1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
I'm worried about my White Skirted Tetra and now all of his tank mates. A few months ago, he had a growth on this face. I moved him to my smaller tank (3ish gallons, Fluval Spec, I know it is too small for him, but I really wanted to quarantine him. At the time it had plants and a snail), did lots of water changes and added Melafix (recommendation of the pet shop...) after a couple of weeks, the growth was almost gone. So, I moved him back home, with the other fish. Over the last two weeks, the growth is back, with a vengeance. It's double the size and actually looks like a growth on a growth and it looks like there is some blood in the growth. I started to wonder if the feisty cardinal tetra was biting or something, so I moved the white skirted back into my smaller tank and started searching every photo of every growth I could find. Nothing seems to match.
Moving him might have been a a mistake, since now there are also cherry shrimp (2 adults and about 6 week old babies).
This morning something that looks like a string is coming out of the growth and there are 5-6 white round spots (maybe 2mm) attached to the glass and one of the plants. These might not be related, at all...but of course they happened at the same time. I don't know anything about Ich, but those spots made me wonder....
I uploaded two photos. You can see the growth fairly well. You also get a glimpse of those white spots on the walls of the aquarium.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
I've been using Tetra Easy Strips, on the advice of my local aquarium shop owner (not the pet store)...please let me know if I need something more accurate. The aquarium guy said he would run fancier tests, if I brought in water samples. I ran out of test strips with my last water change (last Saturday), I'll get more today and add to this post. Last Saturday the results were:
Nitrate: 0-20ppm
Nitrite: 0
Hardness: 75 (soft)
Chlorine: 0
Alkalinity: 80-100 ppm
pH: 6.8-7.2
The tank is set at 78, but with the summer it's closer to 79-80.
Questions 3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
His home is the 10-gallon. Set up for just over a year.
He is currently in the 3-gallon Set up for about 6-months.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
It's the pump and filtration system that came with the Fluval Spec III(http://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Aquariums/Starter-Kits-Desktop/10515).
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
Home Tank: 1-bamboo shrimp, 3 ruby tetra 3/4" each, 1 cardinal tetra 1" and 1 white skirted tetra 1.5", 1 Oto.
Current Tank: 1 Nerite, 2 adult Cherry Shrimp, 6 week-old baby cherry shrimp.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Weekly, I change about 20% of the water. Then do a water test the next day.
I've never vacuumed the gravel. It's never seemed to need it.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
6 months. He was a gift.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Nope.
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
TetraMin Tropical Fish Food Flakes
Thank you in advance for your help.
I'm worried about my White Skirted Tetra and now all of his tank mates. A few months ago, he had a growth on this face. I moved him to my smaller tank (3ish gallons, Fluval Spec, I know it is too small for him, but I really wanted to quarantine him. At the time it had plants and a snail), did lots of water changes and added Melafix (recommendation of the pet shop...) after a couple of weeks, the growth was almost gone. So, I moved him back home, with the other fish. Over the last two weeks, the growth is back, with a vengeance. It's double the size and actually looks like a growth on a growth and it looks like there is some blood in the growth. I started to wonder if the feisty cardinal tetra was biting or something, so I moved the white skirted back into my smaller tank and started searching every photo of every growth I could find. Nothing seems to match.
Moving him might have been a a mistake, since now there are also cherry shrimp (2 adults and about 6 week old babies).
This morning something that looks like a string is coming out of the growth and there are 5-6 white round spots (maybe 2mm) attached to the glass and one of the plants. These might not be related, at all...but of course they happened at the same time. I don't know anything about Ich, but those spots made me wonder....
I uploaded two photos. You can see the growth fairly well. You also get a glimpse of those white spots on the walls of the aquarium.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
I've been using Tetra Easy Strips, on the advice of my local aquarium shop owner (not the pet store)...please let me know if I need something more accurate. The aquarium guy said he would run fancier tests, if I brought in water samples. I ran out of test strips with my last water change (last Saturday), I'll get more today and add to this post. Last Saturday the results were:
Nitrate: 0-20ppm
Nitrite: 0
Hardness: 75 (soft)
Chlorine: 0
Alkalinity: 80-100 ppm
pH: 6.8-7.2
The tank is set at 78, but with the summer it's closer to 79-80.
Questions 3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
His home is the 10-gallon. Set up for just over a year.
He is currently in the 3-gallon Set up for about 6-months.
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
It's the pump and filtration system that came with the Fluval Spec III(http://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Aquariums/Starter-Kits-Desktop/10515).
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
Home Tank: 1-bamboo shrimp, 3 ruby tetra 3/4" each, 1 cardinal tetra 1" and 1 white skirted tetra 1.5", 1 Oto.
Current Tank: 1 Nerite, 2 adult Cherry Shrimp, 6 week-old baby cherry shrimp.
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Weekly, I change about 20% of the water. Then do a water test the next day.
I've never vacuumed the gravel. It's never seemed to need it.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
6 months. He was a gift.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Nope.
9~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
TetraMin Tropical Fish Food Flakes
Thank you in advance for your help.