Hello,
I glad I found this website. Like many of you I started small - 5 gallons, went to 10, the 20, and now I have a 55 gallon tank. I set up the 20 and 55 for goldfish and the 10 gallon for the hospital tank. Unfortunately I have been losing a lot of fish, mainly to tail rot and what I think might be lice from the descriptions given on this website. I already have picked up a lot of tips to improve my tanks. But I have some questions:
I have bright colored aquarium gravel and bright colored silk plants in the 20 gallon tank. It has high nitrites and cannot seem to bring it down with water changes. I don't have fish in it at present since they died. Can the gravel and silk plants be a problem?
I have 4 red orandas fish in the 55 gallon which got ick, lice and tail rot and didn't improve with medications. I have been feeding them color-enhancing pellets about 10-12 once a day. The water tests okay for nitrates and ammonia and the pH is 8.2. What causes the lice? What am I doing wrong?
Any advice is welcome!
Janet
Full Version: Help!
Janet, I'm no expert. I have had some problems that you have experienced, maybe this can help. This is my 2 cents, and have had exceptional luck. Others may have different and/or better advice.
> It has high nitrites and cannot seem to bring it down with water changes.
How much water did you change and how often?
> Can the gravel and silk plants be a problem?
I just use regular brown gravel. However, I use live plants in my aquarium to help reduce pollutants in the tank, they feed off of the fish waste and help oxygenate the tank. Also they are quite cheap, the lps in my area sells bunches of Anachris for under a dollar and the local Petsmart sells Hornwort and Comuba (I know I have this spelling wrong) and sell for $1.99 a bunch. For me, the live plants look prettier. I'm odd that way.
But as for the tank, it sounds like if you have repeated infections, something has infested, infected, and established itself. I'm fond of suggesting/using bleach and LOTS of rinsing for the tank. Salt dips in STRONG concentrations (and rinsing) for live plants and gravel that goes in the tank.
Time for what I call a "do-over" on the tank. Since you don't have any fish I'd clean, disinfect, and cycle it once again. If you've been reading as much as I have here, you know how to properly start a new tank.
Good luck. Sorry for the problems you have been having with your fish.
> It has high nitrites and cannot seem to bring it down with water changes.
How much water did you change and how often?
> Can the gravel and silk plants be a problem?
I just use regular brown gravel. However, I use live plants in my aquarium to help reduce pollutants in the tank, they feed off of the fish waste and help oxygenate the tank. Also they are quite cheap, the lps in my area sells bunches of Anachris for under a dollar and the local Petsmart sells Hornwort and Comuba (I know I have this spelling wrong) and sell for $1.99 a bunch. For me, the live plants look prettier. I'm odd that way.
But as for the tank, it sounds like if you have repeated infections, something has infested, infected, and established itself. I'm fond of suggesting/using bleach and LOTS of rinsing for the tank. Salt dips in STRONG concentrations (and rinsing) for live plants and gravel that goes in the tank.
Time for what I call a "do-over" on the tank. Since you don't have any fish I'd clean, disinfect, and cycle it once again. If you've been reading as much as I have here, you know how to properly start a new tank.
Good luck. Sorry for the problems you have been having with your fish.
Sorry to hear about the problems you're having.
You're #1 problem right now is your water quality. Have you read up on cycling?
Cycling is real simple once you understand the basics. You don't have to understand all the chemistry, just know how to test and what to do if the levels get high. Let me see if I can explain it in an easy-to-understand way:
Cycling is the process of turning ammonia (which fish produce) into nitrite and then into nitrate (note the difference between nitrIte and nitrAte).
Testing your water conditions very frequently during cycling is important because both ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic at higher levels and can kill your fish. You need *some* levels of them in the tank for the cycle to establish, but you don't want so many that your fish will be harmed.
Cycling with fish goes like this: the fish are constantly producing ammonia through respiration and feeding, so your ammonia levels will start to rise. After there as been an ammonia presence in the tank for awhile (around 1-2 weeks), a type of bacteria will start to form (on your filter media and most every surface in the tank) that converts this ammonia into nitrite. As this happens, your ammonia levels will go down, and your nitrIte levels will start to rise. Eventually there will be enough of the bacteria to instantly convert all the ammonia in your tank to nitrite, so your ammonia levels will be consistantly 0 but you'll still have nitrites. The nitrite phase is usually longer than the ammonia phase, but eventually, another type of bacteria will start to develop that turn the nitrIte into nitAte, and you will see your nitrIte disappear and nitrAte will form. Once enough bacteria have formed to quickly convert your ammonia to nitrite, and then from nitrite to nitrate, your tank is cycled! In a cycled tank you will have no ammonia, no nitrite, and measurable nitrate. This whole process can take a few weeks. If you don't have a nitate tester, but have seen your ammonia and nitrite levels rise and fall and remain at 0 with fish in the tank, you can bet your tank is cycled.
Ammonia toxicity is dependant on temp and pH, bing more toxic at a higher pH, so you'll want to keep it as close to or under 1ppm if you can. Frequent water changes are the best way to remove ammonia, and you might have to do them pretty darn frequently (like every day)! If you find your levels are higher than reasonable amounts of water changes can handle, there are products available that will bind the ammonia into a form that is less harmful to your fish but the good bacteria can still use to develop.
Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia, but still a big danger. The biggest threat with nitrite is that it can be picked up by the gills and inhibit the fish's ability to carry oxygen. Luckily, a little salt in the water (.15%) can help protect against this, but the fish's skin is still vulnerable to irritation from elevated nitrite levels, so a water change should be done to lower them if the levels get high (remember to replace the salt you remove). Ideally you'd want to keep this below .5ppm, but if the tank is salted, a little more is fine. Nitrites can be incredibly difficult to lower through water changes, so just do your best to keep them down and make sure the water is salted.
Nitrate isn't near as dangerous as ammonia or nitrite, but high levels can stress a fish, so it's best to keep them at least under 40ppm.
Since a good number of your good bacteria colonize in the filter, it is important not to disrupt them. Some filters have 2 different media compartments, one for mechanical filtration (to catch the gunk) and another for biological (somewhere for the "good bacteria" to grow that will convert the ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate). The mechanical media will be the stuff the water goes through when it first comes into the filter, and the biomedia will be what it passes through before it returns to the tank. If there is somewhere extra for the biological filtration to take place, it is usually a sponge or a spinning little water wheel-like thing called a biowheel. If your filter only has one type of media (probably a filter floss pouch with carbon inside?) then this is the site for your mechanical AND biological filtration. This is important because if you have one type of media doing 2 jobs, you can't just change your filter when it gets gunky - you have to squeeze it out in some removed tank water (chlorinated tap water will kill the good bacteria). Eventually your filter may become so gunky, despite squeezing it out, that water doesn't flow through it well anymore, and you have to change the filter pad. When that time comes, snip off some of the old filter and stick it in with the new one so the good bacteria can colonize the new filter. If your filter has seperate media for mechanical and biological filtration, then you can chuck the mechanical media whenever you want and replace it. The biomedia usually won't have to be cleaned, but if it does, it should only be squeezed/rinsed in removed tank water so your cycle isn't disturbed.
How much gravel do you have? Too much gravel can trap waste and create a breeding ground for parasites and bacteria, so if you have more than 1/4-1/2", remove some of it.
What symptoms make you think your fish have lice? If it is indeed lice, you aren't doing anything to cause it. Lice is a parasite, and once it's introduced it'll stay around until properly treated. I hardly ever encounter this, and when I have had to treat for it I used Dimilin. Dimilin can be hard to come by, though, so look for a med at your local pet store that specifically states it will treat lice. Maybe someone else can offer suggestions as to what commonly available meds have worked for them.
What does the fin rot look like? How bad is it? Are your fish showing any other symptoms? What meds have you used to treat the tank so far?
Right now, you need to control your water quality. The poor water is contributing to the problems your fish are experiencing. Nitrites can be difficult or impossible to significantly reduce with water changes, but keep them up and do your best to get the levels down. Feeding less will cause the fish to produce less waste, and less waste=lower nitrite levels. Feed less food and less frequently. They'll be fine if you only feed every 2 or 3 days. You can also add some salt to help protect your fish from the harmful effects of nitrites. Add 1 teaspoon per gallon (55t or 1 cup + 6.5 teaspoons for your tank). You can get freshwater aquarium salt at most pet supply shops, but you can use any sort of sodium chloride salt (kosher salt, canning salt, table salt, water softening salt, solar salt, etc.) so long as you are sure it doesn't contain anti-caking agents. Check the label! Remove some tank water and fully dissolve the salt before adding it to the tank so it doesn't burn your fish. Try to add it away from where the fish are. You don't want them swimming through a concentrated solution of the stuff if you can help it. Remember that as you do water changes to lower the nitrite levels in your tank, you're removing the salt along with it - 1 t of salt goes out with every gallon you remove, so be sure to add back 1 t. for every gallon you changed out when you refill the tank.
So, right now to help your fish you can: 1) lessen the amount of gravel in your tank if there's over 1/4-1/2" of it, 2) reduce the frequency of feedings and the amount you feed, 3) add some salt to protect your fish from the nitrites, and 4) do water changes to keep your nitrite level and general organic load down.
Best of luck with your fishies. Describe the symptoms in a bit more detail and let me know what you've already used to treat and I maybe I can be of more help.
You're #1 problem right now is your water quality. Have you read up on cycling?
Cycling is real simple once you understand the basics. You don't have to understand all the chemistry, just know how to test and what to do if the levels get high. Let me see if I can explain it in an easy-to-understand way:
Cycling is the process of turning ammonia (which fish produce) into nitrite and then into nitrate (note the difference between nitrIte and nitrAte).
Testing your water conditions very frequently during cycling is important because both ammonia and nitrite are highly toxic at higher levels and can kill your fish. You need *some* levels of them in the tank for the cycle to establish, but you don't want so many that your fish will be harmed.
Cycling with fish goes like this: the fish are constantly producing ammonia through respiration and feeding, so your ammonia levels will start to rise. After there as been an ammonia presence in the tank for awhile (around 1-2 weeks), a type of bacteria will start to form (on your filter media and most every surface in the tank) that converts this ammonia into nitrite. As this happens, your ammonia levels will go down, and your nitrIte levels will start to rise. Eventually there will be enough of the bacteria to instantly convert all the ammonia in your tank to nitrite, so your ammonia levels will be consistantly 0 but you'll still have nitrites. The nitrite phase is usually longer than the ammonia phase, but eventually, another type of bacteria will start to develop that turn the nitrIte into nitAte, and you will see your nitrIte disappear and nitrAte will form. Once enough bacteria have formed to quickly convert your ammonia to nitrite, and then from nitrite to nitrate, your tank is cycled! In a cycled tank you will have no ammonia, no nitrite, and measurable nitrate. This whole process can take a few weeks. If you don't have a nitate tester, but have seen your ammonia and nitrite levels rise and fall and remain at 0 with fish in the tank, you can bet your tank is cycled.
Ammonia toxicity is dependant on temp and pH, bing more toxic at a higher pH, so you'll want to keep it as close to or under 1ppm if you can. Frequent water changes are the best way to remove ammonia, and you might have to do them pretty darn frequently (like every day)! If you find your levels are higher than reasonable amounts of water changes can handle, there are products available that will bind the ammonia into a form that is less harmful to your fish but the good bacteria can still use to develop.
Nitrite is less toxic than ammonia, but still a big danger. The biggest threat with nitrite is that it can be picked up by the gills and inhibit the fish's ability to carry oxygen. Luckily, a little salt in the water (.15%) can help protect against this, but the fish's skin is still vulnerable to irritation from elevated nitrite levels, so a water change should be done to lower them if the levels get high (remember to replace the salt you remove). Ideally you'd want to keep this below .5ppm, but if the tank is salted, a little more is fine. Nitrites can be incredibly difficult to lower through water changes, so just do your best to keep them down and make sure the water is salted.
Nitrate isn't near as dangerous as ammonia or nitrite, but high levels can stress a fish, so it's best to keep them at least under 40ppm.
Since a good number of your good bacteria colonize in the filter, it is important not to disrupt them. Some filters have 2 different media compartments, one for mechanical filtration (to catch the gunk) and another for biological (somewhere for the "good bacteria" to grow that will convert the ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate). The mechanical media will be the stuff the water goes through when it first comes into the filter, and the biomedia will be what it passes through before it returns to the tank. If there is somewhere extra for the biological filtration to take place, it is usually a sponge or a spinning little water wheel-like thing called a biowheel. If your filter only has one type of media (probably a filter floss pouch with carbon inside?) then this is the site for your mechanical AND biological filtration. This is important because if you have one type of media doing 2 jobs, you can't just change your filter when it gets gunky - you have to squeeze it out in some removed tank water (chlorinated tap water will kill the good bacteria). Eventually your filter may become so gunky, despite squeezing it out, that water doesn't flow through it well anymore, and you have to change the filter pad. When that time comes, snip off some of the old filter and stick it in with the new one so the good bacteria can colonize the new filter. If your filter has seperate media for mechanical and biological filtration, then you can chuck the mechanical media whenever you want and replace it. The biomedia usually won't have to be cleaned, but if it does, it should only be squeezed/rinsed in removed tank water so your cycle isn't disturbed.
How much gravel do you have? Too much gravel can trap waste and create a breeding ground for parasites and bacteria, so if you have more than 1/4-1/2", remove some of it.
What symptoms make you think your fish have lice? If it is indeed lice, you aren't doing anything to cause it. Lice is a parasite, and once it's introduced it'll stay around until properly treated. I hardly ever encounter this, and when I have had to treat for it I used Dimilin. Dimilin can be hard to come by, though, so look for a med at your local pet store that specifically states it will treat lice. Maybe someone else can offer suggestions as to what commonly available meds have worked for them.
What does the fin rot look like? How bad is it? Are your fish showing any other symptoms? What meds have you used to treat the tank so far?
Right now, you need to control your water quality. The poor water is contributing to the problems your fish are experiencing. Nitrites can be difficult or impossible to significantly reduce with water changes, but keep them up and do your best to get the levels down. Feeding less will cause the fish to produce less waste, and less waste=lower nitrite levels. Feed less food and less frequently. They'll be fine if you only feed every 2 or 3 days. You can also add some salt to help protect your fish from the harmful effects of nitrites. Add 1 teaspoon per gallon (55t or 1 cup + 6.5 teaspoons for your tank). You can get freshwater aquarium salt at most pet supply shops, but you can use any sort of sodium chloride salt (kosher salt, canning salt, table salt, water softening salt, solar salt, etc.) so long as you are sure it doesn't contain anti-caking agents. Check the label! Remove some tank water and fully dissolve the salt before adding it to the tank so it doesn't burn your fish. Try to add it away from where the fish are. You don't want them swimming through a concentrated solution of the stuff if you can help it. Remember that as you do water changes to lower the nitrite levels in your tank, you're removing the salt along with it - 1 t of salt goes out with every gallon you remove, so be sure to add back 1 t. for every gallon you changed out when you refill the tank.
So, right now to help your fish you can: 1) lessen the amount of gravel in your tank if there's over 1/4-1/2" of it, 2) reduce the frequency of feedings and the amount you feed, 3) add some salt to protect your fish from the nitrites, and 4) do water changes to keep your nitrite level and general organic load down.
Best of luck with your fishies. Describe the symptoms in a bit more detail and let me know what you've already used to treat and I maybe I can be of more help.
Just a bit from my experience: I cycled a 20 gallon tank with 2 moors, silk and plastic plants, and colored gravel in approximately 45 days. I performed 10% water changes every day or 20% water changes every other day. I tested the water daily for ammonia and nitrite.
Good luck, HappyGoldfish gave you some really great advice!
Good luck, HappyGoldfish gave you some really great advice!
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