Edit: New Problem To Wonder About

Fire_an_Ice · Mar 8, 2006

Many thanks to those of you that replied to my thread over the last couple of days. Have had a nightmare time, new female guppies (3) all died....one of my originals contracted swimbladder. However, she's now in the hospital tank, and seems to be responding well to treatment...the community tank is healthy, with my new male gupp quite happy...

Couple of quick questions/requests for opinions...

1) When I'm done with my hospital tank, what's the best way to go about cleaning it? (I'm not just being lazy, I've searched the forum, but found only a vague reference to 'Clorox' which I assume is a US brand of disenfectant/bleach?)

I need to know if I need to disinfect/bleach/scald whatever, please people...

2) Anyone with any experience of treating swimbladder - how long did it take for the fish to regain normal behaviour and how long were they in quarentine for (Obviously I'm worried that the ratio of males to females is wrong in my comm. tank, and I want this one back in, as well as aquiring more...)

Cheers

F&I

Oh. As an afterword, please spare a thought for the three mountaineers killed in Spain recently. Three local lads...three families devastated. RIP.

Annastasia · Mar 8, 2006

A 1/10 or so bleach/water solution is probably your best bet. I've used that to clean many aquatic materials over the years, and it seems to work well. Clorox IS a US brand of bleach, you're right. When you buy bleach, make sure it's just bleach, as a lot of them have added in cleaning solutions and such, which aren't good for fish. Make sure to rinse it very well after you're done, and rinsing it with dechlorinater works well too.

I've never had any fish recover completely from true swimbladder. They always swam a little funny, and never had perfect control. I'm not sure if it's even possible to cure swimbladder completely, but I could be wrong. You'd probably be best off asking in Emergencies or Beginners/TCC for that one.

Fire_an_Ice · Mar 9, 2006

Ahhhh thanks

will be aware of the pure bleach thing...She still doesn't have control...will be swimming along just fine, and then will suddenly nose dive...

poor thing...however, she's still alive, and taking food for the first time in 3 days, so I've hope yet...will ask around on the other forums also

Cheers

F&I B)

(with a new house as of yesterday...We've joined the ranks of the mortgaged masses... :lol:

)

Fire_an_Ice · Mar 9, 2006

Hmmm. Not looking too bad tonight. Got my three replacement female gupps in the community tank, to keep the frisky males happy :grr:

Little miss upside-down-guppy is llooking better...swimming round normally and occasionally losing balance...am hopeful with a full course of treatment, she might be ok

One last dopey question about the hospital tank...when I clean it, what about the filter medium?? I usually keep it in my main tank, to keep it ready to go in the hospital tank, but I don't want to transfer any nasties into my water? should it be scalded or cleaned?? can someone advise please??

Thanks!!

F&I B)

blitztidus · Mar 9, 2006

Cleaned is just fine, good luck with little miss upside downy. And Congrats on getting married in 10 months 3 weeks and 2 days.

Fire_an_Ice · Mar 10, 2006

Cheers Blitz....Much appreciated advice...Boy, FFX really has it's hooks in you, doesn't it?!

F&I B)

Annastasia · Mar 10, 2006

I'd be afraid cleaning it won't do it. Swimbladder isn't caused by a parasite, so you won't transfer that, but the medicine will transfer and you don't want to subject your fish unnecessarily to medicines. I'd throw it out myself, and start with a new set. If you scald it, you'll probably lose the beneficial bacteria on there anyway, if there's much left over after the treatment. So it's not like you'll be doing anything very different. But that's just me. :look:

Fire_an_Ice · Mar 12, 2006

Hmmmm.. Okies. I'm not worried about losing the bacteria, coz I fully intend to stick the medium (it's only a sponge btw) back in the main tank to let it grow again...Will scalding kill of all the nasties/lose all the treatments is what I need to know...

On a slightly nastier note, although little miss upside down is still alive, I'm starting to wonder if it might be more of a kindness to put her out of her misery

She's in contact with the bottom of the tank all the time now, on her back, and I don't want to keep her alive if it's stressing her more...

Any suggestions? And if I do have to put her down, whats the most humane way of going about it?

Cheers