Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Health => Topic started by: Ally2 on November 05, 2016, 07:56:14 PM
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Hi
Just thought I would update you. I'm not 100 percent sure but I think there is a bit of improvement in moonbeam . The colour blue is returning to his body . He's so hard to view as he does not keep still , but I've looked back on video clips and his body definitely was very pink near the fin, and Is not so now.
I'm doing a big clean out sun, and going to use the original tap water conditioner I was using before this break out happened .
Now my question is do I put carbon in at this stage to remove the medicines as the course is complete , but he's not disease free yet ?
Then keep doing say 50 percent water changes every other day or every 3 days ?
I also got the poly wool but it's loose like cotton wool is it meant to be in a net bag ?
Allison
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There's poly filter (aka filter wool and filter floss) and there's Poly-Filter with capital letters. I don't know why they gave it such a confusing name. The one that removes chemicals is made by Arcadia, though you'll sometimes see it sold as by Underworld, the company that made it before Arcadia took it over. It is also very expensive, which is why I just use one bit after all the carbon. This stuff (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARCADIA-POLYFILTER-PAD-EXTERNAL-FILTER-SUMP-MEDIA-MARINE-AQUARIUM-FISH-TANK-POLY-/191769788782?var=&hash=item2ca65ec16e:m:mrk4yKmsHFLpOs27tGihMvw). I usually buy the 8 x 4 inch sheet which costs anything from £10 upwards. Poly-Filter (with capitals) is a sheet almost an inch think and stiff, with a hard feel to the surface. It is cut up with scissors to make it fit.
I would wait for 3 days after the last dose unless that would make it way past time for a water change. The medication will still be in the water for that time. Then add the carbon.
There is the possibility that your particular betta is sensitive to something in the second dechlorinator, so going back to the first one is a good idea. If you want to try one with the least possible chemicals in it, look for API Tap Water Conditioner (http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?sectionid=1&catid=19&subcatid=0&id=655) which contains only sodium thiosulfate to remove chlorine and tetra sodium EDTA to bind metals. Nothing else. No ammonia detoxifier, no slime scale promoter. However, very few shops sell it, I usually have to get mine on-line.
And the stuff that looks like cotton wool can be out in the filter, usually as the last medium, to remove fine bits that pass through the rest.
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Thanks for the update. His fin certainly does look as if it has more blue now. :)
These situations are always worrying, and sometimes medication and going back to original dechlorinators etc. is the only thing that can be done.
Glad to hear that Moonbeam is looking better. :cheers:
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Hi Sue
I'm going to do a water change as firstly it's due, and secondly this batch of water that's in the tank is the one with the dechlorinater I want to remove .
So far he's had two courses of esha 2000 . I might just do a water change with his original water conditioner and wait a couple of days to see what happens .
When all the esha treatment and carbon has been done. And I hopefully have a healed betta . I was going to change from carbon to the wool. The one I bought is called poly wool . Made by marina .
This is the one that has no container or net bag . Can it just be put in where the cartridges used to go , or does it need to go in something ?
Sorry for being a idiot !
Poor moonbeam I'm about to dismantle a fantastic bubble nest he's been building for three days ! I'm going to try to move it in the jug when I scoop him out !
Ally
Photo is from before treatment
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I would just squeeze a poly wool layer in the space left by the cartridge. It will need changing fairly regularly as it will clog and won't wash more than maybe twice, if that, before disintegrating. This does not matter. It doesn't make a very good home for the bacteria, and there won't be time to grow many between changes.
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The before and after treatment pictures are amazing.
Great to see that Moonbeam has so much of his colour back. :)
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Little fish thank you I'm glad you can see some improvement too!
Sue in regards to the poly wool. In the tank I Also have a large wiry type sponge and a cartridge with ceramic beads , so I'm assuming they hold the healthy bacteria and they don't get changed just rinsed in tank water at water change. So I guess the role of the poly wool is to remove fine particles . The carbon filter that was in there did really good job and loads of dirt would come out when I rinsed it.
I've added photo of my set up
Ally
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Photos taken today while in his jug . I think you can see where some of the colour is returning .
Ally
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I would leave the sponge and cartridge of beads alone and just put a layer of the filter wool where the carbon cartridge used to be. The outer layer of the cartridge is usually made of a type of filter wool and the new stuff will trap the dirt just as well. But it won't wash well, filter wool/filter floss tends to disintegrate after a wash or two. Just throw it away and put some new in. It won't be in there long enough to grow many bacteria.
Can I ask, do you put the betta in a jug to clean his tank?
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Yes I scoop in the jug while I Hoover the gravel. As he's a nightmare for following my hand when I'm cleaning the tank !
Ally
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That sounds like bettas ;D
I wondered because some people think they have to take fish out of the tank while they clean it and they use a net to catch them. If that's what you had been doing I would have suspected a net injury, but as you scoop him out it can't be that.
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Because my tank is small it's safer to get him out the way . When I was putting the Esha in I wiggled my finger to mix it and bonked him on the nose because he flew at my hand ! I've always got him out with the jug the water is the right temp, conditioner in etc .
Then I just pour it back in . It's a good chance to hold him up in the light to see how his fins are . I put a book over him and he watches it all from his jug !his fins are so long and flowing !
Ally
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:rotfl:
I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be laughing quite as much as I am over you hitting Moonbeam on the nose with your finger.
Bless them, sometimes they are so keen to see what is happening.
I'm always worried that I will syphon up a dwarf puffer one day, or even a tiger barb when I use the large syphon. They are so inquisitive it's adorable, but it's also quite unhelpful sometimes.
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I have hoovered up fish and torn a chunk out of a betta's tail with the siphon :-[ It is so easy with nosey fish. My ricefish are the current contenders for that role.
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Yep, it's not easy to clean a tank that contains nosey fish.
::)
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Ha little fish
Poor moonbeam he swam off quite dismayed ! He's very quick too so that's why I don't use the syphon when he's in there . Too many things to go wrong !
Ally
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As long as you scoop Mooonbeam out with a jug it's fine. It's when a net is used that their fins can be damaged.
In 180 litres, I'd never catch 18 rice fish to do a water change ;D
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Hi
Ok I've now decided to do a 5.5 litre water change daily until I see a better improvement . I've also added a new carbon filter as I have done two rounds of medication .
I've also gone back to using my original water conditioner .
The almond leave is releasing tannins so hope that's helping .
My poor zebra snails are surviving in their bucket with daily water changes . I don't know what they are eating , I've put in algae wafers in and plants but algae won't grow as I've got a towel over them so they aren't getting light . I'm growing algae in a jar on window soil but not sure how that going to help as I'm doing daily water changes 😂
Feeling glum as I decided I wasn't going to graduate to a bigger tank until I had kept this lot alive and disease free for six months ! Which I've not achieved despite doing EVERYTHING I should have !
😩
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Sometimes there is just no explanation found for what happens (e.g. my tiger barbs) so just keep doing what you know is right and try not to get too glum.