Hi,
I have a 10 gal tank, the water parameters are all normal other than the Nitrates being at about 35. I do about 50% water changes once a week and sometimes a 10% once in the middle of the week. I don't really know what else I can do for the Nitrates other than the water changes.
My problem is that one of my BubbleEye gf got one of her bubbles stuck in the intake tube two days ago. It wasn't too bad, and the bubble didn't break. But today I noticed that she is spending a lot of time at the bottom of the tank. Now it is normal for BubbleEyes to spend time "resting" on the bottom of the tank. But not as much as she has been today. Also the bubble that was caught now has red blood vessels showing now, and it seems like there is a kind of has on the outside of the bubble with a tiny cottony looking splotch on it. I just noticed the stuff on the bubble a few hours ago. I did a 20% water change, and then I went and bought medicine for what I think looks like fungus.
Now my questions are....am I doing everything I can for her? Is there anything else I can do? And, does the fungus make her feel tired? Could that be why she is staying at the bottom of the tank so much today? Or could that be from something totally different?

I am attaching some pics. The hurt bubble is her left bubble. It's kind of hard to see the "cottony" stuff or whitish stuff on the outside in the pictures. But you can see the blood vessels. OH! and the water is very green from the fungus tab I just put in the tank about 10min ago. It is making my tank look filthy! (its not) And the white things INSIDE the bubbles are what is left over from an infection she had a couple months ago. First the inside of the bubbles got cloudy then the stuff shrunk up into little white things. I was told they would never go away. Poor little thing. She is the only one of my fish that things go wrong for. But she keeps pulling threw! Any advice to help her with this new problem would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for anyone’s help!
Emily

I think that's about all you can do for her.And the nitrAtes are fine at 35.If the
nitrItes were that high it's bad.I think you got it mixed up.

I dont know much about bubble eyes, but the red streaks look like its from the tramau of being stuck to the filter intake. Are the white cottony spots really tiny? I had a hard time seeing them myself. I would keep a close eye on her for the next couple of days, and see if things get worse. What kinda of medication did you buy? Have you started using it yet? I would try to lower your Nitrates as well, because 35 is alittle high. I try to keep mine below 20. Live plants will help lower nitrates, but if your medicated, I would do that now. Other then live plants, alot of water changes is the only way to lower the nitrates.

Hi Emily and yes, it sound like you're doing everything possible. While fish with stong immunities can pull through just about anything, any stress tends to deplete their ability to fight things such as secondary bacterial infections.

In addition to keeping her water perfect, all you can do is watch her closely. Just on your nitrates - what's the reading of your tap water? Anything <40 is ok so 35 should be fine. Also once you've completed the fungus cure, as a suggestion, you could salt your tank to 0.1% for 21 days....

Hopefully she improves soon - she's such a beautiful little fish

My poor baby Sofia did not make it threw the night. When I went to bed late last night, she was in her corner where they all sleep. The current is low there, blocked by a rock. The intake tube is at the opposite end of the tank. Anyway, to my horror when i got up this morning, Sofi's lifeless little body was wrapped around the side of the intake tube. I don't know if she was trying to sleep in a different place and passed during the night and then got swept over there? I am praying that is what happened. But one of her bubbles was completely gone...inside the tube. The medicine for the fungus said to take out the carbon in the filter. So I took out that little pad...I don’t know it that might have made the current stronger? I have had my fish for 7 months and none of them have had a problem with the intake tube until now. Sofi was the smallest and weaker of them. She had chronic SBD, bubble infections, ect. I keep telling myself this is probably better in the long run, she is in animal heaven. But i feel horrible still.

For my other two babies. I have replaced the carbon thing into the filter. What else do I need to do for then as far as the tank goes? Do I need to do some pretty big water changes now? Can Sofia being dead in there harm my other two in any way? Please let me know what I need to do for them? (besides making sure the intake tube is not a threat to them)

Thanks
Emily