Now It's Benji That's Sick!

BenjI has a pinkish orange spot on his head just above his right gill that is about half as big as his eye. I can't put him in the hospital tank until I clean it, since Bessie just died. What is the best way to clean it and which medication should I put him on? Please help me!

CherryRose

 

If BenjI is alone in his tank you can medicate him in there. Is he acting funny? I'm not sure if a spot means he is sick. My fish are constantly getting freckles and spots that come and go. It's just their coloring. Is there something else about him that leads you to believe he may be sick? Since he did spend some time with Bessie before her disease became obvious you could medicate him as a precaution as I already posted in your other thread. Dropsy is not considered contagious but they are not really sure. Experts always agree that a fish with dropsy should be removed from a community tank just in case.

You can bleach the tank as long as it has no rubber aquarium sealant around the edges. A solid plastic tank can be soaked in water with a splash of bleach, then rinsed VERY well, then filled with water and put a splash of Prime (I put WAY more than the recommended amount since I won't be putting fish in that water, just getting rid of chlorine) or one of the strong water conditioners that removes ammonia/chlorine etc in and let it sit for a while, then dump the water and rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse until no trace of bleach smell is there. Dry the tank and let it sit (preferably in sunlight like on a window sill) dry for a day or two. Rinse again and it should be ready for use. That's how I sterilized my hospital tank after my snail died in it. I threw out the gravel and bought new gravel. There is no safe way IMO to bleach and rinse gravel. It's so cheap to buy anyways it's just not worth taking the chance that the bleach won't absorb into it. Don't soak anything made of rubber in bleach like some heaters have rubber tips and thermometers. Just rinse those really well in hot water. Dropsy is not considered contagious so you don't need to worry too much about sterilizing all the equipment. If your tank is glass with rubber sealant just wash out really well with hot water and let it sit. It should be fine.

 

I am not feeling well so am home from work today. That is why I am able to post.

BenjI is acting fine. He eats well and is not bloated. The spot on his head looks like it is only about half the size that it was last night. Either that or I was so paronoid after losing Bessie that I exagerated its size.

I can't medicate him in his tank because there are 4 ottos in there with him. I cleaned the Q tank thouroughly with hot water, then filled it with hot water and put about 1/2 a cup of Epsom salt in the water. I am hoping that, after setting overnight, it will be clean enough to put BenjI in if I need to. What is the general thought on that?

I am hoping that all he has on his gill is a freckle type spot. It is right on the edge of the gill and I thought it was raised because of its location. This morning it does look more like a very light freckle. I am just so paranoid about losing him too that I may be overreacting. I will be keeping a very close eye on him as I wait for more advice.

CherryRose

 

Oh Cherryrose I am so sorry you lost Bessie. :'( Royell is still haning in there which I'm very surprised about. I just want you to know that I did read somewhere that Dropsy is very much contagious. I can;t remeber where I read it recently, but I'm pretty sure it said it's contagious and that the tank along with any ornaments or artificial plants that you may have need to be sterilized. I wouldn't take a risk on putting BenjI in there until everything is sterile. Natalie

 

I am so sorry to hear you lost Bessie :'( :'( If all you see is a reddish spot, then I doubt it is any kind of sickness. My Fuego here is constantly developing red and blue spots on his gills that weren't there a day ago. However it may not be a bad idea to q him just to be sure...ust make sure the q tank is clean as you don't want to make him sick. In fact if the spot is going away maybe you don't want to q him and risk making him sick, until you can give the tank a good bleaching. I don't know, your choice. But now that I think about it, it may be riskier for his health to put him in the q tank as hot water may not kill all the germs. However if any of the fish are showing symptoms of dropsy they need to be q'ed immediately.

 

I could swear that I posted to this about using a bleach solution to clean it and then rinse, rinse, rinse with clear water and a final rinse with 3 times dechlorinated water. When you cannot smell the bleach it is safe to use for fish. I bleach the plastic plants decoration and tanks. The gravel and anything made of wood or rock cannot be bleached as the bleach absorbs into them and cannot be eradicated. I am sorry but those have to be ditched. Silk plants cannot be bleached either.

Use 1 cup of bleach to 19 cups of water and allow things to soak for at least 30 minutes. For a 5 gallon tank it takes 4 cups of bleach.

Rose

 

Thank you, Rose. You emailed me about how to bleach the tank and sterilze it so that is all done. BenjI is in the Q tank now with Jungle Fungus Eliminator as his med. I was going to put him in it last night, but discovered that the heater was malfunctioning and would not turn off. The temp in the Q tank was 90 degrees, so I removed the heater.

My husband bought me a new heater today and the temperature is at 82-84 degrees and is holding. As soon as I get paid I am going to buy some heaters with a lifetime warrenty to replace any of my heaters that decide to break or otherwise malfunction. I have decided that it is a good idea to have spare heaters on hand.

I will keep you posted on Benji's condition. Hopefully he will continue to remain active and have a healthy appetite. I read somewhere that dropsy itself is not contageous, but the bacteria that causes it is, and can cause other symptoms.

 

Actually you are right, dropsy is not a disease but a symptom of other diseases. Usually it has to do with Kidney failure and the bloating due to that. Sometimes it is not a result of bacterial infection at all but an injury. Left untreated after an injury the problem can become bacterial. But I am so glad the tank was sterilized just in case.

I am glad that BenjI does not seem to realize that he is sick and is still a happy little guy. I know you will all miss Bessie but a fine handsome little boy in his glory and strutting his stuff is bound to cheer you up a bit.

Rose

 

Well with Atlantis looking on the verge of death any day now I am guessing it's pretty safe to say that I've got to sterilize the tank as well.

Is there any way I can do this to prevent the tank from having to be re-cycled? Or does filter media need to be tossed and started over?

Also, if there would be a way to have the sterilization instructions sent to me as well, I'd appreciate it. Can vinegar be used in place of it, or is bleach pretty much the be-all-end-all with sterilization?

 

First, materials made of wood, rock, or gravel cannot be sterilized. Neither can silk plants or live plants. Those items would need to be thrown out or boiled or baked if you wanted to cleanse them. (after thorough cleaning in dechlorinated water) I have never convinced myself that anything is clean enough to go into my oven or so forth so out it goes. It is up to you.

The solution used to clean the tank, filter, and other plastic or resin items in the tank (plants, decorations) is:

1 part bleach to 19 parts water (NOT dechlorinated)

For a Hex5 tank or a 5 gallon tank this would be 4 cups of bleach and fill the rest of the tank with water.

Soak this for at least 30 minutes or preferably overnight (I do mine in the shower when the weather is bad)

Rinse, rinse, rinse and rinse some more with plain clear water.

Mix a tank of water with 3 times the amount of dechlorinator and let it sit overnight

When the bleach cannot be smelled any longer it is safe for the fish to use.

I think the best idea is to recycle the tank unless you are very sure that the fish did not die of anything contagious. If he did not die of something contagious or if it was not a really bad problem like dropsy or some non-curable thing you may get by with just doing a really good cleaning and not sterilizing the tank. I cannot make that decision. I do not sterilize after the death of every fish. Usually I do a 75 - 90% water change and clean the inside as good as I can and refill with new water and that is it. But I have not had fish die of the things we are talking about for a long time. If the tank has been the place where you have been medicating the bacteria and all are more than likely killed off, they just did not help the fish to recover. It does need to have fresh carbon run and then when the meds are out and the tank is clean and the water is new; it may be okay to use the tank unless as I said the fish dies of one of the incurable problems some of the fish here have been having.

I hope this helps. If you want me to e-mail this type of thing to you, you can let me know.

Rose

 

Well, I just had my 5th day of medicating with Maracyn-Two, Atlantis is still looking very rough.

I'm guessing it's right back to square one then once he's gone. I wish I didn't have to recycle, but I guess I've got no choice.

I'm using Bio-Max in my filter (bagged 'stones' that house good bacteria), can that be rinsed or would it have to be replaced with a new one?

I'd rather not spend money on new gravel, so I think I'll just boil it, but will it have a negative affect on it if the pot used to boil has had soap in it in the past? Will that pot be reusable for cooking again?

Sorry to have highjacked this thread, too many questions

 

If you have used soap on the pan boil it with some vinegar water and then with some plain water to remove any soap residue and then I would think it would be okay or get a cheap pan at the dollar store that can be only for fish as I would not use the pan for cooking again. I cannot think it would be a good idea.

I do not know about Bio-Max. You could check with the manufacturer online and see what their idea is on the subject. They would know and give you the best advice I am sure.

I am sure that this information is not unnecessary so please do not feel bad about asking the questions. They may help someone else as well. The only question that is bad is the one not asked.

Rose

 

BenjI is still acting as if he never even heard of disease. He appears to be healthy and is very active. The spot on his gill is fading and wiill no doubt disappear soon. If he had a disease I apparently caught it in time as he appears to be recovering. I will continue to keep you posted, but hopefully it will only be good news.

How is Atlantis doing, Asinity? I know you said he was on the verge of death, but I am hoping that things turned around for him.

CherryRose

 

Honestly, I expected him gone before the weekend. Whether or not he's eventually going or not, he's putting up one heck of a fight. He was acting a little more active earlier in the evening, but again he's stalled and barely breathing. He's just not letting go. The biggest concern is after the first 5 days of Maracyn-Two, his scales are still pine-coned and the bloating is still as it was when this all started. I've started the second dose of Maracyn-Two.

On a side note, I was at the pet store today and was thinking about the 2.5 gallon and saw the most adorable female betta today, she couldn't have been more than an inch. Would she do okay in this? I've got an Elite Stingray5 in it and can get myself a 25W heater easily. It really doesn't seem like the Stingray would be the best filter for a tank this size as the flow is not adjustable and it makes a fair current. Also, she was kept in probably a 40 gallon tank with nothing but other female bettas ranging from tiny to full grown. Would this kind of environment have an effect on her after she's out of there?

Should I bother sterilizing the 2.5 gallon? I know it was an ammonia spike that killed Comet and I've managed to get the reading down to 0, would it be okay to put something else in here right now?

 

I am glad Atlantis is still hanging on. I really hope he recovers.

The female Betta would be ok in a 2.5. It is not the ideal tank size and others have said it can be a lot harder to maintain a stable temp and water quality in a 2.5, but if you are willing to monitor the tank carefully she will be just fine. Sometimes Bettas will get depressed when they are first separated from their friends, but I don't think the size fo a tank has much effect on this.

About the current, I have found that my Bettas don't mind a slight current as much as they are "supposed" to, and you can always put a bunch of plants or rocks in front of the outflow to slow down the current.

Whether you sterilize the tank is your call...if you are sure there was nothing wrong with Comet then you could put another fish straight in.

 

Yeah, it was definitely Ammonia poisoning. I got a reading of about 2.4 when I did a test on the water, his gills were also a little on the red side. He didn't have any of the dropsy symptoms, which kind of relieved me that it was only in the one tank. Mind you I'd rather not have it period...

What's nice about this filter is that I can aI'm the output, it's faced to the wall of the tank that it's stuck onto, maybe I'll just toss a few plants around it and go that route.

 

Yup that's ammonia poisoning...anything over .25ppm can be very harmful, and red gills I believe are the typical sign of ammonia poisoning. I am sorry to hear you lost Comet, but I'm glad it wasn't dropsy. After doing a huge water change the tank should be perfectly safe to put the Betta in.

 

I changed out about 75% of the water, let it sit for a couple days and I've got no ammonia and a little bit of nitrate.

I bought her today

I just need to get some cash for a 25W heater, next paycheck.