Ok...
the tank: Juwel Rekord 70, holds 60 litres, has a Juwel compact filter, two ornaments, two plants and some wood (bogwood I think). Has been running for three weeks
the fish: one male guppy, two female guppies, one guppy fry and one LDA33 catfish (kind of like a Snowball) at round about 2 inches. Have been added for two weeks
the water conditions: 79 F, ammonia 0, nitrate 0, pH between 7 and 8 and NITRITE 4-5!
problems so far:
What I have been doing: I've been doing daily (About 10%) water changes using a siphon to remove the dirt from the bottom as I do it. I've reduced feeding to one small meal a day and I've been adding cycle (yes, I know lots of you say this product sucks but the options are kind of limited here!). All of this is me desperately trying to reduce the nitrite, with no luck. It has been at the level it is currently at for about 5 days. Ammonia and nitrate have never gone above 0.
My dilemma: Should I treat the tank for either anchor worm or for the current white dot and tail problem? None of my fish look like like they are feeling any great discomfort. I don't want to have my fish feel any pain or to have them die if their problems get any worse but I'm also desperate to have the cycle continue to get the nitrite down and I know that medication will throw the cycle backwards and I may be right where I started. Could it infact be the nitrite levels that are causing these problems?
the tank: Juwel Rekord 70, holds 60 litres, has a Juwel compact filter, two ornaments, two plants and some wood (bogwood I think). Has been running for three weeks
the fish: one male guppy, two female guppies, one guppy fry and one LDA33 catfish (kind of like a Snowball) at round about 2 inches. Have been added for two weeks
the water conditions: 79 F, ammonia 0, nitrate 0, pH between 7 and 8 and NITRITE 4-5!
problems so far:
- I originally had three guppy males, two died within 24 hours and I thought it was a bacterial infection because their whole tail decayed away. I treated them with melafix but it was too late, the other two fish in the tank had no symptoms though.
- The water was cloudy in the last week which I'm told was probably a bacterial bloom and not necessarily a problem, it has cleared up now. I did not attempt to treat it.
- The smaller of the two females that I replaced the male with because he was depressed/lonely seems well...small, and the male has no interest in her, I think its possible that she has anchor worm because there are a few tiny red threads coming out of her backside. I haven't treated her with anything yet.
Now all of the fish in my tank have tiny white spots on their bodies and tails, the spots do not look raised or cottony, I noticed this this morning. The tails of my guppies are becoming ragged, I think they're slowly decaying away, some of it is red.
What I have been doing: I've been doing daily (About 10%) water changes using a siphon to remove the dirt from the bottom as I do it. I've reduced feeding to one small meal a day and I've been adding cycle (yes, I know lots of you say this product sucks but the options are kind of limited here!). All of this is me desperately trying to reduce the nitrite, with no luck. It has been at the level it is currently at for about 5 days. Ammonia and nitrate have never gone above 0.
My dilemma: Should I treat the tank for either anchor worm or for the current white dot and tail problem? None of my fish look like like they are feeling any great discomfort. I don't want to have my fish feel any pain or to have them die if their problems get any worse but I'm also desperate to have the cycle continue to get the nitrite down and I know that medication will throw the cycle backwards and I may be right where I started. Could it infact be the nitrite levels that are causing these problems?
how can I help them?
