J. Mantooth

When I have had instances where some of my fish just didn't seem to get along with others, I have always opted to put them in a separate tank, let them relax and heal for a bit, then I generally try to place them in a different tank with a different group. But that is because I am a big softy and I hate to see any of my tanks stressed, rather than because I am certain it is really necessary. Petco is having their dollar a gallon sale right now...just saying....if you have one near you... 🙂 I have a really bully-ish Dwarf Gourami that I originally had issues with as he was chasing my Tetras around. I pulled him out, added a few Water Sprite to create some heavier bushes in the back corner, rearranged the other plants a bit to break up the viewing area from within the tank side to side, and put him back in the tank. I assumed the Tetra would appreciate the place to hide. I was surprised when my Gourami took over the bushy corner, but left everyone alone after that. Turns out, he just wanted his own little green nook. Also, I think re-adding him to the tank as kind of the new kid, with a different layout, calmed him down somewhat. Full disclosure, I don't know very much about Cichlids. But for what its worth, I would either take the Corys out and QT them (just observation first, then meds if needed), before moving them into your son's 29 gallon, or I would temporarily remove the Cichlids, add more plants that break up the viewing area within the tank (not blocking your view from the front of course), shake up the rest of the plants and decor a bit, then put the Cichlids back in to see if that helps. 😉 How big is your QT tank? I once had 15 Panda Corys, alone, in a 10 gallon planted tank for about a month. I am not proud, but I unexpectedly inherited them. I put a bigger cycled filter on the tank (swapped with an established tank with 2 filters on it) and was more diligent about watching the parameters and detritus build up. I was concerned because they liked to dog pile on each other in a corner of that tank and I thought it was a reaction to the tank size. (I hadn't had any Corys prior to that.) Now they are in a 40 gallon and still like to dog pile on each other at night. Everything turned out great! I think if you are diligent about keeping an eye on the parameters, they could be alright in a small-ish tank short term. But I wouldn't attempt anything smaller than a 10 gallon. P.S. I have lots of experience with diseased and trauma affected fish (I am a sucker for fish who look rough and need some TLC), but it still stresses me out when any of my little guys or gals are sick or are being bullied. I would be more concerned if you didn't care that your fish are missing chunks from their tails. 🙂

I run a cheap pond pump in a bucket that sits under the faucet in my bathtub. I attach a 3/4 in. pvc hose to it, adjust the temp where I want it, let the bucket fill up, add water conditioner to the tank, then let it rip. I get the perfect temp every time. I made a tank filler head that hangs on the side of my tank with PVC pipe and a cheap 3/4 backflow valve from a hot tub supply store. Once it is close to done filling, I turn off the water and let the pump empty out the bucket, then I roll up the hose, put it in the bucket and put the whole thing away. I can do a whole water change on my 80 gallon in about 20-25 minutes, depending on how much I fiddle fart around with things. One of my 75 gallons is due for a water change tomorrow. If anyone is interested, I will snag some video. 🙂 I think the whole thing cost me maybe $50.00-ish?

I'll say! At least they had graduated to film by the 1930's. Would have been murder, or impossible, with older plate cameras. I think Kodak came out with the Brownie, one of the first real 'portable' cameras in the late teens. @David Humphrey, does that sound accurate to you? Or at least close?

I know @Dean’s Fishroom! It was your mention of them that sent me down the rabbit hole to find them, and a wonderful treasure trove of other cool stuff, in the first place. LOL! Thanks Dean! Well, I thank you. My bank account does not. 🙂

Well that seems like a darn fine trade! Great video too! I had no idea bee behavior is so interesting. I need another hobby like a hole in the head, but I will definitely will be looking into bees further. Way cool. 🙂

I'm with @Faedother. I bury them in the backyard in the flower bed. They can fertilize the flowers and I can appreciate them again when the flowers bloom. Circle of life and all of that. 🙂

@Daniel The Aquarium, Neon Tetra issue from November of 1936 is now in for your viewing pleasure. 🙂

How awesome!!! What a great win! That is going to be so helpful for your project. I will break out the good scanner this afternoon and load it up for you. 🙂 I agree. Innes' attention to detail really denotes his passion for aquatics. I appreciate the way he dispels rumors and bad fish keeping advice in his books/articles. He almost sounds like a caring father 'tsking you into doing the right thing for your fish. Like @Cory explaining to someone that water changes really are important, how one should really test their water, and no, you can't put a Goldfish in a bowl. LOL! I was also really impressed by how many of the "rules" for good fish keeping that are still very much considered sound advice today. Some almost verbatim. It seems like more of the equipment and technology has changed, rather than the basic principals. Though looking at the technology used in the 30's, I am really surprised more people weren't electrocuted using some of those heaters and air pumps. "Can be used with AC and DC current." Makes me glad to be keeping fish today.

I will absolutely scan it this afternoon and upload it for you. 🙂 He absolutely talks about the import in that issue. It is quite a long article and is packed with really cool information about the import process. I have the electronic version of the original 1917 book, thanks to Cornell University and public domain, so I will load it up for you too. I have the Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes book. I have a thing for Goldfish, so I went with that one. Really interesting to see the color photos. Really high quality for the time.

@Daniel I have 2x 1936 Aquarium magazines and 1x 1934 Aquarium magazine I am more than happy to scan to you if you would like. One is the 1936 Tetra issue in which it talks about how Neon Tetras are an amazing new discovery and is sure to become a huge hit in the hobby. They even discuss how hard they are to breed and how they will likely hold their value at $150.00 a pair, imported. LOL! Oh, how times have changed. 🙂 I have the 1931 edition of Innes' book. Not too much changed from 1917 (the original) to my version. Have you noticed any interesting new fish additions between the public domain original and your version yet?

Goldfish are the best! Except when they have SBD, then its heart wrenching. It sounds like you have pretty much run the gambit when it comes to feeding/fasting. If you haven't heard of him yet, there is a veterinarian on the east coast of the United States that has multiple websites specializing in Goldfish/Koi health and treatment. His name is Dr. Erik Johnson, DVM. I have a few of his books, but I also use his websites to look for solutions. From his site, I was able to determine my pearlscale's SBD was being caused by a bacterial infection. I treated her and she has been floaty free for months now. He speaks at length about SBD in Koi and Goldfish and how to tell what is causing your fish's SBD (i.e. body shape, infection, food, all of the above). He also offers a ton of treatment options. If you are interested, his main site is drjohnson.com and his archive site is koivet.com. He also has a YouTube channel. Hope this helps!

I didn't have a microscope at the time, so I can't confirm if it was Columnaris or not, but I have treated some of my fish that had what looks similar to what your little corydoras are wearing. I used a combination of Nitrofurazone (Furan 2) and Kanamycin (Kanaplex) to knock it out. It was gone after the week's round of treatments. I simply followed the dosing instructions for both and treated the tank accordingly with both meds at the same time. Nitrofurazone combats gram positive and some gram negative bacteria, while Kanamycin treats gram negative and some gram positive bacteria. So they cover the whole spectrum on both sides. The tanks I treated had corydoras in them and they didn't seem to have any issues. Both manufacturers also say they are safe for sensitive fish. Disclaimer, this was before I had ever tried Maracyn and I haven't had it show up in any tanks since I added Maracyn to my arsenal.

I stand by the quarantine med trio and it has worked beautifully to treat issues for which it was designed. However, I have run into a couple of instances of fish ailments that weren't covered by the trio that didn't really show up during quarantine. (Usually 5 or 6 weeks, for me, give or take a day or two.) From my research (online and books), these don't seem like super everyday common issues and don't generally present symptoms right away or are harder to spot. So far, some of my fish have presented (after quarantine): Camallanus Worms - Treated with Safeguard Goat Drench (Fenbendazole) while waiting for Levamisole to arrive (3 weeks later). Now I am the crazy paranoid fish lady that periodically checks my fish's vents for worms. (Never thought that would be my jam. 🙂 Anchor Worms - Treated with Microbe-Lift Lice and Anchor Worm (Cyromazine) and Cyropro (different tanks, not at the same time). I finally received the Dimilin I ordered (one month later) so I am ready if it pops up again. No flashing for weeks, no lethargy, no nothing. All seemed well until an ulcer on one of my fish showed up. I assumed it had gotten into something and hurt itself. A couple of days later, all of the fish in the tank seemed to have a small ulcer and were flashing. Started general salt treatment (low level), until I could figure out what it actually was. The next day I could finally see the little buggers. Gross. As much fun as it was to treat each of my established tanks after I added in the fish that had "completed" quarantine, I would rather not play those games again. Given the overall world situation, I couldn't go to my LFS to inspect the fish before I received them. At this point, I don't even want to order fish online anymore, not that it would have mattered to see them first as I obviously would not have caught either of the two. I would like to know if anyone can add insight to the following questions so we can all learn something and maybe avoid these types of shenanigans in the future. My questions: 1. Are there any other not so obvious fish issues that can be hard to spot during a quarantine period? (i.e. Not the usual suspects like Ick, Velvet, Flukes, DOA, etc. Lol!) 2. If so, what are the tricks and tips to spot them early (if any)? 3. Are there any good treatments every fish keeper should probably have on hand as they are hard to come by or generally have longer shipping wait times? (i.e. Levamisole, Dimilin, Malachite Green, Potassium Permanganate, etc.)