Silver Dollar Developing Spots

[FrozenFishStick]

Hi,I need some help.

A few months ago a friend of mine gave me two Silver Dollars which she bought from PetSmart 2 or 3 years ago. They were rather small (around 3 inches) when I first took them. Attachment "Silver Dollar a" was taken shortly after I took possession of them. One of them has grown significantly. Within the last 2 weeks it has developed two black blotches - one above and one below its lateral line - on either side of its body. It has also lost the red tint on his anal fin and black edging has developed along its tail fin. It's also very aggressive toward the second Silver Dollar. The second Silver Dollar has not grown as much, has retained its red anal fin and has not developed the black spots.

I do not have any other fish in the tank. I was told they devoured all the smaller fish and the third Silver Dollar in my friend's tank. They have a diet of tropical fish flakes and bloodworms. They're in a ten gallon tank which gets a complete water change and scrub down once every two weeks. They were originally kept in a 20 gallon but I was told I wouldn't need that big of tank because they hadn't grown in the years that she had them. I don't use chemicals in the water. I don't know the sexes.

I just want to make sure this isn't some sort of disease.

Thanks so much!
FrozenFishStick

 

[BerryAttack]

check your water. pH levels nitrates ammonia etc. by the sounds of it the black spots can be from ammonia fluctuation in the water. and do you use tap water? if so you should be putting in a treatment for that.

 

[FrozenFishStick]

check your water. pH levels nitrates ammonia etc. by the sounds of it the black spots can be from ammonia fluctuation in the water. and do you use tap water? if so you should be putting in a treatment for that.

Hi BerryAttack,
Thank you for the advice. I'll have to pick up a testing kit this afternoon. Do you know where I could find a reference guide for pH levels and the like for Silver Dollars? I can't seem to find any consistent recommendations. And yes, I am using tap water. I'm assuming I'll need a water conditioner.
Again, thank you so very much!

 

[BerryAttack]

this is what i go by

pH Level – NORMAL RANGE: 6.5-8.2
This is the measure of the activity (power) of the hydrogen ions in the water. The stability of the pH is related to water alkalinity and hardness. Rapid changes in pH are detrimental to fish.

Chlorine and Chloramine – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0 mg/L
These are added to city water supplies to make the water supply safe for human consumption. Be certain to always use a dechlorinator when adding water to an aquarium because any amount of chlorine is toxic to fish.

Ammonia – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0-0.25 mg/L
Aquariums with properly operating filtration systems should have no ammonia present (after they have been cycled). In new aquariums, Ammonia Removers can be used to lower ammonia levels, along with partial water changes.

Nitrite – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0-0.5 mg/L
Nitrite reduces the ability of the fish’s blood to carry oxygen. You can remove excess nitrite from an aquarium by performing a partial water change. Adding salt to the water at 0.1-0.3% (1-3 teaspoons of aquarium salt per gallon of water) also reduces nitrite toxicity.
Nitrate – NORMAL RANGE: 0-40 mg/L
If nitrate levels exceed 40 mg/L, water changes can be used to lower the concentration. High levels of nitrate can also cause increased algae growth.
Hardness – NORMAL RANGE: 100-250 mg/L
Water with high hardness usually has a high pH. Softening the water will lower the pH. Most fish will adapt to moderate hardness levels.

Alkalinity – NORMAL RANGE: 120-300 mg/L
With low alkalinity water, your aquarium may experience sudden and deadly pH shifts. Increase the alkalinity of the water to stabilize the pH.

Temperature – NORMAL RANGE: 74-82º F (23-28º C)
Use an aquarium heater to maintain stable water temperatures. Rapid temperature changes are harmful to tropical fish.

oh and do a water change every 1-2 weeks. i do mine every other week, but do whats best for you aquarium the more fish more water changes. less fish usually less water changes but depends on the size of fish and the size of tank they are in.

 

[FrozenFishStick]

this is what i go by

pH Level – NORMAL RANGE: 6.5-8.2
This is the measure of the activity (power) of the hydrogen ions in the water. The stability of the pH is related to water alkalinity and hardness. Rapid changes in pH are detrimental to fish.

Chlorine and Chloramine – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0 mg/L
These are added to city water supplies to make the water supply safe for human consumption. Be certain to always use a dechlorinator when adding water to an aquarium because any amount of chlorine is toxic to fish.

Ammonia – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0-0.25 mg/L
Aquariums with properly operating filtration systems should have no ammonia present (after they have been cycled). In new aquariums, Ammonia Removers can be used to lower ammonia levels, along with partial water changes.

Nitrite – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0-0.5 mg/L
Nitrite reduces the ability of the fish’s blood to carry oxygen. You can remove excess nitrite from an aquarium by performing a partial water change. Adding salt to the water at 0.1-0.3% (1-3 teaspoons of aquarium salt per gallon of water) also reduces nitrite toxicity.
Nitrate – NORMAL RANGE: 0-40 mg/L
If nitrate levels exceed 40 mg/L, water changes can be used to lower the concentration. High levels of nitrate can also cause increased algae growth.
Hardness – NORMAL RANGE: 100-250 mg/L
Water with high hardness usually has a high pH. Softening the water will lower the pH. Most fish will adapt to moderate hardness levels.

Alkalinity – NORMAL RANGE: 120-300 mg/L
With low alkalinity water, your aquarium may experience sudden and deadly pH shifts. Increase the alkalinity of the water to stabilize the pH.

Temperature – NORMAL RANGE: 74-82º F (23-28º C)
Use an aquarium heater to maintain stable water temperatures. Rapid temperature changes are harmful to tropical fish.

oh and do a water change every 1-2 weeks. i do mine every other week, but do whats best for you aquarium the more fish more water changes. less fish usually less water changes but depends on the size of fish and the size of tank they are in.

What fantastic information! Thank you so much! I'm going to keep this on file. Unfortunately, my local pet store only had pH testing kits. I tested the water straight out of the tap and the levels were well above 7.6. I couldn't get an exact number because the kit is color coded and only lists up to 7.6. I added pH Correct and the level dropped to at least 7.4. It's a start and I'll pick up a better testing kit when I hit up PetSmart again.

I have well water so I'm not worried about chlorine. The lady at the pet store suggested I change the water too much. I change it completely once every two weeks. I've changed it once a month before but the water was so nasty I could barely see the fish! I do wash the rocks and change the filter when I change the water. I don't use a gravel vac. Do you think this practice creates havoc with the "good bacteria" that lives in the tank?

Again, thank you so much!
#63###

 

[BerryAttack]

this is what i go by

pH Level – NORMAL RANGE: 6.5-8.2
This is the measure of the activity (power) of the hydrogen ions in the water. The stability of the pH is related to water alkalinity and hardness. Rapid changes in pH are detrimental to fish.

Chlorine and Chloramine – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0 mg/L
These are added to city water supplies to make the water supply safe for human consumption. Be certain to always use a dechlorinator when adding water to an aquarium because any amount of chlorine is toxic to fish.

Ammonia – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0-0.25 mg/L
Aquariums with properly operating filtration systems should have no ammonia present (after they have been cycled). In new aquariums, Ammonia Removers can be used to lower ammonia levels, along with partial water changes.

Nitrite – NORMAL RESULTS: 0.0-0.5 mg/L
Nitrite reduces the ability of the fish’s blood to carry oxygen. You can remove excess nitrite from an aquarium by performing a partial water change. Adding salt to the water at 0.1-0.3% (1-3 teaspoons of aquarium salt per gallon of water) also reduces nitrite toxicity.
Nitrate – NORMAL RANGE: 0-40 mg/L
If nitrate levels exceed 40 mg/L, water changes can be used to lower the concentration. High levels of nitrate can also cause increased algae growth.
Hardness – NORMAL RANGE: 100-250 mg/L
Water with high hardness usually has a high pH. Softening the water will lower the pH. Most fish will adapt to moderate hardness levels.

Alkalinity – NORMAL RANGE: 120-300 mg/L
With low alkalinity water, your aquarium may experience sudden and deadly pH shifts. Increase the alkalinity of the water to stabilize the pH.

Temperature – NORMAL RANGE: 74-82º F (23-28º C)
Use an aquarium heater to maintain stable water temperatures. Rapid temperature changes are harmful to tropical fish.

oh and do a water change every 1-2 weeks. i do mine every other week, but do whats best for you aquarium the more fish more water changes. less fish usually less water changes but depends on the size of fish and the size of tank they are in.

What fantastic information! Thank you so much! I'm going to keep this on file. Unfortunately, my local pet store only had pH testing kits. I tested the water straight out of the tap and the levels were well above 7.6. I couldn't get an exact number because the kit is color coded and only lists up to 7.6. I added pH Correct and the level dropped to at least 7.4. It's a start and I'll pick up a better testing kit when I hit up PetSmart again.

I have well water so I'm not worried about chlorine. The lady at the pet store suggested I change the water too much. I change it completely once every two weeks. I've changed it once a month before but the water was so nasty I could barely see the fish! I do wash the rocks and change the filter when I change the water. I don't use a gravel vac. Do you think this practice creates havoc with the "good bacteria" that lives in the tank?

Again, thank you so much!
#63###

well having a pH of 7.4 is really good, the goal is to have it at 7.0, but that is hard to do. and for doing a water change i do it every other week, vacuum the gravel until its clean and boom that's my water change. haha and then once a month i change the filter.
well if you don't vacuum the gravel then all the fish waste is there.. and then that could be the cause if your murky water. i would say get a gravel vacuum and every other week vacuum the gravel until clean and boom that's your water change.

changing the whole water out of the aquarium for new water can cause nitrate fluctuation same with pH and that is very bad for the fish.

also if you have over an crowded aquarium then you'll need to clean it more and do more water changes. i go by the adult size, one inch tanks up one gallon of the tank and or 3 liters the more fish the more waste and more maintenance.