loss of color would tend to mean that the water is changing somehow. One of the problems that occasionally happens this time of year is that the water for a water change can cause problems. The rains of spring coupled with a spring run-off often forces the water company to add extra chlorine (chloramine) to the water to make it safe for consumption. It is at this time of year that a lot of unexplained problems suddenly occur, and although I am unable to bring any proof to bear, I do suspect that the water supply changes dramatically in composition - increased organic compounds, extra toxins and higher levels of chlorine or chloramine. It would not surprise me that if someone is using the standard dosage of a water conditioner that it may be too little to take care of some of these unannounced changes. Loss of color is one of the reactions to stress, and sudden pH drops as a buffer is overcome or the addition of chlorine or a heavy metal component can also create havoc with fish homeostatic functions.
Hope that gives you a bit to look for, it would be best to have your water tested somewhere else as well to ensure that accuracy fo the test kits - another area where age can cause unreliable readings. Assuming they read the same across the series for different places to do the testing, at least you will know your basic assumptions are correct.
Problem: The pink spots on the fish is now white on the fish. looks like the begining of ich but i have been treating them for about 5 days.could it be coming back?
As I think I mentioned, ICH is cyclical, and the only time when you can actually kill the parasite is when the spores become free swimming organisms looking for a fish host. As such, it is quite possible that the dosage was not high enough to kill the parasites as they went looking for a host. So if the spots have reappeared on the fish, either try a different medication (I suggest malachite green preparations such as Nox-ICH by Weco or other basic malachite green preparations). Remember to remove any carbon in the filtration system. And/OR increase the dosage, assuming you do not have tetras or scaleless cats.
Internal
Background
Problem: Would like some info on buying or creating
an internal background to hide power heads. Looking for something
of plastic or fiber glass with Fish-safe finish. The dimensions
are 29"H x 48"L x 6"W
>Size: 85
>Age: 3 days
>Type: Goldfish
>Number: 3
>Change: N/A
>Percent: N/A
>Primary: Three power heads
>Secondary: H.O.T Magnum--Vortex Diatom XL
>Media: n/a
I am sorry that I really can't help you with your request on internal backgrounds. I have never really bothered with a lot of backgrounds per se, since I have normally relied on rock formations and plants to do the work you mention.
Generally I keep African Cichlids which are most successful with piled flat rock aquascaping. Built correctly, the power heads and even heaters can be effectively hidden. Commercially available backgrounds have occasionally been offered, but bone have been very successful, and most disappear quite fast since they are expensive to fabricate.
I have been known to use silicon to "glue" rocks together to obtain a camouflaging decoration, I have found that fiberglass or epoxy turns white and does not look very good for this purpose. Just remember that whenever you make walls, you make places for debris to collect, in addition water currents are broken so even heat distribution (not usually in goldfish though) becomes a problem. Heating as just mentioned is even more affected by creating large internal backgrounds for disguising equipment.
External Backgrounds
Problem: The idea to make/buy an internal background
came from the new aquarium our local zoo constructed in the renovated
rotunda. My objective is to increase the water volume the fish
live in. Rocks and other decorative items displace water. So I
wanted to create something that not only would be attractive but
would hold the displacement to a minimum.
I used to decorate with everything from rocks, shale to wood until it dawned on me that along with the substrate, I was reducing the very medium these creatures needed to thrive.
I'm now thinking of making a thin background out of the same material sailboats are made of.
Your point about detritus accumulation and restricted flow is well taken. I'm going to go back to the zoo and study what they did.
It seems almost ridiculous to ask, but have you thought about external backgrounds. I am unsure where you come from, but here in Canada, the most common solution to hiding cords and tubes outside the aquarium is to place a standard background outside the aquarium and tape it to the glass. This way there is no need to worry about waterproofing the material. If placed up against the glass on the outside, there is no loss in viewing capacity, and certainly no loss of internal volume.
There are a number of foils and paper backgrounds, some are even "3D" in style that look quite nice, although some are much too gaudy for my taste. You will even find some that are made out of impermeable plastic that could be placed internal to the aquarium if you do not have a glass back. I am particularly thinking of the marina double sided ones that come in unending pictures of plants, rocks, corals etc, on one side and a solid colour such as blue or black on the other. They are made of plastic rather than paper and could withstand the submersion. Just be careful not to rub too hard on them while cleaning would be my only caution.
Silicon
and sealing operating tanks
subject = Length okay out of filtered tank
Problem = I have a crack in my freshwater fish tank. I need
to caulk it with silicone, but it's leaking, so I need to empty
the tank first. How long will the fish be okay in an unfiltered
tub...since it takes 24 hours for the caulk to dry.
>Size = 20
>Age = 8 months
>Type = Freshwater
>Number = 12
>Change = yesterday (moved tank...got crack in it)
>Percent = 100%
>Primary = Main Filter
>Secondary = Additional Filtration
>Media = date
Depending on where the crack is, you may want to reconsider. A long time ago I used to maintain a 24 foot tank, it was over a yard wide and held Koi in a commercial bar. It was very old and sprung a leak every week. So, it was impossible to remove the fish, do a seal and then replace the fish after the tank was finished. Instead, I removed about half the water, the seal was redone above water where possible, but often it was below the reduced water line anyway, so the sealant was applied under the water line and allowed to cure wet. I admit, not the best method, but effective for the maintenance of that tank. If the crack can be attacked by lowering the water level and allowing the tank to stay low (but with a bit of filtration) that would be the way to go. I am less worried about the unfiltered part as I am with the drop in temperature. If you can keep the water in circulation, as long as the heat stays even, you will have less problems with ICH, one of the most common, and in my opinion, heat related, diseases.
So there you go, hope that I helped you a bit. It has always seemed to me that the silicon was non-toxic to fish, although I must admit I usually used about 8 ounces in the large tank so dilution may have been a break. Silicon will slowly cure under water as well, so take the advice with the grain of salt - as you should from most experts and determine your own solution.
Oscar Diseases
and injuries
Problem: Many thanks for having a web page. I did
find a lot of good information on Oscars and their diseases. I
do have a question, my Oscars, Fred and Ethel live in a 55 gallon
tank and I change 10%-15% of the water weekly. I've noticed that
Ethel appears to be suffering some sort of injury or diease to
her scales. It looks as if her scales have been either pulled
off or rubbed off leaving exposed flesh underneath. She has a
good appetite and is very active. Any ideas????
Oscars, just like a lot of other fish occasionally get scratched, and often they will scrape themselves on rocks to scratch an itch. But this sounds much more serious than that, although its actual cause is not something I can put my finger on right away.
If there are no growths to be seen, but simple lesions, I would start to look for a parasite of some sort making them scratch at rocks. A second possibility is that Ethel is not reciprocating an amorous Fred, and being battered by him in his advances. Has there been any color changes, heightening of the male to indicate breeding readiness?
Watch the fish for while, is there any sign where the fish are acting abnormally that you can put your finger on, it may be water conditions, but more probably one is being aggressive suddenly for some reason.
Bacterial
Bloom and Fry
subject = Severe Cloudy Water
Problem = I have a ten gallon tank that until 3 weeks ago housed
75 1/2" Sailfin Mollie Fry. I managed to give all but 6 away.
So, currently I have only 6 1/2" Sailfin Mollie fry. The
water became severely cloudy due to overpopulation. After I got
rid of most of them I began to siphon/gravel clean to aquarium
twice weekly. It has been three weeks and my tank's water still
is not clear. I can hardly see my fish! I have tried the chemicals
you can purchase from pet shops, but it doesn't clear my water
either.
>Size = 10
>Age = 15 months
>Type = Salfin Mollie fry
>Number = 6, half inch fry
>Change = August 29, 1998
>Percent = 50%
>Primary = Undergravel Filter
>Secondary = Marineland Bio-Wheel 125 Powerfilter
>Media = August 25, 1998
75 fish, no matter what size is a high biological load for a 10 gallon tank, when you feed fry you must overfeed and that inevitably results in an excess of organics in the water. Suspended bacteria will grow in population to the point where they can be seen as a milky cloud to the naked eye. I would suspect that you have a bacterial bloom that is in the process of using up all the excess wastes produced and fed to the fish over their rapid growth period. In most cases I always prefer to use the natural method, no chemicals, but simple denial of food for three days to allow the bacteria to use up the nutrition in the tank and then die back to more normal populations. I hesitate to recommend this too strongly, since these are fry and lack of food may slow their growth. But with that said, often the lack of feeding will clear the environment and make it a much more healthy. A three day fast for well fed fish, even 1/2 inch fry should not harm too much, and the sudden natural reduction of bacterial load, eliminating a huge cost in oxygen demand may be a powerful inducement to slow down or eliminate feeding for three days.
Zeolite
and Ammonia Removal
Problem: How can I use Zeolit as an ammonia remover?
(can I put it in the filter) Is there any other function of zeolit,
beside removing ammonia?
You ask if zeolites can be used for the removal of ammonium, the natural zeolitic mineral clinoptilolite has been used for this function for many years. Conventionally you would use a column or a standard filter such as a pressure sand filter. In these systems the zeolite media takes the place of sand.
The systems can only be used in freshwater, and work best in soft fresh water with a low cation content. Under these conditions 1 kg of zeolite will remove in the order of 5 grams of ammonium before the zeolite requires regeneration. The product is recharged by passing seawater through the filter, the sodium ions in the seawater exchange with the ammonium on the zeolite. The process works better if you use a strong salt solution at a pH of 11.
We use clino for ammonium control in artic char recycle units or any low temperature closed freshwater system. If the water temperature is over 10 deg C, biofiltration is employed. However at low temperatures biofiltration is slow and zeolite ion exchange filtration works well. There is some information on ion exchange filtration on our web site at http://www.DrydenAqua.com.
Aqua-L - Dissolved
Oxygen and pH
Problem: We are planning a system to test dissolved
oxygen and ph levels in fish holding tanks of seawater. The water
will flow by gravity to a central reservoir to be tested there.
We are looking for information on the influences of the flow (luminar?
tubulent) on the variables to be measured. How do controlled factors
like pipe diameter or length affect the variables? (Temperature
change is negligible).
The flow rate per se doesn't affect any of the parameters themselves. Most DO probes need to have some local turbulence to replace the O2 consumed by the probe in measurement; your water flow will probably provide this. Also, ensure there are no leaks on the intake side of the pump, as air would be sucked into the water flow, affecting DO.
However, from a biological point of view, water quality monitoring in water which is piped any distance needs to be designed carefully. You will get fouling growths (bacteria and, if it's a natural water supply, a whole range of fouling organisms like barnacles, tubeworms, sponges, tunicates) inside the pipe. These will, of course, consume oxygen and excrete CO2, affecting your DO, pH, and other water quality parameters at the other end of the pipe.
We have had good success by combining two measures:
1. High linear water velocity in the pipe - aim for 2-3 m/s if you can, although this will cause high back pressure and require expensive pumps if you've got more than say 50m of pipe. This reduces the ability of most fouling organisms to attach to the pipe surface.
2. Duplicate the entire pipeline/pump setup. Run one pump at any one time, alternating on a weekly basis. The water in the 'off-duty' pipe will become anoxic and kill any bacteria or other organisms which have settled. Of course, when you first start a pump after it's been off duty, make sure the nasty water doesn't go anywhere near your fish, and don't take any notice of water quality data until the pipe is well flushed!
Aqua-L - H202
as a delousing agent for Saltwater lice
Subject: H202
Problem: I am looking for any information on the application
of H2O2 in marine systems for control of ectoparasites. Dosage
rates, species (both fish and ectoparasite) applied to, water
temperature, etc.. Any information would be helpful.
H2O2 has been used for the treatment of sea lice (Lepeophteirus salmonis) in Maine in Atlantic salmon and Steel head at a concentration of 1500 ppm at water temp above 9C and 2000 ppm at temp below 9C. Treatment duration has been 20 minutes. It has been partially effective in removing adult and pre-adult stages from fish It does not necessarily kill the kill the parasites. The treatment has caused some gill lesions at water temp above 12C.
Also refer to J.M. Thomasson (1993): H2O2 as a delousing agent of Atlantic salmon in Pathogens of Wild and Farmed Fish: sea lice by G.A. Boxhall and D.Defaye, Ellis Horwood pg.290-295.
Salt
in a 5.5 gallon new guppy tank
subject = adding salt
Problem = I'm a beginner and I just finished installing my
first tank (app 5 gallons). I want to put in a few guppies. I
tried looking for information on what type of water a guppy needs
- "natural habitat water" - but the only thing I can
find is that it can bear almost any kind of water. Don't guppies
have any preferences concerning water ? What is/are the guppy
natural habitat/habitats like ? I also read that guppies like
"a little" salt. How much is a little (approximately)
? Is it just kitchen-salt, sea-salt or something more fancy that
should be added ?
present water conditions :
pH 8
KH 14
temp 23 degrees C
>Size = 5
>Age = 2 days
>Type = guppy
>Number = 0 at present, going to be 3 to 5 depending on aquarium
>Change = 7/9/98
>Percent = 100
>Primary = sponge filter
>Secondary = none
>Media = ?
Actually, you have been told rather correctly, although the guppy is a bit confused in all, the males like different pH than females, they seem to do fine in most pH levels, but neutral is often a good place to be. The guppy, or mosquito fish, is used to most water types, it is an excellent eater of mosquito larvae and have been introduced almost everywhere for just that purpose. By adding them to pools where mosquitoes breed, they can naturally help keep down the population.
As far as a bit of salt is concerned, they require aquarium or pickling sale, any salt really that does not have any iodine. I prefer to use a pure aquarium salt, that way I know there isn't any impurities the manufacturer didn't bother to remove before packaging.
Even if you don't buy the aquarium salt, you should stop in at a local pet store and see the instructions on the packages, they do vary, but a couple of teaspoons per gallon wouldn't hurt.
The most important thing you can do for your fish in such a small tank is to feed them rarely, at maximum once a day as much as they will eat in two minutes with nothing hitting the bottom or any leftovers. The greatest source of pollution and ammonia is overfeeding, and that is strictly up to the aquarist who does the feeding. IF you haven't added the fish as of yet, let them get used to their new environment for at least a couple of days before you feed them. That will give them a chance to get hungry and to feel comfortable in their location. They should be able to recognize food when it appears by that time, rather than simply let it fall down to the bottom as many newly introduced fish tend to do when they have been fed too soon.
RE: Nitrites too high in 125 gal SW Tank
Lots of questions, I will answer as they appear, that will be the easiest way to cover everything.
>First of all, thank you very much for such a detailed answer.
I did read the section on Nitrogen cycle. But I was under the
impression that using CYCLE will dramatically increase the speed
with which the tank will break.
That is true, Cycle adds the beneficial bacteria nitrosomonas and nitrobacter as well as some heterotrophs that help keep the area ideal for the nitrifiers to populate. The real problem is getting them to populate as fast as possible in the beginning. In brand new tanks that can take a bit, but simply by numbers, they will speed the whole process up. Geometrical growth means that if there is only one (uninoculated tank scenario) the next replication will be 2, then 4, then 8..16..32..64, etc. Assuming that even a small number of bacteria start to multiply with the Cycle - there are 100 billion per ml - they will double in the same time as well. let's say 100 b->200b -> 400 b ->800b etc,
That is the basis of inoculation in a new tank. If the conditions are right, they will establish much faster than one where the bacteria have to appear from the environment. Speed on growth varies greatly, it is just that Cycle will start and mature any tank faster than if it was uninoculated, the problem is that each tank is different.
>How much does the temperature effect the whole Nitrogen Cycle? What is the ideal temperature when breaking the tank?.
Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter live in the same temperature range as the fish, so there is very little you can do to improve response time with temperature, other than to keep it at normal aquarium temperatures. I haven't seen anything in print or even heard anything to tell me that there is a difference in temperature and speed of maturation. That has the single exception of cold. The bacteria are still active but much slower at cooler levels. I doubt you are using a chiller, so my advice to you is to allow the tank to operate as you intend to operate with fish in it. It can be a test for your equipment to ensure all is working right, rather than customizing the temperature for bacteria.
I know the opposite might seem tempting, raising the temperature to higher levels to accelerate the action. This might work to a degree, since the cycle does operate with discus kept at 90o, but there is a serious trade-off. Oxygen is depleted in the water carrying capacity, so there is less free available oxygen for the bacterial population in the tank. A trickle system avoids this limitation, but in most cases, I prefer to use all the time to ensure the equipment is running right, and as long as the temperature is within normal tropical bands, I doubt there is much tat can be hurried by raising the temperature.
>I tested my Ammonia last night and it came to Zero, even though I had added about a cube-full of fish food (squid, shrimp, romaine, and flakes blended together) on Friday. Is it enough or too little? for a 125 Gal saltwater
Here, personal preferences begin to come into play, and we all are able to be hobbyists, rather than scientists. You see, I prefer to use a real fish to cycle a tank, I have always found it to be better for my personal tastes than watching an empty tank. I usually put in my favorite fish - and only one - to do the cycle. That is a Niger Trigger and let him swim through the troubles in the maturation. That way I don't care what goes on, they are tough enough to last usually, and I like them enough not to get too hasty.
With that comment, your problem. I would not expect that there would be any ammonia shown, any decay going on is automatically reduced from ammonia to nitrite, I think I mentioned that in my last message. So unless you really do something stupid and pour food in heavily, the ability of the tank should keep ammonia to 0. This is the way you want it, since as I also mentioned, you don't want ammonia in the tank, it will inhibit your nitrobacter production and nitrite will stay forever.
Personally, I wouldn't bother to keep feeding it, I would allow the tank to cycle with the food already in there, and then place a few very hardy fish (you could probably throw mollies in there and use them as fish food for later specimens. Let the ammonia work as it is, and allow the nitrobacter to get up to speed and drop your nitrite. Nitrate will build up over time and water changes may be required depending on your set-up.
The article on Nitrogen Cycle says that the bacteria grow on every solid surface. Does that mean that scraping the tank clean reduces it's ability to hold fish?
Theoretically, yes, but I have never worried about that. The surface area of the glass is minimal compared to any gravel or other biological substrate in or without the tank. I am a lazy aquarist, I prefer to let the glass get growth in places where I don't watch anyway. It is a result of not wanting to put my hands in the tank, I never know what contaminants I may add from my hands, and a wish not to disturb the tank. I admit to being lazy and allowing growth to overgrow the system, it is usually healthier, but it has never really been to conserve lithotrophs on the glass, there are so many other surfaces that glass is essentially irrelevant in my view (personal hobbyist viewpoint here).
The same article also suggests that one add fish slowly. But how many fish is enough and at what level of Nitrite should I start adding the fish?
Personally, I add a fish or two at a time, never more unless they must be kept in schools. A single Niger Trigger as mentioned before in the very beginning, I start the tank with fish always, and only wait about 24 hours before they are added to give the salt mix time to stabilize and the ionic reactions to settle. It is also enough time to allow the salinity to solidify, so I am not really shocking them. I use a tough fish that is there to make the nitrogen cycle happen, once it is done, I expect the fish will be ok for the rest. Nitrite level should be undetectable when I add any more fish - one or two maximum at at ime if they are paired in some way. I then watch to ensure the lag time for ammonia removal in the bed is not enormous and then ensure the nitrite stays zero as well. After a week or so I might add another or two. I would rarely add over 4 in a month no matter what.
If they are small, then you can add a few more in number than larger fish, but I wouldn't add more than about an inch (exclude the tail) for every five gallons, and even then I am being hesitant to be so high. That would come out to about 25 inches in all, and that could easily be too much depending on the mix.
Once the tank is active, can I increase the rate at which fish are added, and once again what is reasonable?
I hope I wandered over that above.
Lastly one of the local wholesalers has a huge filtration system. I can take more then enough BioBalls form him. Will it help? Since these are apparently already active.
You can do this, you also might add any diseases he might have at the subclinical level. It is not a bad idea, and has been often used to "seed" a tank. If you are using a trickle system, simply place them in there with new media and they should provide the bacteria that were active in the wholesaler's system.
But should I approve of doing this, what is the best way of transporting them and how long can I keep them outside without loosing all the live bacteria.?
A stagnant undergravel filter lives for about an hour before it will suffocate. BioBalls, if you put a little hit of water in the bag and keep them damp should last a few hours at a minimum. They require oxygen and moisture - they really are soil bacteria so they would be happy as long as they are damp and have oxygen.
Thanks a lot for your help, because In Jeddah there is no one professional enough to assist me. There are only two stores who sell some of the products and the wholesalers export to the world, but are not very sure about how to assist the small hobbyist (they just do a massive water change every 5-6 days).
If they use natural salt water, they might be housing some subclinical diseases in the filter media (they might with articial as well), but if these will be your actual suppliers of fish, that might not matter. Just a small comment when talking about seeding the tank. I personally prefer to use a product like Cycle since the bacteria in them are pure strains and you know you are not putting pathogens into the tank. It is not strictly natural, since rarely are such teams found in nature, but the overall improvement of the environment with regular inoculation and ensuring the best possible strains of bacteria are in the tank and doing the job is vital.
Fluval
- Standard Maintenance Procedures
Problem: I'm hoping you can help me out with a problem.
I've owned a Fluval 403 for about 6 months and have attempted
to change the filter media twice. Each time I have found it incredibly
difficult to remove the motor unit from the filter case (it seems
to create a vacuum). Secondly, I seem to get water everywhere.
I'm sure there are some tricks to using this device, but I'm having
the worst luck. What looks as though it ought to be a 5 minute
job seems to take an hour (and a lot of clean up).
Do you have any tips you could pass along? They would be most welcome.
The Fluval should not be hard to open, unless you are not removing the valves and letting them be closed or something that would create a tension or vacuum in the canister.
Before we get to that, lets go over the regular maintenance, if the place is getting wet, something is wrong with the methodology of maintenance, and we should clear that up first.
To shut of the machine, close the INPUT valve first. Then close the OUTPUT. It is after I have done this that I unplug the filter. This retains the water in the input tube so I don't have to suck on the filter to get it started when I am done.
Next I undo the hose lock nuts below the valves and release the hoses and let them hang. I then remove the filter- still full of water from its location and bring it to a sink and place it inside the sink. Thus any water that will spill will be drained through the drain. I then unclip the six clips and draw the motor unit up. With the hoses gone, there is no suction or vacuum to overcome since the unit is wide open at both input and output.
I don't know any other reason the there would be difficulty to remove the motor head that suction being maintained somehow. Once the motor is off and placed to the side, I lift out the module stack and place it in the sink as well. Now there is very little weight left in water in the canister itself, so I will dump it out. I will rinse that with warm water and then place it to the side.
Now I work on the media as required. Generally any carbon must be changed. I prefer to use removed water from the aquarium to rinse the sponge, I am generally doing a water change at the same time, so simply rinse the waste from the foam in the bucket. That ensures that no chlorine or chloramine will kill the beneficial bacteria in the biological filter that the foam becomes.
I will replace the carbon - but always let it soak for at least 10 minutes to help eliminate the air inside the matrix. The tiny bubble the carbon can release if not thoroughly soaked can cause air to be trapped in the impeller well when the unit is restarted. I will talk about that later.
The pre-filter can be rinsed off in the tap water, it should be used mostly as mechanical filtration, so biological filtration is not as important. If you wish, you can rinse everything (except new media) in the used bucket to retain bacterial counts as high as possible.
The BioMAX, if the unit is relatively new should be rinsed in dechlorinated or old aquarium water as well, also to retain any bacterial counts as far as possible.
Remove the Impeller cover and rinse the impeller and impeller well out of any slime in it. I prefer to use a Fluval Impeller brush, but as the very end I do run my finger into the well to ensure the walls are clean and not warping. It is a simple check, and will tell you if the unit has been running dry and overheating.
I replace all the modules, and then ensure that the seal ring goes on uniformly around with no kinks. If I feel like it, I will use a bit of vaseline to help ensure the seal and make the next removal a bit easier.
Once the unit is reassembled, I leave it empty and walk it back to its location in the cabinet. Notice I have not removed the hoses, they were left hanging, full of water. This is intended. If the hoses do get dirty or clogged, then I will remove and clean them with a Fluval brush, but that is very rare, almost never.
Reconnect the hose valves with the hose and use the hose lock nuts to finger tight only. Once all the hoses are reassembled, open the OUTPUT side first. No water should start running as the spray bar is above water and will break any siphon. Then I open the INPUT valve and the water in the hose will begin to fill the empty canister. As the water fills I plug the unit into power and as soon as the water hits the impeller the water flow is re-established.
Often the newer media will have some air trapped in it, as will the foam and other contents. After a few minutes, take the canister and shake it, this will force air trapped in the impeller well to be expelled. You might want to do this a few more times over the next day to eliminate any trapped air. If there is a strong surge when shaken after a few times and a day or so, check the input hoses and siphon to ensure there is no additional air leaking into the system.
I know this has been pretty long, and involved, but I hope it clears up your problems.
White Tufts
in Gravel
subject = white tufts in gravel
Problem = we are noticing white clumps of tufts on our gravel,
in some of our plants, on rocks and on the filter intake. My guess
is that my son is overfeeding and this is what wasted fish food
becomes. The fish seem unbothered by it, but it is ugly! So far
I've only cleaned & changed the filter and done about a 50%
water change and added a little salt. Any suggestions would be
welcome. Thanks!
>Size = 10
>Age =10months
>Type = Community one sword, one balloon molly, two tetras,
and one scavenger
>Number =5
>Change = date 9-9-98
>Percent =50%
>Primary =Penquin 110
>Secondary =Undergravel filter
>Media =
I think you have hit the problem on the head, white puffs on the gravel, and often you will see white puffy material surrounding an excess flake of food that was not eaten and left in the tank is often the visible sign of a fungus infection.
When this happens, to me it is a very visible sign that the water quality for the fish is very poor. The first step is to remove all waste in the aquarium, as much as possible. Use of a gravel cleaner during the water change is strongly indicated. Be sure to take as much waste as possible from the gravel and bottom during each water change.
Fungus can cause actual disease for the fish, so watch them carefully. If the water quality is not totally out of hand, then by improving you may dodge the disease bullet. If fin and tail rot or some other infection moves to the fish, I usually use EM Tablets to clean up the problem, but not until I see signs of the disease. If at all possible prevention is much better than being forced to cure.
Stop feeding for a few days - about three to allow any excess food deterioration to get under control by expanding populations of bacteria in the 3water column. Often a cloud will occur that can look like milk was poured in the water. Lack of added nutrients allow the bacteria to use up these excesses naturally. Then feed as much as the fish can eat in TWO minutes with nothing hitting the bottom. I would not feed more than once a day and I think you will get a very good handle on the problem and improve the general conditions for all the fish in the process.
I know this sounds like you will be punishing the fish by only feeding once a day as much as they can eat in two minutes, but I bet you will still overfeed. It just seems to be man's nature. Always remember fish are cold-blooded, so they use much less energy that you or I. We utilize 85% of the energy we metabolize to heat our body, fish don't need it, so they need much less food to sustain and grow.
Filter for 7' x 2' x 2' tank with Oscars
subject = which filter for my tank
Problem = size of my tank is 7 foot by 2 foot by 2 and half
foot deep. i think it is 220 gallons can you please let me know
how best to filter it. What one?
>Size = 220
>Age = 30 months
>Type = oscar ,large fishes and some small ones too
>Number = 40
>Change = 25 days
>Percent = new tank
>Primary = fluval 403 and small inside filter
>Secondary = Additional Filtration
>Media = date
A tank like this is very difficult to filter with a single filter of standard manufacturer type. Either you would want to build a sump style filter under or to the side or use a number of filters in combination. Placement also makes a big difference, often tanks of this size are used as room dividers, or some form of look through style which relegates the filtration to an end. I have seen a 24 foot x3 x 3 filtered from the end with another tank and siphons with a strong pump running the water to the other end, so it is really a matter of application and tank limitations as well. You might want to consider using a series of siphons to draw the water from the tank and then extremely strong water pumps (like the Laguna 5000 or 7000 to move the water back to a remote area. The water would be siphoned into a large aquarium (25 gallons or so) and the filter constructed so the water flows through either foam or floss, then carbon layer and the water pump pulls it from there.
This would simply be a huge AquaClear. For 220, at least two AquaClear 500 plus a few power heads running undergravel filtration (probably an Evenflow set of plates) would be indicated. Oscars do dig, but not so much as many other Cichlids and an Undergravel with PowerHeads would allow the water to have strong movement and powerful biology.
AquaClear
500 media for salt water tank
subject = What media?
Problem = I have an Aquaclear 500 and a fish only saltwater
tank, with some live rock. As I am on a budget at the moment I
cannot buy another filter. What media should I use for the best
health in my tank
>Size = 55
>Age = 4 months
>Type = Community Saltwater
>Number = 7
>Change = 10 September 1998
>Percent = 10%
>Primary = Was undergravel now Aquaclear 500 with sponge
That is an extremely difficult question as there are only three types really made for the filter. Carbon, Foam and AmRid ammonia remover. The last is a no-brainer, since AmRid is NOT for saltwater, so that is eliminated, leaving a whole bunch of non-Hagen saltwater products, Carbon sack, or Foam Insert.
The standard set, with foam and carbon may be the best way to go here, since you will not have any trouble with the water flow. I would add an extra foam cartridge in this case, sandwiching the carbon between two foam pads to get some liquefied waste removal but relatively good mechanical removal and the top sponge going biological.
There are a whole lot of other filter media, Boyd's Chemi-Pur jumping to mind the fastest, but, it really shouldn't be used in an AquaClear Power Filter. The dacron bag used to hold the minute resins is such a small grid that it will tend to create more resistance than flowthrough. The bag is forced up and to the output, it is held by the sides, so it won't go into the aquarium, in most cases, but it again creates a large resistance that builds a wall of water, often taller than the back of the filter. This allows the water to flow out the back and all over the floor.
It is for that reason that most "exotic" filter materials are not suggested for AquaClear units, they have such powerful flow that they can get backed up and overflow onto the floor.
It would seem you are pretty much stuck with standard media for the AquaClear unit. So use of as much foam as possible will allow at least a strong biological system to develop. You best not put a lot of fish in there, and unless your lighting is superb, I would also expect the Living Rock to slowly die off, not from bad water, but lack of lighting. If I were to add another filter onto the system, I might consider a Protein Skimmer to remove harmful wastes, it probably can be used quite well in a minimally stocked salt water system running just an AquaClear.
I know that probably is not what you want to hear, but the way any outside power filter is designed, there is a certain inherent lack of versatility available. You need a canister or an undergravel system for the biology, but when considering live rock, I personally stay away from UG, too much oxygen drain on the system. Live rock needs lots of light and probably a trickle style filter to live with any robustness. The protein skimmer adds some aeration from the strong bubbles and takes away a lot of wastes, so it still would be my next addition to a very cash strapped set-up as you describe.