Tom's bumps/lumps

[jlk]

Ikes! This does not sound good at all. Some strange waste when using antibiotics is not unusual- they affect the good digestive bacteria and you may see some mucous or stringy waste. I think starting the prazi was jumping the gun a bit as they are already on one med but theres no need to panic as prazi is a very safe med. I would do a 50% wc when you can and simply do not dose anymore right now. Prazi can also cause strange waste.

Ok, after the wc, I would increase the salinity gradually to .1% (or 1 level tsp/g) over the course of day. make sure the salt is predissolved in conditioned water before adding it. Then just make sure they are getting ample MG- its ok if it takes 1/2hr for them to finish it but just as long as its not wasted. I would also give 3 meals a day with it. I guess there was no luck with a vet?

 

[FranTom]

So, we are trying to get rid of the prazi? The directions say 7 days no water change -- the water is so cloudy now. Bleh! Should I put my carbon back in the filters? I will do a 50% water change tomorrow (need to let the water reach room temp).

Epsom salt, right?

I am feeding them 3 meals of the MG daily. They both loooooove it and gobble it down. I've also been giving them a small amount of peas, as always.

You have the patience of an angel. I would be if I were you dealing with newbie me. Thanks for helping me learn.

No luck with the vets -- just cannot travel 3 hours with fish plus two young toddlers (who both have colds right now) for a vet.

Any idea what this might be? Still thinking bacterial infection?

 

[jlk]

No Epsom salt- plain aq salt. If you have plants/snails/scaleless fish, they should be moved as they may be affected by the salt level.

After a wc (you can run carbon for a bit too), predissolve 1tsp/g aq salt in conditioned water. Add this salt solution slowly over 24hrs (you can extend this to 36-48hrs if it's easier for you). When you do a wc, only add back the salt you remove. So for a 50%wc, add back 1/2 original dose predissolved along with the new water. Keep a daily eye on your parameters as well as salt may affect your good bacteria. We may increase the salt a bit more in a few days.

It sounds like your doing a good job with the MG and some veggies! The MG may take a bit to work (if it's effective against what you have). Let's hope it helps! Keep us posted

 

[FranTom]

Scaleless fish?? I have a cory and an otocinclus catfish in the tank. They can stay, right? I have a 15g I can move them to if its better.

I will get the salt tomorrow. You said I can run the carbon for a bit after the wc - should I then remove it again with the salt going in? Or it can stay with the salt? I've been wanting to add a UV sterilizer anyway -- would it possibly help any now or should I wait before adding it?

Thanks!

 

[FranTom]

I googled it. The cory and catfish need out. Will they eventually rejoin the goldfish or should I be considering moving them out for the long-run?

 

[aquandrew]

cory cats are really sensitive to salt you gotta tank them out if your going to be using that

 

[aquandrew]

some people say to half dose or do it really slowly if your going to keep him in

 

[Cactuspixie]

I googled it. The cory and catfish need out. Will they eventually rejoin the goldfish or should I be considering moving them out for the long-run?

Best keep them out permanently- sooner or later your goldfish will make them disappear!

 

[jlk]

I googled it. The cory and catfish need out. Will they eventually rejoin the goldfish or should I be considering moving them out for the long-run?

Right now, they need to be moved. Whether it will be longterm or not, right now I do not know. Your other option is if only the one goldfish has symptoms, move him to the 15g. I would still feed both of them MG for a full course. If your other fish has even the slightest symptoms, keep both of them where they are so they both can be treated with salt in addition to the MG.

 

[FranTom]

I set up the 15g last night - 4 year old son is super excited to have the Cory and catfish in his room... So they have now found themselves a welcomed home. (The Cory and oct catfish were bought on poor advice from the fish store to help our green algae (from the window)).

Any feelings on the UV sterilizer? Should I go back to every other day pwc or twice a week after the salt? Or depends on the testing? Sorry if these are too many questions.

 

[FranTom]

Btw, Tom actually looks a lot better today - the "pimple" that burst yesterday looks all gone - one smaller bump left. Hoping its the MG and we are on our way to recovery. And Francisco has no symptoms (just had that clear poop which was probably from the MG).

 

[jlk]

Base on your wcs on your tests. I would still do atleast 2 a week but if you see any spikes, it will need to be more frequent. Salt can affect your good bacteria but they will recover within a week or so once its reduced/removed. Glad to hear theres some improvement!!!!

 

[FranTom]

So, yesterday I did my 50% water change and started adding a bit of the salt water mix.... I added about 4 tsp (of my salt dissolved in conditioned water - not 4tsp of salt!!) as I was afraid to add too much and then go to bed and not be watching them. I just tested their water and was surprised by two things.... A huge pH jump!!! It went from 6.8 to 7.6 in a day?!?!? What???? Isn't this concerning? And by what??? Second, my nitrates have never been this high!!!! 40ppm right after a 50% water change?? What is going on??? I'm worried. Tom ate a few MG pellets this morning, but she wasn't attacking his food as usual. She was really good buddies with the cory I removed - they often slept next to each other and swam together... Idk, probably pulling at straws here.

Pic of the test this morning.

 

[FranTom]

(Ugh! Still getting used to calling Tom a she... Sorry if its confusing that I keep mixing he/she in there.)

 

[FranTom]

And, the water is cloudy.... Like bacteria bloom cloudy.

 

[jlk]

Don't panic! Start by checking your tap water for toxins and ph first. Based on your pic, your nitrates appear to be @20ppm (or orange). Let us know how your tap reads first and we can go from!

 

[FranTom]

Ok. Your "don't panic" was exactly what I needed! I will try to chill out for now on.


I tested my tap. I'm new to using this water as I used to use spring water but after that mini-cycle awhile ago I had to do pwc twice a day and we were in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I had the plumber run a line right outside my kitchen that bypasses the water softener just for the fish. It's not connected to the water heater so it only gives me coooooold water which makes it a bit less fun, but sure beats lugging all those spring water bottles home! Anyway, I tested the fish's tap and here are the results:

 

[FranTom]

Every time I add a pic from my iPad it posts prematurely! In any case, I guess the pH of the city water changed?? Tom ate her snack of peas very happily, and her lunch of MG well. She's terribly bloated though (i keep trying to get a new picture but she hides from me now) and when she is resting her head is down and her tail is up (not completely vertical, but close). When she sees me approaching the tank she hides. When I watch her from the entryway she's swimming around, nibbling food, digging up a plant. (She is a serial digger.)

Another question, I always soaked their pellets before feeding them, but both of them won't eat the MG when it's soaked first. They swim over, put it in their mouth and then spit it out when it's pre-soaked. So I've been feeding it to them not soaked and they chow it down.... But the last thing either of them needs now is swim bladder problems.

 

[jlk]

I would also check with the high range ph because 7.6 is the max on the regular test. It may be 7.6 or it may be any number higher than 7.6. Theres no nitrate in your tap which is good and any wcs you do should cut it in half.

I am not sure why API does this but the test chart for nitrate is different on some individual tests than the master chart. The master chart is vague on the lower end scale (all orange) while the individual chart has specific colors for low numbers. Your tank nitrate level looks to be 10-20 based on the this (guess @15, maybe less). Its not worrisome and can be addressed with a wc though just keep an eye on it.

Not a good idea to soak the Mg as it will lose its medicinal properties. If you can stretch out their meals a bit (more meals but smaller), it will limit any issues. I actually rarely soak any sinking foods unless the fish specifically needs it. Hope this helps!

 

[FranTom]

Ok... I will check the high range pH tomorrow morning. All the salt is in and the last bump has a white head and will probably ....well... pop/ooze like the other two did. Just hoping this is indeed the last one. The weird thing is Tom is still acting normal. She even worked for a good 40 minutes today to uproot one of the fake plants (her favorite hobby). She's crazy!

I think, even if the water test is fine tomorrow I will do a 50% wc (adding half the salt back in). The water is cloudy like a bacteria bloom and even though the tests seem ok I think something has been bumped in my cycle from the medications. And I can't stand not vacuuming the gravel.

Good to know about not soaking the MG. Thanks for everything!

Thursday would be 10 days on MG. I'm a bit nervous to stop so soon. I guess the next couple of days will tell a lot. Hopefully.