So, we have the aquarium from hell. it's been a year of non-stop problems, then we fix something and we get more problems.
Two main questions: what is the most effective but least harmful Ich medicine? We never even get bad cases and they don't live. Metroplex did nothing. Paraguard did nothing and killed our plants plus perhaps a fish. Or the fish had something else and just died.
What product can I use to raise pH that isn't a phosphate buffer?
Read on for background please.
All has been well for 4+ months. We have 1 comet goldfish and two Cory catfish in a 20 gallon tank. I noticed the cories acting slow a few days ago. Then one appeared to have ich. A few little white balls clinging to the fins' edges. I dosed with metroplex. He actually seemed to eat some of it. The next day, I thought it seemed a little better. Same yesterday when I dosed again. The second cory has no abnormal appearance, but seems slower. Don't know if this is due to sadness--she keeps nudging the sick fish. I swear, I saw her regurgitate food for him, which he ate.
The goldfish may have a spot, but he is very active and I cannot tell. he changes color often. 1 spot on side with no change--it doesn't stick out from his body like the ich I have seen before. I see a couple of fin spots, but again, they're flat--he may be changing color. he isn't rubbing or closing his fins like the sick cory. 6 months ago we had three minnows get a weird disease and one also got ich. We used Metroplex, then paraguard. After dose two of paraguard, the fish died. The next day a healthy fish was dead(same kind). The ich did not spread. All has been well since then.
We waited two months to get new fish. 2 cory catfish live with the comet--all get along. all parameters were normal 2 weeks ago. Now, our phosphates are rising and I see algae returning. We had an Ottocat die a month ago with zero symptoms. alive one minute, dead the next(I checked everything then and all was normal).
Our pH is suddenly too low. We use distilled water, which tends to be acidic and I mix in small amounts of our tap during water changes to bring up the pH plus warm the new water. It had always been 6.8-7. Suddenly it's more like 6.2--no idea why. Every other parameter is normal. Nitrates are at 5 or less, everything else zero.
Please actually answer, I've never gotten anything from any online forums other than more questions and by then my fish die. The tank is clean. I can fix the phosphates, but they didn't cause ich. I cannot explain the pH, but I cannot use neutral regulator as it is all phosphate. There must be something else. We cannot use tap water as it's super nigh in nitrates(not according to water company or tests other than API) and has a pH of about 9(confirmed with many tests). we have a second small aquarium with an aggressive fish in it and her pH was also too low, she seemed slow. No phosphate problems there and within 2 hours of raising the pH, she is swimming happily again.
Thank you, we are desperate, we have lost 5 pets this year and cannot take much more loss.
Two main questions: what is the most effective but least harmful Ich medicine? We never even get bad cases and they don't live. Metroplex did nothing. Paraguard did nothing and killed our plants plus perhaps a fish. Or the fish had something else and just died.
What product can I use to raise pH that isn't a phosphate buffer?
Read on for background please.
All has been well for 4+ months. We have 1 comet goldfish and two Cory catfish in a 20 gallon tank. I noticed the cories acting slow a few days ago. Then one appeared to have ich. A few little white balls clinging to the fins' edges. I dosed with metroplex. He actually seemed to eat some of it. The next day, I thought it seemed a little better. Same yesterday when I dosed again. The second cory has no abnormal appearance, but seems slower. Don't know if this is due to sadness--she keeps nudging the sick fish. I swear, I saw her regurgitate food for him, which he ate.
The goldfish may have a spot, but he is very active and I cannot tell. he changes color often. 1 spot on side with no change--it doesn't stick out from his body like the ich I have seen before. I see a couple of fin spots, but again, they're flat--he may be changing color. he isn't rubbing or closing his fins like the sick cory. 6 months ago we had three minnows get a weird disease and one also got ich. We used Metroplex, then paraguard. After dose two of paraguard, the fish died. The next day a healthy fish was dead(same kind). The ich did not spread. All has been well since then.
We waited two months to get new fish. 2 cory catfish live with the comet--all get along. all parameters were normal 2 weeks ago. Now, our phosphates are rising and I see algae returning. We had an Ottocat die a month ago with zero symptoms. alive one minute, dead the next(I checked everything then and all was normal).
Our pH is suddenly too low. We use distilled water, which tends to be acidic and I mix in small amounts of our tap during water changes to bring up the pH plus warm the new water. It had always been 6.8-7. Suddenly it's more like 6.2--no idea why. Every other parameter is normal. Nitrates are at 5 or less, everything else zero.
Please actually answer, I've never gotten anything from any online forums other than more questions and by then my fish die. The tank is clean. I can fix the phosphates, but they didn't cause ich. I cannot explain the pH, but I cannot use neutral regulator as it is all phosphate. There must be something else. We cannot use tap water as it's super nigh in nitrates(not according to water company or tests other than API) and has a pH of about 9(confirmed with many tests). we have a second small aquarium with an aggressive fish in it and her pH was also too low, she seemed slow. No phosphate problems there and within 2 hours of raising the pH, she is swimming happily again.
Thank you, we are desperate, we have lost 5 pets this year and cannot take much more loss.
