BALA SHARK

[WhistlingBadger]

I don't think it is affecting only your balas. That dwarf gourami looks like it might be pretty sickly too (it's a bit hard to tell from the photo) and it looks like your pearl gourami might have ich as well.

 

[Warren66]

Hopefully the esha2000 esha exit will help

 

[JuiceBox52]

I don't think it is affecting only your balas. That dwarf gourami looks like it might be pretty sickly too (it's a bit hard to tell from the photo) and it looks like your pearl gourami might have ich as well.

Yep, and stress impacts their immune system. The bala sharks would naturally be more stressed in a 50 gallon than the gourami, so would be more prone to illness

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Hopefully the esha2000 esha exit will help

I've never used those particular meds; they might help. Your fish definitely have ich; I would recommend treating that first, along with huge water changes, and see if the bacterial stuff clears up on its own. Whatever meds you use, be sure to follow the directions carefully. But they'll only treat the symptoms. If you don't take care of the root causes, the diseases will just come back as soon as the meds are over. In this case, I believe the root causes are improper stocking and a tank that isn't cycled.

I hope you understand, no one is trying to be mean to you. It seems as if you set up this tank either acting on some bad information, or simply not knowing better. We've all been there at some point in our fish-keeping journey. None of us was born an expert, and we understand. Stick with it and we'll help you learn better, but it might require some plain speaking of unpleasant truths, and it might mean someone tells you things you already know. That's OK.

 

[Colin_T]

To work out the volume of water in the tank:
measure length x width x height in cm.
divide by 1000.
= volume in litres.

There are 3.785 litres in a US Gallon
There are 4.5 litres in a UK gallon

When you measure the height, measure from the top of the substrate to the top of the water level.

If you have big rocks or driftwood in the tank, remove these before measuring the height of the water level so you get a more accurate water volume.

You can use a permanent marker to draw a line on the tank at the water level and put down how many litres are in the tank at that level.

There is a calculator/ converter in the "FishForum.net Calculator" under "Useful Links" at the bottom of this page that will let you convert litres to gallons if you need it.

Remove carbon from the filter before treating with chemicals or it will adsorb the medication and stop it working. You do not need to remove the carbon if you use salt.

Increase aeration/ surface turbulence whenever using medications, so you maximise the oxygen in the water. Most medications/ chemicals will reduce the oxygen in the water so you want to try to maximise the oxygen.