Is He Ill?

[snowflake311]

Hi Snowflake

do you gravel clean the tank when you do a water change?
do you clean the filter once a month or every 6 months? Filters should be done about once a month. Clean filters help keep the water clean.
Dirty gravel and dirty filters can encourage harmful pathogens to grow and build up in the tank. If the fish are already in a weakened condition they will be more likely to pick up these harmful bugs and have problems.
Excessive use of medication will damage the fish's immune system. Most liquid medications have formalin/ formaldehyde in and this is real nasty stuff. Long term use does cause damage.

You can usually help improve the fish's health by feeding it a varied diet. Offer them frozen brineshrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, prawn and whitebait. Prawn is the best out of those but a combination is better still. You can also feed them a good quality flake or pellet food.
Feed the fish 2-3 times a day but monitor the water quality as the extra food will cause the nitrates to go up faster.

I always clean the gravle but I don't change the filter but once every 6 months. I will try to switch up the food.

I'm glad to hear that your fish are doing well jumbo

 

[Colin_T]

Hi Snowflake

You don't have to change the filter media every 6 months but it should be cleaned about once a month. Most filter materials will last for years and only need replacing when they start to break down (fall apart).
If you have a power filter then you simply squeeze out, or rinse the filter sponges, etc in a bucket of tank water. When they are clean you put them back in the tank. Then rinse the filter housing and motor under the tap. Then reassemble the unit and get it going.
If you have carbon (black granulated substance) in the filter, then that should be replaced every month. Or just take it out and replace it with another sponge. Carbon is used to remove chemicals from the water and will remove medications and plant fertilisers.

 

[snowflake311]

Hi Snowflake

You don't have to change the filter media every 6 months but it should be cleaned about once a month. Most filter materials will last for years and only need replacing when they start to break down (fall apart).
If you have a power filter then you simply squeeze out, or rinse the filter sponges, etc in a bucket of tank water. When they are clean you put them back in the tank. Then rinse the filter housing and motor under the tap. Then reassemble the unit and get it going.
If you have carbon (black granulated substance) in the filter, then that should be replaced every month. Or just take it out and replace it with another sponge. Carbon is used to remove chemicals from the water and will remove medications and plant fertilisers.

last week I took the sponge out and squeezed it out in some aquarium water. I only have 2 sponges in the filter. I don't rinse the filter media often I will start doing that every month.