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Post by goldenpuon on Jul 13, 2014 17:42:38 GMT -5
Welcome fjb2! It's nice that you breed cichlids and that you turned it into a business. Many cichlids are quite beautiful IMHO.
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Jul 13, 2014 17:39:56 GMT -5
Welcome to Everything-Aquatic lexymom! Despite not being on as much as I would have liked these days, I joined Everything Aquatic over half a decade ago after seeing how accurate the information here is and the honesty of the Carl in how he does business. It has definitely saved the lives of a lot my fish! I hope you enjoy it here lexymom and I'm glad that the information here helped you so much with your fish! Renee
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Hi
Jul 13, 2014 17:31:23 GMT -5
Post by goldenpuon on Jul 13, 2014 17:31:23 GMT -5
Welcome grebe! I hope you enjoy it here! I second that about the foster kids ameenah. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Jul 13, 2014 2:07:46 GMT -5
A very belated welcome to you angelminx! You seem like you have a great history caring for animals. I hope you enjoy it here! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Nov 6, 2013 21:16:18 GMT -5
Awespome news! I added a large medicated wondershell and it seems to be working very well! Salyme and Wickren's fins are growing back with healthy tissue! Keep my fingers crossed!
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 28, 2013 16:04:59 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply! I think I am just going to try for the wondershell for now. It kept the fin rot away for months before so hopefully, it will be affective enough even though the fin rot has worsened. Baths are very stressful for me (not just the fish! lol) and honestly doubt I would have the time or energy for 2 a day. It hurts to see the fish panic in the net and bath and with all the clean up-assuming no stains- takes me about an hour. If I was less stressed out with school and other real life obligations, I would try but as much as I'd love to do that, they only have 1-2 years left if they are anything like the other goldfish. If the medicated wondershell doesn't help, I will try the Kanaplex and Erythromycin combo. NOTE: I actually treated with Kanaplex AND Furan 2 last night, NOT just Furan 2.Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 26, 2013 19:32:53 GMT -5
lol I think I would give my mother a heart attack if I did and have to wash it off outside! Brrrr! LOL Unfortunately, the fin rot is back. A couple days ago, I noticed a fin tear. Well, now the fish's fins are being eaten away again. I have extremely little time these days and little energy to do a lot. It is now attacking Kona, a fish that was not affected by the fin rot last time now too. Any ideas, should I just put in a medicated wondershell every time or try something simple since that seems to work every time temporarily? Nothing seems to be working and if Salyme lives 8 years as the rest of my goldfish have that have died, it has under a year left. Kona and Hansel have a bit longer than Salyme and Wickren 2 years if I remember correctly, if they all go rapdily downhill right before I have had them 8 years that is as the others have. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 21, 2013 20:58:38 GMT -5
Thank you! I wish I had done more baths for the fish, but at least there were no MB spills! lol
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 20, 2013 19:44:53 GMT -5
Hi and once again sorry for my absence (I have spent most of my waking hours doing homework and when not doing that, chores and other obligations). I just wanted to update everyone on how the fish are doing. Their fins are growing back and though they have a long way to go as far as regrowing and though their fins will probably never grow back fully, I am very thankful they are doing better! During the course of treatment, I only managed to do about 4-5 baths total and they recovered fast from the baths. I just pray that the fin rot stays gone now. Carl, I checked my PM outbox and you are right- somehow the message never sent! I'm sorry about that. I know that I wrote it but maybe there was an error or even forgot to click the send button before I closed the browser. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 5, 2013 23:28:43 GMT -5
I resumed treating in-tank yesterday after letting a filter carbon run in the tank a day(I forgot to take it out after only 1/2 a day) I also realized that the Kanaplex says 1-2 scoops per 5 gallons, not 1-2 scoops per 10! I was giving about a scoop per 10 so I was giving the fish a half dose. :/ Today is my 2nd (technically as of last night) day of my 2nd 4 day bit of treatment with Furanb 2 and Kanaplex. I ordered Furan 2 a few days ago(I ran out tonight). I also noticed the fish breathing a little heavily as if I had overmedicated or their water quality was bad. I checked the wate rand everything is fine so I put in a filter carbon for a few hours just in case. Then I am taking it out (which will be 2:30 in the morning. O.O ) lol P.S. Carl, I was wondering if you got the PM I sent on October 2nd? I know you were going on a short vacation so you may not have seen it/be able to check now.Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 2, 2013 13:43:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply! However, it looks like I may not have been clear in my last message about what medications I am using. To clarify, I have been treating with BOTH Kanaplex and Furan 2 for a total of 4 days. (From Sept 27-Sept 30th) These are the only medicines I have been using in-tank.
I have also been using BOTH Furan 2 and Kanaplex in the baths plus Methyline Blue and am going to use epsom salt as well in the baths. Is using Kanaplex and Furan 2 for baths okay even though I am treating in-tank with them as well? That is why I wondered if I should use both Furan 2 and Kanaplex in the bath since I am already treating with both in-tank and was unsure if it was necessary.
As per instructions on the Furan 2 box, I treated 4 days and did a 25% water change. Since you recommended treating for 10 days, I am wondering if I should wait, put in the carbon, and/or change out more of the water before continuing with the Furan 2 for the remaining 6 days. I am using caution because the box only mentions 4 days and do not want to accidently overdose if there should be a 1-2 day waiting period before I continue with the Furan 2. I am also using Kanaplex in combination with the Furan 2 as you suggested and have been doing that for the entire treatment period.
Thanks again for all your help and I hope what I am saying makes sense! If not, please let me know.
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Oct 1, 2013 21:26:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the quick response Carl! I am glad it is likely jus the fin. t I did the first bath today and managed to catch both with food and tupaware. I got concerned because they were both breathing heavily in the bath and still breathing hard over than a 1/2 hour after they were back in the tank. I used my hands to catch them out of the bath (I have done this before with other goldfishwith no ill effects) and they panicked. I forgot where the epsom salt was and ended up finding it a few hours after the bath. But I did use both Furan 2 and Kanaplex in the bath plus a double or triple dose of Methyline Blue. They got a 20 minute bath this afternoon and tonight a 25% water change. I have now treated the fish four times over a 4 day period with the Furan 2 as per the instructions(from Sept 27-Sep 30th). That appears to be a full treatment period from reading the box. However, I am treating for 10 days. I did NOT give the fish any treatment with Furan 2 or Kanaplex this evening when I did the water change and have NOT a add a filter carbon to get rid of any. I did not treat with the water change I did because I am unsure if I should do a larger water change or wait to avoid overdose in case that is a possiblity. That said, can I go ahead and resume treatment with the Furan 2, or do I need to change out more of the water first beforehand or add a filter carbon to get rid of some of it first?
Also, I realize that I could have added the Kanaplex when I tonight safely when I did the water change but am going to hold off until tomorrow when I will likely hear back about the Furan 2 just to be safe. It's also more convenient and easier to keep track of the treatment when I treat with both at once. P.S. I managed to do a bath for both Salyme and Wickren- were struggling and splashing a lot- without a single MB stain! NOTE for own referenence: Last treated with Kanaplex day 3 of treatement aka Sept 29th around 9-10pm Sunday Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 30, 2013 20:43:49 GMT -5
Thanks for letting me know. I hadn't known this. I use both in the bath in this case since using both Kanaplex and Furan 2 is quite essential in this case assuming mild Columnaris. I have some good and bad news. There are signs of new fin growth in both fish already. Part of the bad is that the fin isn't healthiest (the veins at the edge are a bit red) so hopefully that won't cause problems. Second, Salyme seems off balance when swimming and a bit weak (much worse IMO). This may be because 1/2 of one of its pectoral fins is missing but I am unsure. The fish is not skinny and has no curve in its spine. Thus, I am assuming the swimming at a slight angle to due to the fin. As for the weakness, the many water changes and medicating have probably played a part, but most is probably from illness. Wikcren on the other hand seems to be acting normal. Hansel and Kona still have zero signs of fin rot. My guess is that whatever is causing the fin rot is opportunistic and keep attacking Salyme and Wickren's fins because they were already damaged and the fins probably not as healthy from previous bouts from the fin rot over the past year. I will keep you posted! First baths planned for tomorrow since I finally have a day with a bit less going on. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 29, 2013 21:35:00 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply Carl. Since I don't own a gram scale, I think it might be too risky to measure both Kanaplex and Furan 2 for the bath. Because if I accidently overdose in the bath and lose track of time (which happens if I start doing something else while I wait for 20-30 minutes to pass), it could hurt the fish, I am going to try just Furan 2 or Kanaplex in the baths. Though it won't be quite as effective, I feel safer with this method plus measuring will take less time since I will have to measure out one medicine less. I will be using Methyline Blue in the baths- I used it a few times when I had bettas and they seemed less stressed after a bath in MB. I am also going to be using epsom salt in the baths, but at 1/2 the maximum amount since these fish could be sensitive and the swelling is minor and only in Salyme, not Wickren. The fish are on their 3rd treatment today. I am not sure if they are getting better yet or not. However, I have not had time to start baths as changing 25% of the water takes 45 minutes and did 5 hours of homework Saturday evening alone. I am planning to start on baths-or tomorrow if I can though I have 4 hours of class and plans after. :/ Thanks for letting me know. I will only use 1 scoop of Kanaplex for the in-tank treatment from now on then. I understand and really wish Google's algorithm didn't push back such accurate and essential sites like Everything-Aquatic and Aquarium Answers. I set DuckDuckGo as my home page when I start my browser. It loads faster than Google and am going to see about getting my mother to use it too. Also, sorry for not being on much lately (other than the past few days). I never stop going or get everything I want done these days with 15 credit hours and such. I would definitely be on a lot more if I time wasn't so scarce for me these days! lol Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 29, 2013 1:36:42 GMT -5
Thanks so much for the thorough answer Devon! Oops. I was in a hurry and must have misread that. Thanks for the clarification. I'll try to increase the KH and GH of my water- which of course raises the PH as well. Since a constant PH is so important (I don't want to stress the fish more) and my water is already good, it will be only a little bit. Could having the double dose Furan 2 and Kanaplex in the baths plus the epsom salt and Methyline Blue in the baths too be overkill or hurt the fish (aka overmedicating)? Do you have any tips of measuring out the Furan 2 and Kanaplex for the bath? I plan to do the baths in 1 gallon of water. Since a normal dose is already in the water for the medicines, to double the dose for the bath, for the Furan2 I will only be adding 1/10 of a packet (1 packet treats 10 gallons). The Kanaplex requires even less per 10 gallons and will be even harder to measure out. I was thinking of tiny measuring spoons but even those could be too big to measure right! lol If there isn't a way I can accurately measure the amount of medication, I'd rather be safe and not use a double dose in the bath than overdose and hurt the fish. I have epsom salt I can use in the bath and some Methyline Blue. Last, when reading the instructions for the Kanaplex, the container said to use 1-2 scoops measuring spoon it comes with per 10 gallons. I used roughly 1.5 scoops per 10 gallons. Because I am also treating the tank with Furan 2 now and going to be doing baths, should I use 1 scoop instead of 2 to be safe in case of overdose or is 2 scoops better given the severity of the fin rot? Thanks so much for the help! Sorry about all the questions. I want to get this right. P.S. I started using the DuckDuckGo search engine. I like it so far. Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 27, 2013 22:03:51 GMT -5
Thanks Carl. I spent $3000 for the car and another $2,000 to fix rapidly newly appearing problems. A hosde broke off the assembly and is at the least $500 to fix. Furthermore, as a result of the hose breaking, antifreeze is leaking out in a puddle under my car as soon as I readd it. My dad checked out the car when I bought it and ignored many red flags and discoruaged me from asking questions. He wants me to fix it still. *eye roll* It's going to a junkyard- it literally spent half its time in a repair facility and only put under 2,000 miles on it- which is awful considering it is only 8 years old and had only 116,000 when I got it! Moving on... sorry about the rant... I would agree-that genetic and that not treating every day due to lack of time did not help. The temperatures are cooler now (my guess is around 72 in the tank. We have generally kept the house slightly cooler in previous years in summer, but I guess that could have been a minor contributer. During the water change, I noticed that the edge of Salyme's dorsel fin has some mild hemmoraging (veins on fin are red) and a tiny bit of white as if Saprolegnia or Columnaris is attacking the fish. It seems that a Kanaplex/Furan2 combo is still a smart choice in this case based on my reading. Is this correct?
I did the 50% water change today (they are getting worse fast) and am about to treat with Kanaplex/Furan 2. I was reading the Aquarium Medications for Furan 2 and Kanaplex and read under Furan 2 to treat for 10 days. How long would you recommend I treat? 10 days as it suggests? Also, I read that Kanaplex is more effectively at higher salt concentrations. Since the fish seem to be having some problems with fluid retention and to make teh Kanaplex work better, should I raise the salt level and by how much? I was thinking of having a total of about 2 or more tablespoons per 5 gallons for 10 days (or however long) I treat.
Also, (sorry for all the questions!), for the baths, would you recommend the Furan 2/Kanaplex combo in the bath even though I'm treating in-tank too? What would be best to use for baths if you feel I should still do these as well? I will definietly aim to do the baths every day if you feel they are a good idea to do in addition to the in-tank treatment. However, if due to my crazy school schedule, I sometimes end up doing the baths every 2 days, would that be okay?
NOTE: I wanted to start baths for the fish today but am kind of drowning in homework at the moment. :/ I also do NOT want to go overboard on medicating and water changes as I know that can be as bad as undertreating.Thanks so much for the help!
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 26, 2013 20:19:40 GMT -5
Just tested the water and added a fresh filter carbon.
Nitrate: 10-15 Nitrite: 0 GH: Almost 300 (normal since we have high GH tapwater) Chlorine: 0 KH: about 150 PH: 7.6-7.8
The water looks very good to me. I remember testing the water previously and getting a nitrite reading that looked like it was above 0, like 0.25 or so. However, I vary what tests strips I use (whichever are cheapest) and am not totally sure the nitrite was slightly elevated because that may have been the lighting plus some test strips that take are more of a dullish white and not pure white out of the box.
Note: I know it is likely the fish are genetically weak and fairly old - Kona, Hansel, and Wickren I believe I got sometime in early 2008 and late 2007) but want to do everything I can for them within reason.
Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 26, 2013 20:07:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the info everything! I am very sorry I took so long to reply! My car is going to go to a junkyard (broke now again) and I am taking 15 college credit hours this semester. I really appreciate the help and sorry about the huge delay in my response. I finished with the Triple Sulfa. I ended up giving 2-3 days between treatments instead of one due to extremely high stress with my school and car and little time. I waited a bit after I finished treatment and it appears to have been wildly ineffective. Wickren's anal fin is gone and I'd say both Wickren and Salyme have lost 33% of their finnage if not more at this point. Hansel and Kona still appear unaffected still and so did Nemo which I had to put down with clove oil after it laid on the bottom of the aquarium for 2 days. I realized it would have probably just keep suffering for there for another 2-3 days before it actually died if I hadn't ended its life as humanely as possible at that point. I admit I have not done a water change to remove the Triple Sulfa yet and just readded filter carbon (about 3 weeks since last water change). I am doing a 50% water change tomorrow to remove the Triple Sulfa and am doing baths, a Furan 2 /Kanaplex combo in the tank, or both. Both affected fish are very friendly and got nuts over food so hopefully I can lure them into a gallon plastic container with food for everyday baths instead of netting them every time. Netting the fish is emotionally scarring for me and loath doing it. I also added a large regular wondershell again since Salyme eyes look like they are sticking out more than they should (I had added a large regular wondershell a month ago that since totally dissolved). (Kona no longer has minor popeye after I increased the salt in the water for about a month which was about 3 months ago now). I suspect the fish are having trouble with osmoregulation and that poor redox and improper mineralization is the cause of many of these problems. As was mentioned in the Fin Rot article, I suspect something with the water may be an issue. I typically check the water when the fish are acting strange and if not then, seldom (about every 1-2 months). I have been using the same system for many years to keep the water quality good and typically automatically pretty much know the amount of buffers and other non-disease related medicines to keep the water good when I change out water. I am going to change this and go back to testing weekly or more often like I did in my early days with fishkeeping. I would like to also ask if that the water in the fish tank was averaging 77-78 F all the time for about 3 months this summer could have triggered the fin rot or contributed to so many deaths.Thanks again for the help everyone! I will keep you posted. I know they are fish, not cats or dogs, but please pray for my two fish with fin rot. I have lost 6 goldfish this year after over 7 years of no deaths and don't want any more to die or end up permanantly finless and handicapped from this! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Sept 6, 2013 0:03:33 GMT -5
Okay, so the fin rot came back. I have been doing water changes strictly once a week. I haven't been vaccuuming but that tank hasn't needed it although it looks like it will be due pretty soon. Wickren, whose anal fins was gone a little of the way before this case of fin rot struck from past cases of the disease has lost its anal fin almost completely now. Salyme's fins appear to be in poor shape ( white edges and bits of the edges about to fall off). The same goes for Wickren. However, Salyme looks a little pale and may be acting up a little due to the fin rot. Nemo also appears to have a mild case of fin the disease judging by the shedding it is having of its caudral fin.
However, what is strange is Hansel and Kona's fins seem intact. They were bought at the same store at the same time years ago .
I have been treating with Triple Sulfa for the past 4 days (barring one I missed). I am unsure if it has helped or not. I missed a day (yesterday which also required a water change) due to getting together with family for Jewish New year and running around to get college textbooks. I treated with The Triple Sulfa today however along with a water change. The fin rot is on the higher end of moderate, not mild at this point although I wonder why it took so long to affect the fish. :/ I am going to give the fish more than a total of 4 doses (according to the Triple Sulfa box) with water changes between doses to see if it will help. I tested the water during the water change. PH: about 7.5 KH: 120 about Nitrate: about 25 Nitrite: 0-0.5 roughly (possibly higher due to a fish dying, hard to tell from poor lighting) Hardness: forgot exact number but on the higher side which is normal for my tapwater and aquarium water Also, Aztec died. It was doing very well and the other fish were leaving it alone. Then I woke up in the morning to see it had a shredded tail fin and was very weak and at the bottom. I put a fake plant near the filter to block it off. Aztec died 2 days later showing mild dropsy symptoms near the end- my guess from its body shutting down and sitting at the bottom for 2 days. (I had planned to put the fish down to put it out of its misery when I came home the afternoon I found it dead. ) Nemo is slowly worsening shape and has definitely atrophied. I suspect it will die or have to be put down in the next few months. I pray that the Triple Sulfa works! I only have 5 fish total left at this point and am very concerned! Renee
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Post by goldenpuon on Aug 20, 2013 15:12:48 GMT -5
Thanks. I'm trying my best. I'll definietly add the wondershells when I get them. As for the meds, I may or may not use them now but they're good to have on hand.
Renee
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