sick clown fish
- Thread starter johnic
- Start date
elfdoctors
Active Member
Originally posted by Johnic
It is a new tank, the ammonia is too high ? I just feed them garlic..
The garlic will not help the ammonia problem. Let me repeat what Beth said. Ammonia can be toxic! This needs to be dealth with soon. Your options are to do large water changes or try a product which converts the ammonia to a less toxic form (e.g. AmQuel).
Did you cycle your tank for at least a month before you added fish?
You can either squeeze your own garlic oil or use a premixed product designed for marine aquaria. I use Kent's Garlic Extreme as a general tonic.
elfdoctors
Active Member
One of my fish had popeye just a few weeks ago after I had to rearrange the tank to catch an unwanted fish. I cured it with just a large water change and the use of garlic.
If the popeye is caused by trauma alone, it will not kill the fish. However, it can lead to permanent blindness in that eye. If the popeye is caused by poor water quality, than other problems will often set in and can kill the fish.
A new tank will often have another minicycle (with another spike in ammonia and/or nitrite levels) whenever a new fish is added. That is why it is recommended to add fish very slowly and let the bacteria that were started in the cycle to keep up with the added wastes associated with more fish. Use the time to quarantine any new fish for ~3-4 weeks.
If the popeye is caused by trauma alone, it will not kill the fish. However, it can lead to permanent blindness in that eye. If the popeye is caused by poor water quality, than other problems will often set in and can kill the fish.
A new tank will often have another minicycle (with another spike in ammonia and/or nitrite levels) whenever a new fish is added. That is why it is recommended to add fish very slowly and let the bacteria that were started in the cycle to keep up with the added wastes associated with more fish. Use the time to quarantine any new fish for ~3-4 weeks.
johnic
Member
I think thats what happened...I lost the clown fish this morning..It was swimming in circles and floated to the top..I had to put it out it misery. I now only have two fish...should I add another clown or wait until the mini cycle is over. Will two fish be enough to keep the healthy bacteria up and running ?
elfdoctors
Active Member
Don't add anything until the ammonia and nitrite levels are undetectable for at least a week or two. When you go to add your next fish, only add 1 at a time.
Do you quarantine? The several weeks between adding new fish is a perfect time to make sure the fish is healthy so you are less likely to deal with a disease in the future.
Do you quarantine? The several weeks between adding new fish is a perfect time to make sure the fish is healthy so you are less likely to deal with a disease in the future.