# right when you think things are getting better



## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

Well, im in a bit of a bind here.

My water parameters are good and my tank temp is about 79-80, but i think i may have a parasite problem, my female rusty has what looks to be pop eye and looks like she is starting to show signs of a concave stomach, there arent any aggression problems.

I'm Thinking it may be 1-2 bad fish, one of my zebras is in bad shape but im having a **** of a time trying to net him, and have not been successful yet ( one of the downfalls of a rockscape IMO )

Since im seeing signs of problems with other fish im probly going to treat the whole tank, i'm debating wether to pick up some jungle medicated food or going the tablet rout, what would be better?

Since noticing problems *** been doing 25-30% water changes daily with epsom salt treatments, but im thinking i should remove most of the rocks do a real good gravel vac to make sure i have no bacteria pockets and maybe leaving the rocks out til im sure the fish are ok.

Any suggestions? please help i dont wanna lose any fish!

w


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## lotsofish (Feb 28, 2008)

Pop eye is usually treated with antibiotics. I've had pretty good luck using Furan 2 which treats both gram+ and gram-.

Other problems may be parasites, the bacterial infection could even be a secondary infection from parasites but I'd treat it first since fish can usually survive parasites longer than bacterial infections.


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

Update ..  Well i went home on lunch to check on my rusty and boy she was not looking good at all. in a 4-5 hour span her fins are all ragid and she was almost not moving on the top of the water, still upright but little movement.

I moved her outta the tank and into the hospital with another fish. She basicall swam into the net  

Now the more i look at the fish i can notice more with the concave stomach, i need to do something asap, any suggestions? help me!


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I think there is a maracyn treatment but I'm not sure if it is one or two. It's the one that treats popeye and dropsy. Treat the tank and the next day treat again. On the third day do a 50% water change and treat again. Things should start to improve by then. 
Try and eliminate any additional causes of stress. The stress is what compromises their immune system to begin with. 
No lighting, no traffic, a few rocks, normal temperature and fall back on the epsom salt. The stomach issue can be handled after the fish can support itself. Just keep the water very clean. 
Keep us posted, we are all hoping for the best.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

How long has this tank been set up?

What are the exact water parameters?

What is your usual tank maintenance routine?

Have you added any new fish recently without quarantine? Lost any fish?

What size tank is this?

What is the full stock list?

We need alot more information in order to help you.

Eye issues are usually from an injury OR poor water quality. They can turn into a bacterial infection, or a bacterial infection can follow, but most of the time they stem from the first two things I mentioned.

Is the Rusty still eating?

Is she flashing against objects in the tank?

Does the fin deterioration appear cottony or fuzzy looking?

Let's get more information and we can try to help your fish.

A pic would be good, as well.


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

tanks been set up for about a month now.

Parameters are 0 ammo , 7.8 PH, Nitrate 2.00 / nitrite .20 (i think i have these numbers backwards but im not at home so i cant do it till later.

My usual routine is a water change once a week, but since my rusty getting sick *** been doing one every other day.

I Added all my fish at the same time

60G Long

Stock list is this 6 Yellow labs, 2 YT Acei, 2 Soclo, 2 rustys (not including my sick rusty, shes in quarantine ) 2 other acei, one red zebra (who is not very aggressive because of his size) 1 other fish, cant ID.

The rusty was eating until she got extremely bad, fins are not fuzzy I think that since she was floating at the top the fish may have thought s he was food and were picking at her, cuz thats what it looks like, she was not flashing at all.

With her this is how it happened, one day upon coming home i noticed she had rings around her eyes, so i did a water change added salt and left the light off all night, when i woke up she was fine no noticable problems. the next morning it looked as if the popeye was coming back and i saw a partial concave stomach, came back on lunch and all **** had broken loose.

Shes in quarantine and seems to be doing much better, has most of her color back but her underside looks a little off in color.

On another note *** done one treatment of jungle parasite tablets in my 60 g because since all my fish have been exposed i wanted to treat the whole tank. I know my nitrates are off, im thinking about picking up another bio wheel, i think i need more biofiltration.

Hope that helps, sorry if i made newb mistakes


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Your tank isn't fully cycled, you should have zero ammonia and nitrite readings. Anything higher is unacceptable when you have fish you intend to keep long term in the tank. Nitrates should hover around 20, never more than 40.

What is your ammonia level?

Did you add the fish immediately when you set the tank up?

Cut back on feedings, keep it minimal. Do frequent partial water changes (may take more than one a day) with a good dechlorinator (I recommend Prime) until your water levels out.

This will do long term damage to your fish, if they survive it.

You might take a look in the library at the articles on cycling a tank.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

By the way, what did you mean by "right when you think things are getting better"?

Have you treated this tank with meds before now?

(The meds aren't going to help the cycling on a new tank, and this may be your only problem...)


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

what i meant was, i had an issue with the same rusty before she had what looked to be popeye, i did a water change and added salt and the next morning it seemed to be 100% better, but when i came home that day all **** had broke loose with her. So i thought things were gonna be better.

The only treatment *** done is parasite killer, and feeding parasite food.

i will do 20% water changes daily til my nits are down to zero, would it help if say i replace my internal filter with another biowheel?

my 30G is set up with a 280 emp and that tank has 0 problems at all, not enough biofiltration on my 60?

Fish seem to be doing good, very active.

my ammonia is 0 according to my kit, nitrates and nitrites are off.

water is semi cloudy.

Thanks for the help CA


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

As I said, you may need to do more than one water change a day...If you can't do more than one, do more than 20%, try closer to 40%.

This is going to mean your cycle will be drawn out longer, but you really don't have a choice since you already have fish you plan to keep in the tank.


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

and for peace of mind, water changes that frequent wont affect my fish?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Not as much as leaving them in there with elevated nitrites will...

Double check those readings, too...


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

awesome, thanks for the tips CA.

One quickie tho, what are some easy ways to bump up my bio filtration? stuffing my media slot on my emp with pot scrubbies?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

How many gph are you running through your current filtration?

What are the tank dimensions?

You still have to go through the cycling of the tank, no matter what filtration you have on it.

If the 30G is a well established tank, you might take a piece of filter media from that tank and place it within the filter on the 60G to boost your beneficial bacteria.


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

48/21/16 dont know the exact but i know thats close, im running about 650 gph.

what do you do? cut a piece of the filter off? how big? where do you put it after cutting it off


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You can cut a piece off, and place it inside the newer filter.


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## Johnnyboy (Oct 1, 2008)

UPDATE**

Well things seem to be getting better, that fishy smell has gone away from my tank and my fish look great. Rusty is doing well in the hospital, she looks good i just think she wants to be back in main tank with her fellow rustys.

my albino soclo im not so sure about its bump is still there but the red in the center seems darker, so it may be going away? IDK

Thanks for the help CA


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