quikv6

Thanks. To be honest, I'm not a fan of Stability, and much prefer Fritzzyme 7. I will add that, but it sounds like I don't need to. I was really looking for something concrete on if it would disturb the beneficial bacteria? A google search seems to show much conflicting info/ opinions.

Thank you Colu...appreciate your insight.

Hey all, I am considering medicating my community Molly and Platy tank with Maracyn. I have had 3 fish pass out of seemingly nowhere, with nothing in the water parameters indicating a change or problem. I haven't brought in any new fish either. Any new fish are offspring from the original 7 I started with nearly a year ago. I figured if I do medicate, Maracyn would be a good start, at Co-ops recommended Preventative dose. (A 1 day dose sustained throughout a week, with no water changes.) Would Maracyn negatively impact the biological bacteria that maintains my cycle? Also, If there are any other ideas as to medication/observations, I am all ears. Thanks in advance!

Yup...those are the peas I was talking about. I usually de-skin one after heating/boiling it, and mash it into tiny pieces. It may help if he is constipated, but if he isn't eating at all, that's obviously a problem.

It could be an early sign of dropsy, though its really difficult to tell before the pinecone stage. I am battling that now with a fish, and I would suggest you may want to begin a course of action (or at least prep fully for it) as if it was. From what I've read, it's usually too late by the time you see the pineconing. With that being said, he may just be constipated. Perhaps lay off feeding for a day or two, and then when you do feed...something easily digestible. (Pea, daphnia)

Very interesting. One more question, related to organic waste build-up, if you don't mind: I gravel vac often, have some live plants (mainly hornwort), and do a weekly waterchange like clockwork. What I almost never do is clean the Co-op sponge filters in the tank, simple because the are coarse, and never seem to show signs of clogging or slowing down. Would that qualify as organic waste build-up? Sorry if it is an elementary question, but it may point me to a potential problem area to address.

I was able to find the ciproflaxin, and ordered 500mg tablets. Any other ideas related to treatment, or things/warning signs to look for in the community tank?

Thank you C.M.E.C. Is there a readily available medication that contains ciproflaxin that you recommend? A quick google search didn't yield many options. Once again, thanks for the rec. Any other advice is appreciated...please keep it coming. Thank you.

Hey all, I had a platy come down with dropsy, and is currently being treated in a separate hospital tank. I would've put this in the Disease forum, but I am looking for more general help related to the environment of the main tank. 1) Is there anything specific I should look for in the main tank (a 75 gallon livebearer tank), which would be an indication of why dropsy developed on this fish? Preventative medicine is the best medicine, and I obviously want to avoid any other fish getting it, keeping in mind it is a symptom of bigger issue. Everyone is eating well, including the platy w/dropsy. They are fed a variety of flakes, pellets, and frozen foods. My water parameters are: Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrates (15-25ppm on a given week), GH - 250ppm, KH - 80-100ppm, PH 7.6-7.8, temp is 78.5 approx. 2) If anyone has any pointers on treatment of the Platy, I would appreciate that. I am currently using Furan 2 and Kanaplex, along w/Epsom salt in the hospital tank. I am only feeding him a pea and frozen Daphnia. I have not noticed any improvement and today is day 6. Thanks to all in advance...greatly appreciated!

When I had a smaller tank, I would add it to the buck of water I was going to be adding in. I mixed it well, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes before doing the water change. Now, with a larger tank, I use the python water changer and change directly from the tap. I mix in the baking soda in a smaller bucket, dechlorinate that bucket of water, and pour it in slowly as the python is filling the tank. With this method, I do get a bit of cloudiness, since the bucket is way more concentrated, but it spreads out quickly, and clears up right away. The fish don't blink an eye.

I add baking soda to buffer the soft/low KH NYC water we have. I echo what Brandy said fully. The only thing I would add is to do the test experiment with a larger quantity of water...perhaps something closer to what a typical water change would be. When I just had a 20 gallon, I dialed in my baking soda test to a 5 gallon bucket, as that's what a 25% water change would be. I essentially found I had to add about 1/2 teaspoon of Baking soda to the 5 gallon bucket in order to take a PH of 6.8 up to approx 7.6. It also brought the KH up from 40ppm to 80-100ppm. The 5 gallon bucket gave me a really good gauge. Now that I have a 75 gallon as my main tank, I generally waterchange about 20 gallons. Same formula seems to works well...I add 2 teaspoons to yield the same result. Everyone's water is different, so I really think a few tests are needed to dial it in, in the name of safety and healthy fish.

That KH seems pretty low. Could there have been a sudden PH change/drop, which may be causing the flashing?

Hey Janelle, I have a 110 Aquaclear on a 75 gallon Molly/Platy tank with lots of fish, mostly juveniles. I also have a few sponge filters as well. In my opinion, there are pros and cons to anything. If you chose 2 HOBs, you will obviously have double the maintenance, so that may be a drawback. As for the 110, it is a great filter, but here are my personal drawbacks: 1) It pushes alot of water. Maybe too much. With small fish in the tank, the outflow force can really push them around. The adjustable flow really doesn't change much. My solution for the above: I find that if I lift up on the intake tube of the 110 just slightly, it slows it down enough, and softens the fall of the water. I also placed a large Co-op sponge filter under the outflow, with a pretty tall uplift tube (Not the one that comes with it.) This really helps diffuse the downforce of the outflow, and also adds to more spread out surface agitation. Side note: The uplift tube I use actually goes around the bullseye circle of the sponge filter, instead of inside of it. Since its internal diameter is wider, it makes for a wider column of bubbles, which I like far better for it's purpose. It also helps to prevent stray bubbles from exiting the sponge portion of the filter. 2) I like symmetry, and it slightly bothers be to see a huge HOB on just one side of the tank. It it a big filter and takes up alot of horizontal real estate. In short, I think I would go with 2 55's if I had it to do over again. (Possibly even a single 75). But the 110 really is a fine filter. Your mileage may vary. Good luck!

I use that brand, and it works well. I have some in the substrate, and and a small mesh bag in my HOB filter.

Careful observation, especially when something may seem just a bit off, seems to be the key. Thanks.

Thanks. In that case, do you have any inclination as to what it could be? There are no visible symptoms to point me anywhere, and the behavioral symptoms over the past two weeks have just been signs of slowing down.

Thanks, though I honestly really don't think so. He can swim around fine if nudged, but he has no interest in swimming. He just seems like "it's time." I was curious if others have seen similar behavior before an otherwise healthy fish passes.

Hello all, Do healthy fish give off signs that they're at the end of their lifespan? I have a male Molly that I've had for about a year. He stopped chasing the gals about 2 weeks ago, and just seemed a bit slower overall. He still ate, but he was no longer ravenous. He swam just fine. Last night, he just decided to sit on the gravel, after not eating. I have never seen this before from him. He is no longer swimming, and I believe he will pass away soon. Is this typical of a healthy fish that has just reached his time? He shows no visible signs of illness. Scales are normal, color is normal, find aren't clamped, etc. Water parameters are normal for me as well, as are the other fish in the tank. Sad. Thanks in advance.

Gosh...I am sorry to hear about your Molly's condition. Usually salt works quite well. Perhaps something like to fight bacteria Erythromycin (Maracyn)? Try to make her comfortable with as little stress as possible. Minimal lighting, if possible. I am guessing you tested for ammonia too? (It's not one of the parameters on the test strip)

I have soft water too, and I had already started my livebearer tank (Mollies and Platys) before I realized it. Guppies are similar, and they definitely seem to prefer harder water. Check the buffering capacity/KH of your water as well. If it's very low, you will be susceptible to a PH crash. Crushed coral is a good idea. I have that, and I also add a bit of baking soda when doing water changes. Please be careful with baking soda, as it is very easy to overdose, and send your PH skyrocketing rapidly. I actually did experiments in 5 gallon buckets to determine just how much a given amount increased PH/KH, to be able to dial it in safely. Good luck! Don't give up!

Please define your "good" water parameters. A bit more detail here may highlight something, and in turn, can serve to help in the long run.

While I haven't sold fish on craigslist, I have significant experience buying and selling other items there. (Mainly auto stuff and musical instruments). Here in the NYC area, your experience is the absolute norm. Very passive buyers/sellers, without a consideration for common courtesy or a phonecall/email/text agreement. No one wants to lift a finger (even as a buyer), and that includes communication. I do have one main tip, if you can swing it: Strike while the Iron is hot. This works the best, both as a buyer and a seller, though it can be quite inconvenient. If I am a buyer, and assess that I really want something, I will make it as easy as possible for the seller. I include my phone, and email, and offer text/call/email as contact methods. I also reply as instantly as possible, and try to arrange an immediate transaction. In order to do that, I often have to travel at the drop of a dime. But I consider that a "comes w/the territory" cost of completing a transaction on craigslist. Believe it or not, as a seller, I sometimes do the same thing, though it depends on what the item is and how long I want to sit on it. If I want it unload it, I price it attractively, and offer to meetup in the listing itself. I am also extremely prompt with my replies to any inquiry. In short, If you give the time for someone to change their mind....they usually will. That's my craigslist experience in a nutshell.

If I may add....it helps to have realistic expectations regarding mechanical filtration and the Coop's coarse sponge filters. They simply don't pick up really fine particulate in the water column, as they are just too coarse. Personally, I find that a worthy trade-off for the fact that it really doesn't clog up with debris, and I don't need to clean it nearly as often. I had a fry grow out tank running a co-op coarse sponge filter. I switched it out to another brand of very fine sponge, because fry kept swimming into the coarse sponge and getting stuck. Immediately I noticed a clarity in the water column that didn't exist when using the course sponge. Just my .02 with an A/B comparison in the same tank, with sponge as the only means of filtration. I am in no way knocking the co-op's course filters. I think they look great and work well, and use them in my main tank. Everything has pros and cons, and for me, the fine filter just made more sense to avoid fish loss in a fry tank. A bonus was the increase in water clarity.

I think you should start with some aquarium salt, which the mollies can tolerate (and quite possibly enjoy) rather well.

In my limited experience, Mollies do seem to like water on the harder side. I also tend to agree that they seem to like salt. I keep a very small amount in the tank (Mollies and Platies) at all times. The are fun fish with big personalities. I have not experience aggression, aside from constant harassment of an interested male towards a not-interested female.