nomadofthehills
Aquarium Advice Activist
Ok, first off, a little background. I am 18, a sneior in highschool. I take care of the Video Yearbook's 54g corner fish tank. In this tank is one three year old , 12in+ tiger oscar, Devon, a 5 inch silver dollar, Ben, and a 4 inch Turqouise Severum. Now, I know it is overstocked, and on Friday, we got rid of Vinny, our 15"+ Iridesant Shark. This tank was setup in October, and although I had other plans for it, our stupid Marine Biology teacher (he's a moron) gave our VY teacher the silver dollar, shark, and later, oscar. I knwe silver dolars were shoaling fish, so I picked up three babys, Henry I, Henry II, and Henry III. I also got Rosa, all four at just under an inch. I knew we had to get rid of the shark, they grow too large. I got Rosa as a centerpiece fish. A few days later, stupid Marine Bio teacher drops off the oscar in our tank, he was getting slaughtered by a jaguar, trimac, auratus, and black pacu (all living in a 90g). So he comes to us.
Now, I know this is crazy overstocked, and everntually Devon eats all three henrys. So then it was the four. Trying to find a home for the oscar and shark is hard. Finally, we dump the shark in the 90g, and he is doing well so far. Devon would constanlty attack him, and he was dieing in our tank. This attacking started this month. I would like to have aclmimated him to the 90, but he wouldn't last in the 5g bucket for long.
ANNNNyway, when capturing Vinny, we think the bucket (a net was too big for Vinny) hit Devon in the head, cause he had a long slash in his forehead that looks like stage three HITH, but it was a straight slash, not a degrading hole, and happened "overnight". So I know its not HITH.
Today, tuesday, the teacher told me Devon was dieing! I had raised the temp in the tank to 82degrees on Friday, hoping to increase metabolism and thus healing time (it never bled). Well, around 5th period today, evidently, they noticed Devon got very sluggish, and hadn't eaten that morning. He is a pig normally, feasting on Omega One shrimp pellets, Omega One veggie rinds, and Hikari Gold. THe occasional feeder, cricket, worm, etc are also relished.
He also now has a huge black blotch on his back, infront of and around the begining of his dorsal fin. So, not eating, sluggish, and discoloration. We think it may be an infection, as the other fish (only Ben and Rosa) are fine.
I normally do 2 or 3 15g (50-90% total a week) water changes a week to keep nitrates down. I never tested them, I figured it would be enough, plyus he never had any signs of HITH. The tank has a fluval 304 and an AC50 on it. Well, I cleaned out the FLuval today, to see if it was a nitrate sink, and it was. HOWEVER the idiot marine bio teacher who setup the tank initally, had the Fluval filled 4 bags of carbon, very little sponge, and cermamic cylinders. He even left one basket empty!
After recently hearing about Seachem Matrix and its nitrAte eating bacteria growth capabilities, I picked up 100g worth for my 55g mbuna tank, and 100g worth for the VY tank, which I invest a lot of my own money into. So equipped with the matrix I fuilled the empty basket and threw out the 4 month old carbon. I am getting more sponge today, I work at Petsmart. Also, the only thing that changed since friday, when I did a h20 change, was I used stress coat instead of Prime. However,Devon's illness happned today, not friday. Also, nothing has changed, since friday. He ate yesterday. He was fine yesterday.
Ok, nitrAtes were over 100, which is why I cleaned out the fluval. I couldnt do a h20 change today, the custodians had left. So thats tommrow. Of course, nitrItes and ammonia are at 0.
What is wrong with him? Will we be able to save him? My teacher and everyone else loves him. He is treated like a dog, and loves everyone but me (5g bucket man haha).
BTW, I posted this at oscarfish.com, and only got remarks telling me I shoulda changed more water, or let someone else take care of the tank. not a single onstructive post. Please leave your cirtisms at home, I'm jsut trying to help SOMEONE ELS'ES oscar.
Now, I know this is crazy overstocked, and everntually Devon eats all three henrys. So then it was the four. Trying to find a home for the oscar and shark is hard. Finally, we dump the shark in the 90g, and he is doing well so far. Devon would constanlty attack him, and he was dieing in our tank. This attacking started this month. I would like to have aclmimated him to the 90, but he wouldn't last in the 5g bucket for long.
ANNNNyway, when capturing Vinny, we think the bucket (a net was too big for Vinny) hit Devon in the head, cause he had a long slash in his forehead that looks like stage three HITH, but it was a straight slash, not a degrading hole, and happened "overnight". So I know its not HITH.
Today, tuesday, the teacher told me Devon was dieing! I had raised the temp in the tank to 82degrees on Friday, hoping to increase metabolism and thus healing time (it never bled). Well, around 5th period today, evidently, they noticed Devon got very sluggish, and hadn't eaten that morning. He is a pig normally, feasting on Omega One shrimp pellets, Omega One veggie rinds, and Hikari Gold. THe occasional feeder, cricket, worm, etc are also relished.
He also now has a huge black blotch on his back, infront of and around the begining of his dorsal fin. So, not eating, sluggish, and discoloration. We think it may be an infection, as the other fish (only Ben and Rosa) are fine.
I normally do 2 or 3 15g (50-90% total a week) water changes a week to keep nitrates down. I never tested them, I figured it would be enough, plyus he never had any signs of HITH. The tank has a fluval 304 and an AC50 on it. Well, I cleaned out the FLuval today, to see if it was a nitrate sink, and it was. HOWEVER the idiot marine bio teacher who setup the tank initally, had the Fluval filled 4 bags of carbon, very little sponge, and cermamic cylinders. He even left one basket empty!
After recently hearing about Seachem Matrix and its nitrAte eating bacteria growth capabilities, I picked up 100g worth for my 55g mbuna tank, and 100g worth for the VY tank, which I invest a lot of my own money into. So equipped with the matrix I fuilled the empty basket and threw out the 4 month old carbon. I am getting more sponge today, I work at Petsmart. Also, the only thing that changed since friday, when I did a h20 change, was I used stress coat instead of Prime. However,Devon's illness happned today, not friday. Also, nothing has changed, since friday. He ate yesterday. He was fine yesterday.
Ok, nitrAtes were over 100, which is why I cleaned out the fluval. I couldnt do a h20 change today, the custodians had left. So thats tommrow. Of course, nitrItes and ammonia are at 0.
What is wrong with him? Will we be able to save him? My teacher and everyone else loves him. He is treated like a dog, and loves everyone but me (5g bucket man haha).
BTW, I posted this at oscarfish.com, and only got remarks telling me I shoulda changed more water, or let someone else take care of the tank. not a single onstructive post. Please leave your cirtisms at home, I'm jsut trying to help SOMEONE ELS'ES oscar.
