I feel awful, but...

[the_daver]

it's just too much.

I've encountered about every disease you could think of within the last 4 months, bought every applicable treatment I could find (after having to figure out which were actually legit), and tested my water 4 times a week for the past 15 weeks and my tank is still completely taken over by disease.

Looking at it now, I can see Ich, anchor worm, pop eye, symptons of China disease and cottonmouth. I treat the tank for anchor worm and Ich seems to run rampant. I treat the tank for Ich and anchor worm and cottonmouth comes back with a vengenge. I try to treat that, and suddenly I have 3 cases of popeye.

I've tested my water endlessly. No nitrate, no ammonia, water's not hard, pH is fine (7.4), everything tests great. I even went and bought a second test kit because I didn't trust the results anymore.

What more can I do? I cannot afford to set up a hospital tank and, really, what LFS is going to take diseased fish f I redo the whole thing.

Frankly, I'm quite steamed that there seems to be no authority whatsoever on this hobby. I've heard opinions through the roof, but who can the beginner trust when he hears that he should change 20% of water once every week from one "authority" and that no more than 10% of the water should be changed every month from another "authority"

Sorry for the rant and I'm sure this circumstance is just a case of bad luck but I just needed to let my thoughts be known.

P.S. To the admin, I apologize if this is not in the appropriate forum. If it's not, could you please move it to the approprite forum? Thank you.

 

[Abernathy]

Been there, and still find myself there occasionally. I've learned quite a bit from these forums. Everyone is quite helpful and the moderators are in regular attendance with cogent advice.

Having said that, my own experience with parasites, fungus and the like has been to add some salt, raise the temp, do large water changes and add the meds. Regardless of these treatments, I still lost some fish, but now my babies are quite happy, healthy and procreating (figure that's why they're happy).

With any post for help, it helps others help you by listing as many h20 parameters as possible, sometimes together with fish types and filtration. I hope that you feel better and be assured that you'll get a lot of good advice, together with a lot of empathy from this forum.

 

[fishgeek]

to be getting those problems there is some basic husbandry problem that we are missing
stop with all the polypharmacy , its pointless

water changes need to be regular yes , what regular is depends on the fish
when i first started it was maybe monthly- 6 weekly basically when i felt like it
now for me it is weekly or sometimes fortnightly

when doing changes we dont want to change the water parameters in the tank fast, sudden changes will stress the fish
drops in temperature with a large cold water change done fast are a common cause of ich

start by checking your tap water parameters
then stand some tap water over 24hrs with an air stone and some dechlorinator and take readings again

you should find possibly changes in pH and more importantly probable changes in nitrogen readings
if you have chloramine in your tap supply(ring the water board and ask) the most dechlorniators will split this product into chlorine and , i think, ammonia
this could elevate your nitrogenous waste levels with every water change - not ideal
there is at least one product that will remove nitorgen and chlorine together from tap water , slips my mind at preseent

secondly whats in your filter chemical filtration, requires maintainece and shouldn't be upset by your probs too much
active carbon? etc may be removing your medictions before they can cure your probs!
biological filtration is likley to be damaged by your regular medication

getting steamed at other people is not what forums are about
you are responsible for your fish
other here are only here to help you educate yourself, boost our on eg's and heaps of other non valid reason's
in general though you have to take responsibilty for any problems that arise with your pets
relax
take stock of your fish
how many what size tank
tap paramters, water paramers, actual readings not just fine results
tank maintaince shedule etc etc
the more you give us the more we can give you to think about

dont get frustrated too many new fish keeepers give up due to smilar experiences
read and learn and work through this

andrew
were here to help not steam ya up!

 

[rykitten]

Daver,

I am having the exact same problem you are. Fairly new tank, started with 15, now have 6.

Ammonia is 0ppm, Nitrite is 0ppm pH is 7.8.

First it was ich which I finished treating for today. Now my platty has fungus over both his eyes and my swordtails have white patches on their bodies and one of them is sitting on the bottom breathing rapidly. I have a feeling I'll wake up tomorrow and find him dead.

I am frustrated too.

Fishgeek, Daver isn't upset at anyone in the forum. I believe he's just upset that there isn't any sure method of having healthy fish. Everyone seems to have their own methods of solving problems. There isn't any EXACT way to care for fish.

And it is frustrating for a beginner. My boss bought this tank for our office. I'm the only person who cares enough to research the problems and make an effort to fix them. I buy the test kits, the medications and scoop out the carcasses.

I've spent a lot of time researching various diseases and educating myself on what could "possibly" be the problem.

Although the water is of good quality (ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite = 0ppm, pH 7.8) ths fish continue to get sick. I treat my mickeys for one disease and that causes my plattys to get another disease.

So Daver, I share your pain! I completely understand your frustration. I'm looking into adding salt. From what I've read, it helps treat many diseases and helps keep the water clean. I'll let you know how my fellas do.

 

[fishgeek]

Fishgeek, Daver isn't upset at anyone in the forum. I believe he's just upset that there isn't any sure method of having healthy fish.

there is have good clean water of the right sort for the fish you keep

educate yourself and take responsibilty for your actions

there are a lot more things than nitrogenous wastes in the water , nobody here seems to mention them
pH alkalinity phosphates organic compounds
then you all go adding salt to freshwater fish tanks, why not just keep marine or brackish fish if you want to do that


Read as much as you can , written by people who know what their talking about , and get a good understanding of what you are going to do before going out and tortuing fish

Im sure none of you mean to kill so many fish
it's just the number of deaths reported here in 3 days i've visited is like armagedon , i dont think it's rigth

andrew

 

[wuvmybetta]

Hi dave
The answer to most fish health problems is a balanced diet,try a new food.Maybe something made by Hikari,they're food is full of vitamins. Also use fresh and frozen veggies/meat a few times a week.

 

[Henry_VCG_]

Make sure you take out charcoal if you have it. A large water change can stress fish badly, but if things are looking grim and nothings working it may save your fish from a slow and painful death. Make sure the water is around 26C or I 80F and put it up a bit, slowly. Speak to someone at your LFS if your really unsure, they have help me sometimes, they may have experience with the medicines they sell. You could always think off the overall cost of keeping on doing this and decide whether or not you want to put them in a hospital tank and wash out your other one. Or if you have a friend who might lend you one.

Thats my opinion I myself have got some sick fish at the moment.

Henry

VCG

 

[Henry_VCG_]

oh and by the way I agree with everyone else. Healthy food is good for fish and especially healthy water. The problem in the first place is normally the water so make sure its clear.

 

[Eelzor]

I must be lucky then - I have never had a fish disease ever. Other than my fish previously dying because on non-cycling and my earlier eel being bought with a virus.

 

[andyt_uk]

i agree there are as many opinions as sources
it can be a difficult hobby, and yes most people dont check for organic wastes and phosphates in water which can cause problems.

dont get too stressed - fish are supposed to have a calming influence on you ;-)

if you are using meds, do make sure you remove any carbon in your filter, and heck why not leave it out completely (oops another opinion there for you)

the only med i have ever used recommended if you change meds leave a 48 hr gap between old treatment and new treatment
but it probably is true that some (if not all meds) will put the fish under some form of stress that may aggravate another illness

what fish do you have?
and what size tank?

 

[rykitten]

there is have good clean water of the right sort for the fish you keep
educate yourself and take responsibilty for your actions
then you all go adding salt to freshwater fish tanks, why not just keep marine or brackish fish if you want to do that
Read as much as you can , written by people who know what their talking about , and get a good understanding of what you are going to do before going out and tortuing fish
Im sure none of you mean to kill so many fish
it's just the number of deaths reported here in 3 days i've visited is like armagedon , i dont think it's rigth

Fishgeek,

Once again, I did not buy these fish. They were purchased by my boss who is frequently out of town. I have become their caretaker. I did not ask for them, nor am I enjoying watching them die.

I do not care to be reprimanded or put down because these fish are dying. That is not why I have come here. I have come here to get advice on how to care for these sick fish.

Maybe you should stick to the "fish chit-chat" forum so you don't have to read about us people that torture fish.

You act like we're a bunch of imbeciles because our fish are sick. You're going to tell me you've never had a problem with your tank???

I agree with you that it's not right that there are so many sick fish dying. Something I've learned is that this is not a hobby, it's a job. My boss thought it would be a simple, pretty addition to our office. He was so wrong.

I am not a biologist, I do not have any experience testing organic componds and the like.

I am learning more about fish diseases and water quality everyday because of this website and Ken. He has given me great advice.

Everyone has told me that diseases are usually a sign of bad water quality. But what if you do daily water changes of 10%, test reguarly and your tank still has problems?

Please do not degrade people who come here for help. If you can't give advice without judgement, I do not care for your advice.

Thank you Andy and Henry for your positive comments.

 

[mistrymachine]

Hello Everyone smile!Ihave the same problems.I also am new to this fishy bussiness and have dealt with nothing but problems.This is usually do to lack of information.I too thought (ignorantly) Oh Yeah, an aquarium will look so nice in here....nice and relaxing.. Since then I have completely ignored my boyfriend,2 cats and 2 dogs because I am so busy trying to figure out what in the world could be causing all of my problems.Not to mention staring at my tank for hours assessing the situation 2 months later.....still in complete confusion,but with the help of some message boards and my own research I have come to realize that patience is the key! We are trying to run a whole little world contained in a glass box.And this takes alot of dedication.Someone told me that aquaria is like cooking,The chef spends hours of preperation and hard work with many unsuspecting twists and turns just for the reward of someone ELSE to sit back and enjoy!I am just starting to feel like I am getting a grasp on the whole concept and if you can get past that It really grows on ya! I was at the point of giving my tank away when this finally happened.Now Iam dreaming of many more to come :smb: Even with my ongoing problems!This can be a very rewarding hobby(job)If you can see past the frustrations and into the world of an accomplished happy tank I want to pass on some good advice...Dont ever give up