Hey guys I'm new to the site and I have a 55 gallon that need help? For the past week 1 of my angelfish died and 1 of my platy is sick. I need to get rid of this parasite now. I have QT the platy in a 1 gallon bowl...not good i know. So what is a good med to kill parasites and stuff. better yet what is the best all purpose med. Please Help!!!!
Welcome to the forum, ysoazn6. Sorry you're located in boring Kansas
Can you post the following info on your tank so other members are able to get a better idea of what may be going on in your tank? I'm not a fan of using ANY medication unless I know exactly what it is I'm treating for. If your tank has been set up for a few weeks or less it's likely you may be dealing with an uncycled tank, for which meds would NOT be recommended. Let's get some more info on the tank and go from there.
My tank is fully cycled 55 gallon running for about 4 months now.
[*]Test Results for the Following:
Results were in the good range.
[*]Water temperature?
80 Fahrenheit
[*]Tank size (how many gals.) and how long has it been running?
55 gallon community tank running for about 5 months
[*]What is the name and size of the filter(s)?
Jebo canister filter gets the job done right, and a Marineland penguin 280 bio filter. (I think)
[*]How often do you change the water and how much?
About every month and 5 gallons.
[*]What kind of water additives or conditioners?
Tetra conditioner and tetra metal remover and Chlorine remover
[*]What do you feed your fish and how often?
Tetra flakes every day, bloodworms every weekend.
[*]Any new fish added to the tank?
No
[*]Any medications added to the tank?
Nothing except aquarium salt.
The following fish is in the aquarium.
3 Platies
2 Guppies
2 Chinese Algae eaters
1 Upside down catfish
1 Botia
1 Red tail shark (I think)
2 Angelfish (now...)
4 Skirted Tetra
2 Serapae tetra
2 Glow fish
These guys fight constantly but nothing i can do..sadly
1 Pearl Gourami
1 Kissing Gourami
1 Golden Killifish
Can you test for ammonia,nitrites ,and nitrAtes and post numbers for them? Ammonia and nitrites should test zero and nitrates are best to keep at 20 ppm or below. In a tank with the numbers of fish you have,.I would suggest 15 gal water changes each week. This will provide the fish with best chance of fighting off parasites and or disease by providing them with good water quality. Some of your fish would be more comfortable with temperature of 77 degrees as opposed to 80 degrees.
My own,and others experiences with the chinese alage eater has shown that they can often be aggressive and nippy to other fish especially as they grow larger. You may want to keep an eye out for such behaivor and do not rule out this behaivor that could be taking place after lights are out.
I would try mif it was me,, changing water more often than once a month and see if conditions don't improve before I began to consider medications at this point. I would also see that ammonia and nitrites as stated,read zero on consistent basis. Many health issues regarding fish can be associated with their enviornment or the deterioration of same.
I might also consider that test strips,are not all that accurate for testing for toxins such as ammonia and nitrites and perhaps I would consider investing in a test kit such as the API Freshwater master kit. This will give you the ability to providegood enviornment by giving you accurate readings for the water that fish are being kept in.
Not to be *nit picky* but are your actual water values? "Good range" doesn't tell us much. What brand test kit are you using? Is your tank planted?
The first thing that jumps put and screams at me if your tank maintenance routine. 5 gls once a month on a 55? To be blunt: I'm surprised that many more of your other fish aren't ill or soon to perish. You should be doing weekly water changes of at least 30%. I do weekly water changes of 50% on all my tanks. Fish need and must have good, clean fresh water and the only way to provide that is through water changes. If you step up your routine you'll see an improvement in their health.
As far as your tank's stocking and some of your fish fighting...do the gouramis have enough *cover* to escape their line of sight from each other? Floating plants can be very helpful in cutting down their line of sight and can help lessen the fighting over territory. Some of the fish you are keeping need to be kept in a larger numbers than you currently keep them (tetra/botia) and some will not be appropriate (CAE) once they reach adulthood. What species botia are you keeping?
1077 brings up a very good point! It's possible that after the lights are out your CAE's are indulging in the behavior they are best known for, aggressiveness. :-(
1077 also has one of the best signature line's I've read: The most important medication in your fish medicine cabinet is.. Clean water.
Good luck with your tank, ysoazn6!!
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