Is this enough to get rid of parasites in the water? X.x

[Puriti]

Okay, if those of you who don't know I've been fighting off internal parasites or SOMETHING like that for a while now and fish just still keep getting it so I got fed up tonight and me and my boyfriend just went all out

• *took all the healthy fish out and put them in a bucket for a while

• *quarentined the sick ones in seperate containers

• *drained all the water out

• *took a the gravel (more like those marble stone things) out and WASHED them a few at a time with REALLY hot water

• *BLASTED the tank with REALLY hot water with our stretchable shower head and then whiped it down to get all the slimy junk off(probably algae)

• *Took apart the filter and the media

• *tossed the filter media out and scrubbed EVERY PART I could of the filter and carbon spongy pad thingy

• *Rinsed and scrubbed all the plants and rocks with really hot water

• *Didn't put the filter back on. I'm waiting to let it dry overnight to make sure nothing's still there if it has to live in freaking water and then I have to go to Petsmart tomorrow and buy new filter media

• *Put everything back in, including the sick fish but kept them in the seperate containers only floating on the top so they can still get heat but are still separated from all the seemingly healthy fish

I may have gone a bit excentric but....did I have good reason to or did I really over do it?

 

[Zagz]

You are going to kill off all your beneficial bacteria and start a new cycle. Not to mention the parasites if that is what they are will most likely still be present in the tank as they will be present in the fish. Plug the filter back in before it dries out so that any bacteria that is left will survive. Try a medication like Jungle's parasite clear or some medicated food. Also test your water parameters closely over the next few days.

 

[Jarred Darque]

the thing to do with the bacteria is to eliminate the cause of the bacteria, not the bacteria

your tank is gonna completely recycle now. perhaps you couild look into getting something that will eat the bacteria? like bigger bacteria I am sure there has to be something. but again you are just covering up the problem.

 

[Puriti]

I know it's going to recycle, I knew that when I thought of it and I'm taking that chance X.x but I did plug the filter back in the filter, the media didn't dry up. and yes I know it can be still in the fish but I was hoping to get rid of anything that was actually just in the water. I'm still looking for stuff to clear the parasites out of the fish @__@
I tried medicated food, nothing will eat and I can't find any other internal bacteria products at any of my petstores >_____< I admit it wasn't one of the BEST moves I could've done but ....I made a mistake and I learned from it and I had it in my best interests to help my fish X.x Now I just gotta find a store that sells that Jungle Parasite Clear stuff...cuz I'll have to go way out of my way to find it since I can't buy it online and I'll have to find out where other petstores are because there sure ain't a heck of a lot out here x.x

Thanks

 

[BrianNY]

Well to answer your last question Puriti, you really over did it. It's just never a good idea to completely break down a tank to cure a disease problem. Here's why:

Whether the problem is parasitic or bacterial the culprit is still in your fish. Once you place them back in their new "now sterile" environment, it is instantly recontaminated. This includes your healthy fish as well as your sick ones. It's kind of like detailing your car and immediately driving into a mud puddle. A pure waste of time and energy on both counts.

Fish that are fighting a disease are under stress and their immune systems are being compromised. Secondary infections often occur. Forcing them to go through another cycle will likely stress them to death.

 

[Puriti]

@____@ Oooopsiedoodles >___< okiedokie I guess I wont be doing that again lol thanks ^^;


I do have a question though, since my fish do keep getting some kind of internal problem could it possibly or more likely be coming from the freeze dried bloodworms that they eat because my bettas more often eat those than anything and other than that I just feed fish flakes... or do these things just kinda pop out of nowhere and say...hey...look! a nice big bowl of water! let's jump in it!

 

[BrianNY]

It's a great question Puriti. I wish there were a simple answer. Is it your bettas that are having the most probs? I know that bettas are prone to fungal infections and bloat. I believe food can be a large factor.

 

[Jchillin]

...also, what brand of freeze dried worms are you using? How long have you been using it and does it coincide with the illness issue?

 

[Puriti]

It's a great question Puriti. I wish there were a simple answer. Is it your bettas that are having the most probs? I know that bettas are prone to fungal infections and bloat. I believe food can be a large factor.

I most often see it in dwarf gouramis (which were my friends, caught it and died, one of mine died from it too) and lateley I've been seeing it in my betta fish. One died of some bloat problem but wouldnt eat and had stringy white poo and now I have Foxy who is NORMALLY a pure red and is now yellow in color from being pale, Jem who is also a female but she's a peachy colored is having stringy white poo and i've noticed being in the same area for days now and not eating, and then I have my male betta Dragon who also has been in the same area not moving much and has stringy white poo. Foxy's the only one that's not acting "normal" for a betta the other two are still flaring and being bettas but Foxy is just totally horrible....

I did feed them all peas last week as a treat but I don't think that would've caused much of anything

...also, what brand of freeze dried worms are you using? How long have you been using it and does it coincide with the illness issue?

I usually just use topfin freeze dried bloodworms.... and I've been feeding them since I started getting my bettas because they seem to like them better than regular fish flakes...so probably a good 6 months or more maybe (I've had bettas for a long time and that's usually what they get) but I've had battles with this for about the same time because the fish that eat them are usually the gouramis and betta fish more than anything else other than my frogs on occassion, but then again I really only have mollies otherwise and they don't really eat them >__<

 

[Puriti]

The two females died yesterday, the male is still alive though.

 

[GlitcH]

Puriti,
Have you been watching the new cycle?
What are your ammonia and nitrite levels?
Do you think the fish died from the new cycle or from the sickness?
Either way........sorry for your loss.

 

[Puriti]

They didnt' die from the cycle, I had them in seperate containers and left them floating in the tank water but never came in contact with it, so probably the sickness. Other than that I've only seen a mini cycle and I only have a nitrite test but can't find the stupid color card for it @_____@ ....it's one of those Aquarium Pharmaceutical ones for Nitrite and it's purple so it's like inbetween the 0.0 and 5.0 so I'd have to guess it at (looking at this badly readable picture of the master kit on Amazon.com) as 2.0. The male is sitting on the bottom of the container he's in and is looking a bit pale so I'm not expecting him to live much longer T___T

 

[SCFatz]

Is the container(s) heated?...or are we talking about a bowl full of old water floating in a tank of new heated water?

 

[Puriti]

bowl full of old water floating in a tank of heated water....even if I did have extra heaters they wouldn't fit in them. I used a glass vase for the females and a mini goldfish bowl for the male

 

[Puriti]

Update: Male betta died,another female not eating, random honey sunset gourami death >__<

 

[tbonem91]

the fish in the separate containers - is the water being agitated in each one? are you testing the water in each container?

 

[Puriti]

I cleaned them out every other day. But....I'M GETTING JUNGLE PARASITE CLEAR SOON! YAAAAAY! my mom might go to petco and pick it up for me tomorrow

 

[Puriti]

YAY!I got the stuff and put it in the tank...hopefully it helps