Much Improved Black Moor

The PraziPro along with the QuIck Cure seems to be doing the trick for the baby black moor. S/he is no longer rubbing against everything, swimming better and stronger. This is a photo of her/him in relation to the size of my fingers.... She's not very big and a sweet little thing, already. (Click on the image to see actual size & better image.)

PraziPro & QuICK Cure

PraziPro is a fairly new product available through Hikari. I successfully found the PraziPro semi-locally however, the cost of the little bottle was more than twice the price listed online... even with the shipping added to the online price, it would have been cheaper for me to purchase it online. On the other hand, since this situation felt like it needed immediate attention, I didn't quibble with the store owner. I would recommend to any fish owner, go ahead and purchase a small bottle to keep on hand in the fish medicine cabinet.

After considerable reading on the subject of Flukes and Ich.... I'm hoping for the best. I was able to purchase a bottle of the PraziPro to treat the flukes and some other possible buggers, like tape worm. Although the bottle of PraziPro states not to use the medicine in conjunction with any other meds, I have been reading online that it actually works better when used in conjunction with products like QuIck Cure or Ich-X.

I started using the QuIck Cure 3 days ago. The ich is noticably better on the fish. I've done two full tank water changes during that time. Today, I added the PraziPro as directed for the tank size, waited two hours and then added a dose of QuIck Cure. I will wait three days now to do another QuIck Cure treatment and then two more days to do a follow-up PraziPro treatment. Now, if this doesn't cure what ails this itty bitty guy, I'm not sure what more I can do. S/He is still scratching her/himself on the plants, but it is not as frequent as before. Also, s/he is no longer doing the "shimmy shake" dance that s/he was originally doing when I first brought her/him home. The ich spots on her/his fins have dropped off. Now we'll have to wait to see if those dastardly skin flukes drop off in the next day or so.

Based on what I've read, the PraziPro is supposed to kill the parasites (internally and externally) within a few hours. But I always assume that truly means a day or two.... The fact that the meds did not seem to impact the fish (i.e. s/he didn't start spinning or doing loop-de-loops) is a good sign. I did feed the little gal/guy a big meal this morning. I did not know if food with the meds would be a problem. But apparently didn't matter.

Tomorrow, I'll do a dose of Kordon's Fish Protector. I started using this product (Fish Protector) two months ago with each water change. I also introduce new fish to the quarantine tank with a dose of Fish Protector already added. I won't blatantly say that it is a miracle product, but I do notice the fish that survive the first week seem much healthier in the long run after their quarantine is done. My overall fish survival rate has gone up from about 50% to about 75% since I've started using Fish Protector. I recognize that 75% survival may not be a great ratio (3:4). Truth be told, I have not seen a lot written about the "esteemed fish keepers' " successes vs. failures particularly with the new fish additions. Additionally, since using Fish Protector, I have experienced no "mystery deaths" in my established tanks. Even when I have to do larger than normal water changes! Regardless, I feel that the product has helped me to protect my newest fishes along with the established ones.

That's about it for now. I'll try to remember to post the parasite results within the week.

My bettah Betta

A little more than a month ago, I picked up 4 female Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) with the thought that I would add them to my community tank. I have not yet added them to my community tank, but I may, at some point. For now, I'm keeping them together in my 5 gallon tank. You can see a photo of three of the Bettas in the April 24, 2009 post.

Betta is pronounced "Bet ta" and not "Bay ta." They come from warm Asian countries, like India, Cambodia and Thailand. They can live in puddles for extended periods, which is one reason that so many people keep their male Betta in a tiny tank, vase or bowl. Betta's can jump easily out of tanks since they are accustomed to "puddle jumping." In some countries, the male fish are used as a form of gambling because they will fight to the death with other male Bettas. They are bred to do this. In the wild, the Betta is not quite that aggressive unless he is protecting his eggs. They prefer still aged water. I had to jury-rig the outflow of my filter so that the water no longer rushes out, but gets diffused through a thick course filter/sponge. I change the water by 50% once a week since they do appreciate fresh water.

When I first put the four together, I had been told that there would be a hierarchy established by the females. I have Indy, which is a dark blue purple indigo round tail; Corazon, a deep red, almost cardinal red round tail; Pinky, a white/pinkish body with bright red fins crown tail; and spunky little Iris, a purplish iridescent round tail. This is the order of their hierarchy.

You see, when I first got them, they were each in little individual cups/bowls with lids, where they could hardly swim. :^( I placed Iris in the tank with the other Bettas and noticed right away that Iris had swimming issues. She swam through the water in a vertical fashion, like a porpoise doing a water dance for an audience. Iris was chased by the three other Bettas and she would almost drag herself over the rocks, lean on plants, hide in the folds of the plants and under the little bridge. She was simply pathetic.

I learned that Iris had a swim bladder condition brought on by poor diet and constipation. I immediately took Iris out and placed her in shallow water in my little quarantine tank. I cooked some peas, pinched them out of their round coating shell and mashed a half pea for each of the Bettas. After a few days, I noticed that Iris was swimming better and with less effort. I picked up some Bio-Gold Betta pellets which they love! I soak the pellets for a few minutes before feeding them to the fish. They now recognize the red spoon that I use to place the pellets into the tank. I try to space out the pellets so that each fish can get a few each feeding. They chase the red spoon all around the tank!

Eventually, I put Iris back in with the other fish after a week of isolation, and although she is still picked on, she has the strength and vitality to hold her own. Her tail is a bit ragged and chewed from being chased, but she is nobody's push over when it comes time to eat! She lunges for her fair share of food.

I still feed them mashed peas twice a month just before it's time to change their water. I also feed them a treat of blood worms (freeze dried) once a week. Since they are carnivores, I try to make certain that they get enough protein in their diet. They are a little like goldfish in that they will eat and eat and eat themselves sick. So I ration the number of pellets each fish gets per day. Their coloring is good and they seem quite content all together in their five-gallon tank.

Fluke of the Flukes

Until now, I either never realized that any of my fish had flukes, and they simply died as a result of, or I've been lucky that my fish haven't had them... if that makes any sense!

Yesterday, I picked up a little itty bitty Black Moor (not much bigger than my thumb) only to discover that s/he had ich and it also had some other varmits attached to it's side. The parasites are a lot smaller than a grain of rice, but slightly larger than the ich. At first, I thought it was anchor worms, but closer inspection reveals that it is something that certainly resembles all the images of skin flukes that I can find online.

My intent was to add the goldfish in with two other goldfish that reside in my house. I recently purchased a 20 gallon acrylic tank. Shameless ad inserted here - if you want a great looking acrylic tank, built to your specifications, or standard sizes, for only a little more than a glass tank, then contact glasscages.com I ordered the tank for my grand-daughter's two common goldfish that have more than doubled in size in a little more than four months. I decided to get a Black Moor to add some variety to the tank. I already have a 30 gallon in the wings for the inevitable point in time of needing a bigger tank. Anyways, back to the new black goldfish.
I immediately started doing research and found that most ponds that raise goldfish and koi have to deal with flukes on a regular basis.... UGH! Apparently, there is a product that a person can buy over the counter called praziquantel(sp?) that should kill the flukes without weakening the little fish any more than s/he already appears. It took some time to find this medication, but an aquarium supply store in a neighboring town has it in stock. Otherwise, I would have purchased it online and hoped that the fish survived the wait. In the meantime, I have been dosing the quarantine tank (yes, I use it) with "QuIck Cure" and a added some aquarium salt for the ich. I also put in an air stone to help add water movement. The fish is eating, so I believe that as a good sign. Wish me luck on this!

Quarantine Time? Be Prepared in a Pinch

After having several small tanks up and running now for a relatively short period of time, I have discovered that I truly need a "back up" or "just in case" plan of action in the event of a sick fish or observation before adding new fish to any of my mini aquariums. At this point, I intend to maintain fish that are smaller; in that, I mean that none of the fish will ever be over 1.5 - 2 (body) inches fully grown. This allows me to keep more activity within many of my pretty little mini tanks.

Almost all of the major aquarium sites recommend that a person have a 10-gallon quarantine tank up and running at all times in case of an emergency. ummmmm..... But what if you never want to have to maintain that large of a tank OR don't have room for that large of a tank? I have found a viable solution for a "mini" quarantine tank without needing to expend an additional $75 - $100 for all the mini-aquarium materials.

Hagen & Lee both sell small plastic containers with lids that can be used for terrariums and/or aquariums. Hagen's Small Pet containers range in price from $12 to $18 for the 3.3 and 4.5 gallon containers. Lee's Kritter Keepers are approximately the same size with the X-Large container (approx. 4.5 gal.) with the dimensions being 16" x 8.75" x 12"(h) costing about $15. The next size which is actually a little easier to find is the Large (approx. 3 gal.), 14" x 8.75" x 9.5"(h) costing about $12. Both containers have pop-up lids so that you can feed the fish easily and a pop-out opening for cords/hoses. Another option is to get a 5.5-gallon glass aquarium without a lid for about $12 - $15 available in some pet stores. But then, when you add in the price of the lid, you may be adding about $5 - $10 for a plastic or glass hood (without light). For about $1-$2 you should be able to find a small sheet of plastic canvas for needlepoint. It's a good cover in a pinch, as well.

What about heaters? Hydor has a mini 7.5 watt heater for up to 5 gallon tanks that cost about $15. You can also find a small Tetra Whisper heater for 2-15 gallon tanks costing about $12. These mini-submersible heaters are preset to 75 F degrees. There are also some 25 watt heaters that will work for a small space that allow you to regulate the water's temp., but cost about $25.

Next, you will probably need a filter. Yes, those prepared mini-tank kits have the filter included in the price, but are you really saving all that much for a tank that you will probably store away when not being used? Pricing for filters is what can "get" you in the end here! The most economical filter that I have found is the Hagen Elite Mini Filter for about $10.00 - the draw back is that it only filters tanks up to 3 gallon. The PennPlax Small World box filter will work on tanks up to 5 gallon and costs $20. It is a bit NOISY because it uses a little air pump, but I place the air pump on a thick sponge, and that truly cuts the noise down quite a bit. As a temporary filter, PennPlax works great without blasting fish around in the tank. One more option that I have tried is the Tetra Whisper Internal filter 3i (up to 3 gallon) $13, or the 10i (up to 10 gal) $17. You may want to measure these first to make certain that they will fit inside your small tank. They are about 6" tall, and you should be forewarned; they have a tendency to suck in fish from the bottom. That's why I have a little corral around mine as mentioned in an earlier post.

That's really all you need! I keep extra foam/filter material inside of my main cycled tanks that I can use (insert or attach to the filter) with the mini emergency/quarantine container. I also keep a few small plastic plants inside of my main tanks that I can pull and put into the quickie aquarium. I keep a spare stand alone thermometer ($3) that I can plop into the container. There is no reason to put gravel into the tank, unless you want to pull some from your main tank for added established bacterial content. The main reason for keeping spare foam material and plastic plants in your main tank is to have materials that are filled with "healthy bacteria" that will easily go into the tank and minimize "new tank syndrome." Another possible technique is to keep the small filter running inside of one of the main tanks until it needed in the emergency tank.

For less than $30 you can, conceivably have an emergency 3 gallon tank in place for your fish. If you need a couple of extra gallons, then the emergency kit is going to cost a bit more; probably about $50 for a 5 gallon tank. Yet this nominal expense is to protect all your other fish from disease or to pull a sick fish from your main tanks. I have also used my little emergency kit to remove "bully fish" from my tanks until the other fish become better established. A few days of "time out" has saved my other fish a considerable amount of stress from the bully. If the bully simply cannot be reintroduced without continuing to be a bully, then you know it would be better to take it back to the store than to risk it killing/stressing out your main tank inhabitants.

The photo at the top of this article is a Lee's Kritter Keeper (Large) with a Hagen's Mini Elite Submersible Filter, PennPlax Small World filter/bubbler, Petco 50-watt heater, thermometer, two plants, gravel & Seachem Ammonia Alert. I had four small corydoras in the tank for two weeks, and I wanted to make certain that the little guys' water was well maintained during that time. So far, I've had pretty fair luck with new fish survival by using this little home-made aquarium emergency kit. All four fish survived and are happily swimming in the large community tank.

Remember, this is simply a bare-bones set up. There is no light, no pretty case, and minimal decorations. It is easy to clean up, set up and takes up only a little bit of space on the counter. Pull from what you have up and running already, (plants, substrate, & filter) which actually are more for the avoidance of ammonia poisoning while you medicate the fish or watch a new fish for parasites & bugaboos before introducing the fish into your main aquarium. You certainly can't have a BUNCH of fish in these little emergency tanks, but a single fish under three inches long could survive for a few weeks in one of these little containers. When you are done, you can clean up the container and put it away until needed again in the future.