My tank is a mess...?

Question

I'm still cycling it. It's a ten gallon. Everything was great until I added a couple neons from my big tank. It appeared that my betta got ich. Just two white spots on him. So, I treated and did water changes. I took the carbon filter out. As soon as I took the carbon filter out, all hell broke loose. It looks awful. There appears to be fuzz on my real plants and my fish look really stressed. There are no white spots on anyone now. But, still fuzz on the plants and looks like a cottony fungus on one of the neons on his mouth. Can I treat this with water changes and salt? I can't raise my water temp. The heater is not adjustable but the temp is 78. So, will water changes and salt do the trick? I don't want to add another chemical if I don't absolutely have to. Water changes - how often and how much? I did a 50% water change last night. The neons didn't have ich and still show no signs of it. I'm out of test strips right now so I don't know the water parameters.

I guess I should clarify. I started cycling with a fish - the betta. It might be a bacterial bloom but would it be on the fish too? I can't move the betta to the big tank. I will replace the carbon filter. I know the drops are better, just don't have the $50 for it right this moment. I had strips but the two year old put them in the toilet. Can I fix it with the fish in it?

Answer 1

The salt may or may not help what's on the fish. From what you're describing it sounds as though this might be cottom mouth disease (Columnaris) which is bacterial. This would require medication, preferably with a good antibiotic like Furanace. Since we can't see the fish, we can't do an accurate diagnosis just beased on the description, so I'm including a link so you can compare this to what your fish has: http://www.fishpalace.org/Disease.html#External Look for Columnaris in the index near the top of the page, under external bacterial infections.

Does the fuzz on your plants look like this: http://www.floridadriftwood.com/brush_algae.jpg or this in a "white" version? That's a brush algae, and it's a tough algae to be rid of. Siamese algae eaters are the only fish that eat it. Here's an article that discusses removal: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/algae/tonealg.shtml

You should do a water change as well (if it's been more than 3-5 days since you last saw any spots) - this will help remove the salt from the ich treatment, as well as any nitrates that have built up. The tetras are sensitive to salt, although they can tolerate some for ich treatment, they shouldn't be in a high concentration for too long. Unfortunately, if you need to medicate for what seems to be mouth fungus, this will affect the bacteria that cycle the wastes, so get the water quality in as good of shape as you can now.

Answer 2

Yes, water changes and salt will help, but taking out the fish and putting them back would be best. If the ich is gone, I would say get that filter back in there with new carbon and some cycled carbon from your other tank. Take out all the plants. And get the water tested as soon as you can. Drops are a little more accurate than strips for that, btw.

Answer 3

The white fuzz isn't ick, it's a bacterial bloom. Put the carbon back in, and just let it run without fish. By adding fish, you interrupted the cycle. Move the fish back to the other tank and just wait it out. Don't do water changes or add any chemicals, that will again disrupt the cycle. Just let it run for a week, then slowly begin to add fish in.

Nosoop4u

Answer 4

you might want to get a new carbon cartridge and cycle your tank dont forget to do a water change and another one tmorrow.


good luck
CL

Answer 5

ditto to copperhead

but read up on cycling a tank with fish, here it's
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php


Hope that helps
Good luck


EB

Answer 6

buy a new one