Bad morning

madness, a big THANK YOU for helping me out with the midas and his bath.

Will keep you informed on his progress.

Anytime. Have fun at the Wet Spot.

This morning the midas was not eating but the inflamed area under the teeth looked less red. The swelling was still there but he was swimming around with a little pep so I hope he is on the track to getting better. With all the meds and drastic water changes over the last week all the fish have seemed to lose their appetite. The big worry was seeing the Pearsei with what appeared to be a bit of loose flesh by his lips. He has been acting lethargic so I am a little worried.

As to having any fun at The Wet Spot, we will see. I am going to Portland with the wife and friends who are not fish people. So we will not spend very much time.

I'm sorry D... wish I could help.

I got back from Portland Sunday night to a very pale bleached out looking Midas. Tried to feed the tank but no interest. Saw the Pleco had a sunken stomach, and the pearsei still had a bit of loose flesh that as he breathes would go in and out his mouth. Did a water change and added salt.

Monday morning watched the life go out of the Midas. He could not hold himself upright at all and was barely breathing. I put him down with clove oil. Then the pleco started to also have issues and I had to put him down. So as of 8:45 this morning I still had the Pearsei who was not eating and my 5 silver dollars who were not eating. I can not even begin to figure out what caused this. I take good care of my tanks, and they get regular water changes. I feel as though I have wasted 3 years of my life on the midas and pleco. Also a waste of $59 on the wc argentea I lost. Now will I get to go home to another expensive death with my wc pearsei?

I am not sure what I'm going to do. This has been a huge kick in the crotch when it comes to my confidence in raising fish. I have never had an issue like this before even as a kid not knowing what I was doing. I have never lost so many fish with no real explained reason.

That sucks sorry for your loss.

czeiszler wrote:That sucks sorry for your loss.

Thank you, it is bad when you lose fish but worse when its a real pet. I was way to attached to the midas.

I am so sorry to hear this. I will do some looking.

madness wrote:I am so sorry to hear this. I will do some looking.

Thank you for all your help in trying to get him better. It was almost as if he was waiting till I got back to go...

Is it possible that they have something internal?

So many of the disease symptoms involve loss of appetite and stringy poo. Since no one has been eating I am not sure. I guess at this point I could try something geared toward internal but am having a hard time caring. I feel so powerless since I am at work and cant really do anything till this evening. What meds should I try now? Maybe I can save a couple of fish.

Unfortunately if it is internal, the fish need to ingest the medication to some extent. When my Festae had internal issues I used Parasite Guard by Tetra. It worked well. They sell it at Petsmart for like $4/ bx. Each box treats 80 gal. It says treat, water change, treat. Then the fish should be OK. It worked with my Festae. Or you can mix up some epson salt solution and use an eye dropper to put in the fishes mouth and force them to swallow.

Do they even attempt to eat? Like put in mouth and spit out?

They did attempt to before I had left for the weekend. Right now nothing. I guess I have nothing to lose now trying more meds.

I know catching the Pearsi would be stressful. But maybe try some epson salt on him.

Maybe Johnny's seasoning salt would be better.

Dont say that.

Any replacement ideas for my midas? I know I am not going to get anything expensive. After the loss of the argentea I realized I was stupid for spending so much on a fish. So I am looking at something $10 or less and probably something fairly common. Might even raise Oscars, most people cant seem to kill them with the worst of care so I should do ok with them.

Try breeding some bleekeri !

i heard they are a lot like oscars.

Maybe some long finned dempsey from madness?

Andinoacara Rivulatus!

Dempseys are all gone. But thanks. I think a beautiful Hoga would be a beautiful replacement. Along with a Zonatum as a tank mate. Two beautiful fish, with great personality.

But those Dempsey were stunning. APFP has the remaining 15.

Ive had a Dempsey before. I found it to hide too much. I want to be able to see the fish out and about. Ive seen other JD's that are a lot more outgoing. Mine just was not. Love the look of the EBJD but I do not want to deal with the cost or sensitive nature of this.

The bleekeri are nice but not cheap from what Ive seen.

I will wait until the die off's stop and see whats left. Hope the pearsei is still in the mix.

madness wrote:I think a beautiful Hoga would be a beautiful replacement. Along with a Zonatum as a tank mate. Two beautiful fish, with great personality.

Just wish they were a bit bigger. Really hate the giant tank with little tiny fish to have to grow out. The starting over part just sucks. Its a good 6-8 months worth of time before the fish even have a real presence in that large tank.

Bleekeri are $10 at wet spot.

Zerc wrote:Bleekeri are $10 at wet spot.

With a $24 minimum order and $15 in shipping / I am now at $40...

Sad because I was just there on Sunday. But I was hopeful so I did not come home with any fish.

Well thats a good thing though. Lets figure out what is going on, correct it and then add new members.

Adonijah is selling his 7+" Argentea.

bleekeri are $24.99 at APFP, but thats a bit more than 10

Zerc, I actually look at your stock and could see getting many of the same fish in mine. The Gt, convicts, jag, leporinus are all fish I would consider. But again let me figure out what is going on first THEN I will see where to go.

Sorry about your loss D. It really sucks to lose a fish you had for so long. In the year and a half I had my pearsei, I grew attached. Then came the hole in the head. And it was a big blow. Then the black belt flipped on him and that was that. I have lost a few fish over the years that really hit me hard, and it turned into a mild and temporary depression. Things will be better, and it sucks to start over. But it sounds like you have a good plan going. Stick to it and I'm sure it will all work out. Again sorry about your loss bro.

Thanks! I just hope my pearsei makes it.

dude i hope it works out for you. but if it doesnt give africans a look see. with a tank that size you could just have one seriously colorful puddle... really bummed that midas gave up. hope the pearsei makes it. but hey look at the bright side. ur getting 100$ tonight that can go towards getting you new stock. but if that pearsei dies id bleach the tank and do a cycle all over again.

Yeah pick up my Argentia!

Yea I agree, definitely wait til we know whats going on, losing fish sucks.

I started the parasite treatment on the pearsei. I got the Jungle Parasite Clear at Walmart which is the same as the Tetra at petsmart. It was only $3.39 a pack so it was about $1 cheaper than the Tetra. I will see if this does the trick. The pearsei has been breathing very heavy so I wonder if it is a parasite, maybe gill flukes. I will keep you guys updated.

after using the potassium it says to increase the aeration of the water as much as you can to prevent suffocation. (just in case)

Not a bad idea Zerc. If you have extra air pumps and stones, throw them in. I have some air stones if you need a couple.

Best of luck with your fish. It's hard to see them suffer.

No improvement to the pearsei this morning but I feel I am on the right path. He is breathing very heavy with what almost looks to be a cough like he is trying to get something out. He still does not eat but still looks to have a lot of life in him. The silver dollars seem fine with 2 of them eating a little last night. They are now all very nervous with the big midas missing. He was kind of a calm influence in the tank and made them more mellow. I will continue with the parasite treatment and salt. I might do a few salt baths on the pearsei also. But at least he is alive and there is some hope still.

After some more reading this morning Im not so sure I am on the right path. I may still be dealing with a columnaris issue. It may have got into the pearsei gills. I think I will try the bi-furan/salt bath on him.

that sucks, good luck!

(bifuran is expensive)

Meds are expensive. I am tempted to buy a bunch of stuff on-line at much cheaper prices and just keep it on hand.

Pet mountain does free shipping at $49

The bi-furan I just got for $12 in store they have for $5
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The tetra parasite guard was $4.39 in store they have it for $3
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Maybe we should do a group buy on meds!

o hey DMD ive got an order going already through foster and smith. if you wanna get in on it just gimme a call. or better yet ill just call you. if you wanna get in on it id be happy to help ya. free shipping since im already over the limit.

Thanks for the offer! I already have the bi-furan so I will give the guy his dip. It was one of those things I was not expecting so I did not keep a whole lot of stuff on hand. I will probably keep a few more meds on hand now. We almost should create a must have list for people to deal with most of the common issues.

Foster and Smith is a great place, but check out the cost differences between them and Pet Mtn. No comparison, I will order everything from Pet Mtn, unless F & S has something PM does not.

D' have you added more air stones and air into your tank?

I have not added any more but I will. I noticed the edges of the gills looking white which makes me think the issue of the fungus is in the gills. I got some Tetra Fungus Guard from petsmart which is basically bifuran. I will treat him with that tonight.

lol i like the service i get from foster and smiths.. NEVER a recording its always somebody actually alive and without robotlike qualities. ive done orders from both and i just prefer good customer service. treat me well and i will always come back. screw me once and consider yourself on the black list .

Anthraxx wrote:lol i like the service i get from foster and smiths.. NEVER a recording its always somebody actually alive and without robotlike qualities. ive done orders from both and i just prefer good customer service. treat me well and i will always come back. screw me once and consider yourself on the black list .

Ive never had issue with F&S even when I had to return something. They do have good customer service.

But then again Ive never had an issue with pet mountain. They always got my stuff to me and it was exactly as advertised.

I end up shopping at multiple places because of price and free shipping. So far I have not had any issue with the companies I have dealt with. I sometimes go to pet solutions or big als for things also. I price shop at four different places before I finalize my order.

yeah i do a lot of the same stuff. but i really do prefer foster and smiths. they always make sure i get what i need quickly and safely. we'll see how well glass lids travel.. lol

Annthraxx, you call and order? You dont do it online? I have never spoke to either of them and both are great about getting stuff to me. So then it comes down to $$$$. If F & S is $150 for a bunch of product, I guarantee the Pet Mtn is $100 or cheaper.

As for glass tops. Those I have ordered from F&S about 6 times, and never an issue. They pack them quite well.

I have found a few items cheaper at petsolutions but most of the time petmountain has the best price.