Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have a 135 gallon that i converted from freshwater to saltwater. I'm using canister filters (Eheim 2217 & a Cascade 2200). I have live rock & live sand w/ 2 Rio powerheads for lower water movement. I have for some reason, started losing fish. I took some of my water in to a reputable saltwater fish store & they could not find anything wrong with my water. They said from looking at my dead fish, it looks as though they died from suffocation. I'm totally frustrated & confused. Do you have any advice for me, please?
  
  
• I have a 1 1/2 gal I bought for my son have a fancy goldfish. A friend bought another goldfish which had ich, I treated it for two days, but it died. The other fish looks okay, but his breathing is rapid. He shows no other signs. I did a water change, put stress coat and start right in. He's still breathing rapidly. Is this fish sick and I dont see the ich? The other one had it all over himself. I dont see anything on this fish except the rapid breathing--is he sick or stressed?
  
  
• Beta fish: I have a beta fish where his spine appears to be severely bent to one side and he is unable to swim straight. Is this a common problem and are there any medications for it?
  
  
• I have a 65 gallon marine tank. I have a dogface puffer and huma trigger that are doing fine but always seem to be trying to swim away. I recently purchased a bambo shark and Zebra eel. I trickled some of my water in to the bucket and the shark and eel began to twitch and react to it. The Shark died within an hour, why?
  
  
• i have a gold severum and its been healthy ever since we got him. our tank is cycled and their are no present bad bacteria or anything. but our severum is starting to get black lines on him. he almost looks sick. do they change colors or do you think he's sick. the black marks look like slash marks almost. and his scales looks like he's really old but he's only about a few months old. what do you think?
  
  
• I have a newer saltwater tank. My naso tang has a little haze and puffiness to one of his eyes. It is only on part of the eye. What could this be?
  
  
• My beta fish's tail tip, fin tip and beard tip are blood red at the ends. What's up. How can I correct it. The fish seems to hurt when he swims???? Thanks so much for the help.
  
  
• I have 13 trout in a tank and they hit their mouths against the glass tank creating a sore on their mouth. One of the fishes mouth is damaged pretty bad. If this fish is not removed can this sore turn into infection or a disease and harm the other fish?
  
  
• I have two beta fish seperated by a divider in a decent sized tank. I change the water regularly, and nothing has ever gone wrong before. But for the past week one of them hasn't been eating food, sometimes he'll take it in his mouth and spit it out. Do you know if he has some kind of disease? What could I do to make him eat again?
  
  
• I have a 29gal. fan-tailed guppy setup. Recently they are all staying at the top and starting to look "bent". They also have split fins, so I am treating for parasites.
  
  

• I have a 135 gallon that i converted from freshwater to saltwater. I'm using canister filters (Eheim 2217 & a Cascade 2200). I have live rock & live sand w/ 2 Rio powerheads for lower water movement. I have for some reason, started losing fish. I took some of my water in to a reputable saltwater fish store & they could not find anything wrong with my water. They said from looking at my dead fish, it looks as though they died from suffocation. I'm totally frustrated & confused. Do you have any advice for me, please?
  
  Going only by what you have told me, it would seem that you have very little filtration, and no real water turnover. Canister filters are not utilized for their ability to move large volumes of water quickly, and I rarely reccommend them in aquariums with live rock and live sand. Reef tanks thrive with very little mechanical filtration. The Rios offer good water movement, but I still wonder if it's enough for an aquarium of your size. I would reccommend a Berlin style system, with a sump, a strong pump (enough to turn your entire tank over between 10 and 14 times/hour), and an excellent protein skimmer (with a dedicated pump). The diagnosis of suffocation may not be far from the mark. With insufficient water movement, saltwater has great difficulty retaining oxygen, and marine fish will in fact suffocate to death--often flaring their gills and appearing to "gulp" air from the surface of the tank.
  
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• I have a 1 1/2 gal I bought for my son have a fancy goldfish. A friend bought another goldfish which had ich, I treated it for two days, but it died. The other fish looks okay, but his breathing is rapid. He shows no other signs. I did a water change, put stress coat and start right in. He's still breathing rapidly. Is this fish sick and I dont see the ich? The other one had it all over himself. I dont see anything on this fish except the rapid breathing--is he sick or stressed?
  
  The parasite that causes Ick is too small to be seen. What we are seeing when we see the white spots that characterize this disease, is the pus the fish secretes to fill in the sore left by the parasite. In fact, by the time we see the spots, the pathogen has moved on to another host (or another stage in its life cycle). The entire treatment period is generally two weeks (with a water change between treatment periods). To be honest, you may find you spend more money on medication for this fish than the original cost of the fish. To be even more honest, more than a single fish in a 1 1/2 gallon tank is a bad idea.
  
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• Beta fish: I have a beta fish where his spine appears to be severely bent to one side and he is unable to swim straight. Is this a common problem and are there any medications for it?
  
  This is not a common problem in any fish, and definitely not Bettas. My guess is that it is a genetic and/or nutritional problem. I know of no medication for spine deformities. This could have been a problem with the breeder, or with his housings--difficult to say.
  
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• I have a 65 gallon marine tank. I have a dogface puffer and huma trigger that are doing fine but always seem to be trying to swim away. I recently purchased a bambo shark and Zebra eel. I trickled some of my water in to the bucket and the shark and eel began to twitch and react to it. The Shark died within an hour, why?
  
  Sounds like you have some toxic water, to be sure. Your Puffer and Trigger have gotten used to the most probably elevated levels of Nitrite and/or Ammonia (which are both stressful or deadly to fishes)--epecially if they were the first fishes in the aquarium. They certainly would like cleaner water (thus the "swimming away"), but they can take it since they got used to it gradually. The Shark and Eel may be tough, but evidently the Shark wasn't tough enough. Without actual test results--which your local pet store should be able to provide (ask for Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, and pH at least)--I am only guessing, but few things will kill a fish as quickly as Nitrogenous waste compounds. I should also mention that a 65 gallon aquarium is, by most estimates, too small for any kind of marine shark. I might also say that sharks are far from ideal tankmates for more aggressive predatory fishes, such as Puffers and Triggers. They tend to get chewed up, believe it or not. You might set up a 200 gallon tank for a Bamboo Shark and maybe a Horn Shark.
  
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• i have a gold severum and its been healthy ever since we got him. our tank is cycled and their are no present bad bacteria or anything. but our severum is starting to get black lines on him. he almost looks sick. do they change colors or do you think he's sick. the black marks look like slash marks almost. and his scales looks like he's really old but he's only about a few months old. what do you think?
  
  Gold Severums do not undergo a color change into adulthood (although Parrots often can, and some people confuse the two species when small). Not knowing how your aquarium is aquascaped, I might guess that the fish scraped himself against a rock, and is scarred as a reult. The look of age on the scales may be a loss of color/irridescence and/or hazing due to secondary fungal infection. In short, he may be sick. As for medication, any fungicide for freshwater is a good measure to contain any infection, and he should heal the damage to his sides.
  
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• I have a newer saltwater tank. My naso tang has a little haze and puffiness to one of his eyes. It is only on part of the eye. What could this be?
  
  This sounds like a disease often referred to as "cloudy eye", and is actually a low-grade bacterial infection. It can be serious in delicate fishes, such as your Naso Tang. They are not an ideal cycle fish, meaning a fish to use for a brand new aquarium, as they can succumb in conditions present for the first few months. To help him out, I would do a 25% water change, treat with an antibacterial medication for three to five days (remove any carbon and protein skimming/UV during treatment), and follow up with another 25% water change. Repeat if necessary. If you do not have a UV sterilizer, I highly reccommend one, and the same with a good protein skimmer.
  
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• My beta fish's tail tip, fin tip and beard tip are blood red at the ends. What's up. How can I correct it. The fish seems to hurt when he swims???? Thanks so much for the help.
  
  It sounds like he is experiencing hemmorrhaging from his fins and mouth. This can be caused by many things, and I do not have enough details to pinpoint it. It is always a good idea to do a small (25%-50%) water change, and be sure to add some dechlorinating additive to condition your tap water, or even use reverse osmosis water for water changes.
  
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• I have 13 trout in a tank and they hit their mouths against the glass tank creating a sore on their mouth. One of the fishes mouth is damaged pretty bad. If this fish is not removed can this sore turn into infection or a disease and harm the other fish?
  
  Yes, and yes. Trout, as I'm sure you know, are fast swimmers and need to move, and therefore require a large enclosure. If not removed, that fish is prone to secondary infections, which can be contagious, and will likely die. Unfortunately, the rest of the fish may have similar problems as they all grow.
  
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• I have two beta fish seperated by a divider in a decent sized tank. I change the water regularly, and nothing has ever gone wrong before. But for the past week one of them hasn't been eating food, sometimes he'll take it in his mouth and spit it out. Do you know if he has some kind of disease? What could I do to make him eat again?
  
  Try a variety of food items, such as live bloodworms, or freeze dried bloodworms.
  
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• I have a 29gal. fan-tailed guppy setup. Recently they are all staying at the top and starting to look "bent". They also have split fins, so I am treating for parasites.
  
  All of these symptoms, including the split fins, point to high ammonia levels in your aquarium. This may be due to overfeeding, overcrowding, or even excessive use of medications. Start by doing a partial water change, and then try to pinpoint the exact cause of your problem. It is very important to change part of the water after any medication treatment has ended, and NEVER treat the tank if you don't know what the problem is.
  
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