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darknite darknite
  • Quite a regular
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  • Joined: 4/4/2009 22:26
  • From Staffordshire
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  • Posts: 49
  • Posted on: 30/4/2009 12:09
Re: Help for my comet please #21
The 4,4L has no filter in it, i've worked out why there has been no change in condition.

As it was a small tank I was doing water changes everyday (diluting the protozin) which meant Audi was not getting the full effect. I'm going to put Audi into the 72L tank with Quattro and remove the carbon and zeolite sponge from the filter. Then get the prime and start treatment.

Thanks for your help fellow fish keepers! :D
longhairedgit longhairedgit
  • Disease Adviser
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  • Joined: 10/10/2007 14:03
  • From Gloucestershire
  • Group: Takin' a break...
  • Posts: 3088
  • Posted on: 30/4/2009 16:48
Re: Help for my comet please #22
You should consider the possibility that a 4.4 litre wont have the o2 replenishing rate needed for healing though. 4.4 litres is so small it would adversely affect the metabolic rate of almost any species of fish living in it. You can never account for sheer luck, but on average a 4.4 litre is too small for probably 95% or more cases where fish need treatment and recovery to happen successfully. Add to that that formalins and organic dyes drop the o2 level a fish can absorb and its also the reason that not only do many fish fail to recover in them, but actually suffocate under treatment. The key to successful medication protocols is a low relative stocking level, primarily because of gaseous availability for the sustenance of a decent level of metabolic rate and cellular replacement is essential.
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Howard Howard
  • Marine Adviser
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  • Joined: 14/1/2007 18:47
  • From Surrey
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  • Posted on: 30/4/2009 20:22
Re: Help for my comet please #23
Can i just say that it's been 4 days now since the advice was given to put the comet back in the big tank.

The longer you prevaricate and keep the comet in a 4.4 litre unfiltered tank , the less likely it is to recover , in fact you may well be killing it leaving it in there.

I hope you haven't left it too late. All of these members know what they are talking about.
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Keep your friends close , but your anemones closer ....
stardust79 stardust79
  • Just can't stay away
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  • Joined: 30/4/2009 2:09
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  • Posted on: 30/4/2009 21:11
Re: Help for my comet please #24
I found salt worked very well for white spot it cured my fish completely. You need to use aquarium salt and not ordinary table salt as this contains caking agents which is harmful to the fish.

The best thing to do is do a 50% water change and vaccum the gravel. Put the comet back in the main tank which has a filter as it has more of a chance of surviving than in an unfiltered tank.

2nd White spot is highly contagious so you need to treat the main tank and the other fish anyway.

Before treating with salt you need to remove aquarium plants.

I prefer treating with salt as it doesn't kill the good bacteria in the tank like medications.

You need to buy some aquarium salt ASAP and treat according to the dosage levels and your tank size on the side of the pack. Also ask in the shop what dose you should give for white spot as this differs to what the treatment is for tank maintanance.

I do hate to say though that usually when I fish is laying on the bottom of the tank it is very sick and usually laying there waiting for the end to come :(

I really hope you get them better though.

Treat with salt, do a 20% water change daily and also vaccum the gravel daily to get rid of the parasites that lay in the gravel. You need to get rid of the parasites to stop re infection as they drop off into the gravel and then re infect the fish. You need to calculate how much salt you are removing with the water changes so that you can re add the amount of salt that you have taken out each time. I would repeat this process for 10 days to make sure all white spot have gone then watch out for possible re infection.

I would also recommend adding some stress coat liquid to add protection to the fish and aid healing.

Good luck!
stardust79 stardust79
  • Just can't stay away
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  • Posted on: 30/4/2009 21:14
Re: Help for my comet please #25
Ahh sorry i missed the bit where it said you were treating with medication...in that case don't add any salt. Add soem stress coat though.
darknite darknite
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  • Joined: 4/4/2009 22:26
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  • Posted on: 1/5/2009 16:05
Re: Help for my comet please #26
Yeh I know I should have put Audi back in the main tank ages ago, I have now done it and put in the recommended dose of protozin in the tank. I have also removed the zeolite/carbon sponge from the filter.

He's been in there for 1 hour and he is really happy compared to the 4.4L.

I have added tape safe which states on the bottle it contains aloe vera which coats the fish in a protective layer.

I have also put in an extra air pump which I had lying around to increase aeration.
The only maint hing I'm worried about now is the healthy fish because I don't want it to catch anything. He (Quattro) is my first fish, infact pet ever and he's beautiful and I would be super sad if anything happened to him:(

Hope the steps i've taken are adequate. Just one question I don't understand how to clean the gravel. How do I Vaccum the gravel? With my tank I was given a "syphon filter" and the guy said I can clean the gravel with it, would anyone like to explaion the best method of cleaning gravel. Thanks :)
EagleC EagleC
  • Plants Adviser
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  • Joined: 28/3/2007 12:01
  • From Hampshire
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  • Posted on: 1/5/2009 17:25
Re: Help for my comet please #27
Don't try to use salt to combat whitespot on a goldfish. Many of the parasite strains are quite resilient to salt and targetted whitespot medication wont kill filter bacteria.

Theres a really long explanation from LHG about exactly what salt is and isn't good for - but in essense its not much good the majority of time and is overused to mask problems at the long term detriment to fish.
Anna Robinson Anna Robinson
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  • Joined: 17/3/2009 22:20
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  • Posted on: 3/5/2009 11:39
Re: Help for my comet please #28
It's hard to explain in words how to vacuum gravel. Usually the siphon will have a larger, rigid tube (a little like an upside-down funnel) connected to a length of flexible pipe. Start a flow of water through the siphon. This can be done either by using the 'pump start' that some siphons come with, or by filling the siphon with water, putting the end of the pipe in a bucket below the tank, and lifting the large end of the siphon up. This causes the water in it to flow downwards to the bucket - if you quickly plunge the large end back into the tank, the water will keep flowing. Practise in the sink with a bucket below it and you'll quickly get the hang of it.

Once you have the water flowing, dig the large end of the siphon into the gravel - the force of the flow will lift the gravel and tumble it. The dirt, being light, will flow out with the water, and the gravel will fall back. Keep moving over the gravel until you have done as much cleaning, or removed as much water, as you need. Keep an eye on the water level in the bucket while you're doing it or it will be overflowing on to the carpet!

I always find it useful to partially kink the pipe, and keep my hand over the kink so I can close it instantly if necessary - this enables me to stop the flow quickly if one of the fish comes near the end of the siphon. The flow is usually not too strong and the fish would probably be OK, but there is a chance it could get hurt. Many siphons come with taps etc, but these can't be closed instantly.

I also don't think salt is the best way to treat whitespot. I understand that, in the wild, many whitespot strains are found in quite brackish areas, so would not be affected. One of the things to remember about whitespot is that infected fish develop a strong natural immunity - an outbreak may appear to have cleared due to treatment, but is actually being kept in check by the fish's immune systems.
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darknite darknite
  • Quite a regular
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  • Posted on: 3/5/2009 11:55
Re: Help for my comet please #29
Thank you very much Anna! The info is greatly appreciated hope I can return the favour one day. Being a sunday and bank holiday tomorrow (no uni) I will vac the gravel today as much as possible, Im on day 3 with the whitespot treatment and to tell you the truth I don't see any difference, infact I can see white spots creeping from the tail, and fins to the actual body with 1 or 2 small spots around its eyes.


Also another query I have is that Audi the comet was spitting out its food last night. I crumbled in some tetra flakes and he swallows them and a second or two later spits them back into the water in much smaller pieces. Firstly I thought he's breaking them up but then he would again spit out the smaller pieces he had made. Does anyone know why this might be happening?

Is it also safe to put your hand into the water (to vaccum the gravel) while there is protozin in there? Protozin contains formalehyde which is bad for human skin isn't it?

Thanks everyone.
darknite darknite
  • Quite a regular
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  • Posted on: 3/5/2009 15:17
Re: Help for my comet please #30
URGENT HELP REQUIRED PLEASE


I've just noticed that my comets tail is breaking down! The upper part of the fork is seeming to vanish, I cant see little threads waving about in the water and no "skin?" between the threads. Has my fish gone beyond saving? please help :(