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Re: Sick Fish
charley cvercko wrote:
>
> I have a lot of general aquarium experience but I'm
> relatively new to killies, so I reserve the right to be
> wrong. But in most other fish the symptoms you describe
> would suggest a water quality problem, possibly one leading
> to (or that has led to) a bacterial problem. What is your
> filtration? What is your water change schedule? In a
> general aquarium situation, I would try to get the temp
> down below 78-80 and do a series of partial water changes.
>
> Since I'm planning to get more involved in killies (which
> is why I'm receiving this list, obviously) I'd appreciate
> some feedback on my advice. I mean, would I be correct in
> treating such a situation this way if it were to arise in
> my own future killie tank(s)?
Yep.
Our answers crossed in the mail, but you can see I am basically in agreement
with you.
My first response when I encounter a tough-to-diagnose case is to read the
label on any medicine bottle until I get to the place where it says change
25% of the water. I then throw the medicine back in the junk drawer, and go
do the water change. ;-)
Lowering the temperature is vital with a bacterial infection, and the wrong
thing to do with parasites like ich or velvet. Good guesses as to which can
be mighty important.
Crowding the surface shows a loss in respiration. That's very common with
either velvet or bacteria like columnaris, as they both preferentially
attack gill tissue. It can happen from plain old ammonia burns, too.
Increasing aereation, and even adding a tsp/5G of 3% H2O2 can ease that
stress temporarily by saturating the water with O2.
Sandy lives in the LA basin, where they have been most cavalier about
over-dosing chloramine in some parts of the MWD. If he was using hypo to tie
up the chlorine, it could produce a huge burst of ammonia. Any tank with
slightly high pH could become hazardous to a more susceptible species and
most Aphyos are.
Finally, the behaviour he describes also happens near end-of-life for an
aging fish. It is much more common in my fishroom in warm weather, where
they probably just get a bacterial infection they can't fight off. In that
case, you may extend life a bit, but breeding may be over by that time,
anyway.
Wright
--
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679 huntleyone at home dot com
To err is human. To blame someone else is politics.
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