Do my Blood Parrots have ammonia burns?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

SciFyDi

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Apr 1, 2017
Messages
73
About two weeks ago I picked up some juvenile blood parrots from Petsmart. I noticed that they had some black spots on them. It looked like it was just part of their coloring. They were so lively and followed me begging for food. That and the fact that the tank they were in was horrible and disgusting made me buy them. I thought I was doing a good thing.

This week they have finally started to come out more. Tonight one swam by me and I noticed it’s fins have black on the ends. I checked my parameters in my 55 gallon and I have 0 ammonia and a ph of 8.4.

I was wondering if this was ammonia burns and what can I do for it? I also have three blue botias that they live with.
 

Attachments

  • D302C256-799F-4490-B454-CB4883D00490.jpg
    D302C256-799F-4490-B454-CB4883D00490.jpg
    186.2 KB · Views: 101
  • 5E269A68-5123-4E85-8D92-F57A17938C6E.jpg
    5E269A68-5123-4E85-8D92-F57A17938C6E.jpg
    252.2 KB · Views: 97
  • 995B60BD-43FE-4F04-8403-E7F6AAA4D7F3.jpg
    995B60BD-43FE-4F04-8403-E7F6AAA4D7F3.jpg
    214.8 KB · Views: 87
  • DDC235EB-B537-40E3-8B04-FEEE6AD76B91.jpg
    DDC235EB-B537-40E3-8B04-FEEE6AD76B91.jpg
    171.9 KB · Views: 81
From the pics it looks like it's only on the fins??? Looks like fin rot. Keep the water very clean and dose aquarium salt....1 TEAspoon per 5 gallons of water.
 
IMO, the black fin edging is likely ammonia burn, which will probably lead to fin rot of the affected areas, as King Fisher noted.
Clean water and good nutrition should heal it up. Melafix or as noted, salt, might speed things along.
I'm also a fan of Modesta Botia Loaches aka Blue loach; got four of them.
 
Is the salt okay for the Loaches? I know that they are super sensitive.
 
I have never used salt in any FW tank. I've read that very diluted doses of salt are okay for catfish and Loaches, but I personally wouldn't chance it. If I'm not mistaken all salt does is assist a fish in achieving a healthy slime coat. The same can be accomplished with pristine water and good nutrition. There are several name brand aquarium water conditioners that include Aloe Vera that might help.
Blood parrots are pretty tough. If you give them a good environment they will probably be just fine.
 
If you want to go the salt route your loaches will be fine. I've used it with catfish as well. If not...like V said.... pristine water and a high quality food does wonders. A good aloe vera product I've used before is API Stress Coat.
 
Im very nervous about adding salt. I wouldnt want to risk doing anything to the loaches. I’ve only had them about three month and they have quickly become my favorite fish.

I was hoping this was something I could take care of without meds so I’m glad to read that I can do it naturally. I ordered them a bag of Northfin fish food. I’ve never tried that before but the ingredients look a lot better than anything in the store.
I am a big fan of API stress coat. I’ve always used it in my tanks.
One last question what would be a good water change schedule for them in a 55 gallon for the fin rot?
Thanks
 
35% - 50% WC weekly. Be sure to do a thorough gravel vac.
My Red Fins are the best Botia Loaches I've kept. Mine are non stop action, chasing each other day and night. They also do a great job keeping the bottom clean. Look how fat this one is.
 

Attachments

  • 20180815_065522.jpg
    20180815_065522.jpg
    191.5 KB · Views: 67
I'll add, you should always do at least a 35% water change once a week to keep a healthy tank. If you wanted to gauge your water quakity you could get an API master test kit.

That's a nice looking fish V
 
Last night when I fed them I noticed the really bad Blood Parrot looked even worse. Black spots had spread to his body and front fins. I dumped about 40% percent of the water and added prime conditioner, some API stress coat and stress zyme.
That Botia has such a nice beautiful color. My guys are more of a slate light grey. I’ve heard that that is because they are new and they do something called greying out.
I have a large male (I think) who I have not seen since I got him three months ago. Last night he finally decided to leave the cave he’s been hiding in 24/7 and he came out and wrestled with the other two for several hours. Normally he is super aggressive towards them and will beat the crap out of them if they even get near his cave lol.
I will update on the parrots.
 
I’ve read that ammonia burns can take up to three days to show. On chemical burns I’ve seen, it’s been within one or two days. Was thinking burns but two weeks takes it out of that I think?
 
I've had my group of Loaches for about a year. They were about two inches long and had a gray green coloration w/orange fins. I feed them twice a day with "small grain" Omega One
Sinking Cichlid Pellets. That really helped color them up. They've all grown to about four inches. They are the best scavengers I've ever kept. Once your Modestas are totally acclimated, they won't be shy and will be active day and night. I also have a Berdmorei Tiger Botia Loach.
Your Blood Parrots might get worse before things get better. I'm with you, the Loaches are a better fish. I wouldn't chance the meds. The parrots problem might be bacterial in nature. Be watchful for any patches of white discoloration on the body and be prepared to remove the fish asap. Not to say that will happen, just be observant. Are the Parrots still eating?
 
I got some better pictures of them but unfortunate they don’t look good. The one that is really bad has what I thought was a circular coloration on both his sides. It’s kind of like an inverted triangle. You can kind of make it out in the last photo.

They are actually very very active and eating voraciously they have been coming up to me to beg for food which is how I noticed how bad it’s getting.

Could this also be from stress. I bought what a local pet store had listed as an Ottocinclus. After it got bigger and terrorized my five gallon tank I did some research and realized it was an Asian Algae Eater. I put it in my fifty five where it has currently sucked some holes in my Ornate Bichir( I’ve been online trying to rehome him since)I have seen him push the two Blood Parrots around so I’m wondering if they are super stressed out.

In theory I’m thinking it’s probably a bacterial infection exacerbated by the stress.

Any ideas for a cheap hospital tank?
Thanks
 

Attachments

  • B327D1B6-359C-4CC1-A376-10C9EB5948D5.jpg
    B327D1B6-359C-4CC1-A376-10C9EB5948D5.jpg
    192.1 KB · Views: 133
  • 5B7DE2DD-6ABE-4C53-9123-F33D4F38328E.jpg
    5B7DE2DD-6ABE-4C53-9123-F33D4F38328E.jpg
    255.3 KB · Views: 72
  • 208B42DE-5099-4FC7-934B-DC7B74A796A4.jpg
    208B42DE-5099-4FC7-934B-DC7B74A796A4.jpg
    252.7 KB · Views: 83
  • D3859390-E369-4CD8-AB43-181A9EE6616B.jpg
    D3859390-E369-4CD8-AB43-181A9EE6616B.jpg
    263.3 KB · Views: 72
I'd get a 10g QT tank. Usually can get them at the big box stores for $10. Definitely is looking like ammonia burns now.
 
Don't panic. I'm in total agreement with King Fisher, a very bad case of ammonia burn. My initial thought after viewing the whitish mark on the most affected Parrot was an abrasion; damage to the slime coat. Not Columnaris.
Regarding the troublesome Asian Algae Eater, I'd say remove it asap. Everybody in this hobby at one time or another buys a fish that turns out to be a disaster. Sometimes you can rehome them, most times you cant. If the AAE is actually injuring its tankmates, it's time to go.
Good to hear that both Parrots are active and eating. I still believe that clean water is the best treatment. I'd just keep an eye on the suspicious white mark for any change.
Columnaris is a very fast moving bug. Usually when you notice the exterior discoloration, irreparable damage has already occurred internally. At that stage, fish don't usually eat and are very lethargic. I don't believe that applies to your Parrots.
 
Okay that sounds good. I was prepared to move them into a hospital tank and start treating. I checked my water again and Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate were all at 0. Initially my ph was about 8.8. After the water change and turning off the bubbler it’s about 8. Do I need to get it down further?

When I bought them on August 3rd they both had some black on them that I really thought was just their coloring. A week later I did my normal water change. Then it was a day or two later I noticed that they looked really bad. Is it possible to tell whether this is something I accidentally did or if it was just from the pet store. I’m thinking that if it was something I did the other fish I have in there would be showing burns as well?
I think that they looked slightly better today. So hopefully things will improve further.

As for the algae eater. I put him on the online neighborhood free classifieds. I had to be honest and say he needs to be with other semi aggressive to aggressive fish and needs a large tank so I really doubt anyone will want him. The guy I usually buy my fish from takes in a lot of Pacus and red tail catfish from owners who didn’t know what they were getting in to. So I’m going to talk to him see if he wants him or can get him rehomed because right now I’m getting this awful mental picture of a new aquarium just for one fish.
 
Your pH at 8 is fine. They will adapt. Although I will say, a fluctuation from 8.8 to 8.0 is quite a bit. Consistently balanced pH is what you want.

The fact your tank is showing all zero's it's definitely not cycled so frequent water changes is what you need to do. Not all fish will show ammonia burns at the same time. Some fish may go longer in bad water before showing signs of deterioration.

At this point you just want to keep them in pristine water whether that's in your main tank or a QT tank. If you aren't medicating then there's really no need to move them out of the main tank for ammonia burns. If you are trying to get them away from your Algea Eater I understand that.....maybe put your algea eater in the QT tank until he's rehomed.
 
I totally agree with King Fisher' s advice.
It sounds like some environmental factor might be giving you a false elevated PH reading.
 
Right now the parrots are doing so much better. The burns are gone. I’m thinking either I have a problem with my tap water or I got a bad bottle of API stress coat.

The last water change I did I added Prime water conditioner the API stress coat and stress zyme. After this they started doing better.

I opened the bottle of API about a month ago. I didn’t have the parrots then so maybe the other fish weren’t showing signs of burns yet. Since then my Betta has been getting very sick every time I do water changes. I’ve had him for about a year an a half and never had any problems with him. I noticed that he suddenly got lethargic and sank to the bottom of the tank and buried his face in the gravel the last couple of times I did a water change. After a few days he would pull out of it and be his normal self. The last water change I did I used spring water and he had no problem. I haven’t gotten to change his water with the prime yet. He has taken a beating from the water changes. I ordered him some meds online. I think I’ll have to make a separate post about treating him.

As for the other tank I’ve had a hard time keeping it cycled. When I first started it. I put some quick start in it and left alone for about two weeks. After the two weeks I noticed a really really bad smell. The filter cartridges were covered in algae and the tank had a bad smell. I cleaned off the algae in a bucket of tank water and put it back. After a few days the smell went away. I did water testing for a few days and when the readings were good. I added a few guppies. They did good so after two weeks I started gradually adding fish.

My problem is the smell in the filters is terrible. The tank are upstairs in the back of the house and you can smell them when you walk in the front door. It’s like a rotting smell mixed with seaweed. I try hard not to throw the filter cartridges away but the smell is so bad I have to. So I’m stuck in a vicious cycle. The tank stinks so I have to throw the filter away. It smells better for a few days then stinks again. I try to deal with it for as long as I can. The longest I can go is about two or three weeks. The rotting garbage smell will keep getting worse if I don’t. The tank water is crystal clear and there is no extra food or poop on the bottom. So I’m confused as to why it stinks that bad.
 
Back
Top Bottom