Algae Eater Question

[Kwenbee]

I was just going to add this under my lesson learned topic, but thought it might get lost, so I'll post it here....

After our frigid tank episode this weekend, I've really been watching the survivors. The blackfin tetras seem to have come through unscathed...they are eating and swimming normally now.

The algae eater however, seems to have developed some major attitudes. He is swimming very, very fast through the tank, to the point he rattles the gravel. At lunch, he seemed to be trying to bury himself in the middle of the little plant ornament in the tank, and he seems to be breathing kind of fast.

The water levels are fine. There was a slight ammonia spike with our new additions, but he's been through much higher ammonia/nitrite levels without acting like this. He seems almost like he's scratching his nose on the gravel/ornaments/heater. Is this a sign I'm probably going to be faced with an ICH breakout on him?

Other than the dashing around the tank and heavy breathing, I see nothing wrong with him...no spots or anything. I just set up a new 5 gallon tank for the betta and now have a 1 gallon tank that is empty, but cycled. Should I just move him into the 1 gallon temporarily so he doesn't begin attacking our other fish until he gets over this? I'd hate to lose him after everything we've gone through with him!

 

[Fruitbat]

Kwenbee...

One of the primary factors in rendering tropical fish susceptible to Ich is stress brought on by chilling. I'd keep a very close eye on that algae eater and be prepared to institute whatever treatment method you prefer to combat ich. Keep in mind that ich doesn't always show up externally....there have been cases where the protozoan affects the gills of the fish without showing any external symptoms.

 

[Kwenbee]

Poor little guy...we came home today and it was almost like he was in convulsions. He was under the little bubble ship, my daughter thought he was stuck, but when I moved the ship, he was just lying on his side.

It may have been a bad idea, but he's now OUT of the big tank and in the one just vacated by Bill the Betta. I added some ich medicine we used on Bill (cleared him up right away) and he seems to be breathing much better and, although he still seems awfully agitated, he's not flipping around so much he's moving the gravel.

So, I guess for the next two weeks, Al the Algae eater will spend a little time alone in the 1 gallon tank...guess I'll be doing LOTS of tank maintenance! I just have to find something to put in there that he can hide under because he loves hiding.

This tank is too small for a heater so I had no choice but to use the meds. It also has no filter...just a small airstone in the center to circulate the water.

Everyone else is fine. No signs of ich or any other problem.

 

[Kwenbee]

Well, it was too late. I just went into the kitchen to check on Al and he was gone. I think the fact that we lost him upsets me more than any of the other fish we've had...the poor guy lived through ammonia over 3.0 and the resulting daily water changes. He survived when EVERY other fish died in the tank, but the coldness must have been too much for him to deal with. To be honest, I thought he was dead on Sunday when we found the heat problem.

I'll sure miss the little guy! Any suggestions on what breed to replace him with? I knew he was going to get too big and too aggressive. I need bottom feeders badly!

 

[QTOFFER]

I sorry you lost your algae eater, kwenbee. You really have suffered more than your fair share of lousy luck.

As for bottom feeders, I got some fantastic replies to my post "What kind of bottom-dweller should I get??".

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=14441&highlight=bottomdweller

I have had great luck with the corydora catfish and they are alot of fun to watch - your daughter would love them.

 

[Allivymar]

Aw damn. I'm sorry Kwen; wish I had gotten to your post sooner.

*nods and agrees with QTOFFER*

If you're looking for an algae eater, I"ve also had good success with otos; cute lil buggers, don't get more then an inch or 2 long, and very good algae eaters (although they can be fussy about what sort of algae they'll eat: mine LOVED brown algae, isn't thrilled with green. Others find theirs will eat green and ignore brown. Go figure LOL). Do know they need to be introduced to a mature tank; they really need the algae. If you are getting them, don't do a really long QT unless they show signs of illness (like maybe a week and a half instead of 2 weeks) and make sure to feed them an algae wafer per day (I used Hikari algae wafers and Hikari tropical sinking wafers).

 

[Kwenbee]

Otos, huh? I'm headed to the fish store this weekend to do some looking around. All my water parameters are back to normal now and all the fish remaining seem fine.

I'm doing some daily water changes for awhile due to the lack of bottom feeders. The blackfins are slobs when it comes to eating and the neons just can't keep up with their droppings, so I end up with bits of food in the gravel. It bugs me that it's there, so I tend to gravel vacuum more often (plus I'm scared to death to get ammonia/nitrite issues again).

I am still dealing with the cloudiness in the tank. From the front it seems to be a whitish cloudiness, but if you look from the end of the tank, it has a definite greenish hue.

I think I'm going to try to post some pictures of our tanks in the gallery this afternoon, so maybe if ya'll see the cloudiness you can advise me better!

That 55 is looking better and better since I keep reading the larger the tank the easier it is to maintain...maybe I ought to just go ahead and get a 120!

I'm still bummed about Al...he was a really cool fish, so now Bill the Betta is the "sole survivor". And he loves his new tank! He actually dances when we come up to the glass. He was sleeping under one of the leaves of his new plants. I think I'll look into a couple corys for his tank. It's only a five gallon, so I know I'm kind of limited.

 

[Linsay]

sorry you lost your Al. I'm hoping this is your last loss for a long time - I'm hoping I don't have any - I know they are just fish but I'm awefully attatched!!