Brain Damaged Bala?

[PlecMama]

and a pleco (probably gonna die, i know)

Did we establish the tank size and the type of plec yet? I didn't see a plec type mentioned. If this is a common, he's going to need lots of room, I mean LOTS, if you are handing fish back, I think your plec should be one of the first since he is a big waste producer and he needs a whole lot of tank.

Good luck with it all, sucks to get it wrong but we've all done it.
xxx

 

[kkjones]

Ok, my tank is a 29 gallon tank, and the guy at the fish store informed me the plec will reach approximately 18" (he is about 2-3" now light brown with spots kinda? I think? he's under the log so i can't see him well, and dont' like bugging the fish), I'm pretty sure that is still too big for a 30gal tank, being as it would look crazy and the poor guy wouldn't have much window to work with, really. I WILL be upgrading to either a 55,75, or 90 gal tank this upcoming march/april when my husband and I move into a house, but being as we're in a small apartment now, we didn't have room for the huge tank, and are hoping the fish will not be full grown in 6 months. We're currently talking with a familiy member who may take the fish for us while we move, he will be able to properly cycle a tank for over a month before we move, and in the house we'll be moving into.

And yes, Tommy AND Imperfect, thank you BOTH SO MUCH! The information you have been providing me with is a lot easier to understand and more helpful, I feel, than any of the online fish stores, that like you said, are out to make a buck. I'll start with small water changes, 25% or so? each day until my ammonia level drops, because I really don't want to have to do a huge water change ALL the time especially once I get to a large tank, or I might look into that "ammo-lock" stuff, which supposedly breaks down the harmful "ammonia" and turns it into neutral "ammonium" or something to that effect? And I do want my tank to get properly cycled, I think I can take the guppies back to the store w/in 2 weeks of purchase, somethin' like that.
Then all I'd have is my bala, my tetra, and my pleco, feeding to make decaying food to make benefitial bacteria, making waste to make ammonia to be eaten by bacteria to be turned into nitrite to be balanced out by the nitrates which are made by the leftover poo and food. I'll check my tank's levels again tonight, the liquid test seems really accurate.
And yeah, I just remembered that someone TOLD me about the ammonia in the water, not sure if the city ran out of money for filtering it out or what, and the city has been known to have hard water, so I figured mine wouldn't be an exception.

So that's it for now the fish seem to be happier since I added some additional water treater, took them out while i did it, in their own medium/large size bowl , and treated for 10 gal of chlorinated water with "Aquasafe water conditioner", lady at LFS recommended be treat just a little more of hte tank to help the fish not stress so bad. Thanks for all the advice so far guys! I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

[chibi]

My bala shark did this too. He died within 48 hours. I'm sorry.

 

[kkjones]

Ok guys so it's been another few days of the tank doin' its jazz, a local fish lover recommended that we use a chemical called "Cycle" which adds the beneficial bacteria to eat the ammonia, it essentially speeds up the cycle. I'll be posting my stats in the next day or so as I get them, gonna have Ph, Nitrite, nitrate, and Ammonia. Wish me luck guys! oh yeah, and all the fish are still alive Even the bala shark.

 

[DarkEntity]

Ok guys so it's been another few days of the tank doin' its jazz, a local fish lover recommended that we use a chemical called "Cycle" which adds the beneficial bacteria to eat the ammonia, it essentially speeds up the cycle. I'll be posting my stats in the next day or so as I get them, gonna have Ph, Nitrite, nitrate, and Ammonia. Wish me luck guys! oh yeah, and all the fish are still alive Even the bala shark.

Im glad to see the tank is surviving. Can i suggest that you get rid of the Bala and also the Plec if its still alive and is a common or sailfin as your tank simply isnt large enough for them. Id also suggest doing A LOT of reading on fish sizes and suitable companions

Dont add anythig at all to that tank till you are sure of what you want and also have confirmed that the tank is stable and healthy (possibly ask in here first )

good luck

 

[kkjones]

the only reason I haven't gotten rid of either of them is because I"m hoping tht they will not be full size by April, after which I'll be moving home to a house and be able to have an acquarium as big as necessary, kind of thinking of this one as a "Nursery"...if that makes sense? And no I won't be adding any new fish to the mix until my tank is completely stablized, might just wait til' I get them in their larger acquarium, righ tnow thinking about a 90 or a 155 (is that it? or is it 150?). There is also a chance of getting a 240, but that's still up in the air. Thanks for the advice though

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

I think that you might be relying too much on the size of a tank in gallons, instead of inches and feet. These are the dimensions that will really matter when keeping larger fish, especially with a common or sailfin pleco (most likely your is one of these if it will be 18 inches or so) and bala sharks.

The true problem with tank sizes is that you need to allow room for the fish to be able to swim. So, if your fish is going to be one foot long, then you will need a tank that is AT LEAST two feet wide and around 6 feet long (wide meaning from the front of the glass to the back).

This creates a problem as well with bala sharks because they do MUCH better when in groups. Yes, being alone can affect its health, makiing it stressed out and easy to get sick or diseased.

Your pleco is would be good in a 6 foot by 2 foot tank though as they do not need friends and do not move around to much. Large plecos like yours will become need alot of supliments to its food since it could eat a lot of algea. There are wafers available, or you can feed cucumber. My small pleco nearly jumps out of the tank to get some!

As far as the ammonia in your city water, I still dont think it would be safe for the government to distribute it, but I dont want to argue with you. Having hard water doesnt mean you have chemicals like ammonia, but it means there are dissolved metals in the water. If your water 'rusts' quick, it is most likely hard water.

Once your tank is cycled, you will never have to worry about ammonia or nitrite levels again AS LONG AS you keep up with maintenance (e.g. water changes, cleaning the substrate, not over feeding, etc...) For now, I would stick to your small water changes and use the cycle additive. I use Bact-seed and Bact-feed to help my tanks out once in a while when I feel I hurt my bacteria colonies for whatever reason (usually when I move the tank or like recently, moved to a new house)

Keep a very close eye on your fish. This means keeping a close eye on your water quality. Test your water about every other day or so. This way you can see the changes as they happen and you can follow the progress. As your ammonia changes to nitrites, and then both reduce to acceptable levels, you can slowly reduce your water changes. I only change water about one time a week and at about 15% when everything is going good. (this changes for me in the cases of accidental overfeeding, usually by one of my kids, or if I have a fish die).

Do you know how to spot Ich? You should look on this forum for threads about it and find some pictures so you know what to look for exactly. Do the same for other diseases and disorders. Putting your fish through this cycle is not the end of the world, but you are stressing them out and they can pick up problems much easier. Also, check on your pleco every so often (find him) to make sure he is still alive. It is better to be safe than sorry. Move the logs or decor he hides in and do not worry, they cant bite you (my wife tends to think that anything ugly is dangerous, which is so not true since she married me!!!!)

 

[kkjones]

Awe crap, my fish just developed Ich, I know they can't really do that overnight, takes like a week or something, but I spotted it first on my tetra this morning, , so now i have to treat for that too I'm guessing, I'm still doing water changes, hard to do by myself so I had to cut down how much water i took in and out at a time since I'm weak and can only do like 3gal at a time haha! So i'm doing 6gal changes twice a week? does that sound normal? I tihnk that's a 20% change. Um, my ammonia is now between 1 AND 2 (without a wter change) which makes me crazy nervous, I used the cycle stuff, put it in my filter like the picture showed on the package, 2 caps per 10 gallons, and no change in ammonia, or no decrease atleast. Um, my guppies had babies I managed to get 1 out so far so he wont' get eaten, in a little bowl by himself in treated water. I'm looking for any other survivors of the guppie babies, although i'm not holding my breath. they're so little! and I double checked my faucet water, and did the same ammonia test as my tank, and it says .25-.5 area so I'm not sure what that means or if there is just a miscalculation in the test or what not, I'll be contacting my water company today to find out what's int he city water. well I'm off to search for survivors, wish me luck, and I'll read up on how to treat Ich.

and as far as the ammonia goes: "Chlorine is added to the water as the primary disinfectant to prevent illness due to water-borne pathogens. The final barrier is the addition of ammonia to the water to react with chlorine
and form chloramines. Chloramines are used to maintain a residual disinfectant throughout the water distribution system to ensure water quality to the consumer’s tap." http/www.sandiego.gov/water/quality/pdf/quarpt05.pdf

 

[Medionsaturn]

Here's some friendly advice for your tank when you get your house.

Instead of using tap water and having to dechlorinate it you can leave some buckets in the back garden where it rains most(without squishing plants), that way you get softer water as nature intended. Unless you want alkaline water, which is fine, but Tetras and such prefer softer water if you ever wanted to get them. Though one problem I did once have was that it suddenly went way too soft(4.0 pH, not exactly sure why)and I had to put buffer in, but it could be because my Dad and Sister(who originally started the hobby together)were neglecting it.


Good luck with the tank.

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

At this point, I would strongly suggest that you go with the more natural method of treating for Ich. Turn your tank's heater up to about 85 degrees and add some aquarium salt (very cheap at a Walmart). Add the salt as directed, I believe it would be somewhere around a tablespoon per gallon or 5 gallons (for the life of me I cannot remember). This method will be a bit slower than using medications, but much easier on you and your fish. It also will allow you to keep any carbon filter media in your filters, which will help you keep some control over your water parameters.

I would not expect rapid results or changes from using Cycle in your tank. Remember that cycling a tank depends on hundreds of variables, so it would be hard to say how long it will be until you see massive changes. Be patient, you are on the right track.

Thanks for that explaination of your water from your city. It makes more sense now that they would add ammonia to create chloramines to keep the water sanitary. The end result of this does not mean that your tap water is full of ammonia however (unless maybe you are right next door to the treatment facility on a day that water use is extremely high). The declorinator that you use to condition your tap water will also remove the chlorimines as well. The ammonia in your tank is the result of your fish's wastes and decaying organic matter. The only reason it stays in your tank at high levels is because you do not have the bacteria needed to change it into nitrites and then into nitrates.

Keep in mind that what is happening is pretty much expected and predictable (not predictable by means of a timeline, but just that it will happen) and you shouldnt worry. Somehow or another Ich was introduced into your tank and is able to mature into is later life stages (little white dots) because your fish are stressed and unable to produce slime coats capable of defending itself against it. It is usually 'cured' easily through the method I mentioned. Medicines are also widely available, but they can stress your fish even more. They are also easy to over dose and you cannot keep your carbon (activated charcoal) filter in the tank while using them as it will simply soak the meds up. Medicines also tend to 'taint' your tank or dye it a blue or green. This is most noticable in clear air hoses and the like. Natural is, in my opinion, the very best way to go, especially in a delicate situation such as yours.

 

[kkjones]

Update:

Well, I cranked the heater on my tank, higher than i thought I should, but i'm guessing it's at about 86 or just under now, and the Ich cleared up, before I noticed it really clearing up it was pretty much gone. Only one fishy had it bad and he's ok now. I found some "reverse osmosis" purified water at my local grocery store and will be testing the chemical levels in it this week/weekend so hopefully will be able to integrate it into the normal water. Mr. Sucker is pretty happy, and man oh man he went after that algae tab! My ammonia level is still like 2, even with water changes every couple of days, however, TADA for the first time EVER i found that I have trace nitrites finally, which means my bacteria are starting to grow!! Muhaha. Grow my pretties, Grow! The guppies seem happy, the tetra suffered fatal indigestion from trying to eat a baby guppy I'm guessing, since the baby guppy was missing and the tetra was dead, and yes i fed the tetra his 1 flake of fishfood that morning and powdered 1/2 a flake for the baby...So Nitrite was about a .25 hopefully the bacteria will get hoppin' on making the nitrates, now what gets rid of nitrates? Just the filter or what? Oky doke, off to watch the fishies, they seem happy, schooling and kinda strollin around the tank together. Toodles and thanks for all the tips so far!