merlebaderle
Aquarium Advice Newbie
hi, i have tried to ask on other forums and never received the answers i was looking for.
this is pretty urgent, at least in my opinion.
i lost my beloved betta about half a week ago. he was a male, kept in a 29g tank.
kept with 8 tetras (never nipped him ever)
4 emerald corey cats
4 apple snails
i introduced danios quickly (yeah yeah i know i should've QT'd them for at least a couple weeks before introducing them, but I'm new at this and the pet shops advice apparently was WAY wrong) i feel they stressed him out with all the activity but he was very very active still, swimming all around, curious, always coming to me when he saw me.
Then his tail fin started diminishing. it wasn't bad. i watched and watched and finally saw a dan nip him. i immediately removed them and had to return them. the pet shop gave me Bettafix, i never used it. i QTd him in a gallon bowl (i read on the internet to do this; lots of different information on all of this). i put in a tsp of aquarium salt, it was heated and clean. btw my 29g tank spiked a tiny bit after i added the danios but i did enough water changes to fix that, then perimeters were perfect again. my little guy died the next day. still don't fully know what exactly why he suddenly died, his tail was only missing in parts, never to his body. his eyes swelled up and then i lost him.
okay, so… that said, i have a 10g tank, with a sorority of 4 female bettas, 2 guppies. it is a planted tank. but only anachatis. it keeps spiking in ammonia, never too bad, spiking in nitrates also. nitrates 0, ph7.5 constant. i noticed one of my girls laying at the bottom, same as my betta when he was sick. i immediately QTd in same gallon bowl added less salt that i did with my male. 79 degrees. she seems to be doing a lot better, she's been in for like almost a day and a half. only thing: her fins have been clamped when she's not swimming towards me.
now, today, since the time she was QTd, my guppies tails are disappearing! it was just one guy, but hours later the other two. i have not QTd them. i don't have anywhere to put them(if its an emergency i have gallon jugs, i guess or a couple 5g buckets that are clean),
oh an in my 10g tanks with my girls and guppies, i have a terrible power filter that i feel is dirtying up the tank. I've had problems with it since i started my tank. it even previously sucked a snail up and i ended up having to do a 100% water change and it was sad (from my loss) and gross.
i have a few questions that i would really like to know immediately, I've spent endless hours on the internet only to find out everyone does everything different and I'm scared I'm going to lose more of my babies.
questions:
should i remove said filter, and totally replace it (i purchased a bio wheel filter) but will i lose all my good bacteria and have to cycle again?
would cycling again stress out my fish more?
i am wondering if it is ich. i haven't seen any true white spots, but i have gotten paranoid and think i seem some, then later they aren't there. especially wondering with the sudden problems with my guppies tails.
should i treat the whole tank? how would i treat it? Maracin 2 i read is the way to go, or hiking the heat up to around 86? whats your advice or experience with anti bacterial/antibiotics?
if i treat with whatever suggested medicine, will it hurt my plants?
should i do a 100% WC or keep doing 25-50%?(I've been changing it like every two to three days @ 50% to keep ammonia down)
sorry this is long, but i really need help. i don't know what to do. i can't lose these fish like i did my little boy… thanks in advance to anyone willing to answer!
this is pretty urgent, at least in my opinion.
i lost my beloved betta about half a week ago. he was a male, kept in a 29g tank.
kept with 8 tetras (never nipped him ever)
4 emerald corey cats
4 apple snails
i introduced danios quickly (yeah yeah i know i should've QT'd them for at least a couple weeks before introducing them, but I'm new at this and the pet shops advice apparently was WAY wrong) i feel they stressed him out with all the activity but he was very very active still, swimming all around, curious, always coming to me when he saw me.
Then his tail fin started diminishing. it wasn't bad. i watched and watched and finally saw a dan nip him. i immediately removed them and had to return them. the pet shop gave me Bettafix, i never used it. i QTd him in a gallon bowl (i read on the internet to do this; lots of different information on all of this). i put in a tsp of aquarium salt, it was heated and clean. btw my 29g tank spiked a tiny bit after i added the danios but i did enough water changes to fix that, then perimeters were perfect again. my little guy died the next day. still don't fully know what exactly why he suddenly died, his tail was only missing in parts, never to his body. his eyes swelled up and then i lost him.
okay, so… that said, i have a 10g tank, with a sorority of 4 female bettas, 2 guppies. it is a planted tank. but only anachatis. it keeps spiking in ammonia, never too bad, spiking in nitrates also. nitrates 0, ph7.5 constant. i noticed one of my girls laying at the bottom, same as my betta when he was sick. i immediately QTd in same gallon bowl added less salt that i did with my male. 79 degrees. she seems to be doing a lot better, she's been in for like almost a day and a half. only thing: her fins have been clamped when she's not swimming towards me.
now, today, since the time she was QTd, my guppies tails are disappearing! it was just one guy, but hours later the other two. i have not QTd them. i don't have anywhere to put them(if its an emergency i have gallon jugs, i guess or a couple 5g buckets that are clean),
oh an in my 10g tanks with my girls and guppies, i have a terrible power filter that i feel is dirtying up the tank. I've had problems with it since i started my tank. it even previously sucked a snail up and i ended up having to do a 100% water change and it was sad (from my loss) and gross.
i have a few questions that i would really like to know immediately, I've spent endless hours on the internet only to find out everyone does everything different and I'm scared I'm going to lose more of my babies.
questions:
should i remove said filter, and totally replace it (i purchased a bio wheel filter) but will i lose all my good bacteria and have to cycle again?
would cycling again stress out my fish more?
i am wondering if it is ich. i haven't seen any true white spots, but i have gotten paranoid and think i seem some, then later they aren't there. especially wondering with the sudden problems with my guppies tails.
should i treat the whole tank? how would i treat it? Maracin 2 i read is the way to go, or hiking the heat up to around 86? whats your advice or experience with anti bacterial/antibiotics?
if i treat with whatever suggested medicine, will it hurt my plants?
should i do a 100% WC or keep doing 25-50%?(I've been changing it like every two to three days @ 50% to keep ammonia down)
sorry this is long, but i really need help. i don't know what to do. i can't lose these fish like i did my little boy… thanks in advance to anyone willing to answer!