My fish are sickly. They have been for awhile. In the past year I've lost about 4 of my "oldies" to some unknown pathogen, and Bella my blue oranda has had dropsy 4 times now, but goes back to normal with just plain ol' antibiotic foods. My tank has been set up for over a year and a half now, 0 amm., 0 nitrites, and the nitrates have always been slightly high, around 40. My fish bottom sit, and I just saw Herbie uncomfortably flicking his fins. I've done prazi in the past, and all it seemed to do was keep things at bay. Nothing new has been introduced to this tank since probably winter of last year, maybe spring. I'm tempted to nuke the whole tank (125 gallons) and start over, but how does one go about doing such a thing? PP?

Erika, I am sorry that you are having problems with the fish. I too am battling ?????
I just got home from work and am fried but I will come back and check later to see if I can help at all.

Hang in there.

I did it recently. Gutted the tank. Took the filter to shreds and found gunk where I never thought it could get...then I re-cycled using media and gravel from another tank...I had had one death and the other fish were just not right, a little bottom sitting, just seemed not right. They are much more active, much better all round now..I say do it JMO .

I'm so nervous about it since it's such a huge tank. I've been thinking about PP'ing the whole thing and starting over, and I just may do it, but I'm totally horrified about the whole overdosing thing. Bella is dropsied again, and I had a cory cat floating, looking dead, and I went to get him out and he swam off. Things just aren't right.