jessesgirl
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2014
- Messages
- 6
I have a 35 gallon tank that we've been working toward putting semi-aggressive fish in over the past several months. I was following advice of a fish specialty store, but I think I've been handed some bad advice and I have a mess on my hands. I feel like I know community fish backward and forward, but the tank compilation I have now has left me 12 shades of discombobulated.
Our tank consists of (none adult):
One blood parrot cichlid
One jewel cichlid (currently unwell)
One mono (currently unwell)
One albino shark
One black fin shark
One snow eel
Two silver dollar fish
The mono has had what we are assuming is parasites in an open sore at the rectum, so we started a copper treatment approximately 12 days ago. I'm supposed to do a 60% water change in two days and resume filtration. Our nitrite levels had been extremely high prior to starting the copper treatment, so we were doing water changes every four days. We don't really know what shot the levels up, as it is a clean tank with regular changes. We assumed overfeeding so I started feeding three times a week and the fish all think they're starving. Anyway. The mono was doing much, MUCH better but then yesterday, a new sore popped up on its side and there are white worm-like things coming out of his side. He still acts as if he's feeling much better, playing with the silver dollars, but he has a brand new sore. The sore on the rectum is healing nicely and I assumed we were moving past this. We aren't. I don't know what else to do for him beyond the copper treatment. There will be times when the "worms" (I use worms lightly because it IS an assumption) will fall off and he'll be left with a red sore with raised edges. I've also been treating the tank with stress coat treatment because the parrot fish developed black spots with all the water changes. He's fine now.
So I have this mono issue. The poor thing HAS to be miserable. I keep telling myself I need to euthanize him, but it just breaks my heart. I've put so much time, energy and money into trying to get him well.
Yesterday, my jewel cichlid starting acting unwell. The spikes on his back stay down and he's just floating with his head higher than his tail. He's not eating. I see no outward indication anything is wrong, but he's clearly not okay (I had a red jewel cichlid up until about 3 weeks ago. He was a baby and one day he started having a white, cloudy substance in his mouth, which wouldn't close. His breathing became labored and within two days, he was dead.) I added more stress coat today and I'm thinking I need to go ahead and do the water change and go back to using my filtration system. Maybe the copper is getting to him? Again, I just feel so badly.
Any idea what to do with either of these fish? If there's more information you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to provide it. Like I said, it's a 35 gallon tank, average temp is 80-82f, I run a top filter, no live plants. Ahhh we feed 3 days a week....pellets for the bottom feeders and flakes for the top feeders. We feed high quality feed with no fillers. I can't remember the name of it, but if that's relevant, I'll get it.
Our tank consists of (none adult):
One blood parrot cichlid
One jewel cichlid (currently unwell)
One mono (currently unwell)
One albino shark
One black fin shark
One snow eel
Two silver dollar fish
The mono has had what we are assuming is parasites in an open sore at the rectum, so we started a copper treatment approximately 12 days ago. I'm supposed to do a 60% water change in two days and resume filtration. Our nitrite levels had been extremely high prior to starting the copper treatment, so we were doing water changes every four days. We don't really know what shot the levels up, as it is a clean tank with regular changes. We assumed overfeeding so I started feeding three times a week and the fish all think they're starving. Anyway. The mono was doing much, MUCH better but then yesterday, a new sore popped up on its side and there are white worm-like things coming out of his side. He still acts as if he's feeling much better, playing with the silver dollars, but he has a brand new sore. The sore on the rectum is healing nicely and I assumed we were moving past this. We aren't. I don't know what else to do for him beyond the copper treatment. There will be times when the "worms" (I use worms lightly because it IS an assumption) will fall off and he'll be left with a red sore with raised edges. I've also been treating the tank with stress coat treatment because the parrot fish developed black spots with all the water changes. He's fine now.
So I have this mono issue. The poor thing HAS to be miserable. I keep telling myself I need to euthanize him, but it just breaks my heart. I've put so much time, energy and money into trying to get him well.
Yesterday, my jewel cichlid starting acting unwell. The spikes on his back stay down and he's just floating with his head higher than his tail. He's not eating. I see no outward indication anything is wrong, but he's clearly not okay (I had a red jewel cichlid up until about 3 weeks ago. He was a baby and one day he started having a white, cloudy substance in his mouth, which wouldn't close. His breathing became labored and within two days, he was dead.) I added more stress coat today and I'm thinking I need to go ahead and do the water change and go back to using my filtration system. Maybe the copper is getting to him? Again, I just feel so badly.
Any idea what to do with either of these fish? If there's more information you need, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to provide it. Like I said, it's a 35 gallon tank, average temp is 80-82f, I run a top filter, no live plants. Ahhh we feed 3 days a week....pellets for the bottom feeders and flakes for the top feeders. We feed high quality feed with no fillers. I can't remember the name of it, but if that's relevant, I'll get it.
