Thanks Tink! Thanx so much for helping me this whole time! Oh and I just found Ranchu's thread about not complaining about stores, after I complained. I am sorry Ranchu - I did not mean any harm. It was just sad to notice it for the first time. I won't do it again, and everything you said about actions not words makes a lot of sense.. (I realize that was written a long time ago but it still applies).

YeeeeeHaaaaw!!! Sheldon is such a cutie! Very pretty little guy.

So glad that all your hard work is paying off. I remember when Moby started turning gold again instead of black, I was soooooooo happy! Its such a great feeling!

I don't remember anyone who has gone to quite the trouble of using 2 tanks, and it definitely paid off for Sheldon. And hon, don't apologize for complaining about the lfs. Ranchu was right in her post, but lets face it, we all do it. Actions do speak louder than words, but its nice to vent to each other. We girls especially like to do that.

We all look forward to your posts about Sheldon and love to "watch" his improvement.

Good job!

Hiya guys!!! Sheldon is still ich-free and lovin' it! LOL. He looks great and I do believe his scales are growing back on that one spot.. I am obviously still concerned about it, because I am still having fish nightmares. (I almost just wrote fish-mares but stopped myself.. then again I wrote it anyway! Wow I need help) I woke up after having a dream that Sheldon was sick again so I ran downstairs all scared, but he's great! YAY! The temperature is back down to about 72, but the salt is still at 0.3%. I was actually able to turn the heater off, as the room he is in right now is consistently around 70ish.

You guys are gonna be so proud of me (I think!). After a lot of researching koko's I figured my penguin 200 filter was a bit small for my 29 gallon tank. And I was thinking it would be nice to have a nicer tank established for when I buy my new fish to QT them in. Sooooo.. I bought a 10 gallon tank with hood, light, heater, pump and one of those longer airstones. (got one for the 29 gallon too actually) And I bought a penguin 350 filter. I am gonna put the 350 on the 29 gallon and use the 200 on the 10 gallon. The 350 has room for 2 bio-wheels and 4 cartridges. So I put the old biowheel and old 2 cartriges in and then added a new biowheel and 2 new cartridges. That way the cycle won't be messed up, and then after a while the bb's will grow on the new stuff so I can move a biowheel and a couple of cartridges to the 200/10 gallon tank and can cycle that tank faster! (I would just put both filters on the 29 gallon temporarily but they both won't fit!). Plus it's great because in the event that I want to use the 10 gallon as a hospital tank and medicate I can just move the filter stuff into the 350 since they use all the same filter media!!! And of course if one were to break, I have backup. Oh and I placed my gfc order last night. PraziPro, Pro-Gold, Permoxyn, & Jumpstart. Sheldon's been on the anti-bacteria fish food for 2 weeks now so I figure when the jumpstart comes I can give him that. Good plan?

Last night I did a "test" to see how my well my 29 gallon is still cycled (since Sheldon is still not in it) I added 29 drops of ammonia and it raised the tanks ammo up to 0.50, in the morning it was back at zero. Today I added 58 drops and it raised the ammo up to 1. I am curious to see the reading tomorrow. Hopefully 0!

So in case you guys haven't seen it I posted a different topic about that fish I saw at the pet store.. Let me know what you think And finally I tend to be really strange and come up with weird nicknames or songs for my pets. Don't know why it just always happens. Well Sheldon became Shellie and then at some point I started saying Shellie Pie (kinda like cutie pie) and then I caught myself singing the same tune over and over again. I didn't plan it but it's to the tune of that song Lollipop. Shellie Pie Shellie Pie Oh Shellie Shellie Pie. LMAO. See I really do need help. I think my boyfriend is going to dump me when he gets back from visiting his family! Haha Okay later guys (if anyone is still speaking to me at this point.. lol)

I'd never seen pics of ich before... it's disgusting! I was going to mention something about your filter size, so good job on the upgrade! Having compatible filter equipment sure would be nice. Joy and I have 5 filters, none of them the same brand.

Any thoughts on converting to bare bottom? The mirrored look is great, and the cleaning is VERY easy.

It sounds as though your cycle is still good; The ammonia in the tap water was probably most helpful.

As for the lfs, I think it's safe to say that we all know how you feel: After we learn about fishkeeping, fish stores are sad places (except for this CRAZY fish store Joy found in the Seattle I-district... its tanks were packed with beautiful and healthy fish, each tank with its own filter! AND many of the fish were fancies... If it weren't a 5 hour drive home, we would have bought them all).

Oh, poor Sheldon! That was a severe case of ich--- you should be very proud of yourself! He looks great now. I'm so happy that the ich is gone and the tank is cycled.

A hearty welcome to Koko's (although you've been here for awhile). Soak up all the information you can!!

Hmmm today Sheldon is behaving a little oddly. He is clamping his fins and appears to be swimming slowly for him. He is usually very active.

However, I can think of two things that may be causing it. First. I have typically been switching tanks every 12 hours. But I have hardly been getting any sleep lately and yesterday I fell asleep at a weird time and napped. So it was too early to change his tank when I woke up, but after I slept for good it was longer than 12 hours. Not more than 24 though. I tested the water in the tank he WAS in. Ammo=.50 (that is what it always is before I switch him and it is treated with Prime so it SHOULD be detoxified) Nitrite=0 Nitrate=10 Ph=8.2

Second I just fed him and I don't think he has gone to the bathroom yet. I FEEL like I read on one of these threads (there are so many I don't think I could find it again) that if they have just been fed and have not gone to the bathroom it may cause clamping. Is this true or am I making things up? LOL. It would make sense. I know that if I have a big meal at a fast food restaurant sometimes I'm not feeling so hot afterwards LOL. Either way I am just gonna keep a close eye on him (always do lol). I'm hoping it's nothing. But better to be safe... He is still in 0.3% salt. (this is his 5th or 6th day after the last Ich spot dropped off. That one day was hard to tell if there were spots or not.) The temp is about 74. It has been fluctuating between about 71 and 74 just due to it being summer like in the day but a bit more chilly at night. There is a heater but it has not been on. Maybe I should put it back on low except:

I am a bit confused with heaters. Like with what setting to use. In the winter it's easy. The room is around 68, I can set the heater at like 72 and it will always keep it at that temp. But in summer its harder. Sometime even at a low setting the room is hotter than the setting. The room temp can rise to over 80 right now, but its not quite air conditioner weather either. (Well it IS but I cant afford it. Otherwise I would have it set at like 65 all year round LOL) But then at night it drops. But with the smaller heaters they do not go buy temperature, just low through high. So if I set it on low, it always just adjusts the temp about 4 degrees, so it still fluctuates between day and night, just is always about 4 above typically room temperature. It would say be 78-84 rather than 72-78. This won't be a problem in the 29 gallon because I have a aqueon 100w and it goes by actual temperature, not just low high. Won't be a problem in the 10 gallon either because I have a aqueon 50w. Its just the ones I am using for the 5 gallon. They are Topfin 25w and although they says the middle setting is typicall 78, it does not adjust based on the degree just how much heat is put out. Am I making sense at all? I hope so LOL. I was also torn about heating for my two bettas. They each have their own 2.5 gallon tank. The tanks have cycled and remained consistent for months and months now. I change 50% of their water twice a week minimum, if not more. A lot of weeks I do 50% 4 times weekly. I've been thinking about putting them in the 5 gallons, but the tanks are soo perfectly cycled that I just don't wanna mess with it. Especially right now while I am having other issues. Also. It's nice to have the 5 gallons to use in an emergency situation like I am now. I feel its worth the extra water changes to have them in these tanks. I do not have any heaters because the tanks are so small. And now it is getting warmer. But in the winter it gets cold. I saw a hydor mini heater at mmm. But I am nervous to heat such a small space. It says it is for tanks between 2-5. Sometimes I just leave the light on, it ups the degrees a bit, but also gives me lots of algea. And again, with a small heater, its not keeping the temp at a constant number, just consistenly 4-5 degrees above normal room temp. Any thoughts? Geez I write a lot. I am so sorry. I just yap and yap and yap! LOL

Okay. Sheldon is still clamping a tad. Not as bad as he was this morning. I also kinda want to say he is gasping a little. Again - I could be paranoid. Still active and eating and not showing any Ich. Thats really good. Temp in his tank rose to about 78 today with no heater. Just warm Pennsylvania weather lol. (In case anyone is just reading this post my previous post has many many heater related questions that I need advice on) One more day for salt at 0.3%. Then I am going to put him back in the main tank, which will be at 0.3% salt and matched for temp when I put him in there. Then I am just going to do water changes to get the salt out gradually. Maybe a third each day? Does that sound reasonable? And keep a salt log so I will have an idea when it's all gone. I've been doing that the whole time, actually I've been logging everything the whole time. (and you guys just thought my updates were detailed!).

Main tank doing well and prepared for Sheldon! The other day when I added the ammonia up to 1, now it's back to 0. I added it back up to 1.5 again to make sure it stays cycled. Obviously I will make sure all levels are perfect before adding Sheldon back in. Once I get the Prazi I am going to treat him in the main tank. It will be easier than doing all these insane water changes.

10 gallon tank off to a GREAT start! Remember I took that filter media and gravel from the main tank? Well the readings 48 hours ago were: Ammo=3 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=5 Ph=8.2 And the readings just now: Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20 Ph=8.2 Ummm. did my tank cycle in 2 days? LOL Well I added ammonia back in to 1, and am gonna check tomorrow. Looks like that tank will be ready for a fish soon. Back to original plan.. Not getting the sick fish. Gonna get a healthy looking Chocolate Oranda. (Saw some a few weeks ago that looked good. Hopefully they still do).

Penguin- I've been thinking about the bare bottom tank and I actually think I am going to stick to gravel for the time being. And my main reason is a very simple one. That gravel was turquoise blue and it took me weeks to rinse that stuff before it did not turn the water teal. Literally. And that was only a few months ago. The bare bottom seems easy to maintain, and I think it's something I would definitly do in the future though. As of now the gravel is nice too because I believe it is helping cycle the 10 gallon and probably in maintaining the cycle in the 29 gallon. Right now the last thing I need is cycle problems since I only recently stabilized.

Gravel related question though. Some people say do not stir the gravel around because it lets loose toxins. Some people say to stir the gravel around because it loosens the dirt and gunk and allows it to be removed easier. What is the correct thing to do? I've been stirring it like crazy while there are no fish in there, but I want to do the right method once there are fish in there. You and Joy are lucky to have found that store! And that you live in Seattle. I've only been there once but I loved it and my boyfriend went to college there. He is obsessed with moving back there one day. So who knows, maybe one day I can have a good fish store near me! lol. Oh yeah I would love yours and joys advice on the heater situation too because I saw Joy talking about it in another thread somewhere I think. It might have been you but I think it was her.

Okay I don't think I am being paranoid. Still clamping. And still occasionally looking like he's gasping. Looks like a few teenie holes in his tail or fins. And a couple of red specks on his tail? Doesn't look like streaks. Looks like a couple specks. Nothing OBVIOUS, and this is of course after super close inspecting. I just know sometimes it can take a while for people to read and I would rather say something and it turn out to be nothing, than not say anything, have it be important but get a response to late. Just switched tanks. Still no changes in levels or additives to the tanks.

It doesn't sound like you're being paranoid Sue. The important thing to remember about Prime is that it only detoxifies ammonia for 24 hours. After that it will re-release it into the water in its former toxic form. Its ok to use for a regular water change, and in a pinch when you can't do a wc, but it isn't a replacement for wcs. I'd do a large, 75-90% wc and see how Shellie (Sheldon) does. Remember to make sure the water is temp and ph matched.

What are your water params? It could be that other than ammonia, you have a nitrite spike which is just as deadly.

I'd also feed him a few peas and fast him for a day after that. Just be sure they are salt-free and de-skinned. They are a great fish laxative, lol.

Vickie-
Okay. I've been doing 100% water changes every 12 hours for the past few weeks. They have been temp matched and ph matched. The only time I even let it get a bit longer than 12 hours was the one time I slept weird. That time it was 18 hours between full water changes. I put my params in there but I know with my huge old run on sentences and paragraphs it can be hard to find : )

Ammo=.50 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=10 Ph=8.2 Then I switched tanks (basically my method of doing 100% water changes).

Ammo=0.25 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=10 Ph=8.2 Then it was 12 hours later again. Switched tanks

Ammo= 0.25 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=10 Ph=8.2

The ammonia never reached above 0.50 and usually is 0.25. Never a trace of nitrite.

Here is a picture. I have one where I circled the spots and one without. Where I wrote 1) is the red dots, and where I wrote 2) is an example of the "holes" I see in him. In the picture it looks streaky but I complared it to one from a few days ago. It always appears a bit streaky in pics.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...heldonTail2.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...SheldonTail.jpg

Okay Sheldon is still clamping his fins.. The fins still look like there are holes forming in it. Is this a form of fin and tail rot? Or was there just so much Ich on him that when it dropped off it left his fins weak? Last time it looked frayed. Like the egdes were coming off. This time it looks like. It's so hard to explain. Okay. I got a good analogy I think. Picture a really fine tooth comb. Then imagine what it would look like if every other piece was broken off. The ones that were left would be fullstill be normal. But it would look like there are strands missing.. Make sense? There are still a couple of teeny red spots. I don't know whats wrong. The params are the same as they have been
Ammo=0.50 (again tap starts out at 0.25..it increases to about 0.50 after 12 hrs, then I change it 100%.
Nitrite=0
Nitrate=10
Ph=8.2

I have still been switching him every 12 hours. Always make sure temp and ph are matched. Always 0.3% salt. His 6 days are over with and the main tank is ready. It's actually at 0.2% salt. I figured if it was increased at increments of 0.1, it could be decreased the same. So why put him in the tank just to have to do a water change to lower the salt right away and stress him out more. Do you think at this point the main tank would be best since the water params are perfect in there? And then he would be moved and handled less? Or is it bad to put him in there if he is not all the way better? My gut says main tank is the way to go. I am pretty sure my order from GFC will be in on Thursday. I ordered Medigold bc I knew I would be getting new fish soon and it said it was good to feed new fish during Qt. Should I feed it to Shell?? I'm thinking yes. I like to run all this stuff by you guys cause I don't want to do anything wrong.

Vickie. I did as you said and gave him peas. He's been on nothing but that Jungle Antibacteria food for 2 weeks. Since the course was up, I gave him peas earlier. Normally I would give them a few times a week but it said not to give anything except the Jungle. It is very possible he was constipated. I THINK it took him a LONG time to go to the bathroom. I gave him peas about 16 hours ago. He did not go to the bathroom right away. In fact I only started seeing the "peas" come back out. a few hours ago. (Yuck! lol) I am not going to feed him today at all. Just see how he behaves.

Trinket-you helped me thru the Ich. Any thoughts?

Hi. I suspect Sheldon is still somewhat stressed. Stress will cause these symptoms. Now I know you are giving him very loving care and getting his water good but the daily tank changing will be stressful over time. It is no longer needed. I agree, put him in the main tank where he will have plenty of space. Space to swim is a HUGE de-stressor for all fish and this may counterbalance everything well right now. Remember the 5 gallon is tight and together with the daily handling, well it's not ideal.

I'd take it from there. You have already fed a course of antibacterial food so I am inclined to say don't now start on the medigold. Keep it for an emergency. Remember antibiotic food will not always work. It depends on if you hit the right bacteria that the antibiotics are targeted for and also only if teh fish has not been given many courses....this creates resistance within the fish.

Finrot (which this sounds like a mild case of) is primarily caused by stress. Take away the stress factor and it can often heal up by itself. That's where I'd start anyway

Okay thanks Trinket. You are a life saver. Can I just pay you to be my personal fish helper? LOL. Sounds good. I will double check that the params in the 29 gallon are perfect and if so put him in. Also won't give him the medi-gold at this point. Does giving him peas only or not feeding him at all for a day or so sound right? Or should I give him the jumpstart when it comes?

Yes you can feed peas for a few days because they have vitamin C and are gentle on his digestion system after the Jungle food. When the jumpstart comes start on that. lol payment would be nice, a dream job in fact, helping here for money . But no worries, I love to see Sheldon fight back and heal up and that's payment enough- really. Let us know how he gets on in the big tank, it's always fun watching fish go from small to larger homes. They usually can't stop swimming/exploring after the initial shock!

Hi Sue!
I can't give you any better advice than what Imogen has told you. I'd go by what she says 100%.(not many people realize that she is actually a goldfish...how else could she know so much?) Once he gets some room to swim and isn't being "bothered" all the time, his stress level will go down and he will quickly improve.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Hi guys! Well Sheldon Shelly Shellie Pie whatever his name is in the 29 gallon tank. LOL I put him in yesterday, about this time. He explored but not as much as I thought he would. He's still not being himself. He still swims but very slowly. And I noticed today that he appears to be having trouble going to the bottom of the tank. He kinda floats at top pointed downward. He had peas yesterday and today. He can get to the bottom. Like when I put in peas, straight to the bottom to get them, but he has a hard time. After the first few bites he had to struggle to get down.

His fins are clamped less today, but he still appears to be "rotting". (can't think of a better word). And he now seems to have a whitish film starting to cover him. The other fish had both of these things (and the ich) right before they died. He is still eating which is a good sign, and he is still trying to swim, but he's not his usual self.

I took tank readings to be positive all is good. Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20 Ph=20. Salt is at 0.2%. I know the plan was to gradually remove the salt thru water changes, but with him being sick should I just leave it? Rather than stress him out more with water changes? The stuff from GFC did come today. So I do have the medigold on hand in case he needs that. (Oh it says store in a cool dry place.. Fridge okay?) I also have on hand
-Maracyn
-Maracyn II
-Maracyn-TC
-Jungle Fungus Clear Tabs
-Melafix
-Pimafix

The expirations on all these products are good except I can't find one on the Jungle.

Let me know if you guys still think fresh water and no disruptions is the way to go or if you think I should add any meds. I trust everyone's advice because it's been so helpful thus far. And yes, vickie. I agree I've come to trust Trinket (Imogen sorry it's so weird to say that for me! I am so used to seeing Trinket lol) 100% as well... I admit. That first day when she said "trust the salt" I thought "I dunno about that.... but we'll see". She was right!!! See now that I know she IS a goldfish it makes more sense. haha Keeping my fingers crossed.. I just CAN'T lose him. It's just not an option. I need to see him get better and eat pro-gold and become a big old 6 inch fish. I'll even get him a bigger tank if he does! : )

It's a few hours later. He's back to clamping his fins all the way. The whitish film (kinda greyish. kinda whitish so hard to tell) looks like its getting thicker. Every once in a while he sucks in real deep like he's trying to breath. Still just kinda hovering around the top for the most part. The shredding fins is bad on the front fins. I just looked at the picture with the labels. His pectoral fins look like they've been shoved thru a paper shredder.

Sue I am so sorry to hear that things are getting worse. Trinket is doing a great job helping you through this. I know that Melafix is often used for shredded fins, but I don't know if you should use it, given the fish's history and how weak he is.

I can only offer hugs and support. Hopefully someone will offer advice, and soon!

Hi again. I decided to take some pics and video to show you more what I was talking about. In the pictures you can really only see his shredded looking fins. IN the video it shows his little wobble swim. This is literally what he has been doing ALL day, since this morning (if not overnight as some point). I zoom out at the end to show you how small a section he is doing it in,

Pics:
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...ovah/Shell1.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...ovah/Shell2.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...ovah/Shell3.jpg

Video:
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...nt=MOV01349.flv
(hope the video works)

Help! I just went to check on him and found him floating on the top barely moving kinda laying on his side. When I spoke to him he wiggled a little. He keeps getting worse. I can't tell if the whitish film is all over or just in a couple places. I kinda want to say just in certain spots but I am just not sure. I don't know what to do.

Hi Sue, and sorry to hear Sheldon is having more problems. The whitish covering sounds like slimecoat problems. Imogen is on the other side of the world, so her times on here are backwards.

I'll see if I can raise her for you.

Thanx Vickie. I've been watching him for the last 20 minutes I guess... I've been trying to inspect closely because I know it can make a difference. In direct lighting you can't see it at all. Like if I take a picture and it flashes it doesn't show up. When he is just swimming around you can see it mostly on his I guess I would call back? Like right below the dorsal fin. There is a white spot on his tail. It does not look like the Ich looked. Maybe a tiny bubble even. I turned off the air strip. I can turn it back on if you guys think he needs the aeration but it seems to help him swim just a little better. The filter (penguin 350) is still running. Gonna check water params again, just to be sure. Gonna check em in the 10 gallon too just in case.

Sue hi, I'm here for the next few hours or more. Have you checked your pH and can you do that at once?

Hi Trinket. The Ph is 8.2 still.. thank god your on... I haven't gone to bed (it's close to 6am here). I am just so worried about him.. (i hope that doesn't sounds crazy I am assuming on here you guys understand)

The 29 gallon tank still has the same readings but I will repost them. I Just checked them. Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=15-20 PH=8.2

The 10 gallon is the same as well and the same as the 29 gallon. (the nitrate is 20-25)

I got another video from a few hours ago. He keeps floatng to his side. Then he almost gets mad and swims crazy for a sec, then gives up and floats.
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...nt=MOV01352.flv

Then I got a picture where you can kinda see the white "fuzz" and barely the white speck or bubble or whatever. The fuzz I think you can definitly see. I circled both. The picture is the same one. Just one with circles one without so u can get a clearer look.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...teStuffDraw.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...nWhiteStuff.jpg

At this point he doesn't really swim unless I come up to the tank. If I peak down at him he just kinda floats. If I talk to him and get close he will attempt to swim like he does in the video

I understand hun, we all do Sheldon is a very small fish and has been through a near death experience. I am hoping he still has some fight left in him. I have had fish twirl around and flipover in shock or when sick only to be quite normal swimmers again. I'm afraid I can't see the video, may be my computer...but the pics show he is very stressed. I can't see the white slime coat in the pix but take your word as pics are hopeless at catching that. It's an indication of several things. Fish thicken their slime coat when they are stressed or fighting something or other. It's a protection reaction.

Can you cover his tank with a towel and give him some shade from the light? I find this calms sick fish greatly. Your aim now is to calm him and make him feel there are no more journeys and no more surprises. Get him settled in.

I'll post back in a minute with a plan for you and Sheldon, I am trying to feed all my pets here (including kids) as I have just got home from work. Back in a few mins...

PS Didn't see the above post, will check that video now.

OKay I have looked at the video and see that Sheldon still has some fight left. Don't give up on him. The slime coat he is overproducing may be either an immune response from the parasites or possibly in a weakened state from the salt. Presuming the parasites have long gone, I suggest you slowly bring the salt down from 0.2% at the next water change (is that where it is now?) to 0.1% and leave it for some time there. 0.1% is nothing at all for fish and is an immune booster. As it gets higher it can cause overproduction of slime coat.

Please do not add any meds to the water right now. In a fragile state like this IME fish are pushed over the edge by meds- especially strong ones like that Jungle Fungus clear (doubt this is fungus anyway). The Melafix is an oil and I notice his gills don't look so good so I am even loathe to recommend that as a treatment because I personally think any oil in water has some effect on the gills and if they are impaired should be used with caution.

Okay I am still here. Not going anywhere for a while. I will go cover his tank like you said.. I'm hoping he has fight left in him too. I've had a hard time with losing all my fish at once like this (not to mention the many more I lost this past 2 years due to really bad pet store advice etc). It's been so sad but it felt so good to have him hang in there. He just had something special that I noticed the second I got him. Within like 2 minutes I remember saying "I think this is my favorite fish ever. Except for this one Mimi but now I think he's surpassed it. Uggggggggh. I am remodeling the downstairs as we speak. If neighbors looked in, I look insane. It's 6:30 in the morning, my daughter is getting up for school in an hour, I haven't slept. I'm running around downstairs with screwdrivers and drills, then running upstairs with videos of fish. LOL I have to laugh or I will cry.

It's been a long night for you
You are a very caring owner for Sheldon though- the very best.
In some way he knows that I am sure. It's sweet he moves when you talk to him
Did you see I edited my post above (in black).

Okay just now saw your edit. I covered the tank with a really big beach towel so it's nice and dark. I have not added any meds to the water. I really trust your judgement and I am not gonna do anything without it being recommended. I can't stress enough how much I appreciate everything.

Yes the salt is still at 0.2%. When would you suggest I do a water change? To bring it down to 0.1% I would have to do a 50% water change correct? He is definitly a fighter. He's been through sooo much. First that spot then the Ich now this. Poor poor little guy.

Sorry I am editing mine too. You said to slowly bring it down. Basically like, I should removed 50% of the water, then slowly add the water without salt back in? How slow is slow? Sorry for all the Questions

Don't be sorry for questions. I have been where you are and know clarification is crucial, especially when you are tired/stressed.
He's gone from 0.3 to 0.2 today right? So you can wait a few days providing there is no ammonia or nitrites showing up in the 29.
Then simply change out 50% and add back slowly (imagine you are pouring hot water into a very small coffee cup- that speed, just slow=carefully really) unsalted, treated temp and pH matched 50%.

I wonder if the daily handling also didn't stimulate that slimecoat. The balance issues are to keep a close eye on and more worrying at this point I think.

Is he eating? His gills look a tad anemic which can happen after ich. Nutrition is important. The Jumpstart is an excellent food for now if he is eating.

The frayed fins are almost certainly from stress and these often show up AFTER the stress has or is passing. He needs time. Down time. Quiet time.

Make sure the towel does not dip and sink into the water I have had that happen!!

Let's see. I am a bit confused about the day LOL. Once my daughter goes to school I am SLEEPING. Okay I am looking at my "log". I put Sheldon in the 29 gallon at around 4 pm on May 28th. That is when he went from 0.3% to 0.2%. It's 8am on May 30th here. Okay so it's been approximatly 40 hours that he has been in 0.2% salt. I think that's right. (again I am just very confused right now. Lack of sleep is making me feel very weird. Should I leave him at this for another day then? Or go ahead and lower it later after I sleep a while?

He's still eating. I'm just not sure he's pooping! And I'm sure that would make the balance off. He ate peas like crazy about 24 hours ago. I think I will give him the jumpstart before I go to sleep and see if he eats. Actually let me go do that now before I post this and have to edit or post again!

Okay. Baby Sheldon ate his jumpstart : ) I dropped in 4 pellets. He is not used to eating food at the bottom because he was eating flakes before this, and the jungle floated even when I soaked it. He eats peas off the bottom but for some reason it took him a while to realize that what I was dropping was food. I gave him a few minutes and was gonna hand feed him if I had to, but he found one. I put the towel back down. And peaked again and another pellet was gone. YAY. Oh yeah and I still have the hood on so I think the towel with be fine? I hope.

I'm off to bed (at 9 am LOL). He will have all day to himself with no noise, light or me taking pictures and video of him. (I'm guessing all the flashing of the camera was NOT helpful?) Maybe that will help. And when I told Taylor (my daughter) that we were gonna try to keep it dark and calm for Sheldon she was like "How bout I go to a friends house later?" WORKS FOR ME haha.

Okay. Hopefully good news to report later on. Trinket- I am not gonna add meds or anything. I am just gonna keep following your instructions 100% : ) Thanks Vickie and Joy for making me feel better : )

Wow that is true dedication hon!! Get some sleep-- that way both you and Sheldon will feel better.

It's good that he's eating-- and with all those peas, he'll be pooping for sure.

Sue, I think you could use some quiet downtime yourself. You've done all you can for Sheldon at this point, and its easy to make mistakes when we're tired and stressed. Plus, I honestly believe the little dickenses can sense when you're watching them all the time when you usually don't.

Get some rest hon. Tomorrow is another day. I think Sheldon is a fighter.

Alrighty. I peaked under the towel just now for the first time since this morning. There is bad news and good news. Bad news is he was just sitting in the upper left corner just floating there. He did not move at all and I actually thought he was dead for a few minutes. The good news is when I said "Sheldon" he instantly perked up, and swam over to the front, then the little bugger dove straight down to where the jumpstart pellets had been like he was waiting for more LOL. By the way the remaining 2 were gone. : ) So I mean... I am very pleased that he will still respond to me and eat. I think thats great news. I just don't like that when I am not around he just floats in that corner. NO change in the way he looks or anything. I am going to feed him a few more pellets and then leave him be alone again. I still do not have the airstone plugeed in. Just the filter. Is that okay? It really seems to help him swim... I think I will just leave the salt where it is at until 2 morrow, unless I hear from you Trinket that I should go ahead and switch it sooner. That's all for now. : )

The probable reason that Sheldon was just floating is that he is very tired and very weak. A weak fish will sort of give up and let the water push it where it will, because it takes too much energy to control the swim bladder and fins to stay in an upright position. It's a good sign that he is still active and responsive, and EATING!

The only potential problem I see with Sheldon's listing in the tank is that the exposure to the air will damage his slime coat and scales, leaving him with little ulcers. Others have prevented this problem by putting something horizontally in the tank just below the water line to keep the fish in the water. For example: plastic canvas (the plastic sheets they use for needlepoint).

Aeration is still very important-- if you're heating the tank, there will be less dissolved oxygen in the water and Sheldon will have a hard time breathing. You can break up the current by placing the airstone right next to the filter and making Sheldon a little "cave" on the opposite side of the tank using plants/smooth ornaments so he won't get pushed around.

Good luck Sue! Hang in there!

Thanks Joy. I am going to nnnnnn later. I will see if they have anything like you are talking about with the plastic canvas! They just opened a new nooppee thats 24 hours (great for me cuz I am always up at weird times) and food center. Everything is bigger and better but the sewing department is worse. LOL Before they had fabric and stuff, now its gone. I'm sure they still might have the stuff though.

Okay, if you think the aeration is good I'll try it again. The filter intake tube is in the middle of the tank, and with the penguin 350 there is a section on each half, so it kinda pours down the back center of the tank. I had the air strip on the front center (bascially still giving him the middle with less flow) but I think I will just put it to the right side since he is hovering to the left. Is that okay? I also did read somewhere on here that its okay to just kinda let the strip float near the top that way it still bubbles but doesn't effect the current. As for a "cave" actually he literally does have a cave! It's on the left side and he only went in it once. I kept thinking it would be a peffect place for him to chill and get away but he doesn't want to leave that top corner.

How are you and Sheldon today Sue? Get some rest both of you ? You can take the salt down soon as you're ready, there's no harm leaving it at 0.2% however another day if all your water readings are good to go. Is Sheldon still at the top?

Hi again! I've had plenty of rest (slept for about 6 hours the other day and then literally like 12 last night! LOL). Sheldon is still hovering at the top. I have been trying to leave him alone for the most part, so I just kinda lift the towel and peak at him. He doesn't move. But as before, if I say "Hey Sheldon!" he comes to the glass right in front of me. He loves the jumpstart. Every time he sees me now he goes down to the spot that where I usually put the food. He is still eating well. He is still clamped though. And I think his gills look red and swollen but again its so hard to tell what I am truly seeing and what is just over watching him. I am going to do a 50% water change today. Get that salt down. I also did put the air strip back in, and I have it rested on the dragon decoration I have in my tank so it's very close to the surface. So lots of bubbles, but not really an impact on the current. I went to the store and they did not have the plastic canvas. I found a weird little tray in the office supplies. Basically like a paper tray. It looks like I could sit it in the top, but it's metal. I don't know if that is bad or good, so I bought it but have NOT put it in the tank. Again, won't do anything without being told to by you guys. So far you've all helped so much, so I am not gonna risk doing anything that might not be okay.

Never put metal in the tank! Plastic only and then some kinds of plastics leach poisons so it should be clear colored and preferably aquarium safe.I have used plastic items meant for the kitchen safely. Post back how he is after the 50% change today. Good luck, he's hanging in there well.

See! Very good! I am glad I asked! Sometimes I think I am being too cautious but then I find out something like this and I am glad I am running each move by you guys! : )

K Here's my dilemma.

Tank reading before his water change are:
Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20 Ph=8.2 Temp=76

Tap water with prime only added are:
Ammo=0.25 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20 Ph=7.8

Now for whatever reason, I don't know why but the ph always raises to 8.2 after its been in the tank for a few hours. I know nothing about that but know that it is true every single time. So here's my question. I removed 50% of the water. Then used gallon jugs to replace them. The water was matched to the exact degree, then treated with prime. I have four jugs so I filled all 4 with temp matched water, added prime, then let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Then slowly added each jug to his tank. Then did it all again 2 more times. I took a reading afterwards. I was assuming that if half the water was ph=8.2 (the old water) and half the water was ph=7.8 (the new water), then it would make the overall ph in the tank 8.0. Which is not a drastic change, and then it would naturally rise to 8.2 like it always seems to do. I also knew there would be a slight bit of ammo in the water after the initial change. So here are the readings AFTER the water change:

Ammo= less than 0.25 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20 Ph=7.8 Temp=76

So the ph dropped more than I expected it to.. It's too late now, but is this bad?! I know it will rise. It ALWAYS does, but is this bad for him initially? I don't really know what else to do because it only seems to rise if I put it in the tank. Even if I were to get 12 jugs and fill them and let them sit, I don't think the ph changes, and then the temps wouldnt match. I do have ph down and up but to me it doesn't make sense to use them since within a few hours it will adjust naturally.

As for his behavior, he's been swimming around the bottom the whole time I was doing stuff. Looking for food. He seriously LOVES the jumpstart. I think he is having less trouble getting to the bottom. That makes me very happy. He still tends to be more active when I am around him. I suppose thats a good thing? I put the towel back on after doing all the water changing. Gonna let him alone again overnight. He's had a LOT of quiet time. I know I was planning on treating him with prazi when I got it, but I am not going to for now. If that is still necessary we can worry about that sometime down the road when he is feeling better. So salt should be at 0.1%. I will still monitor the water, but it seems to be at the point where a 50% water change once a week will do the trick. So after a week (unless something unexpected happens with the water) we can decide whether to leave the salt at 0.1% or decrease it more. Thanx for hanging in here with me guys!

Hi again. Alright here's where we are at now. Sheldon's had the towel up 99% of the time since the morning of May 30th. It's now the morning of June 2nd. So this will be his fourth day towl covered. When the towel is up and no one is around he still hovers in the upper left corner. Little to no movement. Not even his weird wobbly swim. When he sees me he swims like a madman. Straight to the spot where I feed him. His fins are still all the way clamped. The white stuff is still there. It's covering more of him now, but it seems to be a thin coat everywhere, not like clumps so what you guys said about the slime coat would make sense. The salt is still at 0.1%. When he does swim, he is behaving more like himself. He does not appear to struggle as much if at all when he goes to the bottom now. He is exploring a bit more. Like he found his cave and goes in and out looking for food. Yesterday morning I noticed he got a "mustache". Remember how after his tail had tail rot it started growing black edges? Thats what it did by his mouth where a mustache would be. I've been trying to get a picture it doesn't show up right in the pictures. Current water params still the same. Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20 Ph =8.2 The temperature is 78 right now. Haven't seen it get higher than that. Heater is unplugged. Air is warm enough by itself. To me it's air conditioner weather. But it's me, my boyfriend, our daughter and my mother that live here. The main living room is where the tank is, and my mom controls the temp in there. She hasn't put the air on yet.
Seperately, one of my bettas looks like his fins have been injured. I noticed this a few days ago, but thought I might be over reacting. So I found an old picture of him and compared. There is definitly a huge chunk missing! It happened all of a sudden so it seems like an injury, not an infection. Like he got it caught on something. It's been 3-4 days and he does not seem like it has bothered him in the slightest. If anything he is happy with the nice warm temp. The edges are white, so that seems to be a good sign. Based on everything I've learned so far on here, the best thing seems to be just keeping his water perfect and leaving him be. I do have melafix though if you guys think I should add a little of that. I'll try to get pictures of Sheldon's mustache and the bettas tail later. Geez. Who knew fish were this difficult? lol

Sheldon is not getting any better. In fact he seems to be getting worse. It takes him longer to respond to me for food now. Just now I gave him peas and he acted like he really did not feel like moving. He's still just floating there. His fins are completely clamped. He is also arched if that makes sense. Like where his tail is, instead of being straight it arches downward badly. The white "fuzz" is still there. He is acting like he is having more trouble swimming again. He's doing the wiggly swim where it seems to be difficult to reach the bottom. There are more black marks now. It kinda appears to still be the sections that may have been damaged by the fin and tail rot. His "mustache" is bigger, his doral fin is completely clamped and it started turning black so it almost just looks like a black line attached to him. The edges of his fins and tail are also turning black. And there is a spot near his eye. I don't know the proper word but right near his eyes there is little things. Almost antenna like. Anyway one of those has turned completely black. I am hoping this is still just some form of scabbing??? Any ideas? It seems to really irritate him whatever it is. And one section of it looks like it fell off. I don't understand why he is becoming less responsive though. In certain lighting he starts to look like his is starting to pinecone. But again. It is so hard to tell if I am just over inspecting him or not. Or if the edges of the scales are turning black and thats making him LOOK like he is pineconing. Does that make sense? The spot that he once had the wound or ulcer looks dark. Like grey colored. Again, I wish pictures would show things more accurately. I will try to get some. I don't know what else to do. Salt is still at 0.1%. I still have the towel up. It calmed him a bit the first few days. Now he is worse than he was originally.

You've made several posts over the last several days with no responses... I hope a Mod comes along to help you soon.

I'm sorry to hear that Sheldon is still struggling . You're doing a great job and showing some real dedication. Hang in there.

Okay I got some pictures. As always they don't show things as cleary as I would like but here's an idea:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou.../DSC01446-1.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou.../DSC01451-1.jpg

http
://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...h/DSC01440.jpg

http
://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...h/DSC01441.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...ah/DSC01444.jpg

Video: u can sorta see the bent tail and the wobbly swim. This was taken after he wouldn't move for a while. I eventually got him to move with some peas but he did not respond at all for a long time.

http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...nt=MOV01460.flv

Oh and thanks for your support Penguin. I just saw that you had written so I went back in to edit this. Until I hear from someone I am just going to keep making sure the water is good with tests. Thats really all I can do. And I might order metro-meds just in case. I am in Pa and so is GFC. There stuff gets here fast. I figure if it turns out he needs it, great and if not. Well I would rather spend the money and not need it and have it go to waste then to have him need it and not get it in time.

I just found Sheldon floating on his side near the filter. I took and pic and video. He is not responding well at all. There seems to be a spot or ulcer on his side. I circled it in these pics. It is hard to see in the photos. I went ahead and ordered Metro-meds from GFC. I also sent Rick an email saying to overnight the order. It says u can only call between 10-3 so I wanted to send the email just in case. Don't know if it will work. Don't know if it's what I even need.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...ah/DSC01465.jpg

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...ah/DSC01470.jpg

Video:
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/Cou...nt=MOV01466.flv

Yikes, I am so sorry hun. This is a bad rebound I didn't expect. I have only just seen this. I am reading through and catching up now, give me a minute..can you check your water params meanwhile so we have those of today while I catch up.

I notice his head is constantly down while he's swimming and because he also has the red spot and what looks like aslight pink area in one of the pix, plus the kilter swimming and clamped fins I think he does have a secondary bacterial infection. Often these b* parasites inject bacteria right inside the fish with the suction hooks they attach with.

You will need those metro-meds asap. Yes they are excellent and in my opinion a better medicated food than medigold most times.
You did the right thing. Is he still eating well?

Hi trinket. Just got your response. The readings in the tank as of one hour ago are still the same. Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=20-25? Ph=8.2 Temperature in Tank=76 Salt is at 0.1% I am going to post this and then edit my post with additional info

Okay. I've been adding ammonia to my ten gallon hospital/QT tank to keep the cycle. I think it will be easier to treat him in there. The readings an hour ago in there were Ammo=0 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=40 Ph=8.2 Temp=76 I just did a 100% water change in there, an added nothing but prime. Not even salt. Within a few hours the ph should be 8.2 and I can move Sheldon into it. (If you have a change read my previous posts about ph levels) I will call Rick at 10am when it opens. He is in PA like me. Wonder how close? I could drive! I don't think he is near Philly though. But I will call him just in case he did not get the email. I also ordered Anti-Bac Bath and Dimilin. At this point I want to be prepared for anything. I don't care if the stuff goes bad and has to be thrown out in 6 months. Right now I just want to have everything on hand to help him. I almost ordered the Metro-meds a few days ago. I am kicking myself now. Later on you can give me an idea of shelf life for all the things I ordered.

In the meantime. Is there anything I should be doing? I have Maracyn and Maracyn II. And I keep reading about using Epson salt not Aquarium Salt. What is that? Is this dropsy? I've been hearing bad things about dropsy : ( Should the ten gallon have any salt added to it?

Editing again! Yes he is still eating well. It just takes him a lot longer to respond but eventually he does eat. The other day I thought I noticed him spit it back out at first but he does eat it.

Sue, I would think very carefully about moving him again. The tank he is in is cycled too right? and more spacious no? I think when fish are feeling sick, the space is important. And you can get plenty of aeration going in there with less turbulence, always good.
Feeding medicated food does NOT affect water params usually. True it comes out in poo but the amount is somewhat diluted and does not seem to pose a problem with cycle params.

However, if he does get worse and you should need to run the anti-bac bath then you can switch him to the smaller tank of course to save your cycle.

Water looks fine. Don't worry about slowly rising pH -it's not really a big problem. Are the nitrates same before and after the w/c? That seems unusual.
He is such a little fighter - I think he is a fish with a very strong will and these fish surprise us with their resilience, so hang tight. You are, again, doing your best for him.

I edited that last post twice just in case you didn't see it. I just took readings in the 10 gallon after the 100% water change. Just to be sure where it stands. It is basically where it always is after a water change.

Ammo=0.50 Nitrite=0 Nitrate=15-20 PH=7.8 Temp=76

I've been adding enough ammonia to that tank to make it reach 2.0ppm each night. By the next night it is back down to zero. So that 0.50 of ammonia should be long gone within 24 hours if not sooner. It is treated with prime as well so it should be in non toxic form correct? (I could double dose the prime if needed?) Still nothing added to it but the prime. Let me know if and when I should move him.