experienced fish keepers help

[heath]

hello everyone ....ive only been in the fish hobby here now 4 about a year...i have kept native fish to my area..bullheads,madtoms, sunfish,sculpins minnowws(yes minnows:i love all fish) i currently have a goldfish pond approx. 300 gall. with bait store goldfish and a few fantail that have thrived..even spawned a few times....i also have a convict female with approx. 40 quarter inch babies.....now to my question i have a 7in red O and a 7 in sailfin pl*co.....the problem is with my O...HE LOOKS BAD!!!!!!!!!!! where i messed up is i bought him sum feeder goldfish from the lfs and after a few daze they have seemed to have gave him sum awful disease...he looks to have ick..little whit bumps all over him..which i have seemed to get under control with malachitye green and sum of those alka seltzer tablets that has seemed to work...the main concern i have is he has a white film all over the sides tail and even a little on the eyes of him....i think it may b a fungus...not 4 sure...i feel so bad 4 him i really hate to see him suffer like this and am running out of options...can i use regular table salt as i have read to add to the water? i have raised the temp also....i wish i had a pic...any ideas would b great.......thanks......................... by the way i do weekly water changes and clean my filters completely twice a week.....HELP

[stoopid]

You may need to get Rid-ich to combat those spots (which sound like ich to me). Table salts can be used, but I personally only use aquarium salts as per suggestion of most fish keepers I know (I can't say I know the scientific reason though). Salt helps with keeping illness down in the tank, but alone isn't usually enough to effectively battle ich.

The film could be a body fungus, some maracyn and/or Maroxy should do the trick.

[cichgirl]

Here's some info from the oscar study page on common oscar ailments:

http://www.geocities.com/cichlidiot_2000/disease.html

Here's another page on meds:

http://www.oscarfish.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=10

I hope this helps you... I agree with stoopid, I use aquarium salt, but some experienced keepers here will use table salt in an emergency. Good Luck!

[jennigypsy]

I don't think that completely cleaning the filters once a week caused the problem with the fish, but I'm curious...what do you mean by completely? Some 'dirt' is beneficial in the filter (the good bacteria..to have a healthy biological filter to break down ammonia)

[foldgersowns]

i usually use melafix for ich and fin-rot and pop-eye and bacterial infections like that. usually clears up the problem in around 7 days but it causes algae to grow really really fast. good luck

[heath]

its around the 5th or 6th day now and the "ick" has seemed to go away but the film is still there its alot lesser than it origionally was....i have no pet stores that r less than 2 hrs away so i cant run and go get all the stuff i would like.... i wont give up on him yet....he has seemed to regain ALOTof his energy i put a mirror in front of the tank which he loves to spar with..the pleco will even chase him..its funny....BTW i went to wally world and picked up sum medicinr 4 fungus that has seemed 2 work.........heres an unrelated question....could i put a 3 or 4 in red devil in with him{rather have a midas, but they r rare in these parts}he wont eat his cichlid gold pellets but will take earthworms[r they safe?}

[2petuniasmom]

2 cents on table salt. Anti-caking agents are put into table salt to keep it free flowing. They can cloud your water badly, but in a pinch can work.

Heath, I have a 1 hour drive to get to pet store or wally world. I recently had a post in Cichlid Health forum asking what I should keep on hand for emergency treatment. There were some good responses. You can check it out of you wish. http://www.cichlidforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5043

I hope your fish get better :)
Julie

[the209jungalist]

My guess is that he has chidreonella (sp?) it gives fish a blueish whiteish film on there bodies and if not treated their skin can fall off. Rid-Ich does treat the parasite(I believe it's a parasite) that I tried to spell (i'd get up and get my bottle but i'm sorry i'm being lazy for once!:wink: )

Also Coppersafe also treat that C-word parasite. Good luck with your fish! My sevrum gets it from time to time, don't know where he would be getting it from unless you can get it from plants.

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by heath
heres an unrelated question....could i put a 3 or 4 in red devil in with him{rather have a midas, but they r rare in these parts}he wont eat his cichlid gold pellets but will take earthworms[r they safe?}

probably not a good idea since they are likely to be too aggressive for your oscar. what size tank do you have the oscar in? from what i've read, if it's not a 125, he's going to outgrow it pretty fast.

[heath]

days later.............he is totally gone from the "ick"......his fungi" LOOKS TO B STILL THERE SUMWHAT.........BTW ...i have a 29 gallon>>>>>>>wow......dont get mad.....he has plenty of space......very happy and fat............loves life! i wanna git rid of him and get a couple of juvie texans..... i have read thaT they r kinda like cons they; breed like mad dogs....True? Agressive? if so overly?can they stand up to my bad ass ple*o...>?................................also....i know an awesome pond, really big and welltaken caRE of...anyways, you can catch Redear "perch" that will go 2 lBS> i waNNA GET 1.,......4 AT LEAST A 55......hello...anyone live near or around springfield MO are or sround there

[the209jungalist]

Texas cichlids are mean they have bad additudes they are very terrirorial they can do damage, even if you have a bad a$$ pleco he will probably get chewed up.

No offense but putting a fish that will get 2LBS in a 55 is just all bad, none-the-less thinking of putting 4 in there!