Please help! I got my 29 gallon tank at the beginning of June. I put 2 black moors and a pleco in the tank. After 2-3 days, the pleco disappeared. I figured he was so small the the black moors munched him. On June 18 I bought another pleco. After 2-3 days of being in the tank, my smaller black moor began hiding in a decoration. I routinely check ph, kh, gh, nitrates and nitrites. They have always been at good levels. As of about 4-5 days ago, both black moors are now hiding, I have to lift the decoration and force them out. The smaller one immediately goes back in the decoration. The bigger one will swim around a bit then go back in. I was told black moors were cold water fish but was recently told by Tetra that they need warmer water so I raised the temp to 76.8F. Just a bit ago, I removed the decoration and did a 1/3 water change. I am using SmartStart, AquaSafe and Easy Balance. While doing the water change, I noticed an unusual abnormality on my bigger black moor. It looks like off white colored sand near the beginning of his tail fin. Neither is as velvety black as they used to be. I was treating tank with Lifeguard however Tetra advised me to stop as black moors are scaleless fish. Someone please help me save my fish. I have a picture of the spot on my little baby and a picture of what he looked like a week ago if it is helpful. You may need to zoom in on the picture to see the area of the abnormality. I have also included a picture of my tank setup. Please note, I removed the two decorations on the right side of the tank ( the house and barrel) as well as the large plant on the right.
Please help my black moor
- Thread starter Dawn A
- Start date
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Joe Coetzee
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi,
You received the tank in the beginning of June. Did you cycle it at all? Or are you using safe start right off the bat?
You received the tank in the beginning of June. Did you cycle it at all? Or are you using safe start right off the bat?
Joe Coetzee
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
What are the water parameters? Did you follow the instructions on the bottle?
For the first two weeks, the water parameters were perfect. Spot on. When the fish began acting sick, I was repeatedly checking the water and noticed the gh was a bit high. I did a 1/3 water change yesterday, following instructions to a T on the bottles. I checked the parameters about 2 hours after the water change and again immediately when I found my pleco dead about 2 hours ago and they are all over the place. The levels are as follows currently: Nitrate is at about 40, Nitrite is is between 1.0 & 3.0, gh is between 150 & 300, kh is 180-300 and ph is between 7.2 and 7.8. I cant get exact numbers because these are the strips and I have to go by the color range. I noticed the tank took a nose dive about 2-3 days of adding the Pleco. Do you think he may have already been ill and infected the rest? Is there a better test I can use to get more exact numbers for parameters?
Your probelms are likely caused by not being cycled. That should be a priority. Do a big water change now, and then 25% daily until you can test for ammonia. You should then do water changes to keep ammonia + nitrite combined at no higher than 0.5ppm until you are cycled and your system can keep them at 0ppm on its own.
Is there a moderator available to merge these 2 threads into 1 please? Its getting a bit disjointed.
Is there a moderator available to merge these 2 threads into 1 please? Its getting a bit disjointed.
How would I check for ammonia? My test strips don't include that. Also I did a water change yesterday of about 1/3 of the tank. So about 10 gallons. Should I still do another one? Please let me know what other tests I can get so that I can test for both Ammonia and Nitrates. So what is that on my fish? I am scared of loosing them. They did start swimming around last night for several hours after the water change, but by this am they are back to hanging around at the bottom unless they think they are getting fed. I am really worried.
Also quick question, when I do the tank change, I use a 5 gallon bucket for the water I am adding. Should I be adding the SafeStart, AquaSafe, and Easy balance to the bucket before going into the tank, or add the water to the tank and add enough of those to cover the whole tank? I have been adding it to the bucket. So 5 gallon bucket and I add the correct amount for the 5 gallons to the water in the bucket.
There is a different strip that tests for ammonia. The only reason i can see for not including it with the others is so they csn charge extra for them.
The liquid test kit i suggested tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Unless you are getting really specialist or have water parameters really out there that's all you really need.
The liquid test kit i suggested tests for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Unless you are getting really specialist or have water parameters really out there that's all you really need.
I truly appreciate the help. Any idea what that is on my fish though? It is like an off white patch that kinda resembles sand or something. Also I have noticed the he now has a light white dusting color about him. Do you think it is from high ammonia? Also should I do another large water change since I just did 1/3 change yesterday? Or do I need to do a bigger one? Or can I go ahead and start the 25% daily changes now? What is the name of the tests you recommend to use?
Safestart is bottled bacteria. After you are cycled you dont need that again. I would go as far as to say that once you have dosed whatever the manufacturer has recommended in their instructions dont bother adding any more. Its probably nothing more than a placebo. If you have some left over it wont do any harm to add some with your water changes, but i wouldn't add any more after you done your initial dose(s).
Aquasafe is a water conditioner. You need to add that whenever you change the water. Either enough to treat the water in the bucket or enough to treat the whole tank in the tank before you add your tap water. Whichever you prefer. My recommendation for a water conditioner is Seachem Prime purely on price per water change. Its also probably a better water conditioner than aquasafe, but basically a water conditioner that works is the same as another water conditioner that works, so go with whatever is cheapest/water change. A 250ml bottle of prime treats 10000 litres. A 250ml bottle of aquasafe treats 500 litres for a similar price.
Easy balance is a product to extend how long you can go between water changes. I dont know anybody that uses this. Just do your water changes.
Some kind of skin condition? Goldfish seem to get all sorts of weird skin colourations and growths from what ive read on here. It could be caused by ammonia. Living in poor conditions lowers immunity and all kinds of secondary conditions then arise.
Until you can be sure that ammonia isnt a problem i would change some water daily. Your nitrite is currently higher than it should be, so again do a water change.
API freshwater master testkit.
Ok I will get on this ASAP! Thank you so much for all your help. I am truly hoping to save my boys(i am guessing they are boys). I will be getting the test kit immediately to check for ammonia. I will update on their condition in a few days. I will do the 50% change today and only add the AquaSafe. Starting tomorrow I will be doing daily 25% changes and testing the water. Hopefully this will help them feel better. I feel so bad that they are not feeling well.
It wont be helping. The symptoms are probably something secondary, but the root cause will be water conditions. You might treat the symptoms, but you will still have the root cause. And the treatment might kill off your cycle and you would shortly be back at square 1. Priority should be to cycle the tank. The aquarium salt should be ok to dose and not effect your cycle, that might be worth trying. Same really for melafix and pimafix, but whether they will be effective for what is wrong i couldnt say. As i said im no expert on diagnosis or treatment, especially with goldfish.
Ok thank you. I have written all this down and I am willing to try anything so I am ordering the melafix and pimafix and will be getting the master test kit. I will be doing all the water changes until cycled and we'll see what happens. I will be testing the water every other day during cycling to keep an eye on it. I understand that these are just suggestions, but right now that is better than where I was when trying to get answers from pet stores and getting nowhere but in tears. Thank you so very much
Joe Coetzee
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I second this, do 25% water changes daily, this will help more than anything else
Hi Dawn, welcome. So sorry this is the reason you got to visit.
Here are a bunch are articles for you to get better acquainted with cycling a tank and keeping fish in the best way possible.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/
The sandy look on the Goldfish are they like tiny grains of sand or sugar?
It could be Ich.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/freshwater-ich-yuck/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/ich-ick-white-spot-or-whatever-else-you-call-it/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/fish-disease-index-for-diagnosis-and-treatment/
Info for GF tank size
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...uire-big-tanks-visual-perspective-265871.html
info for GF forum
Here are a bunch are articles for you to get better acquainted with cycling a tank and keeping fish in the best way possible.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-just-learned-about-cycling-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/
The sandy look on the Goldfish are they like tiny grains of sand or sugar?
It could be Ich.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/freshwater-ich-yuck/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/ich-ick-white-spot-or-whatever-else-you-call-it/
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/fish-disease-index-for-diagnosis-and-treatment/
Info for GF tank size
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...uire-big-tanks-visual-perspective-265871.html
info for GF forum
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
To add to the initial advice the most important thing you can do and ALL you can do at this point is to remove and replace water daily.
1/3 daily might be enough but I would opt for 1/2 or 50% change.
You really don’t need any of those additives. You have an Airstone which is good, now you just need to stop the pollutants that are being created by the fish from reaching harmful levels. Do not complicate matters, just change the water as suggested and do not overfeed [emoji846]
1/3 daily might be enough but I would opt for 1/2 or 50% change.
You really don’t need any of those additives. You have an Airstone which is good, now you just need to stop the pollutants that are being created by the fish from reaching harmful levels. Do not complicate matters, just change the water as suggested and do not overfeed [emoji846]
