Fish Thread

[Stravager]

I love koi, but can't have such a large pond . So goldfish are my second favourite, I won't get any till I am able to give them a big tank cause I don't want to have to start small and constantly upgrade them.
I do have the start of some small outdoor ponds that could be used for goldfish, but I'm still learning how you're supposed to set those up .

And fish I have had. I walked into a petshop and fell in love with very particular Plakat betta. I'm not one to impulse buy animals and I didn't have a tank for him so I left it a week, set up a tank and hoped he was still there .
He was His name was Harley.
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Unfortunately I lost him a few months back because he kept getting sick and I couldn't figure out why. The first time when I didn't think he'd survive he made a come back and was perfect for a few weeks! After that he went downhill again and he died .
I still have his unsetup tank but I haven't decided if I'll get another betta. I got Harley cause I wanted Harley, not because I wanted a betta. If I don't get another betta I'll just set it up for apple snails because I love apple snails


And that was a ridiculously long post

It could be the angle of the picture but it kind of looks like he had a crooked back. If they have a spinal deformity they can be very prone to organ failure... a lot of the time it's caused by inbreeding from stock at major pet stores.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

It could be the angle of the picture but it kind of looks like he had a crooked back. If they have a spinal deformity they can be very prone to organ failure... a lot of the time it's caused by inbreeding from stock at major pet stores.

Interesting. I'm gonna go find some of the earliest pictures I took of him cause all those were taken during his unwell period, I believe. He was petshop fish so I was inclined to believe it had something to do with that.

 

[fluffycrow]

Now that I'm looking at it again, it seems like he was a DTPK. Not 100% sure that he is what I think he is, but DT's especially non-breeder stock can have problems

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

Here's some earlier pictures of him.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

For those with planted tanks, what is the best substrate to use? Harley had live plants that did pretty well, but since I am getting the chance to start over I want to do the best I can.

 

[ShrekDawg]

For those with planted tanks, what is the best substrate to use? Harley had live plants that did pretty well, but since I am getting the chance to start over I want to do the best I can.

I always use this stuff if you can get it.

 

[Stravager]

So I have had aquarium fish for years. I know I need a new tank, but I keep it clean and change the filters, etc, and generally my fish live a long time...many years. It's a 55 gallon tank and I have had four goldfish and one Dojo loach for the past several years. I've been wanting to get a 75 gallon tank so that i could have two loaches, but just haven't had a chance to In April, my Dojo loach who was about 5 years old, got a lump above his eye. It eventually almost competely blocked his vision on that side. In July, he started developing a lump above his other eye. I knew I would probably eventually have to euthanize him when he could no longer see; however, he died a few days ago. On top of that, my goldfish all also developed lumps. I researched this and found that it is a common virus in fish. I have never had it before here in all the years I've had fish. It is apparently especially common in loaches. Two more of my goldfish have died. Of the two remaining, one apparently recovered as her lumps have disappeared. The second has a few small lumps, but they don't seem to bother him. I read that this virus is not usually deadly, so idk.....has anyone else experienced this? I also read that there's nothing that will treat it. i feel like i can't get any more fish. Even if I got a new tank, I'd still have to transfer some of the water and other components from the old tank, so I think I'd be contaminating the new tank.

Sorry, very long response here. TDLR at the bottom...

Changing the filters is actually one of the worst things you can do in a tank. That brown scum that builds up on your filter media? That's the beneficial bacteria that deal with your nitrogen cycle. If you had nothing but sponge in your tank, forget the charcoal and "bio-media" and all that stuff, you could have enough bacteria to maintain proper cycling in your tank without needing to change media. If the filter media gums up too badly you take half of it out and add in fresh, you never clean all the filter media at the same time. Charcoal is really only needed if you are trying to remove medications or other impurities like that, it doesn't do anything to help the cycling. And the fancy filter media with ceramic and plastic and all of that has less surface media than a proper sponge. I forget what type of sponge it is and the exact square inch ratio required. But if you're using a hook on the back (HOB) filter then those filter cartridges that they tell you to change every month are basically crashing your system every single time you swap unless you take some tank water, squeeze the old filter out into it until it gets brown and scummy, and then soak the new filter in it to seed it with beneficial bacteria.
Second, goldfish really should only live with goldfish. Introducing other fish species into the tank can introduce diseases that goldfish can be too inbred (low immune system) to withstand, stress the other fish since most are not cold-water species like goldfish, and if they're bigger than the goldfish they can maul the goldies, and if they're smaller the goldfish will try to eat literally anything they can fit in their mouth. That includes fins. On top of that goldfish put out a growth reducing hormone that builds up in the water and that can also cause distress to other fish.
I am not very familiar with the virus you're speaking of, but if you got a new tank I would just completely start over from scratch and reintroduce any new fish to the tank with a water acclimation drip from the new tank water to their old tank water, and then when properly acclimated just remove the fish from the old water and place into the new without adding any of the old tank water into the new system. Other components such as substrate and plants can be disinfected beforehand with hydrogen peroxide (for plants), or bleach solution (for other substrate/decorations) and rinsed very well.
According to once source:
There is no treatment for lymphocystis. Often, clinical signs of lymphocystis are exacerbated by other stressors in the tank, such as poor water quality, poor diet, or inappropriate temperatures.
Poor water quality is not just the nitrogen cycle. It's the levels of bacteria in the water column that you cannot see. Most of that should be taken care of by a properly functioning filter, but overcrowding and under filtering will cause imbalances. The goal is crystal clear water, not slightly hazy, but crystal clear.

TDLR: check your filtration setup, also no need to keep old water when switching to a new tank if fish are properly acclimated at a slow pace.

 

[Stravager]

Here's some earlier pictures of him.
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He looks pretty healthy in this picture, but spinal/organ issues can pop up with age... Hard to say.

 

[fluffycrow]

For those with planted tanks, what is the best substrate to use? Harley had live plants that did pretty well, but since I am getting the chance to start over I want to do the best I can.

There are many methods you can try. I just like the look of sand, so I use root tabs. You can put a file layer of potting soil at the bottom and then cover it with an inert substrate. Eco-complete is good, the Tropica stuff is good, and the ADA stuff is good

 

[fluffycrow]

By the way I'm still thinking your gorgeous boy is a DTPK