tHEcONCH

White Spot or 'Ich' is a protozoan parasite that attaches itself to fish. It is present in water everywhere, and will be in almost all freshwater tanks. The parasite goes through several stages over about 10-15 days (temperature dependant), including a free-swimming stage that can rapidly infect other fish. What it looks like: The visible stage of Whitespot looks like grains of salt stuck to the outside of the fish. It can appear anywhere on the fish but often attaches to fins and gill plates. What causes it: White Spot is invariably caused by poor water conditions in combination with stress - it is a sign the the fish's immune system is failing, allowing the parasite to take hold. As certain stages of the parasite cannot live in water above 28 degrees, it should be less of a problem in a Discus tank as the water should be already be that warm. What to do: As it is often caused by poor water, test the aquarium water to determine if filters etc are operating correctly. Do a large waterchange. Raise the temperature to 30 degrees, but make sure that there is adequate water motion to maintain good oxygen levels in the water (as the temperature of water rises, it holds less and less oxygen) - often you will need to add an airstone. There are several White Spot remedies available, most of which are organo-toxins that work by killing the free-swimming stage of the parasite. As Whitespot eggs can hatch out over a long period of time, most treatments take at least a week in order to break the lifecycle of the parasite - follow the instructions on the product and DO NOT OVERDOSE.

Forget all the chemicals. You need to add back the bacteria you've killed off. Clean the tank (done?), do a water change, and add bacteria (cycle / filterstart, etc.), wait. Once you can measure nitrite and nitrate you are on your way. Once you can measure ONLY NITRATE, you are ready to go.

Probably not

:lol:

Sounds just like people!

I don't mind paying a margin for good healthy fish - but diseased manky ones? No.

None of that excuses their apalling attitude toward animal welfare - all of those organisations have the financial clout to maintain proper systems and train staff, in fact given the investment you would have thought they'd have to make a good job of it. Very sad to see that they are actually now worse than a lot of the poxy little stores that make me cringe every time I go near them. I'm not going back to any Animates, nor will anyone else I know.

Furan2

Ah yes, you are right... I must stop surfing websites and trying to do work at the same time :oops:

Go halves with FMXMatt...

The true Flying Fox or Chinese Algae Eaters? Antimates, amongst others, always sell Chinese Algae Eaters as Flying Foxes for some reason - real Flying Foxes don't eat algae and are quite nippy.

This is what my face looked like the first time I lifted the big cover ->

It just depends on how much you want - the big blob of wavy zoos with sponge etc is $89.95 - if you want half, you pay half, etc. I think you should buy the whole thing because it looks cool, and it is also a giant biofilter with that big commenal sponge.

2nded

If you are going to spend that kind of money, you could just buy a small fancy plec instead

One bung heater in a system that size would have a negligable effect - they are idiots! If I buy and 'fix' the Oscar, will anyone in Christchurch give it a home?

Oh. I think I'll buy my cat biscuits from the vet from now on.

Stand in the middle of the pond waving a stick and yell 'Darty Varmits' as loud as you can...

Whitespot is dormant in all fresh water - it only becomes a problem when the fish gets stressed and the parasite can actually take hold. Its a bit like how humans always come into contact with germs, but seldom get infected - if we are healthy our immune system fights it off without us noticing - same for fish. 12 Litres is pretty small - the water might be dirty (filters don't remove everything), or it might have got very hot or cold, or worse, fluctuated between extremes - that will stress a fish to the point it can get sick.

Arowana?

Name: tHEcONCH Sex: Whenever I bump into another cONCH - its a messy affair. Age: Several seasons. Family: Eaten by large fish, or floating about the aquarium. Occupation: Sliding about, eating detritus and teasing the Banded Shrimp. Books: Are they eddible? Pets: Are good for eating. Hobbys: Sliding about, eating detritus and teasing the Banded Shrimp.

Dropped in to buy cat biscuits last Saturday and was horrified to see a thick carpet of cyanobacteria throughout most of the tanks, dead fish lying everywhere, and a poor little Oscar with horrible fin rot. The staff don't seem to give a rats... what is going on ?!?

They get BIG

Yes, any sort of Cory that takes you fancy would suit - stay away from Red or gold Plecs!

It can happen a few different ways - it can collect on sponge and then 'bubble up' to the impeller, and there's a process called 'cavitation' where the pump causes bubbles to form when the impeller spins through gas-laden water (like what goes into your tank with a big water change) - and it collects into a bigger bubble - they are usually blown through the filter, but not always.