help!!!

[tony]

i have a question about one of my tin foil barbs??? this morning when i topped off my tank i saw something that i have no clue is, the bottom jaw on one of my barbs looks pink and swollen, it seems to eat fine and has no other signs of any thing wrong. the lfs told me it was scar tissue, wich made me think that maybe my tin's are getting to mean for each other,cuz they will time to time swim in a circle and chase each other.
any info to pass along would be great
thanks
tony

 

[TCTFish]

Very possible for it to be scar tissue. Could also be irritated from a recent face off with the other barb. Many fish lip lock when they fight. Make sure nitrates are low.

 

[Menagerie]

To better help your fish, please answer these Qs to ensure we have as much information as possible about your ailing fish and its environment:

1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the beset of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are there current sizes?
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?
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?

 

[tony]

ie HELP!!!

ok this is the deal, on wed the 23 i tested my water for just nitrite and ammonia. I'm curentley using the tetra test laborett to test my water, the nitrite level was between 1.6mg/l and 3.3mg/l, the ammonia was between 0.25mg/l and 1.5mg/l both way to high. On thrus the 24 i took out all of my rocks and cleaned the tank very good doing about a 25% water change. Today fri the 25 i did a full battery of water tests, ph 7.5, nitrite between 0.3mg/l and 0.8mg/l, ammonia between 0.00mg/l and 0.25mg/l, GH(general hardness) value 12, KH(carbonate hardness) value 2. The tank has been set up running for about one year,the tank is at 78deg and for filtration i use an undergravel filter with a wisper 3 hob power filter,with no real problems till now.
any info would be great
thanks
tony

 

[TCTFish]

tony...get rid of the undergravel filter. You should have the nitrates tested. I can almost bet they will be high. UGFs cause long term problems. It's an accumilative problem meaning, problems generally don't show up until after the tank has been up for awhile. They trap waste under the gravel which is near next to impossible to get out. Nitrates then start to saturate the system and cause a back up in the nitrogen cycle (nitrite will back up and then ammonia will back up). You'd be much better off getting yourself a Fluval 404 or similar size canister filter and dismantling the UGF. Keep the Whisper on the tank for about a month till the bio media in the Fluval matures with nitrifying bacteria. I'm serious. That UGF will be nothing more than a nightmare.