Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #314

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #314
From: Cathy Byland <cccathy at showme_missouri.edu>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 12:52:23 -0600 (CST)
In-Reply-To: <199603090307.WAA24816 at looney_actwin.com>
On Fri, 8 Mar 1996 Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com wrote:

> From: krandall at world_std.com (Karen A Randall)
> Date: Fri, 8 Mar 1996 15:54:32 -0500
> Subject: Ammonia, APD and Medications
> 
> Back in the days when I would still treat fish in a planted tank, 
> I also had a bad experience with nitrofurazone.  I _can_ tell you 
> that although my extensive stand of Java Fern lost almost all its 
> leaves, it _did_ eventually recover.  Other plants weren't so 
> luck, but I can't remember which ones any more.  

That's good to know about Java Fern.  Mine is huge (6" long leaves, 
between 20 and thirty leaves) and it filled the five gallon bucket that I 
moved it to briefly.  It's not so beautiful at the moment, though.  ALL 
the Giant Valisneria died.  The only other plant to make it was a small 
Sword plant and some tiny cuttings that I hadn't noticed floating among 
the tops of the Val.  

There WAS a pretty massive ammonia spike, but the fish, which I moved 
on Thursday at noon, are all still alive, and seem to be doing fine. 
(they like all the extra space they've got in the 110gal). I'v already 
done one water change in the 38gallon, and added chlorine/ammonia 
remover, a small amount of fertilizer, and some blackwater extract (I'm 
planning on turning it back into a southamerican tank). I'm going to do 
another, bigger water change today.

> Now I quarantine all new fish. A current resident has two choices. 
>  He can let himself get caught, or take his chances.  I no longer 
> put medications in my planted tanks _ever_.

Well, I've certainly learned my lesson (ouch).  I'll be setting up a
permanant quarantine tank as soon as I move into my fiancee's house.  BTW,
sorry about the double post about the Furacyn. Both he and I keep fish,
and I didn't know Chris had already posted about it, when I joined the
mailing list and posted about it *again*.  oops. 

> As an aside, Rainbowfish, particularly if you are talking about 
> Melanotaenia, Glossolepsis or Chilatherina sp. are pretty big 
> fish.  IMO, 12 in a 38 gallon tank is pushing it.  For that 
> matter, most of these fish, even in smaller numbers, do best in a 
> tank at least 4' long.  You might have avoided the disease 
> problems if they'd been in a bigger tank.

Yes, twelve adult rainbows (Melanotaenia) was pushing it.   The 38 was 
fine for them when I put them there, when they were juveniles. I had 
already planned to move them to the bigger tank (110gallon, 48"L X 18"W
X 30"Tall).  I had recently cleared up an algae problem, introduced a few 
new plants, and was readying it for them when they came down with the 
bacterial body slime.  So, I was planning on waiting until they recovered 
from that before moving them (there were already a few fish in the big 
tank). So, they got moved to the bigger tank, but a little earlier than 
I had planned. They seem to really like it there, btw, but their behavior 
is much more skittish.  They used to come to the front of the tank to 
greet me (wanting to be fed), and now if I approach the tank they hide 
until I feed them, at which time they ignore me while they eat.

Ah well, this gives me a chance to start a tank over.  At least the fish 
are ok.

Cathy Byland