mccubbins07

ugh so my rainbow sharks sorta have this white spot going on on there bodys not like a little salt dot that ick has at least thats all i have been able to find but the look like mm a port wine birth mark but white and on a fish lol... if any one can help me with that i would love it..
also the eyes of my balla sharks are getting sorta cloudy and i think its cause of a bacterial infection but i dont know for sure.. lol
so anything would help please i know that bacterial infections are common with a fish gets ick and i believe my ballas have it. we are starting treatment tommorow..
o yea and would that make my fish randomly die like 6 or 7 fish have died in the beg. i found out that we had new tank syn. and thats way better but last night 2 fish died again ugh

Lucy

Hi welcome to Fish Lore
I'm really sorry about your fish.
Is this the 30g? What fish and how many of each are in the tank?
Your info says you know about the nitrogen cycle. Do you know the readings for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates?
Since the tank is new I would guess they're feeling the effects of an uncycled and possibly over stocked tank.

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore!!

sorry about your fish
Do you know about the nitrogen cycle?
What are your readings for ammonia nitrite and nitrate?
Do you have a test kit?

Sorry for all those questions, but it helps us determine what could be happening to your fish.

Alright, lets get started!
ICH: Ich, is a parasite, that grows on your fish. IT can be caused by many things, such as unstable water conditions, poor health, etc.
There are several ways to cure it.
Most of us dont like to medicate our tanks, so we do it the old fashioned way
we raise our temperature to about 84- 85 degrees. The parasite cannot ive in such warm waters, so it dies. YOu have to keep the temperature at that level for 2 weks, while syphoning twice a week to remove all ich particles and spores.

Your fish´s deaths could be caused by many things, but as you stated, you have just ofund out you have new tank syndrome, then they are most likely dying from ammonia poisoning.

You see, when we first start our tank, it is clean water. Tehn, when you introduce a fish, the fecal matter they create (poo) decomposes and creates ammonia. Ammonia is harmful to fish at any level. Within time, a bacteria is created that breaks down the ammonia and turns it into nitrite. Nitrite is aso toxic to fish. Within time, the same bacteria turns it into nitrate. This is also toxic to fish.... JUST KIDDIN
nah, nitrate is only toxic to fish if it is above 20 PPM. So anywhere below 20ppm, is safe.

With time, the ntrate starts buidling up. Thats why we do Waterchanges weekly to keep the levels down at a safe level, and to aso give regular maintinance

Now, you must do the following to prevent any more fish deaths

You need to find some Prime ( it is made by seachem, they sell it at most pet stores)
This product, will detox the ammonia for 24hrs. You see, when cycing with fish, you need to do daily waterchanges to keep the ammonia evels as low as possible. Prime wil detox it for the first 24hrs, so by the time you do your next wc (the day after) you will dose again.

There is also another way to cycle. You coul go out and buy TETRA SAFESTART. This is the ONLY product out in the market that contains beneficial bacteria that starts your cycle, making it safe for your fish at the same time. You basically dose the tank, while adding the fish at the same time. The tank should be cycled within 7 days.

Wheew! i jsut gave ya tons of info!
i hope i didnt scare ya


EDIT:
MAN i feel SLOW! Lucy beat me

just kiddin lucy!



Also, fee free to post any queastions, that´s what we´re here for

mccubbins07

yea its the 30 it has 2 ballas, 2 rainbow sharks 1 albino pleco, 1 silver$, 2 chinese alge eaters...
the ammpnoa is pretty high we are gettin a reducer tomorrow we have put aqarium salt in to help the nitrates or the nitrites i forget and that all we have really done.. i dont know what else to do we have been doing water changes alot lately to get rid of the new tank syn. and now we have this going on ugh

Tony G.

If youre gona get a product i suggest prime,, like i said up there ^

mccubbins07

mmmm so when i put the prime in that reduces the amonia or do i still need to buy the reducer im so confused this is the only tank that has ever giving me a pain in my hinny

also mmm could the eyes of my balas be gettig cloudy for a bac. dsease i was told that when fish get ick that they can also get a bac. disease?
also what happens if there not sick from ick and i treat for it?

Tony G.

The prime wil do. Read the info i typed above, i am sure i covered most of it.

Do a 50 percent waterchange to lower the ammonia. Dose with prime. Leave for 24hrs. Do another WC, add the prime. Do this over and over untill your tank finishes the cycle. UNLESS, you could buy TETRA SAFESTART.
DO NOT BE FOOLED BY OTHER PRODUCTS; THIS IS THE ONLY ON THAT CONTAINS THE RIGHT BACTERIA. Even if your pet store employee says its no good, trust us. They just want to sell, we care for the fish!

Lucy

Thanks for clarifying some things.
Here are the profile for some of your fish.
Bala Shark
Rainbow Shark
Chianese Algae Eater
As you can see, these fish need a much larger tank than you have.
Please also read about the Nitrogen Cycle
IMO, your fish are suffering from the effects of the ammonia, incompatable tank mates and wrong tank size.

I would suggest you do a huge water change now, at least 50% to reduce the ammonia tonight and return your fish to the store tomorrow. They cannot live in a 30g tank. They'll produce too much waste for that amount of water and quickly out grow the tank.
Ammonia reducers aren't going to change the situation.
I'm not 100% positive, but I don't think the sharks, pleco or algea eater handle salt very well, I'd suggest you not use it.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be harsh, but there's no way this situation can work

AlyeskaGirl

I agree with Lucy. That tank is way too small for the fish you have. Silver Dollars are also a schooling fish and grow to approx 6 inches.

mccubbins07

interesting... we do water changes every other day.. see everyone says that the ammonia will go down if you do a huge water change.. ours hasnt its gone down a little bit but nothing big, opps the salt has been in there sense this morning.. =[ there swimming more so i thought it was working.

we were thinkin about gettin a 50g soon for xmas and moving these fish in to there..
ugh

Lucy

Wow, your ammonia must be off the charts if you're not seeing much of a difference.
Again, I'm sorry, but 50g's just isn't going to cut it for these fish.
I'm not that good with larger tanks and fish, but if I were to guess, I'm thinking you'd need at least 150g's

Daily water changes of at least 50% (maybe tomorrow do 50% in the morning and 50% in the evening) using Prime to detox the ammonia will buy you a little time to try and get the tank cycled, but seriously, you're going to need a huge tank or return your fish.

Best of luck whatever you decide to do.

mccubbins07

i cant return the fish its been more then 15 days.. ugh
you dont think they will just grow to the size of the tank.
cause the sites we looked at before we bought them all said 30g.
ugh..

Lucy

When you see things like they'll grow to the size of the tank, what that really means is that it will stunt their growth. This very unhealthy for the fish, their organs won't be able to grow and you could be looking at some deformed fish down the road.
Another thing to consider is as they get older and grow, they'll feel cramped which will probably lead to aggression issues.
Keep in mind, the 150g I suggested was a guess, you might need a larger tank than that.

I'm sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear.

mccubbins07

o i think i can.. mmmm at least the balla sharks ooo thats sad my husband is going to be so mad cause those are his fav. =[
i knew we should have stayed with puffers ugh why did we have to get the sharkies..

Lucy

Cause they're cute and they look so little when they're young.
Understandable mistake when there's a lot of misinformation out there.

iloveengl

Hi Mccubbins.

I'm sorry you and your fish are dealing with this, especially since it sounds like you tried to do the right thing for them, but got some misinformation. We've all been there (it's usually what leads us to this forum) and learn. Of course, I agree 100% with Lucy and Tony.

You may not be able to get money back, but maybe store credit?

Best wishes.

aquarist48

Hello Mccubbins and Welcome to Fish Lore. You've been given great advice above and some wonderful links to great information. Don't feel too badly as many of us have been where you are with fish woes and fish loss. It will get better by listening to advice and some effort on your part.
Best wishes and by all means keep us updated. Don't hesitate to ask all the questions that you need to ask.
I hope you enjoy the site.
Ken

mccubbins07

help MEEEE...
why do you think my bala shark is floating upside down but its alive then when it gets to the top it like flings its self down to the bottom and doing it over and over and its lips are bloody!!
help please..

also why would my other shark be in love with the air stone, could it be necuase it tickles?

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!
sounds like the tank isnt cycled...do you know your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate readings? test strips will give you a false reading so getting a liquid kit would be much better..API makes a master liquid kit that does hundreds of tests...

at this point I would get either prime or amquel+ and do immediate daily water changes of 30% at least..the prime or amquel+ will detoxify the ammonia/nitrites until the tank cycles..only starting the tank 2 weeks ago, is probably meaning its not cycled....bala's get to be over a foot big and need 55g or larger ...if you have multiples you would need 100g tank..so I would think of rehoming them or upgrading very soon.....the air stone is probably because they are lacking oxygen and the ammonia is very hard on them...

mccubbins07

ok so the fish has died. =[
we are going to go to petco and buy prime when my husband gets off work at 5..
everyone else in the tank seems to be doing just fine but i guess time will only tell im going to get a master liquid test kit while we are there to.. all i know is this is the hardest tank i have EVER had.. and i wish someone lived close to me that could come help lol..

Shawnie

ive merged your posts mccubbins07...that way it allows everyone to see the advice already given for the same issue..please dont start a new thread on the same subject...it confuses others when trying to help

im sorry for the loss of your fish

mccubbins07

o ok thanks.. i was just really worried that someone woulnt see myold one... so i swear i red something somewhere about bloody lips of a fin but i didnt see it again... is that cause by the tank not being cycled though all the way of is it cause of ICK.. still so confused... i fell like a fish out of water

Shawnie

its an uncycled tank .....see if you can find the prime or amquel+ asap and start on daily water changes before you loose the rest of your babies ich looks like grains of salt and wont kill a fish as bad as ammonia/nitrite poisoning will...

mccubbins07

another quick question, when we start useing the prime do i quit useing the aquesafe we put in there to make the tap water safe?

Lucy

The Prime will make your tap water safe, so you can stop using aquasafe.
I'm sorry about your loss.

AlyeskaGirl

I am so sorry about your fish, how are you doing?

Since the tank is going through the cycling your fish are stressed and when that happens their immune system is down and makes them susceptible to sickness such as ICH, bacterial/fungal infection such as you are seeing with cloudy eyes. All you can do right now is daily water changes with Prime or Amquel Plus.

http://fish.mongabay.com/diseases.htm