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From: Rose 5/09/00
Subject: Re: Ich - Help!
You will learn that patience is a virtue in this hoby. He's not going to get better in a day it will take time. All you can do is keep him in a dark place (this will reduce his stress some) and continue to do what you are doing. As far as him eating I wouldn't expect him to eat for at least another couple of days. He can go a while with out food so don't panic yet. He's getting better because you got him the meds he needed. Good luck, this shall pass. Rose

From: Kellie 5/09/00
Subject: Re: Ich - Help!
You are an angel and so is Kristin! Thank you so VERY much for your great information and for giving me some peace of mind. I'm a new "fish" mommy and have so much to learn! I just don't want a fish to suffer at my expense! Deep breath. Patience. Positive thinking. There. I think I've got it! THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH!!!

From: Trix 5/08/00
Subject: breed my jewels
how do i breed my jewels i have a male and a female?

From: koko 5/08/00
Subject: Re: breed my jewels
I had jewls years ago. In that tank I had lava rocks and many plants. I didnt ever plan on mating them or the convects in my tank. But they just mated. I think you need the right enviroment in the tank for them to breed. I dont know very much about jewels I only had them for a year and they wounldnt stop breeding. I must have had at least 7 batches of fry in one year. That was enough for me.

From: koko 5/08/00
Subject: Re: breed my jewels
I had jewls years ago. In that tank I had lava rocks and many plants. I didnt ever plan on mating them or the convects in my tank. But they just mated. I think you need the right enviroment in the tank for them to breed. I dont know very much about jewels I only had them for a year and they wounldnt stop breeding. I must have had at least 7 batches of fry in one year. That was enough for me.

From: missy 5/07/00
Subject: what is this on my betta?
i noticed today that he has some sort of clear looking, flaky thing hanging off the side of his head. he's not scratching or acting like his sick. only that he wont eat anything but bloodworms now!! i think i've spoiled him. anyways, what could this be??

From: Kristin 5/08/00
Subject: Re: what is this on my betta?
Missy, sorry I'm not sure what you are trying to describe! Does the flaky thing look fuzzy at all like wool?

From: missy 5/08/00
Subject: Re: what is this on my betta?
its so hard to tell. not really wool more like crystal its just a clear color i think. i have stared at him but its hard to tell. i know this isnt much to go on. sorry.

From: missy 5/08/00
Subject: it does look a little
fuzzy now that i look better. hope i'm not seeing things from staring so much.

From: Caitlin 5/15/00
Subject: Re: it does look a little
He probably has a fungus infection. go to www.bettatalk.com Thet will have everything that you need to know (believe me the same thing happened to me)

From: Kimme Raymaley 5/07/00
Subject: Wisper filter bags can you wash them for reuse?
I have a wisper 30 and no filter bags left. I do have the charcoal to put in them. Can I rinse it off with tap water and reuse it until I get to the pet store for new ones?

From: Nick 5/07/00
Subject: Re: Wisper filter bags can you wash them for reuse?
It's better to rinse it out with water you've taken out during a water change, as tap water will kill the beneficial bacteria.

From: koko 5/07/00
Subject: Re: Wisper filter bags can you wash them for reuse?
Ya you can just rinse them off. Dont use hot water use lukewarm water to rinse them off.

From: Kimme B. Raymaley 5/08/00
Subject: Re: Wisper filter bags can you wash them for reuse?
Thank you Nick and Koto for your quick response. You both gave me the same advice. I'll take the water out of my tank as I am going to do a water change today.

From: Kimme Raymaley 5/07/00
Subject: Wisper filter bags
I have a wisper filter 30 and have run out of filters, I have carbon can I take old filter and clean it with warm water and reuse it until I get to the pet store which is 50 miles away?

From: Bob 5/07/00
Subject: How does this sound?
100 Gallon: 8 Goldfish, 14 White Clouds, 5 Leopard Cory 75 Gallon: 20 African Dwarf Frogs, 6 Ramshorn Snails, 30 Ghost Shrimp 75 Gallon: 10 Harlequin Rasbora, 4 Mollies, 6 Pearl Gouramis, 8 Pygmy Cories

From: d 5/09/00
Subject: Re: How does this sound?
100 Gallon: 8 Goldfish, 14 White Clouds, 5 Leopard Cory 75 Gallon: 20 African Dwarf Frogs, 6 Ramshorn Snails, 30 Ghost Shrimp 75 Gallon: 10 Harlequin Rasbora, 4 Mollies, 6 Pearl Gouramis, 8 Pygmy Cories Are these planted tanks? Seems like small fish for a large tank. I don't think you would have any problem at all as long as you have decent filtration. Honestly, I'm more in to more aggressive fish, or at least bigger fish. With that 100 gal you can get some nice exotic looking fish.

From: Bob 5/09/00
Subject: Re: How does this sound?
I already have a 300 Gallon with 4 Oscars and a Pleco. I also have several other large tanks (125+) with large fish. And yes they are all planted tanks.

From: vixen 5/08/00
Subject: Re: How does this sound?
100 gallon: 6 goldfish may be better, but with very good filteration and circulation and lots of water changes, that'll be fine. You could keep more corydoras, like 12 or 14 because they will hang out mostly at the bottom of the tank and help with uneaten food. 75 gallon: 20 dwarf frogs??? that is a lot for just one tank, even if it is 75 gallons. I'd cut that back to 10 frogs, and have a huge school of corydoras or a large school of cardinal tetras. 75 gallon: I've never kept gourami's but from what I've heard, pearls get pretty big, gourami's are like bettas, so you better have one male with the rest being females. With four mollies you also should have one male for every two females, and you will end up with million of molly fry. The corydoras, again, increase it to 12 or 14, it will look much nicer and the corydoras love big schools.

From: Barry 5/07/00
Subject: Vacation feedings
This may be a stupid question but here goes..... First off, I have a light hood that will not work on a timer. This means that when we go on vacation, I either leave the light on the entire time we're gone (TONS of algea!) or keep the light off. This is not a big deal if we're just gone for the weekend as I just keep the light off. However, later this summer, we'll be headed out for an extended vacation. I have thought about getting a new light hood that would work on a timer. However, one fish shop I talked to stated that the fish will eat regardless if the light is on or not. That was news to me. I had always heard that they WILL NOT eat unless the light is on. Does anybody have any insight on this? It could end up saving me a couple of bucks if they will eat without the light.

From: Nick 5/07/00
Subject: Re: Vacation feedings
Fish will eat if it's bright enough that they can see the food. If your tank doesn't have live plants, you can use a regular incandescent lamp pointed at the tank and attached to a timer to provide enough light that they are active and will eat (I'm assuming) when your automatic feeder turns on.

From: Jada 5/07/00
Subject: Re: Vacation feedings
I do know that my Oscars will eat in the dark. i feed them with the light off all the time. It may just depend on the breed of fish

From: m. king 5/06/00
Subject: itchy and bumpy fish
I have 3 tiger barbs and they have have been scratching themselves on the gravel. Then today they have developed white bumpy things and one has a bump on his eye. I have no idea what this is and I would really like some advice, please help! thanks

From: Barb 5/06/00
Subject: Re: itchy and bumpy fish
Sure could do with some more info. Please describe your tank set-up, all of its' inhabitants and your water parameters. Do these "bumps" look like grains of salt? Or are they bumps under the skin? Describe in detail what you are seeing... size, location, how many, is it fuzzy?, and so on. Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: J.Brad 5/06/00
Subject: Things on their face! No shops open to help me! Please Help!
I have 2 white cloud minnows that just recently developed small white (almost bubbly) things on the front of their mouths. My prized Baby blue channel catfish(He's spoiled), and my pleco are in the same tank. They look perfectly fine, but I don't want them to get sick! Does this sound familiar? Any idea of what it could be is appreciated!

From: Barb 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Things on their face! No shops open to help me! Please Help!
Sounds like it could be mouth fungus, which is really caused by a bacteria named Flexibacter columnaris. Ideally, move the minnows to a hospital tank to remove them from the healthy tank inhabitants. Treat by feeding Tetra brand antibiotic flakes, which contains oxy-tetracycline. If the fish aren't eating, then treat with Maracyn (not Maracyn-Two), which may or may not harm the bio filter... conflicting info this, so watch your water parameters closely. Go on and feed the medicated food to the apparently uninfected fish too. Keep your water temp below 77*F if possible, as Flexibacter multiplies like crazy at temps of 77*F and above. This infection is often seen in the springtime, when things start to warm up. Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: joann 5/06/00
Subject: vacation feeding for pond with goldfish
will i need someone to come in and feed our goldfish that are in the backyard pond?

From: Barb 5/06/00
Subject: Vacations and feeding goldfish...
How long will you be gone for? How often, what and how much are you currently feeding them? Barb (http://pub36.ezboard.com/faquariumbbsfrm5) Goldies (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: matt 5/06/00
Subject: do frozen bloodworms go bad if unfrozen?
hello, my fridge was left open recently for a while, and my frozen bloodworms became unfrozen. i've re-frozen them--could they have gone bad in some way? is it still safe to feed them to my fish or should i throw them away and get new ones?

From: Barb 5/06/00
Subject: Chuck 'em Matt!
n/m

From: Rose 5/06/00
Subject: Re: do frozen bloodworms go bad if unfrozen?
Don't feed those bloodworms to your fish if they have been thawed then frozen again. It would be like feeding your family hamburger that was thawed then frozen again. It will make them sick. Real sick. Rose

From: f 5/06/00
Subject: Re: do frozen bloodworms go bad if unfrozen?
I did that once and I froze them again and then broke them up and fed the worms again. They didn't get sick.

From: Nick 5/07/00
Subject: Re: do frozen bloodworms go bad if unfrozen?
Better safe than really really sorry.

From: Brandon 5/05/00
Subject: Kribensis fry
My kribs laid eggs and three days later they hatched, but I can't see any of they wiggling. I think that they might have fell down into the gravel. Is it normal for this to happen? If not what do you think I should do? And what do you think is better: leave the fry wih the parents or take them out?

From: Rose 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Kribensis fry
Go talk to Jared and Yoda at www.aquamaniacs.net Rose

From: Gemma 5/05/00
Subject: Mystery illness continued !!
Ammonia :0- 0.25 PH : 7 Temperature: 78 Tank Size : 4 foot (35 gallons approx) Filtration : Fluval (3) Aeration : Hi-tech 7500 - one large airstone and an air feature which are on approx 9 hours per day Water Change : I changed as much of the water as possible about 10 days ago after 4 fish had died - Usually change about a third of it once every five or six weeks Water additives: Use King British Safe Water about once a month Food : Morning and evening - TetraMin Complete food, JMC Catfish pellets and Hikari Algae wafers - every couple of days frozen bloodworms Tank inhabitants : 2 Green Tiger Barbs, 4 Tiger Barbs, 3 Neon Tetra's, 1 dwarf Gourami, 2 Opaline Gourami, 1 Dalmation Molly, 1 red Platy, 2 Albino catfish, 1 Plecostomus, 8 Aquatic frogs - new arrivals = 1 Kribensis and 1 red tailed black shark added one week before the first death Unusual findings : No visual signs of illness but all the fish that have died ( 1 dwarf gourami, 3 red platy's and 12 pirahnas (separate tank but have been in contact with the new shark)) have suddenly gone to the surface and stayed there (some gasping) until they died. The pirahnas were all youngsters ( 2-3 months old )and the platys and dwarf gourami had been the lastest additions to my tank (about a week before the shark and kribensis were added) When the Red tailed shark and the krib arrived, the shark was put in with the baby pirahnas but it bullied them so it was taken out and put into my tank. It seems like too much of a co-incindence that the fish in both tanks started dying a week later. We spoke to the guy in the local Aquarium shop who didn't know what it was but suggested that we treat both tanks using bacteria control. He was unsure if the deaths had been caused by toxidity or disease but the only common denominator was the shark so thought it could have been parasitic. I have not had a death in my tank since Friday although some still look unwell. The two remaining large pirahnas in the other tank appeared to be fine and we added four new baby pirahnas to the tank yesterday ( seperated from the large ones by a fence in the tank). Within 24 hours, three of these were dead on the bottom. The fourth one is now in my tank ( it's tiny so won't hurt mine) and it seems brighter already although it is spending half its time at the surface. We don't know what to do. Although I'm not losing fish at the moment, I don't want to add any new ones until I have an idea of what of this is or what I can do to rid my tank of the infection. Any suggestions please ???

From: travis 5/05/00
Subject: bettas and community fish
can a betta male or female be kept with community fish or will they eat my smaller fish? i have read in a paper that they are peaceful to other fish other then its own male species. is this true?

From: maureen 5/16/00
Subject: Re: bettas and community fish
I goto petshops and ask if they can be put with other fish and they say no.And then I se them putting them in with other fish I do think you can keep them in a comunity tank.

From: Roberta 5/05/00
Subject: Re: bettas and community fish
bettas are usually very peaceful toward smaller fish but it also depends on what they were raised with.I have a male betta in my community tank and he does not bother any one but my new born fry. I think to a degree it depends on the size of the fry and the size of his appetite. yes it is true that male bettas are only aggressive to other male bettas.

From: Dale 5/08/00
Subject: Re: bettas and community fish
if you really want to put bettas in your community tank, the best practice to do probably is keeping them in a community tank with other species of fishes once they get old enough to swim and big enough to not get eaten even by smaller fishes. If you start them out on a jar each, this sort of develops their aggressive nature due to isolation from other fishes. But again some older bettas tend to be good with others some not. Being lucky is always better than being good(with fishes that is).

From: Sandy 5/05/00
Subject: cludy water
I added 2 new goldfish to my 10 gallon tank. (There was only 1 in it before.) Now the water is really cloudy. I have tried water clering solutions and did my partial water changes. Any ideas?

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: cludy water
Hi Sandy! Sounds like you have a bacterial bloom on your hands, which can happen during cycling. Please read about how to (http://www.aquamaniacs.net/cyclingsafely.html) cycle safely. Three goldies in a 10-gal are likely too many, as they are big-time poop machines and all this waste means that you have a lot of ammonia and the bloom that you are seeing is bacteria multiplying like crazy in the wrong place... the water, rather than in the gravel. What are your water parameters? pH? Ammonia? Nitrites? Nitrates? You could have high ammonia levels now and this can even lead to death, if not neutralized with AmQuel. Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs (http://pub36.ezboard.com/faquariumbbsfrm5) Goldies

From: rac 5/04/00
Subject: Black mollies (white on gills??)
I have 6-month old black mollies (had since born), and several of them have white outlining their gills, it looks like they have a line of white lipstick outlining their gills. Other than this, they exhibit no other symptoms of being sick. I had to start-up another tank for them, and had "worse than normal" ammonia problems for about 8 days despite ammonia removing products and daily partial water changes. The ammonia level has been down to 0 for over a week now, but their gills do not look any better. It does not look like a fungus, but I treated the tank with a fungicide just to see if it would help. It does not seem to be contagious as only a few of them have this, and they have always been together since birth. Does anyone know what this whiteness is and how to treat it?? Thank you.

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
Hmmm... are you sure that it's not normal coloration for a molly? Does the white area lay flat and have sort of an iridescent look to it? Any other white areas on the face/head? If they are acting and eating normally, my guess is that the white is supposed to be there. Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: rac 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
No, I don't think this is normal coloration. The white area does not look raised nor flat, it looks more like a "hard water crust" around their gills. It is not iridescent. There are no other white areas on their bodies anywhere. I searched and searched on the internet for any disease it could be, but could not find anything similar to this. Gill flukes was the closest, but it is not gill flukes. Thank you for your response.

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
How long have you noticed it for? Does it have sort of a fuzzy look to it? What medication(s) have you treated with so far? Are the molls in any respiratory distress, such as gasping or rapid gill movement? Are they blowing any bubbles through the gills? Perhaps, you may want to treat with a medication that treats gill parasites and maybe you already have. I'll look for your response. Barb

From: rac 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
I have noticed this for 3 weeks, and it does not seem to be getting any better, nor getting any worse. It does not look fuzzy, it looks "crusty." The affected mollies do not look to be in any respiratory distress, no gasping, and gill movement looks to be at the same pace as the healthy adult mollies in another tank. They are not blowing any bubbles through their gills. They do not hover at the top of the water either. They are very active, they have never acted ill, they eat completely well. I have only treated with Jungle Fungus Eliminator, and two treatments 4 days apart. Yes, I would like to try treating with a gill parasite medication. Do you have any suggestions for a certain brand to use? Thank you so much.

From: Barb 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
At this point, it doesn't sound like a more serious condition such as a fungal infection, which results in Branchiomyces Gill Rot, in which you should see gill filaments and/or the gill covering rotting away and falling off :( [b]or[/b] gill worms/flukes, which result in rapid gill breathing with the gill covers flared wide open and the fish rubbing himself, especially on the gill area, on decorations, etc. This is not however to underplay the seriousness of protozoal infections, such as Ich and Velvet. I think that it is ok to treat for these possible infections with an antiparasitic med like RidIch+ from Kordon. I would treat the molls in a seperate hospital tank, thereby not exposing the tankmates unnecessarily to the drug. If you treat the main tank, be cautious if you are treating other fish which may be sensitive to RidIch+, such as tetras, cats, loaches or invertebrates. Follow the directions closely, including the 25-50% water change before dosing. I still won't be surprised if treating does nada and this turns out to be normal. :) In any event, this is a very interesting situation and please let us know how things turn out as we will all learn. Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: rac 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
Ok, thank you. I will spend the next few days trying to cure whatever this is. It dumbfounds me as to what it could be, I see nothing of this mentioned anywhere on any fish-disease websites. I will post back after trying different things (on a new message), and let you know how things go. Again, thank you.

From: johna 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
do you think it could be ick?

From: rac 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
It don't think it is ick, the white is just on the gills and doesn't seem to be spreading at all. But I guess I could always try treating with ick medicine just to see if that makes it go away (I have some on hand). I am going to get some parasite medication today and try that. Thank you.

From: johna 5/07/00
Subject: Re: Black mollies (white on gills??)
your welcome and besides if it's not ick which i hope it's nothing more serious than that at least you can give it a try!! good luck to you and your fish!

From: Hoottis 5/04/00
Subject: dont know whats wrong with my water?
I put what needs to be added for my water. but for some odd reason my bettas seems to be irritated from the water. The betta jerks its head back and forth from time to time. I dont know whats wrong with the water. does anybody know whats wrong? Please help.

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: dont know whats wrong with my water?
Need more specifics please... *Is this the first water change that you have performed? *What water conditioner(s) did you add (and how much) to the water? *Does it look like he's being poisoned? I mean with weird movements like that? Barb

From: Hoottis 5/10/00
Subject: he died....but good news.
my split tale died, but I whent and bought a new one and he mated fine...babys are 2 days old. I think he was just a weak betta, I used the same water for my other bettas and they were all fine. so I think he was just a weak betta waiting to pass on. I dont know why I bought him, I knew he looked funnie.

From: Natahsha 5/04/00
Subject: Please Help Dropsy
My guppies have Dropsy, I bought some maracyn two is this a good product to use? My water is testing good and I have added no new fish, does anyone know why it might of started. Can I save them? If I can save them, please help me to do so. Thanks!

From: Rose 5/09/00
Subject: TOD story
Here's the story behind the Tank 'O Death. I'm going to try and make it the abridged version. Just so I don't bore you to death. :) The TOD was set up a year ago next month. (Wow time has flown). It was the second tank I had set up last year. A week later I set up my hubbies tank. The TOD is a 55g, with 2 florecent full hoods. I put a Magnum 350 with 2 bio-wheel 30's on it for filtration. I put brown gravel in with a ton of plastic plants and a real nice piece of fake driftwood, a blue castle, a ceramic turtle and dragon in for decorations. I let it run for about a week before I added fish to it. I put in 6 swordtails (from my first tank) to cycle it. All went just fine during the cycling. I went to my LFS and get my fish. I got 2 Pictus cats, 4 barbs and 3 Bala sharks. The cats got the dreaded Ick with in 2 days of being in the tank. I was mad. I tried 2 different meds before I found one that would work on my tank. By the time this first round was done I had lost both cats. I let things settle down and get 2 more Pictus cats. They do just fine for a while. I think about this time it's July. (This is where the fun begins.) I decide I want some Clown Loaches in my 55 while there I add to my barb population as well. I go get some fish. With in 3 days my tank has Ick again. I get with in 2 days of being done medicating and I run out of meds for my tank. I didn't realize that my hubbies tank had Ick as well and he was using my meds in his tank. As luck wouldn't have it no one had any of my Ick meds in stock. I end up going and getting some Clout. I put in the first dose and all is fine for about 12 hrs. Then I notice that my cats are having a real hard time breathing and my loaches are mostly dead. I do an emergency water change and with in a few hrs my cats and loaches are dead. The next morning I find one of my Bala Sharks dead. By that afternoon my entire tank went to the grave except for the Barbs and the one Bala that I hadn't moved from QT yet. I end up Nuking the tank and starting mostly over again. By mostly starting over I mean I hosed the inside of the tank down with real hot water and did a real good gravel vaccuuming. I move the fish back in and get some Pearl Gouramies to go in the 55. They do great as does the tank for about 3 weeks. I once again go get 3 Pictus Cats and 3 Clown Loaches this time. Now it's mid August and low and behold guess what I find in my tank 5 days after their out of QT and into the 55. Yup Ick. Once again no one had my Ick meds in so I have no choice but to use the deadly Clout again. This time I do half doses. No better luck the second time with it. The usual fish die with the exception of the 1 Bala (the one in QT during the last Ick out break), 1 Clown Loach and 1 Pictus cat (he dies a week after I get the rest of the tank cured). I wait a couple of weeks for things to settle down in the tank then go get 2 more Pictus cats. They do fine. At this point I have other problems going on. I have fin and tail rot rampaging in the tank. Like my filter is failing but I don't know this yet. That eventually led to another out break of Ick (I still don't know how that happend but it did.) I opt not to do the CLout a third time. But once again no one has anything in I can use. So I have to use salt. My cats and loaches were anything but happy about that. I lost just about everybody at that point. The survivors were 1 Bala, 1 Loach, 3 barbs 1 Pictus cat and 2 gouramies. After this I Nuked the tank compleatly. I mean I boiled the gravel, ran chlorine through the tank system, boiled plants decorations. The only things not touched were the bio-wheels. (I had bought a tank to house the bala, loach and the cat in, I used my first tank to house the barbs and gouramies. Barbs and gouramies in a 10g major bad idea. The Barb and Gourami story is for another day.) As luck didn't have it my LPS got my Ick meds in too late. You can bet when they got it in I bought every bottle they had. I now never let my Ick meds get below 2 full, unused bottles. I got the tank back up and running but keept having trouble. I couldn't figure it out. Then there came about a 2 month period where nothing happend in that tank. All was running smothly. I ran out and got more barbs, loaches and cats. Then it all ended with Velvet this time. Notice I didn't say Ick. At some point during the Velvet epidemic the filter on the 55 imploded. I have no idea for how long I was with out a filter (it was less than a week. I do filter cleanings and water changes weekly.) Needless to say I got a new filter (I ordered a Filstar XP2) and later that day( the same day my filter crapped out) my hubbie ran across the street and bought me a Penguin 400. (Yes, he is my knight in shinning armor.) I now have no less than 2 filters running on the 55 now and I havent had a problem with the tank since Feb. That was when the filter craped out. As you can see you can always have it worse. It's funny but out of all the tanks I have the 55 is by far my fav. Although my planted 10 and planted 7g mini bowfront with dwarf gourami are trying to become my favorite tanks. If I could only have 1 tank it would be the 55. Why, simple I look at it and I see success. I see that I beat the odds. I hope that you have learned something from this. Look at the bright side of things. It can only get better once you reach bottom. Rose

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Please Help Dropsy
Hi Natasha! Let's take a few steps backwards to be sure that you are really dealing with dropsy, which is almost uniformly fatal. Are you sure the gups aren't full of fry? *What are your water parameters (pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) exactly? *Size tank? How long up and running? *Who and how many live in the tank? *How many guppies are affected? *Are the scales sticking out and away from the body? *Are the guppies eating normally? *Are the gups as active as usual? *What are you seeing that makes you think they have dropsy? Dropsy is a condition resulting in the internal organs not working properly and one may see swelling in the abdomen (belly), scales sticking out and (http://www.aquamaniacs.net/popeye.html) pop-eye. It is speculated to be from several causes, including poor water conditions and a bacterial infection. Maracyn-Two is as good an antibiotic for this as any, though the reality with dropsy is that fish with this condition don't ususally make it. Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: Natahsha 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Please Help Dropsy
This is a five gallon tank it has 4 guppies 3 females and 1 male and 1 Otocinclus. The tank has been up for 7 months and water has been testing good, I test weekly and the ammonia is always at 0, and the Nitrites are always at 0, and I keep my nitrates below .25. At first I thought too when I saw their tummies bloated that it was from the fry and the male getting big from eating them, but then they started to hang up on top breathing heavy and right away I new something was wrong. I also saw a small bloody spot on Otocinclus with some fungus so I started to treat with Maracyn but then yesterday I woke up to find my males scales were sticking out really bad, and then I new it was Dropsy and then I stoped the Maracyn and did a 25% water change and started to treat with Maracyn Two. I also had taken some fry out and put them in with my 2 week old fry. I did this right before I new they were sick, but I think now looking back on it they were sick then because their tummies were big. So now do I have to treat the fry tank too? It is hard for me to see if the fry have it too because they are so small and their tummies normally get round after eating. I was planning on taking the guppies out away from the Otocinclus, because I know they need salt and Oto's don't tolerate it well, but the guppy tank is still cycling and also I do not have a sick tank, I am starting one now, but it is a little late for that. If these fish die do I have to start the tank all over again and sterilize it with something? I also used the vacuum cleaner to do the 25% water change that I did yesterday, do I have to throw this away? I use it for my other tanks too, but I wont use it until I know what to do. What really bothers me is that I am always making sure their water is good, I try to do everything possible to make it so and I never overfeed, and I hear dropsy is from bad water quality, so I don't know what I am doing wrong? I tried so hard to learn hours and hours and day after day I spend looking information up on fish and still this happens. It makes me so sad, if you can think of anything that might help save them it would be greatly appreciated.

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Please Help Dropsy
Uhhh... that one came out kinda crazy! Let me try resending it :) Natahsha... please don't be so hard on yourself. Dropsy can be from things out of your control, like viral infections. In my (http://www.aquamaniacs.net/popeye.html) pop-eye article, I believe I described the most aggressive approach to treating dropsy, but it is costly, timely and still rarely works. Covering your bases with the Maracyn-Two is a respectable treatment for a bacterial cause. Epsom salt at the rate of 1/8 teaspoon per 10 gals helps to alleviate some of the swelling. Putting regular aquarium salt in with a dropsied fish will only make the swelling worse. I am sorry that there is no easy answer or guaranteed cure, despite what you may read on the 'net. :( Are the females dropsied too? Or only the male for sure? Were the females gasping also? Increase aeration if possible, to ease respiratory distress. The fry aren't guaranteed to get dropsy, though I have heard of fry having it before. You'll need to sit back and watch for that one. I believe that you can use Maracyn-Two with fry... check the package insert and see what it says. I wouldn't prophylactically treat them with antibiotics however. After the dust settles, you'll know better whether you will need to (http://www.bestfish.com/tips/100699.html) nuke the tank or not. I'm guessing that you will need to. And after nuking, you will need to cycle all over again. Don't cross-contaminate equipment between the 5-gal and the fry tank and the hospital tank. Buy yourself a new gravel vac for use in the "uninfected" tanks. Good luck, Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: Rose 5/06/00
Subject: Re: Please Help Dropsy
Natasha, you have no reason what so ever to feel bad about this happening. Things like this happen. The thing to look at now is it could be much worse. Trust me on this one. You don't have a tank that everyone knows as the Tank 'O Death. If you need to feel better about what is happening to your tank let me know and I'll tell you the story of the Tank 'O Death. That story is guaranteed to make you feel much better about the way you care about your fish. Speaking of the TOD that would make one heck of a article on the do's and don'ts of a tank. Rose

From: Natahsha 5/09/00
Subject: Thank you Barb Thank you Rose, please tell me the TOD story
Thank you Barb and Rose, your help has meant a lot to me! I can't believe how attached I have become to these little fin friends, Your advice and words I have found to be comforting. I buried my Otocinclus today:( and the rest seem to be only getting worse. I am still treating with Maracyn Two and I bought some Epsom salt. One of the females stool is stringy white is that the infection? I also bought Tetra flake with antibiotics but some are to weak to eat now, I tried to find the other flake food but I have had no luck finding it so I ended up buying Tetra. I really hate to see these guys suffer like this, it seems to be a long cruel death. Rose and Barb if I do have to start the tank over again, can I ask you what type of filter would you use for a small tank like a five and ten gallon? Rose if you have time I would like to hear the TOD story. Thank you again, your help has meant so much and it makes you feel good to know their is people out there to help! Natahsha

From: Barb 5/09/00
Subject: Re: Thank you Barb Thank you Rose, please tell me the TOD story
How tough for you Natahsha.:( It really doesn't sound like there is any way out of it for your fish. I'm really sorry. The stringy white stool is from an intestinal infection, either bacterial or parasitic. I think you've really done what you can, but this is the usual unfortunate outcome.:( Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: Barb 5/05/00
Subject: Re: Please Help Dropsy
Natahsha... please don't be so hard on yourself. Dropsy can be from things out of your control, like viral infections. In my (http://www.aquamaniacs.net/popeye.html"pop-eye article, I believe I described the most aggressive approach to treating dropsy, but it is costly, timely and still rarely works. Covering your bases with the Maracyn-Two is a respectable treatment for a bacterial cause. Epsom salt at the rate of 1/8 teaspoon per 10 gals helps to alleviate some of the swelling. Putting regular aquarium salt in with a dropsied fish will only make the swelling worse. I am sorry that there is no easy answer or guaranteed cure, despite what you may read on the 'net. :( Are the females dropsied too? Or only the male for sure? Were the females gasping also? Increase aeration if possible, to ease respiratory distress. The fry aren't guaranteed to get dropsy, though I have heard of fry having it before. You'll need to sit back and watch for that one. I believe that you can use Maracyn-Two with fry... check the package insert and see what it says. I wouldn't prophylactically treat them with antibiotics however. After the dust settles, you'll know better whether you will need to (http://www.bestfish.com/tips/100699.html"nuke the tank or not. I'm guessing that you will need to. And after nuking, you will need to cycle all over again. Don't cross-contaminate equipment between the 5-gal and the fry tank and the hospital tank. Buy yourself a new gravel vac for use in the "uninfected" tanks. Good luck, Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs

From: travis 5/04/00
Subject: ph level
ok my ph is the highest it can possibly be and i put ph down in it and got the right level i wanted. but overnight the level sky rocketed back to its high level. is this normal and how can i keep it at a still level? i have been putting more and more ph down in it but i dont know how long it will last. please help

From: Rose 5/04/00
Subject: Re: ph level
Travis, to keep adding pH up or downers is more of a problem on fish and over all tank chemisty than just leaving it at what it is. Most if not all fish can adapt to what ever your pH is if done correctly. BTW what is you pH? There are ways of bringing it down with less effort and destruction to the tank. Lets first see what you pH is and what kinds of fish you have or are getting and go from there. How does that sound. Give me all the details of your tank. Even the ones that you don't think are important. We'll go from there. I'll be looking for your reply. Rose

From: travis 5/04/00
Subject: Re: ph level
well i have a 30 gallon tank and all thats in it right now is just black gravel,annd a few plants. i also have a thermoniter and air machine. the type of fish im gettin are probably large neons,2 small angel fish, maybe a betta a algee eater and a catfish. i might add on more species of fis that i havent decided on yet. but heres the deal. my water was at ph 7.6, when i added the ph down i had to add 6 scoops to lower it to 7.2. now when i checked the ph the next day it was back to 7.6 again i just dont know what to do. well i'll wait for your responce rose and thanks

From: Rose 5/04/00
Subject: Re: ph level
pH is just fine Travis. My fish are all in 6.8-8.0 water and are doing just fine, it depends on what tank your looking at. (More on this in a minute.) The fish you want to put in will do just fine in a pH of 7.6. DON'T try to change the pH. Your fish will thank you for it in the long run, not to mention your wallet. Now for the reason why I have such a wide range of pH in my tanks. It's easy my tap will come out 7.6 where I live now( at the old place it was 8.0 ish.) A majority of my tanks are at 7.6 while others are at 6.8 or slightly higher. In the tanks with the lower pH I have live plants. For the live plants to grow the way I want them to I add CO2 to the tank. CO2 will lower the pH. Too much CO2 can kill your fish and plants. Too big of a pH swing( from the CO2) can kill your fish and plants. In the tanks with a pH of 7.6 I have all kinds of Tetras, barbs, Clown Loaches, Bala Sharks, swordtails, guppies, dwarf gouramies, mid size gouramies, Ottos (algae eaters). In the tanks with lower pH od 6.8 or so I have a pair of Kribs, tetras, rasboras, dwarf gouramies and Ottos (algae eaters). I couldn't be happier with my fish and the way they look or behave. So you see messing with the pH is not necessary. If after reading this you still want to lower your pH let me know and we can find a way to do it. If you have any questions just ask. Rose

From: Travis 5/05/00
Subject: Re: ph level
Thank you Rose for the advice and I wont change anything now. Thanks again. Travis

From: Mel 5/04/00
Subject: upside down black mollie
Hi, I have a ten gallon tanks with 2 black mollies, 2 glass fish, 3 guppies, and one betta. Recently, I have found that the betta is picking on the black molly that just had her babies. After finding the mollie stuck in the intake tube of the power filter, I put her in a net breed and she started swimming upside down. Shes been on the bottom of the net breeder now for 3 days but she is still alive because her gills are moving. Does anyone know what I can do to help her.n She gets fed brine shrimp every other day and flakes every day.

From: Barb 5/04/00
Subject: Re: upside down black mollie
That's a tough one Mel! My guess is that getting stuck in the intake tube may have damaged the swimbladder, the organ responsible for bouyancy, hence the swimming upside down. There would be no specific treatment for this, other than time to see which way things go for her. Is she upside down or rightside up at the bottom of the net? Is she still eating? Barb (http://www.aquamaniacs.net) Aquamaniacs