yeh_buddy Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 K I was about to go to sleep tonight and I did the usual dreamy drool stare at my fish tank. The orange Pearlscale Goldfish was covered in a grey coating (only way i can discribe it is it reminded me of when my skin was peeling when I got sun burnt the other week) and its fins seemed to be clamped and fraying at the edge. This is the worse affected one in the tank the other goldfish seem ok. A bit fraying at the edge of the tails and a little disstressed. I have already lost a golden algae eater to what this is in my tank and if its the same thing I've had before it completely wiped my tank and dont want it to happen again. Of course my immediate reaction was to test the water parameters. Ph : 6. Ammonia: 0.25-0.50 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 0 My only guess is the Ph. But I did a water test yesterday nd the water was at 7 which the Ph is usually at. What would cause a crash when I havent done anything to the tank other than the regular water changes, and any suggestions as too how to get up the Ph minus the fish fatalities. I have shifted my favourites, (B.B Gobies, and Plec) to seperate tank as I DO NOT want to loose these ones and the tank is established. However I dont want to loose the ones in my big tanks as they are my Goldies, (orandas and pearlscales). Any suggestions on how to bring up the Ph, and things I can do to mimise the fatalities would be good. After doing the water change the oranda and two other pearlscales seem fine. Its just the original orange pearlscale that caught my attention in the first place that isnt looking any better. I dont know if I mentioned it but this change has only seemed to happen within the last few hours as the tank is next to my desk so when I was writing notes say 5pm they were fine, no sign of distress or cloudiness. Course I understand that it could have been building and just suddenly become to much for them and hit them but all the same it is somewhat distressing to them and me. I mean it could have happened while I was sleeping and I wouldnt have been able to do anything until the morning... some sort of fish distress alarm should be created... :oops: Anyways hoping theres some helpful suggestions out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 If white spot looks like the fish has been sprinkled with grains of salt then velvet looks like it has been sprinkled with fine pepper. It can be best identified by looking at the fish in the dark with a torch. If it is that then the other fish will be infected as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Your ammonia is high. I'd recommend lots of water changes with testing to get the ammonia down. I don't know what the covering on your fish is but for certain the high ammonia will not help. Not sure on the pH, as *knocks on wood* my pH has always been approximately 7.4/7.6. I don't know why your pH would drop from 7 to 6 but I'm sure someone here can give you advice on that one! Keep us updated...water change, water change, get ammonia to zero Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishybiz Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Put washed oyster grit in your filter or if you can't do that sprinkle on to gravel. This will raise the PH slowly so as not to stress the fish. OG is cheap at the pet shop and the bird one is also safe to use if they haven't got the aquarium brand. Use around 1 cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkLB Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 Hi yeh_buddy. I agree with Caper, the ammonia is too high. It should be 0.00. You've already done the best thing you could've done....a water change. I'd do them daily until the ammonia drops. How long has the tank been set up for? Has the filter been disturbed lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 fins seemed to be clamped and fraying at the edge. = weird ammonia problems. WC's and lots of them will help. (salt is a good idea too, but i bet you have already done that with Stress coat) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Update: Fish in the affected tank appear to be fine today the orange pearlscale which i thought wasnt goin to make it through the night is alive and fine. No gross weird slime covering very little signs of the fraying tails that I had last night. HOWEVER. The BB Gobies and the Chocolate Zebra Plec (King Tiger is fine so far) that I put into another tank with fine water parameters etc are dead with the same film covering of what the goldfish had last night. Yet the Siamese fighters that are the original tennents of the tank are fine. I am sooo mad. And to say the least puzzled. I put some Ammo lock into the main tank last night so I think that has helped. Along with generous handfuls of salt and stress coat, think ive almost gone through the whole big bottle Phoenix.lol Also the deal with waterchanges the tap water is above 7, the more waterchanges I do the lower the Ph drops. Its not making sense to me. So Im hesistant to do anymore for fear of the Ph dropping even lower. The tank has been set up for hmmm about a year. The only thing I had done was disturb the filter when a kuhli loach went up the filter, and change the sponge, still has the other filter medium though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Sorry about the loss of your fishies! I wonder if the ammonia had led to their death, maybe they were already affected before you moved them. I put into another tank with fine water parameters Even the pH??? I'm just wondering, you said that the more water changes you do the more the pH drops, what do you use to do the water changes? Is it possible whatever container your using could be doing it, although the water probably isn't sitting in the container for long so don't know if that would have any effect :-? When did you check the pH of your tap water last? Is it possible that the water department did something to the supply that put the pH down? You haven't added anything new to the aquarium have you? Hmmm, sorry so many questions :-? Oh, one more :oops: is the ammonia coming down? Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I checked the tap water before putting it into the tank today, the container i use is a bucket. SO I tested the water in the bucket and the Ph was around 6.8 Tested the ph of both tanks again and this is what I got: (after waterchanges) Small tank that is originally my fighter tank and had the 3 fish die in it, and didnt have the problem my big tank had: Ph: = 7.6 Ammonia = 0 Large tank with problem Ph: = 6.8 (so it is coming up) Ammonia: = 0.25 still hanging around I have been putting JLB Ph up stuff into the tank that was recommended to me, so perhaps that can account for the change in Ph. It is real gutting to have lost my favourite fishies, but perhaps I am doing something right considering the goldfish are looking much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 dont use that stuff to raise the pH. sometimes its not the pH its how the change is brought about... you can keep fish in all sorts of weird pH but then a sudden change in the pH can cause badness. it muddles around with how the fish sense the ions in the water. what's the nitrite in the tank like? (mind you if you have used ammo lock the readings will be false). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I checked the nitrates and nitrites readings before using Ammo lock as I am aware of receiving false reading because of that product and they both read 0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I wouldn't use all that stuff. Just do water changes. A pH of 6.8 is so close to neutral the fish would not know the difference and the changes in water chemistry will be minute if you do water changes regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I'm still curious though, if his tap water is reading a pH of 7 and he wasn't making any changes in the tank or to the water itself, why do you think his pH was dropping??? Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 With all the waste from fish and food there is a lot of chemistry going on in an aquarium and they tend to go acidic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 IMO - may or may not help The grey peeling look is normally caused by ammonia and a sudden spike is the most likely to cause problems. By the time you tested it the spike may have been coming down. My aquariums pH levels drop the longer the tank has been set up and its only regular water changes that keep my big tank at 6. Water here comes in at 7.4. Did you add salt to the tank the plec was in. I am not certain from what you have said. If so my understanding is that they are sensitive to salt. Otherwise the ammonia is most likely to have been the cause even though it wasn't obvious at the time. Sorry to hear about the losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 I'm still curious though, if his tap water is reading a pH of 7 and he wasn't making any changes in the tank or to the water itself, why do you think his pH was dropping??? Caper her please not his Also when I added the salt the plecs werent in the tank as I know they can be sensitive to salt. All that was in the affected tank at time of treatment were my fattie goldfish and female fighter. Did another test today and everything has seem to return to normal. Goldfish are happy and still being fat so yay. Still a bit upset by losses but who wouldnt be. It still catches me as weird for there to be a sudden spike, as I generally never have a problem with my tank, but I guess thats why they are called a spike. Im just glad it seems to have passed quickly, and without devastating my tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 her please not his :oops: :oops: So sorry :oops: :oops: Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 :oops: :oops: So sorry :oops: :oops: Caper All good I realise that the fish hobby is a more male dominated area than female, lol. On the positive side though, it makes the possibility of finding a male partner with the same hobby/love as me higher, now that I am happy about.lol :bounce: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joliet Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 All good I realise that the fish hobby is a more male dominated area than female, lol. On the positive side though, it makes the possibility of finding a male partner with the same hobby/love as me higher, now that I am happy about.lol :bounce: :lol: I'm a +1 for the Female Fish Enthusiast count :lol: (actually i think theres quite a few females on here) and I guess I'm lucky enough to have a partner whos even more enthusiastic than me! :lol: p.s, that would be Romeo! Hence Joliet .. yeah :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Sweet, I am not alone!lol If only I could be as lucky as you are to find another fish enthusiatic partner. *sigh* :oops: Love the names, lol. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted March 31, 2009 Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Funny thing is yeh_buddy...I'm female as well :lol: :lol: Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted March 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2009 Lol :lol: :oops: Thats awsm, another female Ahaha. I wonder how many others out there are females...hmmm I also wonder what the single men who have a fish keeping hobby ratio to females is :lol: :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 I am also female - but you probably already know that yeh buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 There's lots of us girls keeping fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted April 1, 2009 Report Share Posted April 1, 2009 I know it's off topic, but yes it's surprising to find out if someone is male/female. You can't really go by the names, well except in some cases, right Caryl Maybe we'll have to start a thread in the off topic section to see who is male and who is female!!! Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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