Now Its Urgent! Please Help!

[three-fingers]

Ok, having posted in tropical chit chat and receiving no replies, it is now an emergency . Im going away for three days with only my neighbours to feed the fish.

The situation is: i added stress zyme to the tank during a 25% water change and my syno isnt eating and got mouldy patches on him looking like burns. Same goes for one of my marbled hatchets who is periodically going down to the bottom of the tank to lie down, isnt eating and has a fluffy chin(his chin is bigger too-inflamed?). The food i put in at night for my syno is alwyays coverd in mouldy white bacteria by morining because he isnt eating it and im not going to be around to take it out, so the water quality could degrade too .

Does anyone have ANY suggestions about what is hould do? Im really worried about my fish and im leaving today with not much time to do something!

 

[Bloo]

I can't explain it. Stress Zyme shouldn't cause this and I've never seen this result using the product.
I have to explain that I only once bought it to try it out and since then have received a few free samples - which I just used because I had it.

I do not believe this product is necessary at all in a mature & stable tank.
Especially if you know how to clean a filter properly (i.e. not with tap water and not replace more than one filter media at a time if/when needed).

And highly questionable even for a new tank - and even then the benefit is said to be little to nothing.

However, as this is the only change in your mature tank, I see little alternative. And a 25% water change really shouldn't do any harm at all either. In fact, I do between 25 - 50% on a regular basis (weekly).

Has absolutely nothing else changed ? No new decor or new fish ?

Do you have a nitrite and ammonia test kit ? If you do, what are those readings ?

Important: during this period of illness where your fish aren't eating as usual or well - you need to cut their food right back. Excess food can cause excess toxins to build up - which will only add to the unwellness of your fish. A good idea might be for your neighbours to only feed once during your 3 day absence. Your fish will not starve.

 

[Phoenixfish]

fish can get burns off high levels of nitrates or the other one carnt they?

 

[three-fingers]

Thats all thats changed, except i used stress coat to dechlorinate the water this time rather than the usual nurtafin aqua plus water conditiner I usually only do around 15% weekly water changes. I had cleaned the filter 3 weeks prior but did so propely in water from the fish tank and i only picked off big particles. I think only feeding them once is probably a good idea, and before i go i'll make sure they have all eaten something and pick out uneaten stuff. No new fish or anything else.

Maybe it is high nitrates, i havent had the water tested in ages(but will test it when i get back). But i dont know why my nirtrates or anything would so suddenly rise .

 

[Miss Wiggle]

well a fluffy chin sounds like fungus to me, dunno about burns but one of my syno's had a few patches on his back a while back, think his cave was too low and he was catching himself on it and getting injuries, sorted than out and treated with melafix to help repair his fins and he's fine now. Can you post some pics so we can see properly what the problems are

 

[three-fingers]

Ill try, but im not exactly an excellent fish photographer, and im being hassled to get ready to leave.

 

[Bloo]

As you haven't introduced any new fish recently - I would say the fungus appeared as a result of lowered immune system. Which could be the result of anything like nitrites / ammonia / excess nitrates.

I suggest you test off of those and then you'll know what you're dealing with. Without that, it's just guessing.

 

[three-fingers]

Great, it wont let me put on pics . Doest matter they were all blurry anyway. It sounds like nitrates, nitrite, ammonia, i just dont know what could have caused this. When i got back i was planning on changing the filter media, dont think that will happen. Ill make sure they are fed only once while im away and go get the water tested when im back as soon as possible.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

read your other thread, I think there's a fair chance it's fungus, I think it's melafix you use for it... not 100% sure though. I'd check it out and ask your neighbours to treat the tank daily while your away, it'll need treating every day for the next week. If you work out how much treatment it needs and leave them with it written down and a syringe I'm sure they could do it, it's not too much effort. good luck

 

[Bloo]

You're right Miss Wiggle Melefix certainly won't harm - but it won't fix the cause of the problem.

Follow instructions:

Remove activated carbon, zeolite filter and peat from the aquarium filter.
Add 5ml of Melafix for every 40 litres of aquarium water.
Dose daily for 7 days or until symptoms have no longer visible.
7 days after the last dose of Melafix perform a 25% water change.

 

[three-fingers]

Thanks guys i'll do that, dont have any melafix on me right now though, all i have is a quarter of a bottle of myxazin, but its been open for like a year so i probably shouldent use it . Plus i think its the wrong ting i'll bin it and get some melafix for when i get back.Thank I hope my fish are ok...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

You're right Miss Wiggle Melefix certainly won't harm - but it won't fix the cause of the problem.

Follow instructions:

Remove activated carbon, zeolite filter and peat from the aquarium filter.
Add 5ml of Melafix for every 40 litres of aquarium water.
Dose daily for 7 days or until symptoms have no longer visible.
7 days after the last dose of Melafix perform a 25% water change.

nope but i thought it'd help to keep them ticking over until he gets back.

I'd really advise you to get some before you go and get your neighbours to keep treating the tank while your away.

 

[three-fingers]

I would, but we are leaving in a couple of hours and my 'lfs' is around 20 mins away, so im not allowed to go . Im getting hassled just for looking at the tank and being on the pc while i should be helping packing . Thanks though .

 

[Miss Wiggle]

I would, but we are leaving in a couple of hours and my 'lfs' is around 20 mins away, so im not allowed to go . Im getting hassled just for looking at the tank and being on the pc while i should be helping packing . Thanks though .

might be pushing it, but if you left some money with your neighbours and the name of melafix and instructions on how to treat do you think they'd get it and do it for you? Could always give the the address for this site and tell them if they're stuck to come on and ask us for help. Really depends how friendly your neighbours are though

 

[three-fingers]

Thats a no. There is no way im going to be able to get melafix for my fish before Monday. I've just fallen out with my mum over it, and i have no cash/time to run out and get it since its around an hours walk and we should be leaving now. Being 14 isnt always that fun . At lest the hetchets chin seems to have gotten slightly better over the past few hours. I just really hope they are ok .