Fish acting a little strange...

[MoxieGrrrl]

This is a side-bar to my other thread (http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=39452)...

I think by now all of my tankmates have some ich.

My mollies seem to be swimming around the surface of the water with their mouths/noses up at a 45 degree angle (not all the time, just a lot of times I see them).

My guppies seem to be congregating inside a cave.

I have never seen my pleco eat, so I decided to get a zucchini (also called a green squash?). I cut off the end and made a slice about 1/2 inch thick, trimming the skin off. I then used a rubber band to hold it on the magnet cleaner, since that's where the pleco seems to prefer hanging out. However, I haven't seen him attach to it yet - he's wedged himself next to it on the glass.

I see that there is some food or algae in the back corner with a white film on it (I assume that is the beginning of rot?).

Last test showed amonia @ .75ppm, Nitrites @ 0, Nitrates @ less that 5ppm.

The are also being treated for ich. I have slowly raised the water temp to 85 degrees and placed an initial 7 tablespoons of salt in the water yesterday - today I added 2.5 tablespoons more.

It there something going on I need to fix ASAP? Is this normal behavior for fish with the problems described? Thanks for any suggestions

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

G*DD*MMIT!!!!

Now Bully the guppy is dead too!

Frickin, fracken, foul language, un-ladylike gestures and a whole buncha TICKED OFF!

And I HATE those pop ups that tell me I am capitalizing. YAH, NO KIDDING!

ARGH.

 

[czcz]

I cut off the end and made a slice about 1/2 inch thick, trimming the skin off.

My fish (none plecos) like zucchini skin as much as zucchini innards, fwiw. It took a couple of attempts to get them to eat veggies.

 

[Jchillin]

Moxie - This is normal behavior for the fish. They are "flashing" which is due to the ich. You are doing everything properly as of now and there is no "quick cure". Patience...it is a healing process...maybe everyone won't make it but the hardiest and bravest will.

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

Well, I discovered another guppy had died and one is missing. The one I can see is in a second tier of a cave, so I can't get to him unless I go in and pick the fixture up and shake him out. Otto looks on the verge of death - he's laying on his side on an almost vertical part of the ornament.

There must be a spike in ammonia because of the dead fish, but I'm not digging in there to get him out tonight - already celebrating new years and it would just end with the tank spilling all over the floor.

:|

 

[BASSNMAN]

Sorry about your loss. Be aware that hot water does not hold much oxygen. Add some more air stones or a power head to disturb more surface.

 

[MoxieGrrrl]

I've turned up the airstone - it's a 4" stone and it seems to disturb the surface pretty well - almost the entire surface is covered with bubbles. I just don't know what to do next.