Frequent Aquarium Questions

• why is my oscar staying at the top of the tank, like it is hard for him to breath??and he is hardly eating.he will be 2 years old in oct.2005,. thanks jane.
  
  
• My algae eater has a cyst/tumor on his upper left quadrant near his top fin. I had my water tested - everything is normal and my other fish (4 cardinals and 3 danios) are healthy. I'm treating the tank with Melafix recommended by my "fish dealer". Could this be a sign of a parasite or just a benign growth?
  
  
• i have a pleco and i was just wondering if suckerfish can get the same diseases as other freshwater fish?
  
  
• my parrot fish is being treated for iche(?) and is turning brown where the iche was. Is this normal, if not, what is it. I don't want to lose this guy!!
  
  
• one of my painted tetras is losing color on one side and appears to have some inflammation where the color should be. I don't see signs of lymphocystis but the area has turned a grayish color. what could this be and what should i do?
  
  

• why is my oscar staying at the top of the tank, like it is hard for him to breath??and he is hardly eating.he will be 2 years old in oct.2005,. thanks jane.
  
  Hi Jane, What is your water quality like? You may need to do a water change. Are you sure there are no external signs of disease on the fish (white spots, white slime)?
  
  Top
  
  
  
• My algae eater has a cyst/tumor on his upper left quadrant near his top fin. I had my water tested - everything is normal and my other fish (4 cardinals and 3 danios) are healthy. I'm treating the tank with Melafix recommended by my "fish dealer". Could this be a sign of a parasite or just a benign growth?
  
  
  
  Top
  
  
  
• i have a pleco and i was just wondering if suckerfish can get the same diseases as other freshwater fish?
  
  
  
  Top
  
  
  
• my parrot fish is being treated for iche(?) and is turning brown where the iche was. Is this normal, if not, what is it. I don't want to lose this guy!!
  
  
  
  Top
  
  
  
• one of my painted tetras is losing color on one side and appears to have some inflammation where the color should be. I don't see signs of lymphocystis but the area has turned a grayish color. what could this be and what should i do?
  
  Painted tetras are fish that are artificially dyed by the cruelest of means that include stripping off their slime coat and injecting dye into their skin. Eventually, if the fish survives the initial dying, the color will wear off and the fish will return back it's natural color. The grayish color you are seeing is more than likely what's left of the dye. Please don't purchase artificially painted fish.....Mother Nature does the job so much better.
  
  Top