I think one of my fish is suddenly sick...

I just noticed tonight while feeding that one of my sunset variatus platies has spots on a couple of her fins. I thought the spots were just bubbles that were stuck to her fins that would eventually just float away, but when she swam through the bubbles again and the spots didn't go away, I was worried. They don't look like solid white spots, more like bubbles. What could that be? Is that ICH?

What should I do? My tanks are still cycling so I don't have anything to cycle a quarantine tank with... sad.

 

What are your readings? It could be ammonia burns

 

My test results earlier today showed .25ppm ammonia, 8.1 pH, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates.

 

Than it more than likely a combo of ammonia and the ph being on the high side what do you use for water treatments?

If you could get a pic that would help too

 

I wanted to take a pic, but she's hiding behind a "plant" and the wall of bubbles.

For water treatments, I use Microbe Lift Stress Relief, Special Blend, and Nite Out II. But, I just started using the Nite Out as directed today after 3 weeks of having the tank running. I only used Nite Out when I first set it up because I didn't understand it's importance until now.

The test readings from today were before I added the Nite Out.

 

You best bet is to get a bottle of Prime because all those three are canceling each other out and causing your tank to recycle its self. And if it is ICH the best way to cure it is to do daily water changes and raise the temp slow to 85 degrees or as high as your heater well go.

 

My test results earlier today showed .25ppm ammonia, 8.1 pH, 0 nitrites, and 0 nitrates.

Your PH is slightly too high for most fish besides cichlids. I would bring it down to ~7.5 and there are a variety of ways to do that but remember only .15 down/day for safety (24 hours).

Also, it looks like your tank is not cycled how old is it?

 

Sorry to read about your platy. A picture would help a lot, but in the meantime:
1) Get the ammonia down to 0. No level of ammonia is safe for fish. Do back to back partial water changes of 50 percent. Then use Prime or Amquel+ to detoxify the ammonia (convert it to a nontoxic form).
2) Don't use any chemicals to lower your pH. Doing so can cause dangerous swings in the levels. Right now, there's no need to worry about the pH.
3) If she does have ICH, you'll need to treat the entire tank. Here's an excellent thread about doing so naturally:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/curing-ich-naturally.105665/
Keep us posted!

 

what a scare! I went downstairs to feed them this morning, and the spots are gone! she seems fine and ate really well! she was still hiding in the same spot as last night, behind the plant and bubble wall, but she came out quite readily for breakfast.

tested the water again this morning, too.
pH- 8.0
ammonia- .25ppm
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 0
temp- 77F

think it's over? and now back to focusing on cycling? thanks so much, everyone, for your help and quick replies! so glad I found this forum!

 

ICH falls of then multiplies you might not be safe yet just keep watching for the white spots, Just in case for now just keep doing daily water changes and gravel vacs also make sure to raise your temp slowy up to 84-85.

 

okay, will gravel vacs set back my cycle, what little there is of it? would I only vac 1/3 to 1/2 of the gravel per water change?

this Friday will be a month of having my tank running. starting to wonder if it will ever be cycled. wondering if I should "start fresh" and use Tetra Safe Start this time?

 

Just to emphasize what Donnerjay said, do not worry about your pH. Mine is 8.2 and my fish are fine. As long as they are acclimated slowly, fish can adjust to a wide variety of pH levels.

Have you tested your tap water? As long as your tap water doesn't have ammonia in it, gravel vacs will not set back your cycle. (I have 0.25ppm ammonia in my tap water, so every time I do a water change, I dump a bunch of ammonia in. It's taking a little while to cycle.) The beneficial bacteria live in the gravel to some extent, but the vast majority of the colony lives in the filter. The way ich works is thusly: The little white spots you see on the fish fall off and sink to the gravel, then release spores which attach to other fish and infect them. I believe it is recommended to vacuum the gravel every other day or so. Raising the temperature speeds up the life cycle of ich, making it fall off of the fish more quickly so that you can vacuum it up.

It can take 6-8 weeks for a tank to cycle, so don't feel bad. It's been a month for me as well and I'm still not done. Tetra SafeStart, if you're willing to shell out the money, would be a great way to go - set it up and do nothing (besides feed the fish, of course) for two weeks and if it worked (which the product has great reviews) then your tank will be cycled. Make sure that the ammonia is below 1.0ppm (I believe), otherwise if the level is too high, it can kill the bacteria in the bottle.

 

that's reassuring to hear that this long of a cycle is normal. my water has .25ppm of ammonia too. I just hate this drawn out process knowing that it could have been done in 2 weeks with safestart.

would it stress the fish even more if I started over and used TSS this time? if not, how would I go about starting over?

 

I don't think it would necessarily stress the fish any extra. Just make sure the ammonia level in your tank isn't too high. Also you have to use Tetra's water conditioner (Aquasafe..? I think), I think Prime can cause TSS to fail. You don't do any water changes for two weeks, and keep your fingers crossed! I don't think you can test your water during that time either; I've read that the readings won't be accurate for some reason.

 

that's the best news ever! thanks so much! in order to start with a clean slate (as much as possible), would I do back to back 50% water changes treating with AquaSafe each time then treat with SafeStart? would I clean as much of the gravel as possible at the same time?

also, I think I figured out those dots. I had a little cave in there that released "dust" that just floated in the water. I think those are what was sticking to her fins. I noticed it on the other platy, too, but the spots were always in different locations. so, I removed the cave and the "dust" has already cleared up completely.

 

That's great you figured out the "dots" problem!

It might be a good idea to do a water change initially, since you're not supposed to once you add the TSS. As for how much I couldn't exactly tell you, I've never used TSS and I just know the ammonia can't be too high or else it will kill the bacteria. My hunch would be that a 50% water change would be sufficient, but hopefully someone else can comment on that.

Glad I could help

 

definitely a huge help, thanks a ton!

all my fish in both tanks seem really happy today. I'm not sure why, but it's really good to see. I thought they were happy before; they're just extra happy now! yesterday I also realized that I hadn't been using nite out properly (actually hadn't used it at all except for initial setup, yikes), so that is prolly a huge reason why my tanks haven't been cycling since nite out contains the actual beneficial bacteria!!! with that in mind and considering the good reviews about nite out, I figure I should give it a shot before I spend more money on SafeStart. maybe that's why the fish are happy? because I added nite out yesterday? if this doesn't work, I'm def gonna start over and use SafeStart and be cycled already!

lol, we'll see! dying to get the tanks cycled for these little guys!

 

I've heard mixed reviews about Nite Out. It seems that if it works, it works well, but for many people it doesn't work. If it works for you, great! If not, maybe consider trying TSS. I'm not sure the fish could tell when you added the Nite Out; them perking up may have been a coincidence

 

if it doesn't work, I'm all about some TSS!!

just checked out my stock of free samples that have come with different purchases, and I def have plenty of AquaSafe, enough to treat 60 gallons! one less thing I'd have to buy...

 

JUst check out the dates on all the products before you use them to be on the safe side...........

Prime by seachem is the best thing for keeping tank water safer for your fish while awaiting it to cycle, IMO it isn't going to affect the safestart if you wanted to use, ts only adding what you already are growing, so I don't know what there would be in prime that would "kill" the bacteria in the safestart.................

HOwever all you need to do is be consistent and patient, feed at the same time of day consistently, not only are you feeding the fish, you are feeding the good bugs, keep the oxygen levels in the water high, good bacteria like it bad bacteria doesn't..............keep the temp consistent, do water changes consistently , make sure you wash your filter in your "I'm about to discard it" tank water so you dint kill off any good bacteria...............

and be patient, it will happen

 

make sure you wash your filter in your "I'm about to discard it" tank water so you dint kill off any good bacteria...............

and be patient, it will happen

that part confuses me. my filter has 2 cartridges, a floss/carbon one and a sponge one. I'm supposed to exchange the floss/carbon one monthly for a new one while leaving/rinsing the sponge one, right? doesn't the good bacteria stay in the sponge?

checked the dates on everything, looks good!

pink (a glo fish) is dead. he was swimming around last night at dinner like he was lost, but I figured since he was still swimming, he was okay. I was wrong.

about to go test the water. I don't know what happened to him...

update: water test results
pH- 8.0
ammonia- .25
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 0
temp- 78F

everyone else has a really happy appetite and is swimming with purpose. I also added nite out. I'll test again when I get home from work.

 

YOu know you may just be using to many different medications all at one go................you must remember the fish have to go through a lot before they get to us, when they get to most pet stores, the are pumped full of chemicals to make sure they stay alive for a while, then they get taken out of that tank, shoved in a bag, bounced around for a wile til we get them, home, then hopfully acclimated to the new water, but sometimes not....................................and so it goes, it may have been nothing you have done, he may already have been weak before you got him..............

Font change the carbon filter out you can wash it like you do the sponge, until you feel you cannot wash it any more, just wash out in old tank water.

 

Hello again!
Starting up a tank can get confusing as you learn about cycling and what not. If you haven't already had a chance to read up about the nitrogen cycle, <---click on this link and take a few minutes to do so.

At this point, your tank is going through a "fish-in" cycle. Your fish are producing the ammonia that will feed the good bacteria. Unfortunately ANY level of ammonia is very dangerous to fish, and your fish will soon start to die. That is probably what happened to your glofish.

Your test readings show a level of .25 ppm ammonia. This means you must either A) remove the ammonia through partial water changes, or B) detoxify the ammonia so it can't hurt the fish.

I would recommend that you do back to back water changes of at least 50 percent (I hope you have a water changer LOL) and then double dose with Prime. Wait 24 hours, then test your water chemistry. If you show any ammonia, repeat the process. Your goal is to get the ammonia to ZERO.

Until your test results begin to show levels of nitrItes, your tank hasn't cycled. You should see a "spike" in the nitrite readings, and then a bump in nitrAte readings after that. Once you reach ZERO ammonia, ZERO nitrite and up to 20 ppm nitrate, the tank should be cycled. Until then it's important to protect your fish with partial water changes and a detoxifying agent like Prime.

This seems like a lot of work, and at the beginning of a fish-in cycle, it is. But there will come a day when you see those nitrItes, and you'll know that your tank will soon be cycled. Hang in there and keep us posted. And keep asking questions! We're here to help.

 

Hello again!
This seems like a lot of work, and at the beginning of a fish-in cycle, it is. But there will come a day when you see those nitrItes, and you'll know that your tank will soon be cycled. Hang in there and keep us posted. And keep asking questions! We're here to help.

thanks so much for your help! for an update on what's currently happening, read here:

i'd love to read your input!

 

You're welcome. We're here to help!