armadillo

That's really cool. I really hope he makes it and then we can all go pfeeeew, close call.

Can't believe he jumped so high he hit the canopy. Blimey!

Are you going to find a new heater do you reckon?

capekate

Yes.. I will get new heaters for that asap! I know they are expensive when you get to 200w heaters, but will have to do it as soon as I can! I plan on getting some visa-therms for that tank. Maybe go with two 100's on each side.
~ kate

armadillo

Wow, fancy!

capekate

I find that the one 200w that I have in there now just barely keeps the water warm at 82-84* and that is summer weather! So its going to be colder in the house in the winter, since we don't keep the heat on very high during the day. So I think that Im going to need the heaters on each side of the tank just to be sure it stays hot enough for them. It really should be at least 85* in there now.
~ kate

capekate

UPDATE: I came home from errands to find Casper stuck to the filter tube again.. poor lil guy wasnt strong enough to pull himself away from it. But he was still alive so I scooped him up gently and put him back in the breeder net. I cant have him float around getting stuck like that, so will keep him in the breeder net/box til he gets better again.
Poor lil guy....

mlinden84

Glad to hear he made it through the night! It may take him a few days to recover, it might be for the best to keep him in the breeder box. I don't think the stress coat is harmfull if you keep using it. I've been using it daily on my sick betta (i do a 25% water change and add appropriate dose). I have found that it helps injured fish recover faster.
I would recommend adding 2 heaters instead of 1. I had one at first in my 55 gallon, but ended up switching to two as it wasn't doing a good job of heating the tank.

capekate

Hi Mlinden
Here is a something interesting that was quoted to me about the stress coat:
Stress Coat: Dont use it on any fish for any reason. Its a basic de-chlor ( sodium thiosulfate) and aloe vera extract. When a fish is stressed they generally produce excess mucus which besides coating the fish, also coats their gills. This cuts down on gas exchange. The aloe also does the same thing, coats the gills , not something a stressed fish needs. A bit of salt to help would be a better idea.
Sooo.... This person is saying that the fish produces the same thing the stress coat does, and I guess we would just be over doing it if we added the stress coat and it would coat the fish more than it should be. Its something to think about for sure. I wish I knew more about this... The person that said this is very knowledgeble about fish keeping. Wonder what Dino would say about this? Is stress coat good for our sick fish or not?
~ kate

mlinden84

Hmmm....what that person said makes sense I guess... I know that stress coat is advised when fish may have lost their natural coating (like when you use a net, etc). I would be very interested to find out the answer... and if i'm doing my fish more harm than good (even though they all seem to get better when I use it). If you find something out, let me know! I wouldn't want to hurt my fish by using it!

How's Casper doing? I was thinking too, if he's not happy in the breeder net, do you have another tank you can move him to so he can swim but be by himself? (like a 10 gallon or something?)

capekate

I dont have a quarantine tank at the moment.. I ended up getting more Betta's instead. I can use the tank divider tho, and I probably will do that tomorrow. I would rather keep him in the tank, at least near the other Discus so that he won't feel so alone. I read that discus really need to be near each other and its not good to keep them alone.
At least this way he is near the others and is in the same tank. Earlier he was laying on his side again. But then next time I looked he was back upright again. Poor baby..
Im going to use some salt tomorrow and see if that helps him.
I will keep update posts on him.
Im going to bed soon and pray that he will still be with us in the morning... I really love that little guy.
~ kate

capekate

PS...
forgot to mention Mlinden.. I will see what I can find out about the stress coat and I will let you know..

nicole

Hi Kate..I've had a discus burn itself on a heater not so long ago and the marks your describing sound the same..although mine wasn't showing signs of weakness like yours,but that could be from knocking himself around...I've read your post over at simply,so my advice is to take their advice.LOL.I truly hope he picks up soon.

nicole

Sorry Kate that smiley is not supposed to be in my thread...I'm having so much trouble with my computer the last few days.

capekate

Well, today I put up the divider in the 55g and put Casper on that side and out of the breeder net. I did a partial water change as well. He seems very skittish and jumps and darts at the littliest thing. Poor guy... I put a smaller discus his size in with him so that he wont be alone on that side of the tank. I would use some salt but need to find out if iodinized salt is ok for them, or do I need the salt that does not have iodine in it.
Any suggestions?
thanks, kate

mlinden84

Ok so it just about took me an hour to find this thread... I'm gonna be that person and say that I don't like the new changes (bah humbug... lol i don't do well with change... plus my computer is slow so this takes SOOO much longer to load!)
ANYWAYS.... I hear ya on the hospital tank! Mine is currently housing my african cichlid fry. Good think the only ones who really get sick are my bettas (knock on wood) but since they are alone I can treat them in their own tanks.
I'm so glad Casper is still hanging in there. Can't say I blame him for the way he's acting.... It probably scared the little guy! I think the divided tank is a great idea. Best of luck with him!

voiceless_kat

Kate, I am so happy to hear that Casper is still hanging in. Perhaps this will be the change he needs to heal. Watch for PM.

Next thing, I am curious about the stress coat info you got. Are you still using it?? We will chat, since I use stuff with aloe in all the time.

Regarding the salt, I am pretty sure you have to use aquarium salt, and not iodized salt.

Keep us posted.

Mlinden.............I am with you, I don't like the new changes either.

Good thoughts coming Casper's ( & your) way!!!

Val

capekate

I got up this am to find Casper swimming around today, so far, so good. He still seems to be having a problem eating.He goes up to the brine shrimp but still cannot seem to take it in his mouth. The discoloring under his chin has gone away. He must be feeling a little better since I observed him trying to chase the other little guy away from some food in the gravel. Still keeping my fingers crossed that he will come out of this fine.

Val, thanks for the advice, I will find some aquarium salt when I go to Petsmart tomorrow.
:-)

nicole

Hi Kate,
I've done some checking around for you and non iodised salt is preferable..basically any salt thats not iodised..rock salt ect...hope this helps.

capekate

Hi Nicole
Thanks so much for checking that out for me. I ended up buying Plain Salt ( non iodine) But the ingredients read: salt and sodium silicoaluminate. so I googled it and its an anti-caking additive. So I cant use that. So will get some aquarium salt tomorrow. Im hoping that the cardinal tetras will be able to tolerate the salt too. I hope so..
tonight Casper seems to be doing pretty good, swimming around all day with no laying down on his side. :-) Im still keeping him on the other side of the divider tho, since where he is has no running water from the filter, and I think he can use the calmer water right now til he regains his strength.
thanks again.. ~ kate