Weird White Stuff on Tank Causing Popeye???

[Magma4life]

So my betta's had popeye for some time now, and even though I've treated him for it he hasn't gotten any better. Then today I was changing his water and my fingernail happened to scrape the suction cup holding my carbon filter to the tank. All this white stuff floated off, and it took several tries to fish it all out.(On a side note, I've never cleaned that part of the filter in the whole nine months I've had the tank.) When I pried the filter off, a white circle remained where the suction cup had been. I tried to scrub it off but couldn't. Any advice on how to get it off and prevent it from happening again?

 

[King Fisher]

It's probably calcium build up. It shouldn't affect anything.

What are you using to treat Popeye?

 

[Magma4life]

That's good to know. Because I've heard that carbon filters take the medicine out of the water, I've just been using aq salt and changing the water every three days.

 

[King Fisher]

If you have carbon in your filter media it will remove meds. You simply remove the carbon when medicating.

Popeye is a disease in fish. It needs meds to cure it. Dose your tank with Seachem Kanaplex. Salt does not cure disease.

 

[Magma4life]

Okay. Thanks for the advice. How do I remove the carbon from my filter? I don't have an airstone or anything. Just the filter. I replace my Tetra small cartridges every month or so. They have a hard plastic side, so I'm not sure about cutting the carbon out. Any ideas? Also I'm thinking about getting an anubius nana plant for my tank. I plan on quarantining it for a few weeks. How long does the medication stay in the water? Would meds still affect it?

 

[BBradbury]

Hello Mag...

If you're following a sound water change routine and dosing a little aquarium salt, you shouldn't be having fish health issues. Infections, parasites, viruses and such aren't able to live in pure water conditions with traces of salt.

B

 

[King Fisher]

Okay. Thanks for the advice. How do I remove the carbon from my filter? I don't have an airstone or anything. Just the filter. I replace my Tetra small cartridges every month or so. They have a hard plastic side, so I'm not sure about cutting the carbon out. Any ideas? Also I'm thinking about getting an anubius nana plant for my tank. I plan on quarantining it for a few weeks. How long does the medication stay in the water? Would meds still affect it?

Remove the cartridge completely from the filter when medicating. Run your filter without the cartridge. Kanaplex is a 2 day dose then it's no longer active in the water. They recommend three doses so 6 days. You can run a 4th dose or 8 days if the Popeye is still present. If after 4 doses he still shows health problems, stop the meds for 5 days then start medicating again. This gives your fish a break from the medication.

I'm not sure if Kanaplex affects anubias or not. Never tested it out. Personally, I choose fish over plants though.

 

[Magma4life]

Ok, thanks for your help. Will try that as soon as I get some Seachem Kanaplex.