Is it necessary to set up a Quarantine tank for new fish?-
Absolutely, and for one reason you may not expect. It is
always possible
to introduce a pathogen to your
tank via a new fish, and some will argue that most pathogens
enter an aquarium this way. But you are
bringing a new fish into
water
qualities, feed, etc. that it is not used to. The fish is
stressed at the same time it is being introduced to the
routine pathogens in your tank,
that your fish are conditioned to keep in check. But the new fish
may need some recovery time to adapt.
So you are protecting
your new fish from the fish already in your tank, nearly as much
as you are protecting your established fish
from the
new guy.
The
fish are bloated or swollen up- This will occur
occasionally, and when it happens it is generally an
internal infection that
was usually addressed by
euthanizing the fish. However, it can occur in some fish as a
result of feeding a food
that is too high in
protein, and they will
sometimes recover when switched to more vegetable based foods. When it has
been successful, I have also
added a medicinal dose of salt.
With fish prone to this happening, a permanent switch to more
algea and vegetable type foods kept
it from re-occurring.
The fish
won’t eat - This can be caused by a number of
reasons. With the plecos
here, when the water is allowed to become
slightly dirty, they will stop
eating. When water quality
deteriorates, fish will often stop eating, and a
water change of 10-20% is
often all that it takes to
get their appetite back.. Some fish can be picky eaters, and
require good water quality to eat consistently.
Refusing to eat can also be an indication that the fish is
either sick or possibly harboring parasites. Do any necessary
cleaning in
the tank, then introduce frozen or fresh
live foods (frozen
Brine shrimp is possibly the most eagerly taken), and if they
are healthy,
they should begin eating. If there
is a parasite or
disease issue, look to other aspects of
their behavior and appearance, looking
for a less
obvious reason for their distress, such as an internal parasite.
Observe their fins and skin for cloudiness, slimyness, or
light
colored areas. Those are signs of bacterial infection that could
affect appetite and is often turned around with a prompt
medicinal
dose of salt and an improvement in overall
tank cleanliness. Internal parasites are more difficult to
treat, with the
exception of worms that will
reveal themselves by sticking from the gills or anus, or
anchored to the fish's skin. The most common
type of
worm, the Camallanus worm, is addressed in the next question.
For other internal parasites, there are medications available
that may be necessary to cure the fish afflicted, and often a
medicinal dose of salt (1
tblspn per 5 gallons) may be enough to treat the problem. If
only a few fish are showing signs of the
problem, isolate them to
another tank to quarantine the infection (Though this will not
prevent it from appearing in other fish).
However, keeping a few clearly sick fish in the tank may
guarantee its spread. If it does not appear in the other fish,
great.
Meanwhile, treat the infected
fish. Hopefully you will have stopped it, if not, the other fish
will need to be treated.
Small things
are sticking out of the fish’s anus, and waving-
These are Camallanus worms, and live within the fish.
The most effective treatment
for these is Levamisole hydrochloride.
This is a medication that is not available in the fish hobby,
but
is more effective at
clearing out worms and many parasites than the currently
available pet store alternatives. In the past the only
way to obtain it was to have
your veterinarian order it for you. Because there is no better
treatment for Livebearer disease, we
keep it in stock
for sale. Email me at
selectaquatics@gmail.com if you would
like to have some shipped to you.
The fish’s
gills are red - This can indicate one of two things,
there is a bacterial infection that will need to be treated with
a fish
medication, or it is an
inflammation in response to something in the water, or its
overall quality. A water change, with aged
but clean
water if possible, (possibly
from a clean, lightly stocked nearby aquarium), and a cleaning
of the tank, particularly the substrate,
may solve the problem. If
improvement in water conditions do not show a positive change
within 8-12 hours, in combination with the
addition of a medicinal dose of
salt, then a medication for treating bacterial infections may be
appropriate.
The fish has
tufts of white on their mouths or fins- This is a
fungal infection, and if left untreated is fatal. Fortunately,
there are a number of
medications available that treat this successfully. This occurs
when the tank is allowed to become too dirty.
Change the
filter medium,
vacuum siphon any gravel and do a 30%
water change, then add the
medication and follow the directions.
Then possibly step up a revised
water change and maintenance schedule for the future, so it
doesn't re-occur.
The fish have small white spots on their body
and fins - This is most likely
ich. Congratulations!
Your fish have the most
common disease you will ever
encounter. It can be treated easily and effectively, but is
fatal to all fish in the aquarium if nothing is done.
Often simply increasing the
temperature to 82-84 degrees will arrest it, but I much prefer
using any of a wide variety of effective
medications, as many
fish do not tolerate warmer temperatures. Ich seems to be
encountered often when first keeping tanks, and
with better husbandry and
basic care to do regular water changes, relatively clean
conditions and consistent temperature, ich
can be avoided. Today there has not
been an outbreak of ich here in over 10 years, but it does
occur easily, and some fish do seem
more prone to it than others. "Ich"
is a small parasite that lives in the water, and when a fish's
immune system is compromised, this
parasite can attach to the skin
of the fish and produce eggs that are encapsulated in the white
spots seen. It can spread throughout a
tank very quickly (often within
1-2 days), and is generally fatal when left untreated. The most
common trigger for ich is a sudden cooling
of the tank below where the
fish are comfortable, such as when a heater fails. Having a
bottle of ich medication on hand is a safe bet..
A few fish
seem to die every day without signs of injury- This
has happened here with some fish, and is due
to a bacterial infection
establishing itself in the aquarium. It is not common, and
usually comes down to density. We immediately do
a 50%
water change, treat with a
medicinal level of salt and increase the
aeration, and also treat with an appropriate
antibiotic.
This has happened rarely, and
has been because the tank affected was overstocked, creating a reduction in water quality.
We continue to change how
things are done to avoid those types of issues- but even with
treatment there will be some losses.
The tank is
then given a bleaching after the outbreak has resolved itself.
Click here for "How to Bleach an Aquarium".
The Fish is
swimming upside down or sideways- Any equilibrium
problems displayed are due to air bladder
problems, which are internal and
generally bacterial. Separate the fish to a tank of
its own, add a medicinal dose of salt, moderate
aeration- not too heavy,
and wait it out. There are many anti-bacterial medications
available, and further research may point
you to a specific
medication for that condition. I have only had this happen a
couple times, and survival was about 50/50.
A fish is
scraped or injured - Open wounds or tears in a
fish's skin are a quick avenue for infection, so you do not want
your
fish to get scratched or
injured. Be sure not to include anything with sharp edges or
rough surfaces in a tank, particularly a smaller
aquarium. Fish chase one
another, and scrapes will occur when the
opportunity is there. When a wound is running into problems,
a fungus may begin to
grow on it, or other signs of infection may appear. This can be
a sign to other fish that this fish is weakened,
so you will want to
remove the affected individual to a tank of its own. Treat
with a medicinal level of salt in combination with slightly
higher
temperature
(But within the range of that species) to help facilitate the
immune response. Continue good
filtration and aeration.
Usually, if not
too severe, the fish will recover completely. Once totally
healed they can then be returned to their home tank. If hairy
fungus has started growing
on the wound, an antifungal medication available at your fish
store will be necessary. This will generally
be a tablet that dissolves into
the aquarium water, and is added over a few days.
A chunk is
bitten from a fish’s fins - Fins will heal quickly,
and even chunks will often grow back. The
plecos will tear up their
fins when spawning, but
they heal quickly. The concern becomes whether there is a
bully or aggressive fish in the tank. If so, put the
aggressive fish into a large net
breeder in the same tank, if possible, and let the victim heal
and establish itself within the tank. After about
a week, you can often release
the aggressor. If that fish resumes the aggressive behavior, put
them back into the breeder. I have often
solved aggression this way, but
if the aggression does not stop, put the aggressor into a different
tank of its own, or with larger fish. When
this works, the aggressor's
dominance was cut short by
his time in the breeder. Other fish step up, and the fish
being picked on heals,
and he/she may even take over the dominant position.
By removing the damaging aggressor, you are altering the
dynamics in the tank
so the bully can no longer
resume his injurious ways. This transition took place
while the aggressor was confined and impotent within
the net breeder, in full view of
the rest of the tank. This works best with fish that are
similarly sized. Sometimes a large net hung in the
tank will also work well when a
large enough breeder is not available.
If a
fish jumps out of a tank, how long can it survive?-
This seems like a no brainer. Fish jumps out, it dies. But that
is
often not the case. If you find
a fish on the floor, check to see if it has begun to
stiffen. If not, it may come back when put into the
water. I once had a Jewel
Cichlid survive over 90 minutes laying in carpeting. I have
known people that keep Oscar Cichlids, and one
woman I knew would literally
wrap their older adult Oscar in a wet towel, and lay him on the
counter while she took the tank apart
to clean it! Supposedly this
fish was used to it and was fairly accommodating. She says she
tries to get him back within 20 minutes.
Her oscar had been putting up
with this treatment for over 9 years.
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