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SubscribeParrot Fish
rainsford
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Fingerling
Posts: 19
Kudos: 8
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Registered: 31-Oct-2007
male australia
Hello all, I think I have sick fish x 3. Though they are all relatively new to me, their behaviour has changed dramatically. 1 x T.Bar and 2 x Parrot Fish have all started sitting near the bottom breathing hard. They all used to be so active, particularly the female Parrot who would boss everyone else around. I have oxygen bubbles in the tank, filter is going fine, and I do a 25% water change every two weeks. Is this a respiratory problem or normal behaviour?

Please help,
Thanks, Marc
Post InfoPosted 16-Jan-2008 01:27Profile Homepage MSN PM Edit Report 
longhairedgit
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Fish Guru
Lord of the Beasts
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Registered: 21-Aug-2005
male uk
EditedEdited by longhairedgit
Doesnt sound normal, they do get to be quite a big fish, perhaps they are exceeding the water surface to volume ratio despite the aerator, how big is the tank? Parrots arent the best breathers, many have deformed gill lamellae and gill covers which doesnt really help matters.

Water readings for ammonia nitrite and nitrate would be useful too.
Post InfoPosted 16-Jan-2008 01:52Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Shinigami
 
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Ichthyophile
Catfish/Oddball Fan
Posts: 9962
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Registered: 22-Feb-2001
male usa us-delaware
EditedEdited by Shinigami
Hello, welcome to FishProfiles.

I'm curious how long the tank has been set up, and how big it is; you say your fish are relatively new, so does that mean the tank was only set up recently? This may be a sign of poisoning due to nitrogenous wastes such as ammonia or nitrite; these are produced by the fishes themselves so it is difficult to control in a new tank that has yet built up the biological filtration capable of controlling nitrogenous wastes. In a smaller volume, wastes build up faster, too. In a new, small tank with high-waste fish such as Parrotfish, it is possible for the wastes to build up in days between water changes until the natural bacteria bulk up enough to handle nitrogenous wastes.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.
Post InfoPosted 16-Jan-2008 02:31Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
rainsford
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Fingerling
Posts: 19
Kudos: 8
Votes: 0
Registered: 31-Oct-2007
male australia
Thanks for the help, it's great (also good to have something to post about too). These are my readings today:
Tank is 250L - set up five weeks ago.

PH = 6.0 (added PH increaser - 1/2 tsp of powder)
NH3 = 8.0 (I've treated this with 32.5 ml of API Ammo Lock)
GH = 89.5
KH = 143.2 (I believe these are good for me because i have plants).

My filter is an Aqua One CF1000
Temp @ 26.5 Celcius (this does fluctuate up to 28.0 C with our extreme summer heat).

Recent fatalities are:
1 x Adult female Krib - sudden (appearance fine)
2 x 6 mth old T.Bars' - cotton wool appearance near gills.

Thanks,
Marc
Post InfoPosted 16-Jan-2008 12:27Profile Homepage MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Shinigami
 
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Ichthyophile
Catfish/Oddball Fan
Posts: 9962
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Registered: 22-Feb-2001
male usa us-delaware
EditedEdited by Shinigami
Wow, that's your answer right there. Ammonia should be 0; 8.0 is sky-high! No wonder you're having stress and deaths. Even though your tank is a little larger it appears that it's not large enough to dilute all the ammonia that your fish are producing. Did you add Ammo-Lock before or after testing the water? Wait some time and see how much the Ammo-Lock is having an effect. It would be a good idea to do a water change to lower the ammonia as well.

It's odd that in 5 weeks your bacteria population has not yet gotten a handle on the ammonia production. However, you mention certain deaths, and medication can harm the bacteria populations. Try using such products as "Cycle" to help bolster the bacteria colonies in your tank; this is a more natural way to lower ammonia. In an older tank, chemical filtration in the form of Ammo-Lock will be unnecessary as the self-reproducing bacteria will be able to handle ammonia.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.
Post InfoPosted 16-Jan-2008 17:22Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
rainsford
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Fingerling
Posts: 19
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Registered: 31-Oct-2007
male australia
Wanting to update this thread, I have had some major leaps forward but then some leaps back as well

First of all, as of last night I lost my last Parrot Fish (Nic) and also my female Krib a few days ago. I was sad because I had started to remedy the problem but the poor fish had given up the ghost Still I had to learn somehow and by making mistakes is probably the best way to learn.

Being alarmed at the NH3 (8.0), I went to my LFS and bought a bottle of Seachem Stability as directed by the assistant. He also directed me very precisely what I'd done wrong (rinsed out the filter with raw tap water) and what I needed to do straight away.

I tested the PH of the tank (6.0) and the PH of raw tap water (7.0). Also did a Nitrite test (0.1). Did a 50% water change. Added: 35ml stress coat and 32.5ml Seachem Stability. Did a new NH3 test (4.0) then another PH Aquarium test, still (6.0)! So looking good right now.

My male Krib is off colour but he may make it through. He's a bit brighter today then yesterday.

As for the future: 50% WC for the next week, plus add 18ml Stability to the tank every day for a week. Continue to monitor the NO2 because it will rise, but with the water changes it is going to return to 0.0 soon.

So...if I am missing any ingredient or instruction, please let me know.

Thanks, Marc
Post InfoPosted 19-Jan-2008 08:19Profile Homepage MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
Shinigami
 
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Ichthyophile
Catfish/Oddball Fan
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Registered: 22-Feb-2001
male usa us-delaware
I've rinsed out my filter with pure tap, but the difference is I've got a biowheel that houses my biological filtration.

Sounds like you're doing it right. "Stability" is one of those bacteria products I mentioned in my earlier post. Just keep doing what you're doing and hope your fish all make it through.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.
Post InfoPosted 19-Jan-2008 16:44Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
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