Freshwater Aquariums: Adding Fish 2

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Adding Fish 2

When selecting fish make sure that they are not sick. Signs of disease include:
A. White spots (ick)
B. Damaged fins (possible tail rot or might just be eaten by another fish which are both bad)
C. Fuzzy stuff on body, mouth, or eyes (fungus)
D. Red sores

Also make sure that the fish are compatible otherwise they may kill each other.

Make sure that you float the bag in your tank for 15-30 minutes so the fish adjust to the water temp.

To keep disease from spreading do not pour the bag water into the tank. Instead, net the fish out. Also treat any new fish with quickcure (for ick) , melafix(for tail rot, red sores, and fungus), and StressCoat (to protect and heal damaged fins). Fish will usually survive in the bag for a couple of hours before running out of air.

Start out with a couple of fish and gradually add more so amonia levels dont spike.

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Tips

-Water becomes acidic over time due to an increase in the amonium ion (NH3+). You can monitor amonia (NH4) and amonium levels with test kits. The most common test kits have ph test strips. Oftentimes people kill their fish by doing a complete water change, changing the ph as well. Many fish don't tolerate a sudden change in ph or temperature. Which is why only a 25% water change should be done. Most fish like the water at a neutral ph of 7.

-Some fish like gold fantails actually become depressed and hide in a corner when they suddenly find themselves alone. Yes, fish have feelings.

- Although optional, a bit of aquarium salt keeps certain diseases at bay and helps with reducing any gill inflamation. In freshwater aquariums only a tablespoon of salt should be used per every 5 gallons.

- Chemicals and medication can sometimes have a negative effect on the biological filtration because they also kill nitrifying bacteria, allowing amonia to build up.

-Separate any young fry (babies) from bigger fish since bigger fish will eat smaller ones. This includes the mother-yes she'll eat her young.

-Fishkeeping is an art. The best thing that you can do is watch your fish for changes in behavior. For instance, if they start gasping for air at the surface the temperature may be too high. Or if they excessively rub or scratch up on stuff they may have an irritant or disease on their skin.

-If any of your fish do have ick then you will have to add quickcure(one drop per gallon), salt(1 tablespoon per 5 gallons), and increase the water temperature to 86 F. Treatment should be done for at least 2 weeks. This combination of treatments will produce the best results. Continually keeping the temperature in the mid 80s will prevent future outbreaks.

-Fungus and fin rot can be treated externally with melafix if the disease has not progressed too much. For advanced infections antibiotics like penicillin can be mixed with food to trick the fish into eating it.

-Swimbladder is where an air bubble ends up in the fish's gastrointestinal track causing the fish to float to the surface. This dries out the fish's skin causing it to crack and to be susceptible to infection. One treatment is to starve the fish for a few days in order to shrink its stomach and then feed it a pea. In theory the pea should force out any air. Other treatments are more radical and involve a hyperdermic needle to remove the air. If I were the fish, i'd be scared :O

-Avid fish keepers have quarantine tanks to watch and treat new fish for diseases before introducing them with the other fish.

Freshwater Aquariums

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Adding Fish 2

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