Fishs problem...

[Stratus_Power]

having a little fish problem here..wondering if anyone can help me.. my fishs got Ich ( or is it Ick) about a week or 2 ago... but since im a n00b i didnt know wat it was til 2 days ago... so i went and got a bottle of mayacide, followed teh instruction and added 20 drops (1drop/gallon).. but one of my puffer didnt make it last nite and died... the other 2 kinda healthy..

but today when i came back from school.. one of my puffer loosk pretty sick. he doesnt eat anything and it *looks* like his skins are peeling.. got some white stuff that looks like dead skin haning all over him..

is that part of the efffect of mayacide? or Ich? or is it somethign else??

anything i can do to save him without going to the store and buy more medicine ? ( since i REALLY dont have car nor a car)
i got some Cycle shit and aquarium salt

[Glowrider]

You should probably consult the place you got the fish from. Somehow I don't see an automotive forum as being the best source of information about puffer fish.

[Stratus_Power]

well it seems ALOT of ppl here has fishs the last time imentioned about them.. so .. might as well give it a shot. all those ppl at the fish store are like 14.. 16 years old

[Zephyr]

i use to have that problem a lot, and i read that ich, ick wutever its called lays eggs on the gravel. so if u have gravel, good luck getting rid of it! i had that problem with my saltwater fish but after i removed the gravel dosed the medicine in, it was gone in a few days. but u ahve to change ur water after...

i did another method for saltwater fish i dunno if it can work for tropical freshwater, i just took the fish out and put them in a container with tap water and used my fingers gentaly wiping the white stuff off... the next day they were starting to become better....

[Ben]

Where is Toma and Ekliptix when you need them.

[Stratus_Power]

good idea on the wiping the stuff off w/ your finger idea! gonna try it now!

when you say change water.. is it after the whole treatment or after each little treatment.. cuz the instructon is to add 20 drops every 24 hours for 5 days.. shoul di change my water after 5 days or every 24 hours


any hint how i can "scratch" his bottom/belly?

[Zephyr]

remember, gently, dont wanna rub something thats needed to live off....

and just use ur finger area dont use ur nails.....

try at ur own risk.. i had this one guy at a fish shop show me how... and its been working great but try at your own risk.. maybe i just got lucky..

[Stratus_Power]

haha alrite i got most of it off.. i caught him w/ the net.. kinda forces him to stay very close to the surface , then i "wetted" a few toliet paper and "gently". ithink.. rubbed his back w/ it.. kinda having problem doing his belly, which was pretty serious.. so i was a LITTLE more aggressive hahah.. but its all gone.. for now.. .. and he didnt puff on me so i guess it wasnt very aggressive :P

[jdmakkord]

With freshwater fish, you can use a saltwater bath. Its the opposite for saltwater fish.

[RC-Cola]

I collected Chiclid's for a while and ran into ick several times. I usually got it when I brought home a fish from some cheap fish store.

Anyways, I always found that any fish that started to show the signs of Ick always ended up dying. The "medicine" I always found to do very little if anything.

I would suggest you do what I did and that's get rid of the infected fish RIGHT NOW. It really sucks because some fish are very expensive. After you kill any infected fish, do a good water change and change your filters. Let you tank settle for a day or two and then do another water change.

With any luck you'll prevent any other fish from dying. If you do nothing your whole tank will die. If you keep giving your tank medicine you might save a few fish, but you'll lose the majority.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...:(

[D'z Nutz]

Unfortunately, just because the white spots are gone doesn't mean the ich is gone. The white spots you see on the fish are actually the "eggs", so to speak. The actual parasite itself is invisible to the naked eye.

The way the Ich cycle works is once the parasite has attacked the fish, the white spots will grow on the fish. Eventually the white spots will come off the fish and hatch. When the eggs hatch, that's the only time you can kill the parasite. If they're unable to find itself a host (your fish) within about 4 days, it'll die. To treat it, the best it turn your temperature up to about 88-90, since the heat will speed up the life cycle (which normally lasts about 10-14 days). Also, add some fresh water aquarium (not table) salt. Can't remember the exact dosage, but for 20 gals, maybe 4 table spoons should be good. Half that amount if you're using salt water salt. Do a water change every day (maybe about 20%), and be sure to syphon around the gravel. Keep doing this treatment until atleast a week after you last see signs of spots. I've had occassions when my fish encountered ich, so I know this routine works. Personally, I think the medicine's a waste of money, unless you have some very delicate fish which don't take to salt very well.

Not sure what you mean by "skin peeling". Could it be fungus?

[gatts]

From what I have read is that you should raise the water temp a little (to about 26 - 28 degrees Celcius) and add a drop/gallon of water of something called "Aquarisol" per day until the parasites all die.

If you have a smaller tank (< 5 gallons) you should do a full water change and put a little "Aquarisol" and sea salt in the water.

That white hangy skin stuff might be something else. I dunno what its called, but my fish had it before. I know PJ's Pet Center sells medicine that cures it, but I can't remember what its called.

[girlRACER]

I bought 2 puffers before. From what I have seen Puffers tend to shed their skin. I had them for months and months. They might not necessarily be sick but rather it is a trait of that particular species. As for the part about not eating, what are you feeding them? I had that same problem but I soon realized that I was feeding them the wrong kind of food. I found that frozen brine shrimp worked really well :thumbsup:

[D'z Nutz]

Well, if you're using mayacide already, I wouldn't recommend adding any more medicine of any sort. The last thing you want is the fish swimming around in a big soup of medication, which could be more harmful that anything.

[THREE40SEVEN]

Originally posted by Benny
Where is Toma and Ekliptix when you need them.

LOL, This Toma?



Originally posted by Toma
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The stand is a simple square tueb metal frame, the filter is a Aquaclear 500, the air pump is hurting though.
Good shape, a little neglected.




Originally posted by Toma

I have been neglecting the poor things as is. I am surprised none have died.
I don't need any money for the fish, just someone that will take care of them better then me :(

Sorry Toma-just charge me more on the next dyno session:D

[Stratus_Power]

thanks for all the input guys!!
GirlRacer: I feed them frozen bloodworm and frozne brine shrimp

its a 20 gallon thank w/ 3 Green spotted puffers... im pretty sure they will all die cuz i didnt do anything about it for like almost 2 weeks. I added some aquarium salts too! and it seems to help them a little.. and guess what.. my fucken Heater died on me today!!! this afternoon!!! i did a 25% water change today w/ the gravel cleaner and adding more Med tonite. hopefully the last one wont die on me .. ( he seems pretty healthy now..... but then so did the other one last nite)

[Stratus_Power]

update: 2nd fish just died

[Ekliptix]

that sucks. I just saw this thread. My fish have had it before and using the anti-ich medicine works for mine.

Also, puffers are a brackish water fish (part saltwater) so maybe he wasn't so healthy to start with if it was in a fresh water tank.

Could it be another disease?

[Stratus_Power]

my last puffer wont even eat anything ( and he doesnt look that sick).. is there such thing as cuz the other 2 puffers died he's too sad to eat?

[lammer]

i had that ich problem in my tank.
first it was only one fish.
then 2
then 3
and blammo they all died i couldn't save them in time..

i may need someone to help me set up a tank all over again and buy the right things.
i just bought like cheap ass things..haha i feel so bad. I love fshes though.

[Stratus_Power]

update: 3rd and last puffer dead

[LaughingTiger]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
having a little fish problem here..wondering if anyone can help me.. my fishs got Ich ( or is it Ick) about a week or 2 ago... but since im a n00b i didnt know wat it was til 2 days ago... so i went and got a bottle of mayacide, followed teh instruction and added 20 drops (1drop/gallon).. but one of my puffer didnt make it last nite and died... the other 2 kinda healthy..

but today when i came back from school.. one of my puffer loosk pretty sick. he doesnt eat anything and it *looks* like his skins are peeling.. got some white stuff that looks like dead skin haning all over him..

is that part of the efffect of mayacide? or Ich? or is it somethign else??

anything i can do to save him without going to the store and buy more medicine ? ( since i REALLY dont have car nor a car)
i got some Cycle shit and aquarium salt



I have an arownana (silver dragon).. they are really picky/.. and get damaged alot.. .. I found that the natural sh!t works better then the chemicals...and it;s cheaper..I use Melaleuca it's a natural.. works awsome.. goto to riverfront.. they have alot of good stuff...

[LaughingTiger]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
update: 3rd and last puffer dead


oh sh!t .. didn't read the last post..... sorry..lol

[RC-Cola]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
update: 3rd and last puffer dead

Sorry to hear about your fish. I didn't realize that it had already been two weeks since the outset of the Ick. :thumbsdow

Don't let it discourage you though, I would empty your tank, clean EVERYTHING (gravel, filters, glass, etc) re-establish your tank with some clean water. Give your tank a couple of weeks while running with clean water before you get any new fish. This will give your tank time to establish itself and let some bateria grow (which is good). Then go buy some new fish, I would try to stay away from the big pet stores and go to more of the wholesalers. I'm not too firmilair with suppliers in Calgary (when I had my tank I lived in Edmonton) but I would go to Gold's on 17th Ave SE or you can always look in the Bargain Finder. The Bargain finder is a good place to look because you can actually see the tanks somebuddy is breeding the fish in.

Sorry for the long winded note but it's my $0.02 worth, good luck with the next batch!

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by RC-Cola
I would go to Gold's on 17th Ave SE

Gold's is the best place in Calgary :thumbsup: They usually have the cheapest fish and equipment, they don't charge tax, their fish are clean, plus they're really nice people. They're also pretty knowledgeble, so you can always ask them for advice. That place is usually the first (and last) place I go to when I'm shopping for anything, whether it's fish or equipment. Sometimes they have some really hard to find fish too. I was in the market to get a canister filter one time and I went there to ask about one, and the guy that was working there told me not to waste my money, cause an Aquaclear 500 would've done the job better. I bought it there... for half the price anywhere else was selling it. Since canister filter's are about 3 times as expensive as a regular filter, you know they're not out for your cash. I'd totally recommend that place.

[LaughingTiger]

Originally posted by RC-Cola


Sorry to hear about your fish. I didn't realize that it had already been two weeks since the outset of the Ick. :thumbsdow

Don't let it discourage you though, I would empty your tank, clean EVERYTHING (gravel, filters, glass, etc) re-establish your tank with some clean water. Give your tank a couple of weeks while running with clean water before you get any new fish. This will give your tank time to establish itself and let some bateria grow (which is good). Then go buy some new fish, I would try to stay away from the big pet stores and go to more of the wholesalers. I'm not too firmilair with suppliers in Calgary (when I had my tank I lived in Edmonton) but I would go to Gold's on 17th Ave SE or you can always look in the Bargain Finder. The Bargain finder is a good place to look because you can actually see the tanks somebuddy is breeding the fish in.

Sorry for the long winded note but it's my $0.02 worth, good luck
with the next batch!




Usually..you want to keep the same water..even if it was contaminated.. the bacteria and cycle is important.. just treat the tank... even though my fish isn't sick i still treat the water every 2 weeks .. no problems yet... and use 'cycle' it's puts bacteria in the water.. but wait till after you treat the water becauser the treatment will kill the bactreria..

[RC-Cola]

Originally posted by LaughingTiger

Usually..you want to keep the same water..even if it was contaminated.. the bacteria and cycle is important.. just treat the tank... even though my fish isn't sick i still treat the water every 2 weeks .. no problems yet... and use 'cycle' it's puts bacteria in the water.. but wait till after you treat the water becauser the treatment will kill the bactreria..

Sorry I should have been a little clearer, you want to keep at least one of your old filters to help start-up the bateria cycle. And of course there is the product called Cycle which I always used a little with each water change to help the bateria remain stable.

[Stratus_Power]

i will definitly check out gold's and i heart riverfront in calgary is prettty good too. Im in Edmonton now, but planning to buy my stuff during reading week in calgary!

but hey i lied! my 3rd puffer is stilll alive!! he wasnt moving last nite even after a few poke.. so i scooped him up w/ a cup, getting rdy to flush it down the toliet, then it moved a bit.. so i threw him in a separate container w/ alot of aquarium salts. and rite now he's looking alive and well.. no white spots or "peeling"..

the only problem is that i wont eat.. i threw some blood worm and brine shrimp and never.. i even tried to force feed him haha.. like trap him in a net and put the food RITE in front fo his face. and nothing... wat should i do??

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
i will definitly check out gold's and i heart riverfront in calgary is prettty good too. Im in Edmonton now, but planning to buy my stuff during reading week in calgary!

but hey i lied! my 3rd puffer is stilll alive!! he wasnt moving last nite even after a few poke.. so i scooped him up w/ a cup, getting rdy to flush it down the toliet, then it moved a bit.. so i threw him in a separate container w/ alot of aquarium salts. and rite now he's looking alive and well.. no white spots or &quot;peeling&quot;..

the only problem is that i wont eat.. i threw some blood worm and brine shrimp and never.. i even tried to force feed him haha.. like trap him in a net and put the food RITE in front fo his face. and nothing... wat should i do??

Did you get a new heater yet?? If not, hurry your ass up and get one. The warm water may make him a little more active (fish are cold blooded, after all). It could also just be stress. The best thing would be to just leave him alone to recover by himself. Touching, netting, and poking isn't doing the fish any better.

[RC-Cola]

Your Puffer is going to be VERY stressed over the next day or two. The best thing you can do is make sure to keep the water at a constant temperature, make the water as close to normal as you can and then LEAVE IT ALONE. You shouldn't be handling your fish unless it's absolutely neccessary. Give it a little food in the seperate container and leave him be for a while.

Change the tank as we described above and get your Puffer in there once it's clean (the tank). You are probably still going to lose your Puffer from the stress and/or the stress. If by chance your Puffer makes it to the new clean tank keep it quantined for at least a couple of weeks. If it looks healthy and everything seems ok, then you can ad new fish.

[Ekliptix]

does golds have a website? do they make custom tanks?

thanks

[Stratus_Power]

havent had a chance to get a new heater yet :( no time! i dont have a car, and a trip to West Ed and back is like 2 hours.. i dont have 2 hours :( i have a shit load of assignments due and Midterms tomrrow.. maybe i will try to get one this weekend..
The temp should be fine for these few days.. my room is very warm ( like 25 degrees.. standard room temp).. so rite now the water is keeping at a steady 24 degree nish.. should be fine for Now til i get a heater.. dont have a separate tank too.. I live in Campus.. my fish tank takes up 50% of my "writing" area :P

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by Ekliptix
does golds have a website? do they make custom tanks?

thanks

Don't think they have a website. It's a small locally operated shop. Not sure about the custom tanks though. I recall them saying something about custom tanks before, but I could be wrong.

[jdmakkord]

Golds does tanks......I might be picking up a 160ga soon:)
As long as I can find a way to fit a 6x3x2 tank in my door.

[Ekliptix]

how much is the 160 gal?
are you using a wet/dry type filtration system?

[jdmakkord]

dunno yet, I'm getting it off a buddie of mine, he might have more!

[GTS Jeff]

welp, i think we all agree that its time for

SUSHI!

[Ekliptix]

mmm fish swimming in their own crap.

[RC-Cola]

Originally posted by Ekliptix
mmm fish swimming in their own crap.

It brings new meaning to the phrase "Don't Drink the Water!"