im a bit worried about my fish

[arj]

about a week ago, i bought my first fish, 3 Guppies and 2 Cory Catfish, but there are a few things i was a little worried about.

1stly, the albino catfish has been acting REALLY mad, i.e. it sprints from one side of the tank to the other side really fast then smacks its head against the tank, and then repeats the process.

2ndly, some oarts of the same fish have gone quite pink, mainly behind the head and parts of its sides.

3rdly, the other catfish (bronze) pretty much lost its colour, and has now gone semi-transparent, with just a small remainder of its original colour left on either side.

also, i have notices that all the fish's eyes have gone slightly bulged, i know this is a sign of bacteria or fish tuberculosis, but how do i treat it? also, are these symptoms of quite high concern?

i appreciate if you cant help me with each thing, but any help will be great.

 

[knutty]

has the tank been properly cycled? these could all be signs of ammonia/nitrite poisoning.

 

[arj]

hmm, well it was up and running for a week before we added any fish, then we got our LFS to do a test for us and they told us it was all ok and that we could have some fish...

 

[daza]

it sounds like no cycle was taking place during that week. your fish shop probably measured 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and thought it had cycled when in fact it never started (unless you can confirm that you did do a cycle?)

you should start by reading this pinned topic from the Beginners Questions section of this forum.

edit...also, do you have your own test kits (for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc) to take your own readings? if not then it's a good idea to have some.

 

[arj]

unfortunately, my dad is reluctant to spend any more money on the tank, so we dont have our own test kits, but i will try to get some for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. i cant confirm that cycling has taken place, as the guy at the shop said he had told us all we needed to know, we just went along with him. i suppose it didnt help that i didnt even know what cycling was when we got the tank.

 

[daza]

maybe you could print that pinned topic off and ask your dad to read it.

try to pursuade him that it really is worth spending the money to get it right first off, rather than fighting problems for a long time. once successfully cycled your aquarium should run smoothly and become the enjoyment you set it up to be.

unfortunately, since you have fish that are showing signs of bad health and are not good for living through a cycle, things might get worse before they get better.

 

[Tropjunky]

well if ur dad isn't gonna spend any more money then don't keep fish. I't one of the most expensive hobbys ever partly cos it's like a drug u always have to have more fish and tanks. it cost a lot to maintain the tank properly aswell. a test kit will prpberbaly save u money in the long run so it's worth the expense.

Have u added any water treatments for chlorine yet cos ur are acting like there's something toxic in the water.

My advice is take the fish back and ask them to keep it for u for a while and get 3 neons and that should set ur tank rite in about a week maybe 2. ur tank should cycle without the need for anything else. how big is ur tank.

And U should cheak out my website (linked below\/ in my sig)

 

[knutty]

everyone hit the nail on the head. please..please..please read the posted topics no cycling tanks. your tank read 0 to the dangerous components because they were never present. our fish are producing large amounts of ammonia now, with little or no beneficial bacteria to break it down. Your fish will probably die unless you adhere to the following schedule: 1) it is highly debated for effectivness but I have seen it work: There is a liquid called Cycle which contains the bacteria you need to break this ammonia and nitrate down. It is not exactly cheap, about 8 dolalrs for a bottle but it can help you save your fish. Perform water changes daily. Siphon out 10-20% of your water daily and replenish it with water that has been trated with a dechlorinator ( i like auqa plus, but there are a ton of varieties that are inexpensive). If you do this for a week, 1) you wil go through a lot of cycle and dechlorinator and some leg work, but wil probably save some fish. I would recommend that you start this tonight. Ammonia shock/poisoning is setting in. in a normal cycle, we use inexpensive, hardy fish that can handle these stresses- my personal favorite is zebra danios ( 98 cents each). they can produce the waste that cultures the bacteria that will eventually lead to a mature, healthy, and cycled tank. good luck- ask frequent advice from this board....everyone is here to help. what we do not want to do i cause undue stress to more fish.

 

[clutterydrawer]

My advice is take the fish back and ask them to keep it for u for a while and get 3 neons and that should set ur tank rite in about a week maybe 2. ur tank should cycle without the need for anything else. how big is ur tank.

so what you're saying is...

"take your fish back and swap them for some that are even more delicate, then watch them die too."



arj, water changes are your friend, do maybe a 20% water change every day tilll yo ucan get some test kits and work out what's what.

 

[Fishy Fishy Man]

Lol i hear ya on the dad thing arj, and if your dad is anything like mine no chance at getting him to spend money, no amount of cycling documentation could change that.

I have a feeling that I also cycled my tank using neon tetras, as we lost 4 of them in the first week. It actually explains alot. Just dont think u cant get attached to the little fishys. I "may" have felt a teensy bit sad for one that was floating around in the currents of our tank for 4 days, moslty upside down but still breathing. should have ended things earlier 4 him.

R.I.P

 

[knutty]

do not use neons to cycle a tank. they are far too delicate. mollies, swords, and zebra danios ( by far the best) are hardy enough to handle the conditions.

 

[Fishy Fishy Man]

yeh thats wot ive bin hearing. wen i say i have a feeling its because im the only member of my family who noes the meaning of the word cycling (just learned tonight ) and i had no active role in the tank. no point in asking my parents how we cycled. im kinda reading up on this kind of thing so i might help a bit, and might be developing an interest.... (spend 2 hours reading these forums today)

 

[clutterydrawer]

I think with a lot of water changes and careful monitoring of the water conditions it could cycle without damage to the cories or guppies...

 

[Kelso]

personally my tank is overloaded and whatever, yes i know lol. But i didn't cycle my tank and i've had cories, zebras and guppys in it for about a month now and they are all in the same shape as they were when i bought them a month ago, i don't know if my tank has cycled or not but i do do 20% water changes twice a week. Anyways from my month of experience my albino cories are doing fine in my "uncycled" tank

 

[knutty]

there is no debate between cycle and not to. every tank cycles. your water changes are keeping your tank alive. its not easy on the fish to put them through it. also, your tank might have not comlpetely cycled yet in a month- the worst might be to come- nitrite poisoning. i hope all goes well, but there is no such thing as an uncycle mature tank.