update

[corylover]

haven't been able to get on having my computer in the shop and then not having the heart to say anything. first I lose a leopard cory then I lost a dojo weather loach and then another leopard cory. don't know exactly all I know is that they didn't get attacked. may have picked up a bug by accident from petsmart when I got the male and then the female betas. so I have gotten 2 new leopards and 1 new dojo they are all ok from my usual pet store. I have also found out that one of my cory emerald fry that grew up and is about 3 months is swimming weird due to only having one anal fin instead of 2. when it gets bigger im going to see if I can manufacture an artificial fin so it can swim properly instead of circles. and if you think I should've given it to a fish to eat it then I would say I was not aware of its condition till I went from 100+ corys to 30 and I don't have the heart to kill him its just like dolphin tales the movie except its not his tale fin just anal which helps stability.

 

[corylover]

update I lost another loach and leopard cory I tore down the 40g cleaned it and put ammonia in when the fish were removed to kill anything. everything was going well until my male betta started to not eat even his favorite mosquito larva. I put in some meds incase it was an ammonia spiked but nothing his girl is fine everyone else fine. NEVER IN MY LIFE WILL I SHOP AT PETSMART THEY DONT CARE ITS THEIR FAULT TO BEGIN WITH. never have I quarantined any of the fish I get at roys never and I never had any issues. now I bring in something from that store get him acclimated to my water and 2 months down the road I start losing fish . if they just cared for the fish better just cleaned and changed the water daily it might have made a difference. even when I quarantined him nothing happened. all internal. no symptoms just nothing so I put him in . now im burying him like all the others. ill wait atleast a month before I get another male betta but im going to and always will go to roys aquarium cause I cant risk losing more fish from a non passionate store that just wants your money.

 

[corylover]

NEW MALE BETA WITH OLD FEMALE BETA

 

[Retired_AF]

You don't quarantine? May I suggest that you do so. You never know what a fish you purchase is carrying (or where it picked it up) and often they won't show symptoms for quite a while. By then, it's too late and your whole tank can become infected.

All stores are in business for one thing - profit. Unfortunately many of the larger stores hire people to take care of sections with little or no training, and I dont mean just petsmart. Your mom-and-pop stores are more likely to have experienced people working there. That doesn't mean that I would never buy from one of the larger chains. I just make sure that I do my research and know what I am looking at before I turn over my hard-earned cash and I always, always, ALWAYS quarantine everything I buy including plants and corals, no matter where it's from, for a minimum of 30 days before introducing it to my display tanks.

 

[corylover]

if you read fully I did quarantine him I didn't see anything it was all inside. no bloat, no tails rotten, no fins missing, no worms on his skin, and like I said I did quarantine him and his girl though never did so with fish I get from mom and pop store I go to and have for 2yrs with no incident just got a male from him very pretty healthy male and he is doing fine.


PLEASE WATCH THEASE VIDEOS THEY ARE REAL PETSMART DOESN'T CARE YOU TUBE THEM
Behind the Closed Doors of a PetSmart Animal Supplier
51. SHOCKING UNDERCOVER MOVIE USGE (FROM PETA).wmv

 

[Retired_AF]

Have you done any water testing? In particular, do you have readings for ammonia, pH, nitrites, nitrates and temperature? Have you done any treatments for a bacterial infection? I know you said you added meds, but you didn't mention what type. How often do you perform water changes?

I am asking to help find a solution, not to point fingers or to start an argument. The number 1 cause of problems in aquariums is poor water quality. Frequent water changes are your best friend. What type of water do you use? Are you on a well? If not, do you make sure to dechlorinate it before putting water into the tank?

I read that you tore down the tank and cleaned it. I know what a pain that is. Did you reuse the substrate? If so, did you clean it as well? What about any ornaments? Did you cycle the tank before adding fish again? If not you could be having an ammonia spike causing the fish to get sick.

Again, I'm just trying to get enough info to help.

 

[corylover]

first off where I live is really humid so I go through a lot of water replacement at least 20% for all my tanks 3-5 days. and I do water changes once a month of 20%. I did cycle the 40g and added the fish in slowly. I use well water from my lfs and I don't have to worry about the parameters to much. no I didn't use the same substrate yes I thoroughly cleaned the décor. when I had the first fish die I got malfix and ick guard I used sparingly in the tank due to not knowing what it would do with fry. nothing changed more died so I just redid the 40g. I got a ph chemical tester and ammonia and tested the water the day(cause he died early morning)the male beta died and ph is 7.2-7.4 and ammonia was 0.25. I had put in some ammonia eliminator but lfs guy said that wouldn't have helped since that only works for ammonia from water not from fish. and I know ph is going to be high since its well. I don't feed my betas pellets hardly except when I switched them to brine shrimp and I give them mosquito larva and live worms that aren't harmful to them or tank. and temp stays around 80-84f I don't have heaters on but I do have fans going a bit to keep it cooler

 

[Retired_AF]

If you have any ammonia then the tank isn't fully cycled. You should have 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia and maybe a very low amount (<50 ppm) of nitrates. The general hardness should be between 4 and 12 GH, Alkalinity between 4 an 8 KH, Temp between 72 and 80 and a pH between 6.5 and 7.5 to be ideal.

Most lfs's don't use wells but they sell RO/DI water which is better IMHO. Yours may be different.

It sounds like you have a lot of evaporation from your tank. I usually lose a little under 1/2 gallon per day in my 90-gallon tank but it sounds like you are keeping it topped off pretty well. You might try increasing the water changes to every other week or even weekly. Water changes are your friend, especially if you are experiencing problems with the tank. I would try not to add all the water at once when topping off since sudden temperature changes can stress the fish and make them more susceptible to getting sick.

You first priority though should be to get the ammonia down. Ammonia is poisonous to the fish and needs to be addressed quickly. Although I am not much of a fan of adding chemicals to tanks there is a product called Quick Start by API some people use that adds the bacteria straight to the tank. I don't know how well it works but I have read that some people use it with some success.

In addition, I would like to recommend you get a RO/DI filter and make your own water. In the long run you will save a ton of $$$. A portable unit can be found on eBay fairly cheap.

 

[corylover]

well when I can get the water for free from my fish guy im not to concerned besides they check it on a daily bases and I have been doing water changes more frequently now just too keep everything going right. however my last golden dojo just started to show a lesion on his face so I have him separated and basically giving him an antibiotic that my lfs gave me he too is also puzzled by it but he says its possible it may be a fungus though like I said its a lesion like a sore that popped so really confuse.

 

[corylover]

hay just to do an update dojo is on the road to recovery been maintaining antibiotics and quarantine the lesion is getting smaller yea crossing figures. and ammonia and ph are all where they should be. which is 7.2 ph and 0 ammonia yea.

also I'm stumped XD. I've been scratching my head at what I can do with a 13g. preferably on a cheap side but I'm going with a forest theme if anyone has any easy ideas on a nice set up with plenty of hiding spots please let me now. comment. I don't mind if its planted ideas been wanting to do that also just haven't had much luck. please need advice. want to make this one real nice. yes I have it cycling right now and monitoring the ammonia so far its 0. and ph is 7.2
sincerely
the cory monster XD

 

[Sands_88]

Do you have nitrite and nitrate tests? It might be worth checking the readings. Nitrite is just as poisonous to fish as ammonia and you might see an increase in it now the ammonia has gone. Just a thought.

Glad your fish are starting to feel better

 

[corylover]

no I don't have testers how ever I do have a nitrate chemical I add to the water once a month to 2 times a month to make sure everything stays in balance

 

[treemanone2003]

no I don't have testers how ever I do have a nitrate chemical I add to the water once a month to 2 times a month to make sure everything stays in balance

Um..... If you don't have test kits... Uh... How do you know it's in balance ???


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium advice.

 

[Sands_88]

Hi Corylover

I appreciate that it might seem like a bit of a hassle but I really think you should get some test kits, especially as you are adding other chemicals to the water.

The minimum really is an ammonia test, nitrite and nitrate test. Ammonia and nitrite should both be at 0 and nitrate should be below 40 (and preferably lower)

All of these are poisonous to fish and can cause the problems you've described. They can be present in source water, which is why its important to check at least weekly, and daily if there are problems.

I've found the API liquid tests are the most accurate. I wouldn't bother with the test strips.

I'm sorry if we seem to be 'hung up' on the water issue, but it is a massive part of fish keeping and keeping them happy, safe and healthy. We can't really help if we don't have water test readings to help us.

 

[corylover]

I was told that I just needed ammonia and ph but I think however that my ammonia also detects nitrite and nitrate but I will speak further with my lfs. I will say though that I know it was parasites cause I could see them on the glass. also I broke my rule and save a betta from walmart they were going to throw it away(it is still alive). IT'S QUARENTINED IN A 2.5G WITH ANTIBIOTICS RUNNING THROUGH THE SYSTEM. the real legit hard core stuff not some mambe pambe stuff. and yes it works cause that's what the dojo is having running through his system. seperatly.

 

[treemanone2003]

I was told that I just needed ammonia and ph but I think however that my ammonia also detects nitrite and nitrate but I will speak further with my lfs. I will say though that I know it was parasites cause I could see them on the glass. also I broke my rule and save a betta from walmart they were going to throw it away(it is still alive). IT'S QUARENTINED IN A 2.5G WITH ANTIBIOTICS RUNNING THROUGH THE SYSTEM. the real legit hard core stuff not some mambe pambe stuff. and yes it works cause that's what the dojo is having running through his system. seperatly.

I would throw some caution to the wind here about speaking with your LFS. Either they're working on commission and you're going to go broke dealing with them, or they're not very qualified at their job. Liquid test kits only detect single elements. Ammo, nitrate, nitrite, pH, etc. Test strips detect multiple elements but are not very accurate at all. IMO they're worthless. As well with strips, (API brand) ammo is it's own test.

Hopefully your betta will recover in the hospital tank. Could you elaborate on what parasite you saw and what the "real legit hard core stuff" is that your using ?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium advice.

 

[corylover]

sorry miss spoke read my ammonia test kit bottles wrong so yes your right they are just for ammonia and I have some for ph as I said I will look into getting nitrite and nitrate although in the pass I did have test strip and rarely had any issues. what I think he meant was that was the main ones I needed right then and there and no he isn't thease fools at main chains he has been in business since 1963. the confusion was my fault cause I didn't make myself clear. here is a pic of the betta



also the parasites look like white hair like worms very small how ever I don't know what other things he could've carried that went straight to the gravel which is why only the bottom dwellers were attacked not the top. also the anti biotic I cant remember the name but they are the best stuff around. which I got for free thanks to lfs. who is a really nice guy that allows me to get things sometimes and pay later. also he always finds a way to give me a deal really nice knowledgeable person and like I said it was my miss spoke that was the issue XD.

 

[corylover]

 

[corylover]

new betta cleaning his tank he has been with me 5 days now

yes I have décor just took a video when I was cleaning everything and doing water changes