cmb1177
New Member
Hi everyone;
I'm not sure what's going on with two of my harlequins. The short version of their story is they were rescued from a 2.5 gal tank which had ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels that were off the chart. I bought a 10 gal, fishless-cycled it, and when I put them in under the fluorescent light , I noticed a sort of "iridescent" (not really the word I'm looking for) line on both of the fishes spine area. I let them go for 2 weeks or so and their behavior seemed right on. They weren't eating at all in the small tank, and they ate like crazy immediately after moving into the 10 gal. I chalked it up to the poor conditions and stress of the 2.5 gal, and added 4 more harlequins, hoping this would relieve make them more comfortable. Their appearance hasn't changed, but they obviously seem much more comfortable. The 6 of them shoal most all of the time. The two with the "stripes" never hide by themselves, they eat very well, and behave like the rest. The color in the two harleys does seem to dull, quite a bit, at times, more than the others (including the black "wedge"), but when they get excited, the only way to tell them apart is that silvery "stripe". So, does this seem like permanent damage from the stress and toxicity of the 2.5 gal and nothing more? Or do I have a larger problem on the horizon?
Reading this over, I'll add that the 4 harlequins I've added were after 2 weeks of the tank running with the 2 original harleys and 2 bronze corys(who are fine). The six halreys plus 2 corys have been perfect for about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks, now. I do about a 30%-40% water change with gravel vac once a week. Ammonia and nitrite readings haven't budged from 0, and nitrate has been steady at about 20. Ph is about 7.3-7.4. I've been told I may have room for a honey gourami, but I want this sorted out before I even consider that. The two photos pretty well represent what I'm seeing. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Best,
Chris
I'm not sure what's going on with two of my harlequins. The short version of their story is they were rescued from a 2.5 gal tank which had ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels that were off the chart. I bought a 10 gal, fishless-cycled it, and when I put them in under the fluorescent light , I noticed a sort of "iridescent" (not really the word I'm looking for) line on both of the fishes spine area. I let them go for 2 weeks or so and their behavior seemed right on. They weren't eating at all in the small tank, and they ate like crazy immediately after moving into the 10 gal. I chalked it up to the poor conditions and stress of the 2.5 gal, and added 4 more harlequins, hoping this would relieve make them more comfortable. Their appearance hasn't changed, but they obviously seem much more comfortable. The 6 of them shoal most all of the time. The two with the "stripes" never hide by themselves, they eat very well, and behave like the rest. The color in the two harleys does seem to dull, quite a bit, at times, more than the others (including the black "wedge"), but when they get excited, the only way to tell them apart is that silvery "stripe". So, does this seem like permanent damage from the stress and toxicity of the 2.5 gal and nothing more? Or do I have a larger problem on the horizon?
Reading this over, I'll add that the 4 harlequins I've added were after 2 weeks of the tank running with the 2 original harleys and 2 bronze corys(who are fine). The six halreys plus 2 corys have been perfect for about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks, now. I do about a 30%-40% water change with gravel vac once a week. Ammonia and nitrite readings haven't budged from 0, and nitrate has been steady at about 20. Ph is about 7.3-7.4. I've been told I may have room for a honey gourami, but I want this sorted out before I even consider that. The two photos pretty well represent what I'm seeing. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Best,
Chris
