Help! What is on my fish

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

I need help my Lucifer (black ghost knife fish) has something all over him. He was very lethargic and not eating but I put ick treatment in the tank and he seems to be perking up. My angles that are with him have white spots around their mouth.

Slaphppy7 · Jan 20, 2022

Welcome to TFF

Post pics of the angel fish?

How long has the tank been set up? What size tank? What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte, using a liquid test kit?

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

My tank has been up for a year. It’s a 60 gallon tank. The ammonia is very high 8.0 the nitrite is at 0 and so is the nitrate. This is the best I can get of my angles it’s just at their mouths.

NannaLou · Jan 20, 2022

I don’t know about the illness, but with ammonia at 8.0 have you done a huge water change and cleaned the substrate..?

This could take multiple, huge water changes to get to zero.

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

Ok thank you so much. I definitely will be doing the water changes.

Slaphppy7 · Jan 20, 2022

What kind of test kit are you using? What kind of water conditioner?

That amount of ammonia is deadly to fish; the mucous on the BGK is from ammonia burns.

Read and follow the directions for fish-in cycling here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycle-your-tank-a-complete-guide-for-beginners.475055/

As advised above, a LARGE water change needs to be done immediately, with a good quality water conditioner, such as Seachem Prime, or API Tap Water conditioner.

connorlindeman · Jan 20, 2022

Those are some insanely high ammonia levels. I would do a 75% water change and clean the gravel asap

WhistlingBadger · Jan 20, 2022

Those white lips look like columnaris to me. It will probably clear up if you get your water straightened out.

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

Slaphppy7 said:
What kind of test kit are you using? What kind of water conditioner?

That amount of ammonia is deadly to fish; the mucous on the BGK is from ammonia burns.

Read and follow the directions for fish-in cycling here: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycle-your-tank-a-complete-guide-for-beginners.475055/

As advised above, a LARGE water change needs to be done immediately, with a good quality water conditioner, such as Seachem Prime, or API Tap Water conditioner.

I use api tap water conditioner. I just did a 50% water change

Colin_T · Jan 20, 2022

the white lips are probably excess mucous caused by the ammonia, assuming it is 8ppm. it needs to be 0ppm.

what is the pH?
presumably it is less than 7.0 otherwise the fish would be dead by now.

big (75-90%) daily water changes and gravel cleans until levels are 0ppm.

reduce feeding

how do you clean the filter?

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

Colin_T said:
the white lips are probably excess mucous caused by the ammonia, assuming it is 8ppm. it needs to be 0ppm.

what is the pH?
presumably it is less than 7.0 otherwise the fish would be dead by now.

big (75-90%) daily water changes and gravel cleans until levels are 0ppm.

reduce feeding

how do you clean the filter?

The ph is at 6.0

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

Colin_T said:
the white lips are probably excess mucous caused by the ammonia, assuming it is 8ppm. it needs to be 0ppm.

what is the pH?
presumably it is less than 7.0 otherwise the fish would be dead by now.

big (75-90%) daily water changes and gravel cleans until levels are 0ppm.

reduce feeding

how do you clean the filter?

The filter uses cartridges so I just put new ones in

Colin_T · Jan 20, 2022

cindypolicarpocruz1977 said:
The filter uses cartridges so I just put new ones in

that's your problem
if you replace the filter pads/ cartridges, you get rid of the good filter bacteria and there is nothing to convert the ammonia into nitrite and then nitrate.

you want to keep the pads and squeeze them out in a bucket of tank water. Re-use the pads and tip the bucket of dirty water on the lawn.

you can put sponges into the filter and these can get squeezed out too. sponges last for years.

cindypolicarpocruz1977 · Jan 20, 2022

Oh ok that’s great to know. I assumed they had to be thrown out

Colin_T · Jan 20, 2022

It's a sales ploy by the companies that sell some filters. They want you to keep buying replacement parts. Unfortunately it's bad for the fish if you keep replacing the filter media.

Just get sponges for a different brand of filter and use a pr of scissors to cut them to fit your filter.

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