quikv6

I have been using Inkbirds with all my heaters (mix of Aqueon Pros and Aq. Co-op) without issue. The only difference I see is that I use the controller as a failsafe, as opposed to a governing thermostat. I let the heater thermostats themselves control their trmp/turn on/off. But if one sticks/fails in the on position, I have the Inkbird set about 2 degrees higher, and it will cut power to the failed heater.

While I think he'd be personally fine, I think a 125 is a better option, as I have seen my Oscar's behavior change when going from a 4 foot to a 6 foot tank. He seems much happier, and takes time to briskly cruise the length of the tank back and forth, usually after a meal. It's nice to see a big, girthy fish swim at a pretty quick pace. I did not see that same behavior in the 4 foot tank. A 6 footer also gives more room to create some varied simple scapes, which creates some stimuli for the Oscar. They are curious fish as well.

It looks like a prolapse, along with possible sunken belly. Epsom salt baths can help the prolapse reabsorb, but the above suggestion of Expel-P is a good one, and can treat sunken belly/wasting disease.

I moved a 75 gallon (on its stand) across the room on heavy duty furniture sliders........ with fish, gravel, decorations, and about 15 gallons of water in it. Not terribly difficult, though it took some care and planning. In your case, I'd recommend removing the rock, or at the least, laying them flat so they can't tumble.

In my experience with wasting/spitting, Flubendazole will be more effective than Levamisole (Expel-P), though both can work. Flubedazole seems to work better in the water column, which is what you want, since the fish is spitting. But given a dire situation.....use whichever one of the two you can get a hold of faster. It will be Expel-P.

Is there boating and the beginning of scales pineconing? It is tough to tell from the pics, but it could be dropsy, which is often fatal. I thing salt and an extra airstone would be a great start, and some more pics may help diagnose.

May be unrelated, but just checking to see the tank is cycled. Zero nitrates can sometimes indicate an immature/uncycled tank, which can result in issues, especially when dealing with an illness or injury.

How long has the tank been established? I always tend to gravitate towards "why are nitrates at zero in established tank?" Perhaps your cycle has been disrupted?

From what I understand, they are different active ingredients, with Maracyn 2 being a true antibiotic. (Minocycline). I believe Maracyn oxy is more geared towards fungal, similar to a sulfa.

I have had good success with Maracyn 2 plus very clean water for fin rot. 50 percent water changes daily with recplacement of meds lost in the water change.

Follow Colu's advice. Ammonia and Nitrite can and will kill the fish. Daily (or twice daily dechlorinated water changes will help. But ultimately you want both at zero at all times. You should feed VERY lightly if at all until levels get in check.

I am curious about the 50W heater. I'd love to order a few of those. I see it listed as an option alongside the 100W but both are sold out. When I ordered my ACO 100 Watt heaters, there was no option for 50W, otherwise I woud've bought a few as well. Any info on the 50W?

Looks to be a pretty severe bacterial infection. An example would be severe fin rot spreading to body rot.

I think you should dose according to the package, given you clearly have something going on in the tank. Kanaplex would be a great med to treat with, as it is broad, and treats more gram negative bacteria than Maracyn would. But whatever you use, I would do a full course of treatment at the least, even if you have no more random deaths.

I'm very sorry to hear that. Sometimes illness can spread very rapidly, and not exhibit much in the way of signs to alert us humans.

Yes, I believe that is what the directions said. It's a bit of a pain, but you'll get through it!

It depends. Monitor for improvement. (No more fin clamping, good appetite, etc). Then, you can slowly ween off the salt at waterchanges. Remember, salt doesn't evaporate, so keep that in mind during water changes. If you have 1 tablespoon in a 10 gallon tank, and waterchange out 5 gallons, then add 1/2 tablespoon if you plan to maintain the same level of salt.

A bit of salt (if planted...if not...a bit more), and minimal to no light. Try to make a stress free environment, and keep clean, clean water that is well aerated

Continue to treat 3-7 days after the last visible signs of ick on a fish, due to life cycle of the parasite.

With regards to the newer style Aqueon Pro....I have been through 3 of them, with the 3rd still being in use. -The first required the dial to be maxed out in order to maintain 78. The scale was completely off. Normally that wouldn't bother me terribly, but I had no more room to turn up if I needed to increase temp for ick/fry/etc. Aqueon replaced it for me. -The 2nd one was also off on scale, though not as much. 82-83 on the dial resulted in 78 on the water. The 78 fluctuated quite a bit, pending small room temp changes. I was not thrilled with this, as the older model was far more stable, and did not reflect small room temp fluctuations. It eventually failed in the off position. I was alerted because I had an Inkbird on it....the model with the low temp alarm. (A nice feature if you are only running 1 heater in a tank.) I believe it was only 6 months old when it failed. -The 3rd is still working (knock on wood), with a scale that is also off a bit. 80-82 is 77-78 water temp.

Looks to me like columnaris, in the form of mouth rot. Two fish in the pic look to have it. I have had success with Triple Sulfa, though it isn't available anymore. You can try Seachem's Sulfaplex, though I have no experience with it. Another option is Kanaplex+Jungle Fungus Fizz tabs.

That picture is incorrect for Flubendazole. They are different. Fenbendazole will not work in the water column, and really needs to be added to the food. If the fish isn't eating (or spitting), this is not really a viable option. Flubendazole works extremely well in the water column. It has saved quite a few fish of mine. Let me see if I can find the info for the source I purchased it from. Standby. EDIT: I purchased it here, below: http://www.inkmkr.com/Fish/ItemsForSale.html Hopefully I am allowed to add that, as Flubendazole is not able to be purchased at the Coop. It has probably been the best money I have ever spent on a med. With that being said, it is not the easiest to work with, but does work very well.

Salt, in small doses, should be helpful. You can start at 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons.

First off....congrats on the baby! It doesn't look like columnaris in the pics. Shimmying is livebearers can caused by a lack of hardness/minerals/PH that they really want. I don't see that in your case, though you didn't list KH. PH should be okay, provided it's steady, and not on it's way down due to lack of buffer. I'd do a couple of small waterchanges and add some salt. Take note on if the fish is eating, or trying to eat (and spitting). You can then proceed w/possible Parasite meds such as Expel-P or Paracleanse, pending the result.

The ammonia may be the issue here. You tested at .25, but that doesn't mean it wasn't higher at some point. Small water changes with a dechlorinator that also temporarily binds ammonia such as Prime, would be a good path forward. Some salt could help as well.