noworries noworries
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  • Posted on: 30/9/2004 20:36
A Few Questions ? #1
Just a couple of questions from a newbie..

I've been running my 80litre tank for 7 weeks now with 2 platties, 2 peppered corys, 2 flying foxes and a sailfin plec, I started with 2 platties, 2 corys and plec after the tank cycling for 3 weeks and then 7 days after on the advise from my local aquatics shop i added the 2 foxes, i left it 2 weeks and was advised to do the 20% water change which i done 9 days ago, after doing the water change using interpets fresh start and heating the water with a spare heater in a 20litre clean bin brought for the job i'm not sure how or why i introduced white spot into both of my tanks ( also changed 20% of coldwater tank using different bowl ) so treating the tanks but the cold water tank has cleared up but the 2 platties still have white spot.. does anyone have any advise or see what i have done wrong ??

Second question is about cucumber, i've heard it is good for the plec/foxes and corys, how long do you leave it in the tank and do you stop feeding them food whilst it's in there, i normally feed the 2 platties and foxes with flake in the morning and evening and use sinking wafers for the plec and corys in the evening.

The third question is about a red snail smuggled on one of the plants.. he's grown quite big since i noticed him 6 weeks ago about 2.5cm, now not sure what it is but there is like a jelly thing on his back which looks like it has bubbles in it, any ideas?? picture below..

Resized Image

Sorry for long post.. just worried about what i'm doing, read so many books that they all contradict each other..
Anonymous  
Re: A Few Questions ? #2
look like a ramshorn, are there not loads of little one though
Goldy Goldy
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  • Posted on: 1/10/2004 8:59
Re: A Few Questions ? #3
Quote:
but the 2 platties still have white spot.. does anyone have any advise or see what i have done wrong ??

I am not very good with tropical fish sorry so hopefully one of our tropical fish keepers will be able to advise you there, but you may not have done anything wrong as fish can get white spot for different reasons like stress or introducing new un-quarentined fish "possibly the 2 foxes" what treatment did you use for the whitespot and for how long for as you may have to give it time or possibly re-dose.

Quote:
Second question is about cucumber, i've heard it is good for the plec/foxes and corys, how long do you leave it in the tank and do you stop feeding them food whilst it's in there,

You can add cucumber as a treat a few times a week, theres no need to stop feeding the fish just put a slice in the morning and remove it by the evening

As for your snail haven't a clue sorry but good photo
Lilac_Froggy Lilac_Froggy
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  • Posted on: 2/10/2004 15:46
Re: A Few Questions ? #4
Hi there
I think I will mention first that sailfin plecs can grow up to 18 inches. Condsidering the volume of water your tank holds, I reckon it must be around 2ft long.
If you can accomodate and afford a bigger tank, I'd give it some serious thought. As your present tank will become too small for your plec over the next year.Infact, you will probably find yourself having to re-house your plec elsewhere in a year or two
It is a pity some LFS sell them like they do. They know how big they will eventually grow. And the space of time they put on enough growth to have to re-housed

The parasite (ichthyophthirius multifiliis) that causes Whitespot is something that is present in the tank all the time.As Julie has said, various things can cause it to become active. Often it is due to fluctuations in water temperature.Already infected fish that are introduced to the tank.Stressed fish are very prone to developing whitespot.

It can be carried to other tanks simply by not washing your hands properly, nets or anything else that might be used in more than one tank. So such equipment should be sterilised after use in an infected tank.

Also as Julie has said, it would be helpful to know what treatment you have been using.
Raising the water temp can help to kill of the parasite. But should be done slowly. Some say it can go as high as 30, but others say 28.
Removing any obvious stress causing factors. Such as bullying fish.Or discouraging people from tapping the glass when looking at the fish.

Not sure from what you are saying how often you do water changes. But ideally, it should be carried out weekly, or at least every two weeks.

Hope this helps. But please let us know which treatment you are using too.
noworries noworries
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  • Posted on: 2/10/2004 17:40
Re: A Few Questions ? #5
Thankyou for the advise...

I'm treating using King British white spot control no.5 it say every 48 hours and 48 hours after white spot is not visable on the fishes, been treating for 10 days now..

As for water changes i was advised every 14days to do a 20% water change, but i am confused as others say 10% every 7 days what would you advise ??

I was warned about how big the sail fin plec can grow and are currently under Negotiations with a work colleague on a 4ft bow fronted tank.. he hasn't given me a price and i haven't commited to buying it yet.. but my LFS did say he would have him (called it peter!) back if it gets to big before upgrading the tank size..
Lilac_Froggy Lilac_Froggy
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Re: A Few Questions ? #6
Hi again
At the moment I just have a hex tank setup and do a weekly water change of around 20% sometimes 25%. I expect I will do the same when I set up my vision 180 that is currently stood empty in the living room......anyday now though

Some people though, prefer to do a water change every two weeks. Either way is fine. Just so long as the gravel gets a good clean at least every two weeks.

Plecs can be quite messy fish so the gravel will get quite dirty.

I'm not sure that even a 4 ft tank would be ultimately big enough for the sailfin. The thing is, the longer you keep him, the more you will get fond of him. Then when the time comes to part company, it will be hard for you. So give it some thought

Anonymous  
Re: A Few Questions ? #7
I would second that and the longer you wait the bigger he will be and the harder it will be to re-home him, its better to pass them on before it becomes a nightmare and you get desperate, people then assume that there are other problems like health issues etc. I did that with my oranda and she took her friend with her, as they were my two remaining coldwater fishes, one of them was bigger than my hand and i was finding probs in a 25 gal tank. Put your feelings aside and think of the fishes welfare.