rileyrk190

My angel fish has significant fin loss, and a white film over both of its eyes, and my blue gourami is very pale, bloated looking, and hangs out at the bottom. Does anybody know what is wrong with them? My other fish seem unaffected, but should i treat the whole tank? i have scaleless fish too. I have been adding the recommended dosage of garlic guard and vitachem to the water, but have seen little improvement. I lost my twig catfish today as well, but i think he may have got his nose wedged in a rock..but i'm not sure..

rileyrk190

also, the readings are all normal, except my tank reads zero nitrates.
Tank mates:
corydoras
silver dollars
banjo catfish
rubber nosed plecostomus
colored skirt tetras
gourami
angels
snails

COBettaCouple

Do you have pics? It sounds like you have more than one problem. My initial guess is fungus/fungal fin rot with the angel and parasites with the gourami.

If that's right, Rid-Fungus should be something safe to add to the tank. Parasite Clear or Clout would be for the parasites, but check the package for if it's safe with scaleless fish.

Are you doing daily water changes? I'd do about 25% daily unless using meds.

rileyrk190

no i havent been doing water changes..but i will go to the store tomorrow and get the meds, and start them asap. I have looked into what my angel has, and i forgot the name, but it says the cloudy eyes is a bacteria infection and recommends triple sulfa...

COBettaCouple

Hmm, do you have a q. tank that you could treat your sick fish in? Probably separate q. tanks for them actually since it seems like they have different problems and the less meds they have to get, the better.

Shawnie

so with 0 nitrates either two things are happeneing, one..you gotta really shake up that #2 bottle and bang it off a counter or something to mix those crystals or two, your tank is back into cycle mode...hopefully its just a false test reading ..are you using the api master liquid test kit?

rileyrk190

yes using api. i shook both bottles for 5 minutes lol. My bettas tank reads zero nitrates as well...could it be defective?

Shawnie

if the bottle was shook up good, and its not an old test, your tanks arent completely cycled without nitrates or its begun a mini cycle for whatever reason...

rileyrk190

I just dont understand why both tanks would be mini cycling... especially since the ammonia, and nitrite readings have stayed at zero for a couple weeks.... wouldnt they begin to spike? Also..i have not changed any of the substrate, filter cartridges, or ornaments in the tank, just regular partial water changes.

Shawnie

somethings fishy...(no pun in tended there) because with all the fish you have, you should have some nitrates..especially if its an established tank..what size is the tank?

have you ever had an ammonia or nitrite reading at all ?

rileyrk190

honestly, i dont know. When i first got my tank in december, i didnt really know about the nitrogen cycle. I took water from my ten gallon and dumped it in my 55g and waited a week before adding fish. Obviously i know better now, but i didnt start testing until a couple months ago, and i dont remember ever having a nitrate reading. I didnt know it was bad to not have one. I have three silver dollars, which are pigs and HUGE waste producers. Wouldnt i have ammonia readings if i didnt have nitrates? I think i am going to go have my water tested at my lfs just to see if maybe i am doing something wrong..

rileyrk190

I read somewhere that lava rocks, act as natural nitrate filters because they can hold so much bacteria...is it possible that my lava rocks are so efficient that there arent any?