What is the water volume of the tank?
75 gallons
How long has the tank been running?
A little under a year.
Does it have a filter?
Yes, it is running two Ehiem Canister filters.
Does it have a heater?
Yes, two heaters.
What is the water temperature?
74 degrees.
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.)
6 Honey Gourami, 6 Bolivian Rams, 4 Peacock Gudgeons, 24 Neon Tetras, 12 KuhlI Loaches (or at least there were that many when I last saw them), 8 Ottos, and a whole bunch of pest snails (various types).
Maintenance
How often do you change the water?
Once every week or two (I'm not always as on top of it as I should be, but the water parameters are always good).
How much of the water do you change?
Around 30%, I think.
What do you use to treat your water?
Nothing. I know that this is kind of odd, but I have water that comes straight out of a well, and it is perfect for the fish completely untreated. They have lived in this water for a year now and o issues, so I'm sure this isn't it.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water?
I try to vacuum the substrate every time I change the water.
*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish?
Yes, the tank has been cycled the whole time they've been in there.
What do you use to test the water?
The API Freshwater test kit, though I don't test my water very often anymore unless something's wrong.
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20 or maybe a little higher (certainly higher than I'd like, I'll do a water change as soon as possible)
pH:
Feeding
How often do you feed your fish?
Once a day.
How much do you feed your fish?
A few pinches of pellets or half of a cube of frozen brine shrimp. I also add a few sinking pellets in at night for the loaches, and some algae supplements for the Ottos every few days.
What brand of food do you feed your fish?
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods?
Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish?
A bit under a year (around 10-11 months, I think)
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms?
Around two or three days ago.
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms?
Turned pale, lethargic and sits on the bottom/rests on plants all the time.
Have you started any treatment for the illness?
Not yet, I'm not sure how to proceed.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase?
No, not that I can tell.
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all?
It's lethargic and sits on the bottom all the time, doesn't seem to move at all unless another fish harasses it.
Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)
A couple of days ago I noticed that one of my gourami was looking very pale and just sitting on the bottom of the tank. I've seen them hang out near the bottom before, but this one is just sitting there and I don't see it move very much, unless another fish bothers it. He looks pretty bad, so I'm really worried about him. None of the other fish seem to be having issues, so I'm not sure what the problem could be. Could the fish be reacting badly to the slightly elevated nitrates? Could it have been physically injured somehow? I doubt that it is a contagious disease, since there have been no new additions for several months. Any ideas?
75 gallons
How long has the tank been running?
A little under a year.
Does it have a filter?
Yes, it is running two Ehiem Canister filters.
Does it have a heater?
Yes, two heaters.
What is the water temperature?
74 degrees.
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.)
6 Honey Gourami, 6 Bolivian Rams, 4 Peacock Gudgeons, 24 Neon Tetras, 12 KuhlI Loaches (or at least there were that many when I last saw them), 8 Ottos, and a whole bunch of pest snails (various types).
Maintenance
How often do you change the water?
Once every week or two (I'm not always as on top of it as I should be, but the water parameters are always good).
How much of the water do you change?
Around 30%, I think.
What do you use to treat your water?
Nothing. I know that this is kind of odd, but I have water that comes straight out of a well, and it is perfect for the fish completely untreated. They have lived in this water for a year now and o issues, so I'm sure this isn't it.
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water?
I try to vacuum the substrate every time I change the water.
*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish?
Yes, the tank has been cycled the whole time they've been in there.
What do you use to test the water?
The API Freshwater test kit, though I don't test my water very often anymore unless something's wrong.
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20 or maybe a little higher (certainly higher than I'd like, I'll do a water change as soon as possible)
pH:
Feeding
How often do you feed your fish?
Once a day.
How much do you feed your fish?
A few pinches of pellets or half of a cube of frozen brine shrimp. I also add a few sinking pellets in at night for the loaches, and some algae supplements for the Ottos every few days.
What brand of food do you feed your fish?
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods?
Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish?
A bit under a year (around 10-11 months, I think)
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms?
Around two or three days ago.
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms?
Turned pale, lethargic and sits on the bottom/rests on plants all the time.
Have you started any treatment for the illness?
Not yet, I'm not sure how to proceed.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase?
No, not that I can tell.
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all?
It's lethargic and sits on the bottom all the time, doesn't seem to move at all unless another fish harasses it.
Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)
A couple of days ago I noticed that one of my gourami was looking very pale and just sitting on the bottom of the tank. I've seen them hang out near the bottom before, but this one is just sitting there and I don't see it move very much, unless another fish bothers it. He looks pretty bad, so I'm really worried about him. None of the other fish seem to be having issues, so I'm not sure what the problem could be. Could the fish be reacting badly to the slightly elevated nitrates? Could it have been physically injured somehow? I doubt that it is a contagious disease, since there have been no new additions for several months. Any ideas?
