tkucifer
Member
Thank you to those of you who gave good advice, and to those who only berated me for what I didn't know: thbbbpt!
He was obviously dying in the hospital tank--wouldn't eat, too stressed, losing lots of weight, etc. despite adding some SAND and a small rock (which he did enjoy).
My options were very limited: 1: keep him in the HT where I was sure he would die, 2: replace him in the original DT with the sand/CC blend, 3: replace the substrate in the DT with all sand and risk all the other inhabitants of that tank or 4: add him to the upstairs tank which has a sand bed but whose water parameters leave much to be desired (the rescued tank is in another thread-suffice it to say NO3 and phos are very high despite multiple BIG water changes). I decided to take a chance upstairs and moved him three days ago. I acclimated him over two hours since the water would be a big difference for him and he immediately went under a rock and stayed there. Two days ago I saw him poke his head out briefly then go back, and yesterday he was burrowing and eating again. The other problem with that tank is its lack of a lid, and as any JF owner can tell you that's a recipe for disaster. So this weekend's DIY project is to get the tank covered with a screen lid.
I'm still guarded about his prognosis but more hopeful. It's somewhat disappointing not to see him so often, but I'd rather he be happy and healthy and MIA than hurting in the old tank.
Anyway, that's the update. In the future, I'll start with sand in all my new tanks but when you're a noob like me you have to trust what the seemingly knowledgeable LFS experts tell you!
He was obviously dying in the hospital tank--wouldn't eat, too stressed, losing lots of weight, etc. despite adding some SAND and a small rock (which he did enjoy).
My options were very limited: 1: keep him in the HT where I was sure he would die, 2: replace him in the original DT with the sand/CC blend, 3: replace the substrate in the DT with all sand and risk all the other inhabitants of that tank or 4: add him to the upstairs tank which has a sand bed but whose water parameters leave much to be desired (the rescued tank is in another thread-suffice it to say NO3 and phos are very high despite multiple BIG water changes). I decided to take a chance upstairs and moved him three days ago. I acclimated him over two hours since the water would be a big difference for him and he immediately went under a rock and stayed there. Two days ago I saw him poke his head out briefly then go back, and yesterday he was burrowing and eating again. The other problem with that tank is its lack of a lid, and as any JF owner can tell you that's a recipe for disaster. So this weekend's DIY project is to get the tank covered with a screen lid.
I'm still guarded about his prognosis but more hopeful. It's somewhat disappointing not to see him so often, but I'd rather he be happy and healthy and MIA than hurting in the old tank.
Anyway, that's the update. In the future, I'll start with sand in all my new tanks but when you're a noob like me you have to trust what the seemingly knowledgeable LFS experts tell you!
