Getting tank back to full health!

Hey guys,

So I’ve been unfortunately pretty unwell for a few months , and was unable to manage my aquarium , had family members doing the general feeding and water top ups for me but now I’m back home, I now see my tank is not in a good way; bba growth I’ve never had in any of my tanks before, and some fish don’t look well - and with some missing, I’m assuming a couple of deaths.
Haven’t seen either of my before snails yet either, so perhaps they are also dead and their remains are rotting somewhere in the tank


I guess this is what happens when it’s not looked after by someone who knows the ins and outs or cares enough to keep it looking great and healthy.

I see a number of my fish are developing cloudy eyes, and their fins aren’t in as great a condition as they once were - maybe they’ve been nipping one another if they’re not happy with their environment

I’ve now done a big water change, and cleaned the filter - seemed they hadn’t done this the entire time I’ve been away as it was absolutely filthy.

So obviously there’s a couple areas I want to focus on fixing
First is the fish health - would dosing with Melafix help with the cloudiness and fin growth in the first instance?
Or would general upkeep of water changes and cleaning to improve water quality over the next few weeks n more long term be enough to turn back and fix this issue.

Second is the algae growth.
since I’ve not had bba before, what are the general practises to eradicate it? Im guessing the imbalance of light to nutrients is the problem, and as the lights as far as I’m aware have never changed from their preset times I’m imagining it’s the lack of fert dosing or liquid co2.
There is a the huge amount of floating plants covering most of the surface though, so perhaps this has stopped the light getting in and allowed the algae to capitalise in the lower light levels and the imbalance this way.

I will keep you guys updated as I progress on my journey to getting the tank back to what it once was, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and advice on what immediate steps I could take so I’m heading down the right road.

Thanks

Also, could it be possible there is a parasite in the water/fish causing the cloudy eyes/fin issues - one of the fish also has a sunken belly. So I would hate for a parasite to be ravaging through the entire tank!

Hello. The best thing you can do for your tank is to begin an aggressive water change routine. Start slowly and work up to the point you change at least half the water weekly. This will maintain a steady water chemistry and this is really all that's needed to keep healthy fish.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

Sorry to hear you've been unwell recently, I've been in a similar situation too and I'm currently trying to rectify the mess my negligence made.

I started with small daily water changes until the total volume had been replaced, then proceeded with a big water change every few days to get things as clean as I could. Thankfully the fish I had left, although a little skinny, have not exhibited any health issues as of yet.

Posting photos and or videos of your fish and the tank would really help us to help you

CaptainBarnicles said:

Sorry to hear you've been unwell recently, I've been in a similar situation too and I'm currently trying to rectify the mess my negligence made.

I started with small daily water changes until the total volume had been replaced, then proceeded with a big water change every few days to get things as clean as I could. Thankfully the fish I had left, although a little skinny, have not exhibited any health issues as of yet.

Posting photos and or videos of your fish and the tank would really help us to help you

Click to expand...

Sorry you have been too!

Sure I’ll add a few photos of the tank so you can see what it’s currently looking like. I think maybe there’s a lack of co2. The stem plants at the back of my tank are usually much larger leafed and display much more vivid colours, more orange and red, but they look a very sickly and pale Green just now.

Hopefully these images help but if any particular photos would be beneficial I’ll try get better ones

Well I must say I was expecting to see much worse than what you've got going on here! Your algae I would assume is most probably light and nutrient based, take out some of floaters and see what happens? Keep on top of your water changes too and maybe trim away the bad parts on your plants to encourage new growth.

Maybe someone else can help with the fish, apart from the little Neon I can't see the issues you mentioned? Clean fresh water and a regular feeding regime will help them perk up again.

Lovely tank by the way

Sorry to hear you've been unwell, take it easy.

Thanks guys, starting to get the algae under control I think, removed a lot of the floating plants, started making more of a routine for dosing, cleaned and replaced filter sponges and regular water changes. Parameters are all back to where they usually would be, but yesterday I lost a Cory and a tetra. Could be old ages for the Cory as it was one of my oldest fish, but I have noticed on closer inspection they seem to be the worst hit with fin issues.

Can’t tell if this is from fin nipping or potentially fin rot or some other issue?
As stated in a previous post it looks like their fins are being shredded.
And my male Bolivian ram has lost his long elongated tail fins

Any advice?

Check the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Do a big water change and gravel clean if you can.

If the water is good and the substrate is clean, add some salt. Use 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. Keep salt in tank for 1-2 weeks.

If it gets worse with clean water and salt, you might need to try a broad spectrum medication. But it doesn't look infected so hopefully the tank just needs a clean.