Zoreta

I'm looking into getting a second tank, most likely as a tank to raise fry in, but possibly as a hospital tank. The LFS has a biorb that looks really neat, but I don't want to risk my fry. They also have a Lee's Kritter Keeper which, while not very attractive, is $30 less (even with necessary equipment) and doesn't have the turbulence issue I have heard biorb are involved with.

What do you guys think?

Lucy

Rectangle.

I use a Kritter Keeper for a Q tank sometimes. Ay the moment I have tadpoles in it. lol
The biorb doesn't give much swim room.

jdhef

Also, aren't bio orbs difficult to put a heater in?

Zoreta

Probably- the top doesn't look all that wide.

Now, I have a slightly different question- my two recently bought swordtails appear to be developing some kind of white dots on their tails, and I wish to quarantine them in the new tank as quickly as I can (the appearance of these dots is what brought on the sudden purchase of a new tank- I had planned to get one for Christmas, but I didn't want to risk a large-scale infection).
Should I take water from the main tank (a 20 gal) and put it into my new tank and let it settle for a week or so with monitoring, or should I start fresh and cycle with all new water? I'm unsure as to whether it is fungus or the beginning of worms, so I'm unsure as to whether the main tank's water is safe.

Dozey

It sound like ick. The water doesn't have any of the bacteria you need to cycle a new tank. However the filter media, gravel and decore are all good sources for bacteria.

Zoreta

So, put in some gravel and maybe a plastic plant from the old tank, but all new water? I thought ick eggs were in gravel? *is confused*

Lucy

I agree, you can do a quick cycle with fresh water using a peice of filter media and a handful of gravel from your established tank.

Edit: You're right the spores do live in the gravel..sorry about that. Forget the gravel.

Zoreta

So.. Just a plastic plant then. I just want to make sure I'm not bringing a carrier furniture into the hospital-brooding tank. The female sword who apparently has ick could be giving birth in three weeks, and I don't want to chance my little fry getting infected.

I'm a bit more than worried for her- one of her eyes looks like she might've bumped into something and hurt it (maybe trying to scratch herself). It's cloudy and the area around it is very swollen and looks damaged. I hope she isn't blind in that eye, it might stress her out to death or make her lose her fry.

Lucy

You can cut a peice of filter media from your established tank. That'll hold more bacteria than the plant.

Dozey

You can kill off the ick spores by raising the aquarium tempertaure to 83 deg. F.
However the fish that have the ick need to be medicated. The problem with this is that the medication causes your bio-system to crash. That is why it's best to treat just the sick fishies in a Q-tank. But both tanks need to have their temperatures raised to 83. Although there is some debate about the correct temp. being 83 or 84. But I've read several posts that folks were succussful at 83.

Lucy

Raising the temp will kill the ICH on the fish also, there's no need to medicate.
Just raise your temp slowly to 83F and leave it there for at least 2weeks. Increase aeration to make up for the lack of oxygen in the warmer water and do a good gravel vac to pick up the spores.
I had been saying 84F but as Dozey said, people have success at 83F.

Dozey

That's why Lucy gets paid the big bucks around here.

Lucy

Are you sending me a check Dozey? lol

Dozey

You betcha... Check is in the mail.

Shawnie

the only thing I worry about is if its ich, and you see it, its already infested the entire established tank..putting filter media in the new tank will infest that as well ich spores are everywhere...so IMO I would treat the infected tank and get that all gone first before putting anything in the new tank ....you cant start an ammonia cycle or raw shrimp cycle in the new one while you are waiting the two weeks for the old one to clear up ...

Lucy

Thanks Shawnie

Dozey, send that check to Shawnie. lol

Shawnie

yessssah that mean I can buy more fishies when the check arrives ?

Zoreta

Thanks for all your help, guys- I'll start the new tank tonight. After the two-three weeks it would take to cycle the new tank and treat the old, I'll start doing water changes with main tank water.

Thanks for all your help! I'm not sure if the female swordtail's eye will recover or not, but I'm hoping the popeye it is an infection rather than an injury- I'm using maracyn right now in the main tank.

dancerhas

The white dots on your fish are actually Cysts created by the ich. When the ich is in cyst mode it's impossible to kill (so I've read). Medicines, and high temperatures actually can only kill the ich when it's swimming around your tank. But don't worry, the ich actually only feeds on your fish for a few days, after that it falls off and can be killed. So medicating actually does two things.

A: prevents more ich from attacking your fish

B: Kills the ich that's on your fish once it detaches.

Also, not ALL medicines will kill your cycle. Some Meds like Mardel Coppersafe are virtually inert. Coppersafe is actually so stable it will stay in your tank for a month. Just replace whatever was taken out by water changes. (it'll kill snails though so watch out if you have one)

Zoreta

I have no snails- we've had a crab or two, but that's the extend of our non-fish aquarium experience. I finally bugged my mother (the real owner of the 20 gal- I'm just 'little helper') into getting an API master test, so I can monitor the new tank.

I'm not entirely sure how well medication works, as we have a charcoal filter and a bio-wheel for our 20 gal. I'm trying to find one that isn't nullified by the charcoal.

dancerhas

Coppersafe states in the directions that if your carbon is more than 6 days old you can just leave the carbon filter in the tank.