donttaptheglass
Aquarium Advice Freak
In keeping with the rules of the sick fish forum . . . I'll do a bit of copy/paste . . .
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
It's my male betta. Last couple of days he has taken to hiding a lot, and sitting very still under plants or rocks. He's always been a brilliant red, but he is now a very dark shade of red and he just looks "droopy" (he never shows off his fins anymore). His fins don't look torn or anything, he just doesn't open them up anymore. Haven't seen him eating either.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
temp=84, ammonia=0, nitrites=0, nitrates=5.0
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
55 Gallon tank established December 2005 (3 months)
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Rena Filstar XP2 300 gph using the spraybar
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
1 Angel-4"
1 Pleco-5"
1 Clown Loach-2"
1 Dwarf Gourami-2"
1 Bala Shark-3"
1 Rainbow Shark-2"
1 Pictus Catfish-3"
1 Dragon Goby-4"
6 Danios-largest is 2"
3 Cardinal Tetras=largest is 1.5"
1 Golden Apple Snail
2 Platys-1"
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Water change and gravel vac yesterday. Usually about once a week, depending on water parameters. Normal water change of approx. 20 Gallons.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
I've had him since December. Nursed him successfully through a round of Ich about a month ago, since then he's been active and eating and seemingly quite healthy, until a couple days ago.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Added a new cave (plastic) about 2 weeks ago, which the Pleco has taken as his home.
9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Wardley Tubifex Cubes, Omega One Freeze Dried Shrimp and Freshwater Flakes, Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers. Been using them all along and usually alternate them around.
Ok, given all that, maybe somebody has an idea. I haven't seen him getting picked on by anyone and in fact he was one of the original fish in the tank from when I cycled it, so he's been through a lot. Always been pretty active and ate well and got along well with his tankmates (with the exception of about a week when he had Ich). The newest tankmate is the Rainbow Shark and he's been in there about 2 weeks, but I haven't even seen them near each other unless they were just passing by.
I've put him in a 10 Gal QT by himself, and since I've done that, he is now floating at the top of the tank instead of wedging himself under plants (He does have a plant in the 10 Gal to wedge under, so he has the option). He hasn't changed in size or shape at all and he doesn't seem to have lost any sense of balance. He just looks . . . .dark and tired . . . only way I know to explain it.
Any ideas?
Everyone else in the tank seems in perfect health and are eating well.
1~What type of fish is afflicted? In addition, please describe what is wrong with the fish to the best of your ability (i.e. cotton like growth, bloated, etc.).
It's my male betta. Last couple of days he has taken to hiding a lot, and sitting very still under plants or rocks. He's always been a brilliant red, but he is now a very dark shade of red and he just looks "droopy" (he never shows off his fins anymore). His fins don't look torn or anything, he just doesn't open them up anymore. Haven't seen him eating either.
2~What are your tank parameters (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, temp, pH)? Please give exact values.
temp=84, ammonia=0, nitrites=0, nitrates=5.0
3~ How large is the tank? How long has the tank been set up?
55 Gallon tank established December 2005 (3 months)
4~What type of filtration are you using? Please give the name and number (i.e. Fluval 304) and amount of gph if known.
Rena Filstar XP2 300 gph using the spraybar
5~How many fish are in the tank? What kinds of fish are they and what are their current sizes?
1 Angel-4"
1 Pleco-5"
1 Clown Loach-2"
1 Dwarf Gourami-2"
1 Bala Shark-3"
1 Rainbow Shark-2"
1 Pictus Catfish-3"
1 Dragon Goby-4"
6 Danios-largest is 2"
3 Cardinal Tetras=largest is 1.5"
1 Golden Apple Snail
2 Platys-1"
6~When is the last time you did a water change and vacuum the gravel? How often do you do this? How much water do you remove at a time?
Water change and gravel vac yesterday. Usually about once a week, depending on water parameters. Normal water change of approx. 20 Gallons.
7~How long have you had the fish? If the fish is new, how did you acclimate it/them?
I've had him since December. Nursed him successfully through a round of Ich about a month ago, since then he's been active and eating and seemingly quite healthy, until a couple days ago.
8~Have you added anything new to the tank--decor, new dechlorinator, new substrate, etc.?
Added a new cave (plastic) about 2 weeks ago, which the Pleco has taken as his home.
9A~What kind of food have you been feeding your fish, have you changed their diet recently?
Wardley Tubifex Cubes, Omega One Freeze Dried Shrimp and Freshwater Flakes, Hikari Tropical Algae Wafers. Been using them all along and usually alternate them around.
Ok, given all that, maybe somebody has an idea. I haven't seen him getting picked on by anyone and in fact he was one of the original fish in the tank from when I cycled it, so he's been through a lot. Always been pretty active and ate well and got along well with his tankmates (with the exception of about a week when he had Ich). The newest tankmate is the Rainbow Shark and he's been in there about 2 weeks, but I haven't even seen them near each other unless they were just passing by.
I've put him in a 10 Gal QT by himself, and since I've done that, he is now floating at the top of the tank instead of wedging himself under plants (He does have a plant in the 10 Gal to wedge under, so he has the option). He hasn't changed in size or shape at all and he doesn't seem to have lost any sense of balance. He just looks . . . .dark and tired . . . only way I know to explain it.
Any ideas?
Everyone else in the tank seems in perfect health and are eating well.
