Ammonia Level? 0
Nitrite Level? 0
Nitrate level? 15 (about)
Ph Level, (If possible,KH and GH and chloramines)? 7.4
Ph Level out of the Tap? 7.0 (treat with baking soda to break it up)
Tank size (How many Gals) and How long has it been running? 29 gallons, running since march, but I moved it in september, though it didn't even bump the cycle.
What is the name and size of the filter/s? Penguin 350 B
How often do you change the water and how much? once a week, about 30%
How many fish in the tank and their size? 2, body is about four to five inches
What kind of water additives or conditioners? Prime, aquarium salt (other fishy caught her tail on a plant and had a very small tear, so I put salt in this last water change) and baking soda
Any medications added to the tank? no
Add any new fish to the tank? no
What do you feed your fish? pro gold, algae wafers, peas, occasionally some fruit
Any unusual findings on the fish such as "grains of salt", bloody streaks, frayed fins or fungus? no
Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, ect..? He has always preferred to hang around the bottom, his entire life. But now he's having super trouble staying upright, and keeps floating to the top and being upside down.
I've moved him to a plastic bin filled with about 15 gallons of water (PH and temp matched, dechlorinated) because my other fish was starting to poke at him and the filter flow was whipping him around the tank no matter where he tried to hide. Usually they hide in the flower pots and the flow doesn't get them, but he can't control himself anymore, so now he's got no filter and is rubbermaiding it with an airstone. I intend to keep an eye on the ammonia and keep it from being a problem.
I'm scared to death, I don't know what to do.
Full Version: Swim Bladder Problems?
Hello HackerBoi. Sorry you're having problems.
This may be a little tricky to figure out: your nitrates are not high and your feeding schedule wouldn't easily cause constipation, so that's two possible causes which seem unlikely.
What's left:
a) the fish may have a pre-existing problem with it's swim-bladder. Sometimes it can become damaged through bad water-quality and infection. How big is he? You got him in March, right?
b) he may have a parasite load which has caused him to bottom-sit since you first got him.
c) internal bacteria. Have you noticed his poop? If he has internal bacteria, the poop will not be normal.
I think I'd first feed a pea with a single epsom crystal inside. This will flush him out and remove the possibility of contipation for sure. See if this makes any difference.
Unless you've noticed thin, stringy, white poop, (in which case, MediGold might be in order) I might go up the parasite route next. You could run Prazi and also try to get the new Goldfish Connection De-wormer for internal parasites.
I wonder what the others think? Hopefully someone else will jump in soon.
This may be a little tricky to figure out: your nitrates are not high and your feeding schedule wouldn't easily cause constipation, so that's two possible causes which seem unlikely.
What's left:
a) the fish may have a pre-existing problem with it's swim-bladder. Sometimes it can become damaged through bad water-quality and infection. How big is he? You got him in March, right?
b) he may have a parasite load which has caused him to bottom-sit since you first got him.
c) internal bacteria. Have you noticed his poop? If he has internal bacteria, the poop will not be normal.
I think I'd first feed a pea with a single epsom crystal inside. This will flush him out and remove the possibility of contipation for sure. See if this makes any difference.
Unless you've noticed thin, stringy, white poop, (in which case, MediGold might be in order) I might go up the parasite route next. You could run Prazi and also try to get the new Goldfish Connection De-wormer for internal parasites.
I wonder what the others think? Hopefully someone else will jump in soon.
Forgot to say - it may be worth putting in some zeolite to manage the ammonia as you are not cycling this QT. Ammonia will only make things worse and zeolite will make the amount of water changing a little easier.
QUOTE(Pixiefish @ Oct 12 2007, 03:17 AM) 
Hello HackerBoi. Sorry you're having problems.
This may be a little tricky to figure out: your nitrates are not high and your feeding schedule wouldn't easily cause constipation, so that's two possible causes which seem unlikely.
What's left:
a) the fish may have a pre-existing problem with it's swim-bladder. Sometimes it can become damaged through bad water-quality and infection. How big is he? You got him in March, right?
b) he may have a parasite load which has caused him to bottom-sit since you first got him.
c) internal bacteria. Have you noticed his poop? If he has internal bacteria, the poop will not be normal.
I think I'd first feed a pea with a single epsom crystal inside. This will flush him out and remove the possibility of contipation for sure. See if this makes any difference.
Unless you've noticed thin, stringy, white poop, (in which case, MediGold might be in order) I might go up the parasite route next. You could run Prazi and also try to get the new Goldfish Connection De-wormer for internal parasites.
I wonder what the others think? Hopefully someone else will jump in soon.
This may be a little tricky to figure out: your nitrates are not high and your feeding schedule wouldn't easily cause constipation, so that's two possible causes which seem unlikely.
What's left:
a) the fish may have a pre-existing problem with it's swim-bladder. Sometimes it can become damaged through bad water-quality and infection. How big is he? You got him in March, right?
b) he may have a parasite load which has caused him to bottom-sit since you first got him.
c) internal bacteria. Have you noticed his poop? If he has internal bacteria, the poop will not be normal.
I think I'd first feed a pea with a single epsom crystal inside. This will flush him out and remove the possibility of contipation for sure. See if this makes any difference.
Unless you've noticed thin, stringy, white poop, (in which case, MediGold might be in order) I might go up the parasite route next. You could run Prazi and also try to get the new Goldfish Connection De-wormer for internal parasites.
I wonder what the others think? Hopefully someone else will jump in soon.
I've had him for a little over a year, got him last September. Wouldn't parasites have effected other fish that I housed him with or showed some other physical signs? He had a little bit of finrot last winter, but other than hanging out at the bottom for about half the day, he's just like every other goldfish.
His poop seems fine, but it is hard to tell in a tank with two goldfish, the poops on the bottom of his quarantine tub are fine though. I'll try and get some epsom salts today, though I won't be able to get any medicated foods. I feel rotten for it, but I'm completely broke and just can't afford to buy meds this month.
QUOTE(Pixiefish @ Oct 12 2007, 03:32 AM)
Forgot to say - it may be worth putting in some zeolite to manage the ammonia as you are not cycling this QT. Ammonia will only make things worse and zeolite will make the amount of water changing a little easier.
Thanks pixiefish, I'll pick some up today. I'm triple dosing the prime in hopes that it will help manage it a little bit.
UPDATE: I checked on him this morning in the QT tub, and he's swimming upright though still having lots of control issues. If I can't resolve this to the point where he's back to his normal self, is it possible to keep him in a 20 gallon long with limited water movement and zeolite long term? The current seems to make him really unstable.
Well, I think you could certainly keep him there a while. You can get little zeolite cartridges that will run off an airline - I think you can replace them every week or two depending on bio-load. I'll try to check out a few links and meanwhile I'll PM Trinket who is very good at sleuthing out medical probs.
Sometimes if a parasite load is not particularly high the fish can jog along for a while, feeling rather lethargic but without any really alarming symptoms, until they reach a tipping point. My fish have had some kind of internal parasite probs for a while and haven't really appeared 'ill' as such.
It is encouraging that he is upright again. Can you tell us a little more about him? Like, where you had him when you first got him and what happened when you set-up the 29gal you mentioned. Did the fish have to go through a new cycle or anything?
I'll try to post back tonight although it's already quite late here, so it may end up being tomorrow
Sometimes if a parasite load is not particularly high the fish can jog along for a while, feeling rather lethargic but without any really alarming symptoms, until they reach a tipping point. My fish have had some kind of internal parasite probs for a while and haven't really appeared 'ill' as such.
It is encouraging that he is upright again. Can you tell us a little more about him? Like, where you had him when you first got him and what happened when you set-up the 29gal you mentioned. Did the fish have to go through a new cycle or anything?
I'll try to post back tonight although it's already quite late here, so it may end up being tomorrow
I just checked out Aquariums R Us and they have a few small airline filter boxes that could house zeolite. I sometimes have used a small Hagen plastic, box-filter. Just make sure the capacity is big enough.
I would try the 'epsom' pea before rushing to medicate and see how he gets on in the QT without the current. Hopefully Trinket will drop by at some point......
I would try the 'epsom' pea before rushing to medicate and see how he gets on in the QT without the current. Hopefully Trinket will drop by at some point......
Swimbladder problems are tricky. They can mask internal disease and while we are busy concentrating on diet an intestinal parasite or bacteria causing damage to the liver or intestinal tract might be the real cause. In the case of disease+swimbladder issues the fish will lose its appetite and eventually stop eating. With your fish, he still has appetite and normal poop so I would think this is probably not a parasite causing case.
The next likely one is gut bloat. Not being able to 'go'. Again, poop or lack of it can be the teller and it occurs most often in fish that are fed processed food only. Your fish seems to have a varied diet including peas and fruit which helps with these digestive problems.
And the other one is true swimbladder. Which all fish but especially fancyfish are so prone to. The compact body masses all the organs and the long intestinal tract into one tiny place and the airsac in the abdomen responsible for buoyancy is packed in there tightly too. The airsac is made of 2 parts (caudal and anterior) that are constantly adjusting the airflow(via blood capillaries)to keep the fish upright. When these capillaries are damaged or not functioning well enough to transport air there may be balance issues noticeable in the fish.
When you seea fish "burping" out air at the top of the tank the fish is trying to mantain airsac control by expelling extra air to recreate an equilibrium. The next stage may be bottom sitting where balance may be easier than swimming which involves more work from the airsac ballast dynamic.
Thus the true swimbladder/airsac problem often follows a set route: bottom sitting; rushing to top to get air; back to bottom sitting and this kind of bottom sitting will often be head tilted down (easy to confuse with bacterial infection) some listing to the side and a recurring flipover problem that at first quickly passes but then becomes more and more the norm.
So I think your fish may be in the last group. I personally own a flipper and believe it has been due to high nitrates (over 20) for a sustained period of time when I was unable to monitor them This fish will flipover when I need to do a water change!! My radiation canary. High nitrates and indeed other water toxins can dilate or damage the cappillaries that are resoponsible for expelling and transporting air to the air sacs. Think of those toxins like butter,lard and transfats effects on the human arteries
So I think Pixie was right to first eliminate parasites and bloat and now perhaps we are left with sbd. What you are doing is good. These kind of fish need a long period of time in shallow warmer water with small regular feedings of a variety of stuff. Don't starve an sbd fish but feed smaller amounts -they need the nutrition to fight the toxins an drepair the capilliary damage. There are success stories. Don't give up and don't medicate unless visible or farther symptoms appear as medicating here can also damage those capilliaries making things worse.
Perfect water. Zero nitrates. A low tub water changed every few days with gentle air, smaller feeds and patience. Good luck
The next likely one is gut bloat. Not being able to 'go'. Again, poop or lack of it can be the teller and it occurs most often in fish that are fed processed food only. Your fish seems to have a varied diet including peas and fruit which helps with these digestive problems.
And the other one is true swimbladder. Which all fish but especially fancyfish are so prone to. The compact body masses all the organs and the long intestinal tract into one tiny place and the airsac in the abdomen responsible for buoyancy is packed in there tightly too. The airsac is made of 2 parts (caudal and anterior) that are constantly adjusting the airflow(via blood capillaries)to keep the fish upright. When these capillaries are damaged or not functioning well enough to transport air there may be balance issues noticeable in the fish.
When you seea fish "burping" out air at the top of the tank the fish is trying to mantain airsac control by expelling extra air to recreate an equilibrium. The next stage may be bottom sitting where balance may be easier than swimming which involves more work from the airsac ballast dynamic.
Thus the true swimbladder/airsac problem often follows a set route: bottom sitting; rushing to top to get air; back to bottom sitting and this kind of bottom sitting will often be head tilted down (easy to confuse with bacterial infection) some listing to the side and a recurring flipover problem that at first quickly passes but then becomes more and more the norm.
So I think your fish may be in the last group. I personally own a flipper and believe it has been due to high nitrates (over 20) for a sustained period of time when I was unable to monitor them This fish will flipover when I need to do a water change!! My radiation canary. High nitrates and indeed other water toxins can dilate or damage the cappillaries that are resoponsible for expelling and transporting air to the air sacs. Think of those toxins like butter,lard and transfats effects on the human arteries
So I think Pixie was right to first eliminate parasites and bloat and now perhaps we are left with sbd. What you are doing is good. These kind of fish need a long period of time in shallow warmer water with small regular feedings of a variety of stuff. Don't starve an sbd fish but feed smaller amounts -they need the nutrition to fight the toxins an drepair the capilliary damage. There are success stories. Don't give up and don't medicate unless visible or farther symptoms appear as medicating here can also damage those capilliaries making things worse.
Perfect water. Zero nitrates. A low tub water changed every few days with gentle air, smaller feeds and patience. Good luck
QUOTE(Pixiefish @ Oct 12 2007, 02:57 PM)
Well, I think you could certainly keep him there a while. You can get little zeolite cartridges that will run off an airline - I think you can replace them every week or two depending on bio-load. I'll try to check out a few links and meanwhile I'll PM Trinket who is very good at sleuthing out medical probs.
Sometimes if a parasite load is not particularly high the fish can jog along for a while, feeling rather lethargic but without any really alarming symptoms, until they reach a tipping point. My fish have had some kind of internal parasite probs for a while and haven't really appeared 'ill' as such.
It is encouraging that he is upright again. Can you tell us a little more about him? Like, where you had him when you first got him and what happened when you set-up the 29gal you mentioned. Did the fish have to go through a new cycle or anything?
I'll try to post back tonight although it's already quite late here, so it may end up being tomorrow
Sometimes if a parasite load is not particularly high the fish can jog along for a while, feeling rather lethargic but without any really alarming symptoms, until they reach a tipping point. My fish have had some kind of internal parasite probs for a while and haven't really appeared 'ill' as such.
It is encouraging that he is upright again. Can you tell us a little more about him? Like, where you had him when you first got him and what happened when you set-up the 29gal you mentioned. Did the fish have to go through a new cycle or anything?
I'll try to post back tonight although it's already quite late here, so it may end up being tomorrow
QUOTE(Pixiefish @ Oct 12 2007, 03:37 PM)
I just checked out Aquariums R Us and they have a few small airline filter boxes that could house zeolite. I sometimes have used a small Hagen plastic, box-filter. Just make sure the capacity is big enough.
I would try the 'epsom' pea before rushing to medicate and see how he gets on in the QT without the current. Hopefully Trinket will drop by at some point......
I would try the 'epsom' pea before rushing to medicate and see how he gets on in the QT without the current. Hopefully Trinket will drop by at some point......
I'm going to grab a piece of plastic canvas, stick a couple bags of zeolite in it and put an airstone in the middle, then anchor it to the bottom of the tank with a couple of rocks in pantyhose tied to it.
I did the epsom pea thing and he scarfed it down. I had to spend the night at my mother's tonight, so I'll be able to check in on him tomorrow morning. His tub shows zero ammonia, but I dosed it with prime to make sure that it wouldn't be a problem for tonight. As soon as I get home, I'll test his water, and if it is showing ammonia, I'll do a water change on it to get it down. I'll also have the zeolite by then. I'm going to set up my spare 20 gallon tank for him so that I can move the plastic tub out of my bathtub (only place to really put it).
Leo's history is not very complex. He's really a girl, but I didn't learn that until after I named him... so he's still Leo to me. When he was about an inch and a half long he had to endure a cycling (I was new to fish and didn't know about cycling then), this was last September, but other than that he hasn't had bad water at any time. When I set up the 29 gallon last march it was cycled before any fish went into it. I had to get rid of most of my fish when I moved this summer, so he's been living with just the one tank mate since um... June about.
QUOTE(Trinket @ Oct 12 2007, 09:08 PM)
Swimbladder problems are tricky. They can mask internal disease and while we are busy concentrating on diet an intestinal parasite or bacteria causing damage to the liver or intestinal tract might be the real cause. In the case of disease+swimbladder issues the fish will lose its appetite and eventually stop eating. With your fish, he still has appetite and normal poop so I would think this is probably not a parasite causing case.
The next likely one is gut bloat. Not being able to 'go'. Again, poop or lack of it can be the teller and it occurs most often in fish that are fed processed food only. Your fish seems to have a varied diet including peas and fruit which helps with these digestive problems.
And the other one is true swimbladder. Which all fish but especially fancyfish are so prone to. The compact body masses all the organs and the long intestinal tract into one tiny place and the airsac in the abdomen responsible for buoyancy is packed in there tightly too. The airsac is made of 2 parts (caudal and anterior) that are constantly adjusting the airflow(via blood capillaries)to keep the fish upright. When these capillaries are damaged or not functioning well enough to transport air there may be balance issues noticeable in the fish.
When you seea fish "burping" out air at the top of the tank the fish is trying to mantain airsac control by expelling extra air to recreate an equilibrium. The next stage may be bottom sitting where balance may be easier than swimming which involves more work from the airsac ballast dynamic.
Thus the true swimbladder/airsac problem often follows a set route: bottom sitting; rushing to top to get air; back to bottom sitting and this kind of bottom sitting will often be head tilted down (easy to confuse with bacterial infection) some listing to the side and a recurring flipover problem that at first quickly passes but then becomes more and more the norm.
So I think your fish may be in the last group. I personally own a flipper and believe it has been due to high nitrates (over 20) for a sustained period of time when I was unable to monitor them This fish will flipover when I need to do a water change!! My radiation canary. High nitrates and indeed other water toxins can dilate or damage the cappillaries that are resoponsible for expelling and transporting air to the air sacs. Think of those toxins like butter,lard and transfats effects on the human arteries
So I think Pixie was right to first eliminate parasites and bloat and now perhaps we are left with sbd. What you are doing is good. These kind of fish need a long period of time in shallow warmer water with small regular feedings of a variety of stuff. Don't starve an sbd fish but feed smaller amounts -they need the nutrition to fight the toxins an drepair the capilliary damage. There are success stories. Don't give up and don't medicate unless visible or farther symptoms appear as medicating here can also damage those capilliaries making things worse.
Perfect water. Zero nitrates. A low tub water changed every few days with gentle air, smaller feeds and patience. Good luck
The next likely one is gut bloat. Not being able to 'go'. Again, poop or lack of it can be the teller and it occurs most often in fish that are fed processed food only. Your fish seems to have a varied diet including peas and fruit which helps with these digestive problems.
And the other one is true swimbladder. Which all fish but especially fancyfish are so prone to. The compact body masses all the organs and the long intestinal tract into one tiny place and the airsac in the abdomen responsible for buoyancy is packed in there tightly too. The airsac is made of 2 parts (caudal and anterior) that are constantly adjusting the airflow(via blood capillaries)to keep the fish upright. When these capillaries are damaged or not functioning well enough to transport air there may be balance issues noticeable in the fish.
When you seea fish "burping" out air at the top of the tank the fish is trying to mantain airsac control by expelling extra air to recreate an equilibrium. The next stage may be bottom sitting where balance may be easier than swimming which involves more work from the airsac ballast dynamic.
Thus the true swimbladder/airsac problem often follows a set route: bottom sitting; rushing to top to get air; back to bottom sitting and this kind of bottom sitting will often be head tilted down (easy to confuse with bacterial infection) some listing to the side and a recurring flipover problem that at first quickly passes but then becomes more and more the norm.
So I think your fish may be in the last group. I personally own a flipper and believe it has been due to high nitrates (over 20) for a sustained period of time when I was unable to monitor them This fish will flipover when I need to do a water change!! My radiation canary. High nitrates and indeed other water toxins can dilate or damage the cappillaries that are resoponsible for expelling and transporting air to the air sacs. Think of those toxins like butter,lard and transfats effects on the human arteries
So I think Pixie was right to first eliminate parasites and bloat and now perhaps we are left with sbd. What you are doing is good. These kind of fish need a long period of time in shallow warmer water with small regular feedings of a variety of stuff. Don't starve an sbd fish but feed smaller amounts -they need the nutrition to fight the toxins an drepair the capilliary damage. There are success stories. Don't give up and don't medicate unless visible or farther symptoms appear as medicating here can also damage those capilliaries making things worse.
Perfect water. Zero nitrates. A low tub water changed every few days with gentle air, smaller feeds and patience. Good luck
Wow that is a lot of info, I appreciate it very much. He does go way up and then way down, I haven't seen him upside down since about an hour or two after he was put in the tub. Now that he's by himself I'll be able to monitor exactly how much he eats, which I think will be a good thing. It is hard to tell which fish gets which and which fish poos which when they are sharing a tank.
Just to confirm that all that I'm doing is going in the right direction and that I haven't missed anything...
1) relatively shallow water in the high seventies
2) perfect water (I'm going to attempt this through zeolite and frequent water changes, any filter I could get would create more current than he can handle)
3) low current
4) very small amounts of food at a time, including fresh veggies and such, but feeding enough times in the day to keep him going.
5) pay close attention
When I checked in on him today he was swimming around the bottom of his tub, and when I stuck my hand in to fiddle with the airstone he swam towards it and sucked on my arm like he does normally, and he scarfed the epsom pea. There was also a lot of normal shaped poo on the bottom of the tank that I siphoned up.
He seems to be out of immediate danger, and I'm way more calm (had MAJOR freak out last night and cried on everybody in sight). If you would like, this could be moved to the disease/diagnosis forum.
Well, I knew Professor Trinket would be able to give a in depth evaluation! She's very clever.
Sounds like you are doing well with him. The absence of current while he's weak, shallower water and higher temps will certainly help de-stress him (her!). Your zeolite contraption should work well, too.
Keep us posted.
Sounds like you are doing well with him. The absence of current while he's weak, shallower water and higher temps will certainly help de-stress him (her!). Your zeolite contraption should work well, too.
Keep us posted.
Regards SBD this is a very useful site and tells you what symptoms can appear as SBD but are not. Also it shows things you can do to help your fish
http://www.geocities.com/swimbladderhelp/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/swimbladderhelp/index.html
Thanks Blue, I'll read through that.
I got home a couple hours ago and tested Leo's water, zero ammonia was showing, I think the double dose of prime that I used helped keep it down while I was away for 24 hours. Leo is still hanging out at the bottom, but he's the right side up, so I'm taking this as a good sign. I fed him a *very* small amount of sinking pellets today, and am watching him closely. Later tonight I am intending to feed him a pea.
I stopped at the pet store on the way home and picked up two bags of zeolite, some plastic canvas and plastic lace. He's now got a home-made zeolite filter running off an air pump in his tank. Total cost was under $7. I'm hoping that it'll keep the water good at least a few days at a time so that I won't have to lug buckets every day.
Cassie (the fish he was living with) looks really down, not having him around to play with. Though I may be projecting my own emotions onto her. I checked all her water stuff, and it is fine, but I'm worried about her. I don't know what I'm going to do if Leo continues to have problems with the current that is needed to filter both of their wastes... they both might have to live alone
Thank you so much to all of you. It means so much to me to know that when I have a goldfish problem, there is a place to come where knowledgeable people are willing to help me sort out the right way to help my fishies. If I could, I would give all of you a huge hug right now.
I got home a couple hours ago and tested Leo's water, zero ammonia was showing, I think the double dose of prime that I used helped keep it down while I was away for 24 hours. Leo is still hanging out at the bottom, but he's the right side up, so I'm taking this as a good sign. I fed him a *very* small amount of sinking pellets today, and am watching him closely. Later tonight I am intending to feed him a pea.
I stopped at the pet store on the way home and picked up two bags of zeolite, some plastic canvas and plastic lace. He's now got a home-made zeolite filter running off an air pump in his tank. Total cost was under $7. I'm hoping that it'll keep the water good at least a few days at a time so that I won't have to lug buckets every day.
Cassie (the fish he was living with) looks really down, not having him around to play with. Though I may be projecting my own emotions onto her. I checked all her water stuff, and it is fine, but I'm worried about her. I don't know what I'm going to do if Leo continues to have problems with the current that is needed to filter both of their wastes... they both might have to live alone
Thank you so much to all of you. It means so much to me to know that when I have a goldfish problem, there is a place to come where knowledgeable people are willing to help me sort out the right way to help my fishies. If I could, I would give all of you a huge hug right now.
Hey - don't forget that there are ways to break up the current without reducing the filtration. All the wonks in 'Equipment' will have suggestions.
Glad the fish is at least upright. You might try withdrawing food altogether for a couple of days just to see if there is any improvement.
Great you got the zeolite.
Glad the fish is at least upright. You might try withdrawing food altogether for a couple of days just to see if there is any improvement.
Great you got the zeolite.
Leo is doing extremely well. He has been able to return to the original tank. I have decreased the currents in it by removing the powerheads from the tank. He is using the whole tank, from the very bottom to the very top. I think he has improved considerably since being moved back home, due in part to the fact that he's not alone anymore. Both of my fish were starting to feel the strain of solitary life.
Thank you all for your help. I'm going to return to hand feeding him so that I know exactly how much food he gets, and increasing my water changing regiment. I've decided to keep the nitrates to below 10 if I can. That's what the tank was at before I moved him into it, so tomorrow I'll do a water change.
Thank you all for your help. I'm going to return to hand feeding him so that I know exactly how much food he gets, and increasing my water changing regiment. I've decided to keep the nitrates to below 10 if I can. That's what the tank was at before I moved him into it, so tomorrow I'll do a water change.
Great news! Glad he's feeling better. 
Can someone tell me what Zeolite is, and the benefits to the fish? 
Thanks
Eileen
Thanks
Eileen
Hey Lioness - Zeolite is ammonia absorbing media which can be used in quarantine tanks when one doesn't have a cycled filter to hand - or when a medication would kill the bio-filter. So, the benefit to the fish is that they are protected from the effects of their own waste during the time they are being treated for illness.
Zeolite should not be used in a cycling or cycled tank however, as it will absorb the amm and starve the cycle.
Zeolite should not be used in a cycling or cycled tank however, as it will absorb the amm and starve the cycle.
Thanks Pixiefish. Learned something new today 
Pleasure, Hun 
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