I think something is wrong with my silvertip

Earlier I was feeding my tetras, but one silvertip tetra have some sort of shedding of scales, but don't know the actual cause of it. My dad was procrastinating on cleaning the tank for 4 weeks straight, hopefully dad and I will clean it tomorrow. The other problems are I don't have a quarantine tank and the parents won't let me buy aquarium medications. What will I do? You may want to zoom in one of the photos to see what's happened to them.

Your parents are right on the med question, as most remedies are used wrong anyway.

Are you in a situation where you can't physically do your own water changes? A water change is what I would do in your situation.

GaryE said:

Your parents are right on the med question, as most remedies are used wrong anyway.

Are you in a situation where you can't physically do your own water changes? A water change is what I would do in your situation.

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Yes. I need help doing the gravel vac. Do Seachem meds help?

It is almost impossible to determine what the problem is, and without knowing what is wrong we cannot medicate. Just throwing meds in there hoping one of them is the right med for the condition does more harm than good.

Regular weekly water changes are worth more than meds for stopping a fish getting sick, then curing it if it does.


Is there some reason you need help to vac the gravel? Just about everyone else on the forum does them on their own except where a member is disabled.

The fish has excess mucous over its body. This is caused by something in the water irritating the fish. It can be ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, or some other chemical that has entered the water. A big water change and gravel clean is the recommended treatment.

The fish also appears to have red in the mouth and white around it. Again the white is excess mucous. The red could be an infection. A big water change and gravel clean might help. I would then see how the fish looks over the next 24 hours.

If you need medications, salt and clean water can help with most things. See below for salt instructions.

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FIRST AID FOR FISH
Test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

Wipe the inside of the glass down with a clean fish sponge. This removes the biofilm on the glass and the biofilm will contain lots of harmful bacteria, fungus, protozoans and various other microscopic life forms.

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for a week or until the problem is identified. The water changes and gravel cleaning will reduce the number of disease organisms in the water and provide a cleaner environment for the fish to recover in. It also removes a lot of the gunk and this means any medication can work on treating the fish instead of being wasted killing the pathogens in the gunk.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Clean the filter if it hasn't been done in the last 2 weeks. However, if the filter is less than 6 weeks old, do not clean it. Wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Cleaning the filter means less gunk and cleaner water with fewer pathogens so any medication (if needed) will work more effectively on the fish.

Increase surface turbulence/ aeration to maximise the dissolved oxygen in the water.

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SALT
Using Salt to Treat Fish Health Issues.
For some fish diseases you can use salt (sodium chloride) to treat the ailment rather than using a chemical based medication. Salt is relatively safe and is regularly used in the aquaculture industry to treat food fish for diseases. Salt has been successfully used to treat minor fungal and bacterial infections, as well as a number of external protozoan infections. Salt alone will not treat whitespot (Ichthyophthirius) or Velvet (Oodinium) but will treat most other types of external protozoan infections in freshwater fishes. Salt can treat early stages of hole in the head disease caused by Hexamita but it needs to be done in conjunction with cleaning up the tank. Salt can also be used to treat anchor worm (Lernaea), fish lice (Argulus), gill flukes (Dactylogyrus), skin flukes (Gyrodactylus), Epistylis, Microsporidian and Spironucleus infections.

You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for 1 to 2 weeks.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.

elephantnose3334 said:

Yes. I need help doing the gravel vac. Do Seachem meds help?

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Seachem is just a brand name. It's like saying "Do coca cola products taste good?" Some do.

Can you do a water change without a vacuuming, maybe with a plastic pitcher? You would appear to have a water problem that shouldn't be left untended to. Can you scoop water out and add dechlorinated water in?

You also seem to have a pretty consistent bio-film on the surface that would greatly imper gazes exchange.

Try to remove it with paper towels and add surface movement.

Essjay said:

It is almost impossible to determine what the problem is, and without knowing what is wrong we cannot medicate. Just throwing meds in there hoping one of them is the right med for the condition does more harm than good.

Regular weekly water changes are worth more than meds for stopping a fish getting sick, then curing it if it does.


Is there some reason you need help to vac the gravel? Just about everyone else on the forum does them on their own except where a member is disabled.

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I don't know some things such as a full-clean because the tank, when empty, is really heavy to carry from my own two hands. Dad usually do the full clean, but only once a year. I'm learning how to gravel-vac since we had it months ago.

A well maintained tank never needs a full clean... Never... At some point you will stop to need to vacuum, just water changes.

A full clean will completely destroy your environment.

Also I never moved the smallest of my tanks for maintenance once installed. You have to create your maintenance kit adapted for the size of what you are servicing. One bucket to receive dirty water, one for the clean one, A siphon. and everything is done on the spot.

Stop keeping fishes. Start keeping water.

Stop waiting for Daddy, and organize yourself. Think what you are going to do. Choose the best options you have.

If you want to keep fishes. At some point you have to get wet... Just dive in. Experiment, Read.

It's "your" hobby not your dad's

MaloK said:

A well maintained tank never needs a full clean... Never... At some point you will stop to need to vacuum, just water changes.

A full clean will completely destroy your environment.

Also I never moved the smallest of my tanks for maintenance once installed. You have to create your maintenance kit adapted for the size of what you are servicing. One bucket to receive dirty water, one for the clean one, A siphon. and everything is done on the spot.

Stop keeping fishes. Start keeping water.

Stop waiting for Daddy, and organize yourself. Think what you are going to do. Choose the best options you have.

If you want to keep fishes. At some point you have to get wet... Just dive in. Experiment, Read.

It's "your" hobby not your dad's

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Yes, I know. My dad made the the full water clean on December. I won't let dad do full cleans ever again. I'm trying to improve myself, but dad wants me to do some stuff I shouldn't do. He had some experience but gave up on the hobby after his goldfish died in the 1980s.

That's another good reason for you to want to get autonomous as soon as possible.

My dad was able to breed livebearers by the thousands, but he was doing some crazy stuff sometimes... Loll.

It is with depressing news that my largest silvertip tetra died in my 10 gallon today. He was almost a year old. He had excess mucous yesterday, dad didn't let me do a water change yesterday, and therefore worsened, until he finally died at 12pm today. I was checking on the fish and saw his lifeless body on the bottom of the tank. He wasn't breathing. As per the deceased dwarf gourami, I buried him near the same tree in the front garden. I already told you the measurements of the tank (30cm d x 45cm h 30cm l) in the dwarf gourami thread. And the tank was cycled for a week and a bit before adding the fish almost a year ago and continues to cycle, with partial water changes every few weeks.

Earlier, mum didn't want me to do partial water changes all by myself until dad comes home from work. I didn't want to follow her instructions, but had to because she, along with dad, is the boss of the household. She thinks she didn't want me to ruin the tank. All she said was 'the fish will be fine until dad comes home' but the silvertip wasn't fine. She didn't want to help me do the water change because she thinks it's not her fish and that she hasn't kept fish at all. Instead, she was lazing around working on her computer. I'm trying to learn how to be independent in the fishkeeping hobby. And mum and dad won't let me have a new, larger tank or talking about it because I broke some rule that I had to obey in parents' household. Parents didn't get aquarium salt either because they think they are bad remedies.

But I'm not giving up on the hobby like my dad did in the 1980s, and there will be mistakes throughout the hobby. I know about water changes, but I need to improve on learning how to gravel-vac by myself. 10 tetras remain now. I will do a water change ASAP. I need serious help.

Ok, Now I understand a lot more.

You have to slowly educate your "own" parents into understanding how things have changed since the 80's goldfish bowl. And you are able to have your own experience at this moment like they did at theirs... That one always strikes home.

At the moment you don't need more tanks. Relax... One tank at the time. One perfect tank ! At the time.

The smallest will need even more dedication. It's exactly what you need.

Stop asking for more. Ask for less. Grab your box of salt on your own. when consulted Ask for total top grade food instead. and look at their face.

By asking less and showing you want to do everything on your own, Even if it does not pass at first try, try, try.

A little like the morning desire... KWIM

When you will reach good results with what you have... They are going to get interested.

It's fun to dream. But dream something like an easy workable 30x45x30. And ameliorate it until the fishes looks like in a palace. Once you will have an hold on it... Things will turn.

There is no hurry. I waited 5 years before I install aquariums in my new home... To be sure that I settled and will be there long enough to enjoy them before something happens.

If your first "Only you managed" water change needs to have a bet like putting out the garbage's for a whole year to happen. Do it.

Always, never ask for nothing more than the right to maintain the setup alone. First step first.

I don't want to go too much in detail on how to make your parents feel guilty as charged. But with the death of your fish, I would have munitions for at least a week.

MaloK said:

Ok, Now I understand a lot more.

You have to slowly educate your "own" parents into understanding how things have changed since the 80's goldfish bowl. And you are able to have your own experience at this moment like they did at theirs... That one always strikes home.

At the moment you don't need more tanks. Relax... One tank at the time. One perfect tank ! At the time.

The smallest will need even more dedication. It's exactly what you need.

Stop asking for more. Ask for less. Grab your box of salt on your own. when consulted Ask for total top grade food instead. and look at their face.

By asking less and showing you want to do everything on your own, Even if it does not pass at first try, try, try.

A little like the morning desire... KWIM

When you will reach good results with what you have... They are going to get interested.

It's fun to dream. But dream something like an easy workable 30x45x30. And ameliorate it until the fishes looks like in a palace. Once you will have an hold on it... Things will turn.

There is no hurry. I waited 5 years before I install aquariums in my new home... To be sure that I settled and will be there long enough to enjoy them before something happens.

If your first "Only you managed" water change needs to have a bet like putting out the garbage's for a whole year to happen. Do it.

Always, never ask for nothing more than the right to maintain the setup alone. First step first.

I don't want to go too much in detail on how to make your parents feel guilty as charged. But with the death of your fish, I would have munitions for at least a week.

Click to expand...

I understand on what you said. I agree on what you said, however. I'm trying to do the hobby by myself. It's the second confirmed death in my 10 gallon.

The following link shows you how to use a gravel cleaner. Around 3 minutes 10 seconds is where he does a good demonstration of how to use it.