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Post by goldenpuon on May 25, 2016 16:22:00 GMT -5
Hi Carl! Thanks for getting back to me. I have to agree on Salyme looking at her (probably a her lol). A few weeks ago, Salyme was looking thinner, but seems to have put some weight back on looking at the pictures and at her in the tank. Salyme may well see her 10th birthday with me! Thanks for the info on Wickren. Salyme does suffer from the fin rot too, but to quite a bit more of a mild degree. I admit that I only do water changes about once a month, though there are only 4 goldfish in the tank and they are all under 5 inches I'd say. I'm trying to do them more often, though it is harder now that I am working full-time. No, I don't have a UV sterilizer. I agree that it is too late (plus these fish are quite old and (though it would be awesome), there is no fishy fountain of youth! Would you recommend the medicated wondershell (MWS) and elevated salt levels in between the MWS uses for the growth around Wickren's gill at well (not just the fin rot)? Or should I treat that a different way? Wickren DID NOT have that these past 2 years. The white growth appeared within the last month. I will keep StressGuard in mind for the future. I'd like to use it, but it appears to be toxic when used with MWS and I don't want to risk it in case there are still trace amounts of copper from the MWS in between the MWS treatments. Thanks again for the help! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on May 25, 2016 16:00:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies Carl and Troybtj and explaining the reasoning behind them. I do not use RO water or DI water. I think I'll use the Replenish in even tinier amounts than I have been (just to use it up in the next few years instead of throwing it out).
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on May 23, 2016 18:40:58 GMT -5
Hi everyone! I know that I haven't been on in ages. So besides my sick fish, I wanted to say hi and that I haven't forgotten about this wonderful forum or its awesome people! I have a couple issues related to my goldfish right now. 1. I have a goldfish that I have had 8 years named Wickren (the youngest goldfish I have) with 3 other ancient goldfish in a 40 gallon aquarium. A few weeks ago, I noticed that it had a white area around one side of its gills. I thought it might be missing scales, but that is not the case. Now it looks like it is a tiny bit raised and the white area is covering a larger area than it did before. I think it may have a little on its dorsal fin as well. I have noticed weight loss in this fish as well these past few months. However, this may/may not be related since after 8 years is typically about the age that my goldfish lose weight and their muscles atrophy from advanced age. Wickren does not seem to be acting sick in any way and is friendly and active. No other fish appear to be affected by the white growth. I have attached some pictures and a video (I was doing a water change at the time) below. My apologies for the poor quality. VIDEO: You can hear me specify which fish is which if you turn on the sound.vid457.photobucket.com/albums/qq297/goldenpuon/VID_20160522_192055598_zps3jheg2pw.mp4NOTE: I have some further background info that may not be directly related to this, but I feel is necessary to mention. 2 fish in the tank (Wickren and Salyme) have both had fin rot (I am aware that fin rot is not a disease in and of itself, but more a symptom) for at least 2 years. The other 2 goldfish in the tank have never been affected somehow. At first, I put in medicated wondershells which kept it under control. However, Carl told me that is not a good idea long-term. I medicated the tank with several different medications as per his suggestions and also tried medicated baths (this was also about 2 years ago). After trying a while with neither doing much, I gave up and switched back to the medicated wondershells. Thus, the goldfish have had medicated wondershells to keep the fin rot under control for the past 2 years. Luckily, the fish do not seem to have any ill effects from it that I can see. I try to only keep the medicated wondershells in 1/2 of the time (which unfortunately allows the fin rot to slowly progress). However, I imagine the fin rot and any other diseases kept at bay by it have probably developed a pretty good immunity to it by now. To the point, if I try to treat Salyme with something, there is a chance that it may not respond well to the medication due to the constant presence of the medicated wondershells. I also think that the white growing on Wickren may be a secondary infection due to a weakened immune system/that preyed on its damaged fins. 2. I also got some pictures of my oldest goldfish Salyme that I am considering euthanizing as humanely as possible with clove oil. I know his is a delicate topic as pets (even fish for people like us!) mean a lot to us. So my apologies if this topic causes any offense. That said, Salyme still eats well and is fairly active, but seems weak at times. I am thinking it may be time to go ahead with euthanizing this fish with clove oil since it is emaciated/has lost most of its muscle due to age-related atrophy, but am unsure. I have had the fish nearly 10 years. I was planning to euthanize the fish back in December of 2014 thinking its time had come when it first lost a lot of weight due to age and was thin, but not as thin as now. I held back which was the right decision at the time I think. The fish has been doing quite well considering its advanced age. As for whether to put the fish down now, I don't care how Salyme looks. My concern is that I don't want my pet to suffer. I don't want to keep the fish alive if it is suffering significantly, but don't want to end its life based on physical appearance if the fish is likely not or barely suffering. I am well aware that this is a personal judgement call and that there is no definite correct answer to this. So I guess, to my question, based on my description and the pictures and videos below, does Salyme seem to be suffering significantly? Thanks! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on May 23, 2016 18:23:04 GMT -5
Hi, I realized when I did a water change yesterday on my 40 gallon goldfish tank that I have been putting both Seachem Marine Buffer and Seachem Replenish during each water change along with a wondershell for years, but don't remember why! lol I haven't paid much attention to this before, but looking back, I think there was a reason for it. I typically only put in 1/3 or 1/2 of the recommended dose for each. My tapwater has a low KH (around 40-80 I think) and high GH. So to my question, is this overkill? If not, I will keep on doing it. Thanks! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 21:51:03 GMT -5
I am really enjoying these cat-fish stories! lol I have 2 cats of my own, both are old, fat and lazy. lol They never look at the fish or even seem to acknowledge their existance. Kind of like my mom who still believes that fish are just beautiful swimming creatures much like decorations even after many years of me telling and showing her to the contrary. These are some really amusing and fun stories. Come to think of it, I have had one of my cats (Squeaky) somehow get the cap off the fish food several years ago and start eating it. I have no idea how he did it since the cap was on tight, but I suppose it wasn't "cat proof". Yet another time, I was cleaning a filter and Squeaky started drinking the dirty tank water I was using. I was out of the room while this happened and he threw up after. Why he decided to drink it in the first place, I have no idea. lol Maybe because he is a glutton. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 21:39:10 GMT -5
Your goldfish and setup are absolutely gorgeous! They certainly leave my gravel-less 40 gallon tank with goldfish and plastic plants with a lot to be desired. It's really awesome that you name your goldies too. All of them look very healthy and your setup is immaculate! Thanks for sharing! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 21:32:57 GMT -5
Amazing video! The dolphin deliberately swim in place because it somehow "knows" the diver was helping it. After most of the line was removed, it swam away. I know that dolphins are extremely intelligent and seem to naturally love people, but how it knew this is beyond me and incredible. Thanks for sharing Carl!
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 21:19:03 GMT -5
I second that devonjognsgard! Both before and after the trimming, your tank looks spectacular. The neons certainly add some beautiful colors to your already stunning aquarium! They sort of remind me of pink and blue flowers on a grassy plain when I look at them in your photos. I had never thought of aquarium-decorating as an art-form before, but now I certainly do! P.S. I hope I'm not coming on too strong with the praise. I suppose I have just never seen tank setups so aesthetically pleasing before. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 20:23:29 GMT -5
That is a very good point Judy4fish! You bring up a useful topic on fish keeping: how important it is to observe fish's behavior and personalities. It can definitely help in knowing when something is up and when a fish's behavior indicates disease or just habits, learned behavior, or natural temperment. One example of this I have from my own fish a goldfish named Aztec (I like strange names lol) that loved to hide out some of the day, but enthusiastically begged and ate with the rest of the goldfish when I fed it. I knew not to worry if this particular fish hid a lot and/or was anti-social. If the others did it though that were normally very active and friendly, I would know something was wrong. Btw, I'm glad your tinfoil healed mostly. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 19:44:35 GMT -5
My fish love spirulna 20. Now that you all have mentioned the "taste" I find myself curious as to what it would taste like. That's really neat that people actually do eat spirulina (even though it tastes horrible).
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 13, 2014 19:38:55 GMT -5
That's unfortunate. It seems like test tube wasn't well-made perhaps. Well, at least Seapetal111's strategy can minimize the tubes breaking in most cases. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 12, 2014 22:39:07 GMT -5
Beautiful banner! Very-well done Steven!
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 12, 2014 22:35:10 GMT -5
I briefly read the updated material really like the information you added Carl. It is not only useful, but I really liked how you backed up the reason for not adding calcium via the kalkwasser too fast with a chemical equation and other scientific evidence to support your reasoning. Great job as always! P.S. I am taking a college biology class now with a heavy focus on chemistry and find I am able to understand and appreciate Redox and the role it plays for fish a lot more. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 12, 2014 22:30:06 GMT -5
Welcome to Everything-Aquatic Judy4fish. It is always great to have new members and am happy you found us. I certainly second you on the quality and research in Carl's articles. They are literally the best I have found (and quite possibly that exist period) on fish care. Sorry to hear about the cray fish killing your other fish as well. I hope you continue to enjoy the forum btw! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 22:58:34 GMT -5
I have had many air pumps that got noisy over the years. Like in your case, the Whispers were often the ones that got loud after a few years. I find Fusion and MillionAir that Carl sells to be much quieter and last many years without breaking or increased noise.
To add to what others have said, (and apologies that this is probably overly obvious), but when the pump got noisy, was the pump or the airline tubing possibly up against something that was causing it to vibrate and become louder? I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. I have had situations where I couldn't get rid of the noise no matter where I positioned the air pump only to notice it stopped when I moved the tubing.
I hope that helps!
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 22:47:40 GMT -5
Sorry to hear this. It sounds like your water is quite bad, but that you are putting a lot of effort into making it suitable for your fish. What are the parameters of your well water prior to being filtered and after including PH, GH, KH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? A vast difference in PH of your well water and tank water could be the cause. In the filtering process, are there any contaminants (I.e. bleach, paint, soap) that could have been brought into the water?What were your tank parameters after the water change including PH, GH, KH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? Also, if you have the PH of the water before the water change, that would be helpful too. For testing the water before it is filtered, you may want to let the well water sit for a bit to "gas out" before testing too. (I am not 100% letting it sit for a little helps, but it wouldn't hurt). If you have another water source, I would definitely recommend using it next time you do a water change until you figure out what's going on. IF the cause is a foriegn contaminant and not a PH crash or spike, I would recommend you try to do a water change as soon as possible of 25-50%. However, until you know, please do NOT change the water. If the fish are in shock from a rapid change in PH, then changing the water will do them more harm. Either way, darkening the tank may help. Though it won't save terminally ill fish, I have seen it reduce stress in many of my fish if they were ill or stressed and sometimes even get them acting as good as new if they were only mild to moderately stressed. Do you use RO water? If so, thought it is expensive, this would be a good idea to use for now. If not, you may want to consider it. I caution you though, that even though you keep cichlids and they prefer fairly acidic water, to make sure you add the appropriate amount of minerals/buffers to RO water before adding it. For more info on RO water, please see the below articles. Do Fish DrinkAquarium ChemistryI wish you best of luck and I really hope you find out what is causing this soon. Keep us posted! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 21:59:43 GMT -5
You're welcome. In my opinion, keeping fish is a hobby a person has to go through a little of a trial-and-error period to find out what works and what doesn't. I doubt that many people have no mishaps when keeping fish when they first start. So please don't me hard on yourself regarding your betta's passing. Renee Great point! While I have written many articles based on both long time observations and research, fish keeping is still far from an exact science. I would add that "mishaps" do not happen to beginners, but to experienced fish/aquarium keepers (myself included) I misspoke. Mishaps happen with seasoned fish keepers as well. Plenty happen to me too. Great point! While I have written many articles based on both long time observations and research, fish keeping is still far from an exact science. I would add that "mishaps" do not happen to beginners, but to experienced fish/aquarium keepers (myself included) Carl Every situation brings it's own set of conditions, some you know and some you likely don't, but you have to make judgment calls that can determine the outcome for your pet. Same with parrots which I've had for years and have also bred. Sadly, it does seem those errors and mishaps happen more often when it matters the most and you're trying your heart out to avoid them However, that's how life works, you learn from struggle, not from things going perfectly all the time. So, learned heaps from this plus from the trial with my red boy (other post on 'meds not resolving').. really key lessons.. so at least I feel leaps and bounds ahead in my ability to do even better for future fishy friends Thank you both Goldenpuon and Carl for all your assistance and support! Well said, seapetal111. One great thing and distressing about fishkeeping IMHO that you never stop learning. You did the best you could in this case and I can see you care much and try very hard to do the best for your pets. Though some of us would like it (like myself) in fiskeeping we can't and shouldn't expect perfection. You're welcome. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 21:37:05 GMT -5
Seapetal111, first thanks for all the time you spent helping! Here's some more love... input! Unfortunately, I can't say for sure I know what it is. I have heard of red or white fish waste being things like parasites, constipation, and/or liver failure? (I am not super sure of the liver failure possibility) I admit I am not the most reliable in terms of judging it as I have rarely if ever had fish with an actual confirmed parasitic infection. I used to have a goldfish named Foeneme that had a lot of stringy, white waste. The fish started to lose weight over the years (likely from advanced age and poor genetics). However, Foneme was in a tank with other goldfish for years that never came down with symptoms and the Jungle Anti-Parasite food and Neomycin I gave the fish on several occasions never made any difference. I guess the what I'm saying is if it clears up on its own, not to worry. However, based on what I read in Aquarium Medications and what Carl has said to me in the past regarding my own fish's issues, if you don't know what it is and decide to treat, that a Neomycin or metronidazole would be good choices. How long has this been going on? Yous said you had been holding the pictures a while. Best of luck with your fish and sorry I couldn't be of more help. Keep us posted. NOTE: I was unable to view the video since my computer froze due to a QuickTtime error whenever I tried to view it. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 20:16:34 GMT -5
Great suggestion! I had always thought I would just be stuck with the blue-hands look for a couple days after handling MB. lol Thanks for sharing! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 20, 2014 20:11:50 GMT -5
Great idea! One reason I have always steered away from using liquid tests is how easy it was to spill or break a tube. I really like your solution to that! Renee
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