Very sick Oranda - time to let go?

[tawolcott]

Agree with the salt not sure I agree with the 'death sentence' of a 1.0 nitrite. While levels above .25 are stressful they are typically (read that as almost always) non lethal. If there is documentation that disputes that i would be interested in the link.

Not suggesting anyone should aim for levels above zero just not sure I agree with the ultimate urgency of 80-100% water changes either

[jsoong]

Certainly did not mean nitrite of 1 is "death sentence" .... lethality depends on O2 level, fish's condition, etc.

But: Fish is in distress, so opt to treat the fish, not some test result level.
And: Water changes (even excessive ones) are not harmful.
So why not do extra pwc?

[rwalt1080]

It's a week out from the 100% water change, and it's mostly status quo. He hasn't eaten in a week and just hangs on the bottom. We've been doing 30% water changes daily. I've been testing the water prior to changes and have found it consistently around:
Ammonia = 0
NitrAte = 10 or less
NitrIte - 1.0 or less (Not much gradient difference between .5 and 1.0)

Am I being impatient or should we be turning the corner soon? Since over the past 3 weeks he has eaten so little is it possible that he's not putting out much if any waste and the cycle is stuck in neutral?

[rwalt1080]

Another question - I just found what I hope is a suitable 29 gallon tank with stand around the corner from my apartment on Craig's List. (Living in NYC, the convenience alone of not having to carry a tank on buses or subways is a huge plus). As I continue to do my daily water changes from the present tank, am I smart to begin filling the new tank with the old water? Leaks aside (the seller said there are none - he's only had it a year or so) are there any other things I should watch out for or take into consideration as I try to setup this new tank?

[JessieVB]

If I were in your situation, I wouldn't bother putting the old tank water into the new tank--the beneficial bacteria that you need isn't in the water in high enough quantities to matter (from what I understand; someone please correct if I give bad advice!). If you're going to be using different gravel in the new tank, then I would mix in a bit of the old gravel to establish the bacteria (or I think I saw an alternative which would be to put the gravel from old tank into an unwashed nylon so that it can be removed). The tank ornaments/rocks/filters also contain the beneficial bacteria that you need.

I recently upgraded my betta from a 1 gal. tank to a 5 gal. and I transfered the old gravel into the new tank as well as the plant from the tank.

[jsoong]

If you move EVERYTHING from your old tank into the new, you won't have to worry about a cycle at all <assuming that your old tank is now cycled ... if not, it will still not set you back in the process.>

The safest way to do the move would be to test the tank for leaks & make sure all equipment is working (run it for a day), then move everything from the old tank over .... including the filter. <You will be running both filters for a few week until the bacteria got established in the new filter.> If the decor/substrate from the old tank is not what you want, you can put it in mesh bags in the new tank, and remove them a bit at a time over the next few weeks.

Apart from the lethegy, is there anything else you noticed on the fish ... ragged fins, spots?? Often fish that had been through a cycle will be stressed & have lowered immunity so opportunitic infections sets in - eg finrot or ich - & that might need to be dealt with. If there is nothing else, then all I can suggest is to keep the water condition pristine & hope he will turn the corner.

[rwalt1080]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. Unfortunately Wednesday evening it became evident that he was losing his struggle so I freed him from his misery using the baking soda method described here on the site. I felt horrible but knew it was the best course of action for him.

I have continued to set up the 30 gallon tank and plan to create a new home for a couple of fancy goldies. I've ordered an Eheim 2215 which should arrive early next week. My plan is to use ammonia and Bio Spira to complete a fishless cycle of the new tank before adopting any inhabitants. A friend has a thriving guppy population so I'm going to take a couple of males to put in the Biorb.

It's been a difficult few weeks but thanks to everyone's help I've learned a lot about ways to avoid some of my mistakes.

[jsoong]

So sorry to hear about your loss .... You did your best for him.

Good luck & have fun setting up your new tanks.