AboutBenty Expertise GOT A QUESTION ABOUT:
Basic needs for specific fish, illnesses, best tankmates, breeding, water chemistry, tricks to safely cut corners, and/or “stupid” questions? Maybe I can help! :)
I like to explain why you do things in aquariums (like why to use spring instead of distilled, or what pH numbers mean, ect.) so you understand why and not just taking someone’s word for it. I also like giving answers where you have two choices so you can choose which is best for the time and money you can commit to your fish. I understand how tight money can be and how expensive fish related things get.
I will NEVER leave you with an “I don’t know.” Ever. I hate that. That would waste your time and that's just mean. :)
Puedo contestar tus preguntas en español también.
Experience I have had tropical fish since 1999. I currently have: a 55gal, ten 10gal, 3 five gallons, three 2gal, and a bunch of jars and bowls. At the time I'm typing this, I have: 14 angels, 13 goldfish, 73 bettas, 12 barbs, 5 catfish, too many guppies, 4 gouramis, 2 plecos, 10 loaches, bunch of swordtails, and probably a few others, lol.
I love to rescue fish. I've had everything from mutant danios, to one eyed goldfish, to my newest adoptee, a 2 year old betta with a MASSIVE tumor problem. He was brought to a pet shop and left there because the lady didn't know what to do with him. He's pretty scary looking. One of the guys at the store there I know let me have him. :D YAY! Elephant Man lives in a gallon bowl with pretty stones in my bathroom.
Plus!!!
I sell: veil, delta, halfmoon, plakat, and crowntail bettas as well as halfblack and blonde tuxedo fancy guppies. Ask me about it sometime.
Expert: Benty Date: 3/9/2008 Subject: filmy white areas on red velvet swordtail
Question I'm a little concerned about my female red swordtail. First, here's the background info you requested. I have a 30 gallon tank newly set up within the last couple months that has an aqua clear power filter. It has 2 balas (getting bigger tank soon), 2 bosemani rainbow, 2 dwarf gourami, 3 danios, 1 neon, and the swordtail. I did just recently have nitrite problems. The color was way off the charts and I’m pretty sure I was over feeding them. For the last week and a day I have changed the water daily, varying from 20 to 25% each time. I didn't add any salt or anything else as the advice I researched on the net varied and the only consistent thing mentioned were water changes and gravel cleaning so that's all I did. Within the last couple days my nitrite reading is back at zero where it should be. All other readings appear to be fine. The pH level is right at neutral and the temp is set on 79. I have noticed on the red velvet swordtail areas where her coloring is lighter than the rest of her. I guess I would describe it as filmy, white like areas but not really WHITE, just lighter than other areas. It seems to be mainly from the middle of her body to the back. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any pics that resemble this. I don't think it's itch because from what I've read and seen that looks more like actual white spots resembling salt grains and my fish doesn't look like that. She's still very active, eats, swims, doesn't rub herself up on anything, but still I'm concerned it may be something and I definitely don't want it spreading to the other fish. What do you think this is and what should I do? THANKS for your advice!!!
Answer Sorry about the long wait. I was at Sea World for three days looking at maybe going to work for them when I finish my degree. I forgot to take myself off line.
Ok so this is the classic bacteria infection. Ick is like tiny little white dots, not patches. This is under the skin; Ick is on top. If it's to the light patches it's pretty advanced by now. It can be a number of bacterias but most likely a gram negitive kind. All that means is there's a lot of good medicines on the market for this. :)
Best stuff to get for it is the ingredient called "Kanamycin". It's in a few different meds like Kanaplex. Ask the at the petstore if they have anything with kanamycin in it. I use it myself when I have problems. I've had great results and so have other people I know.
"Tetracycline" is the next best. Powerful stuff. It's in products like Maracyn-TC. Now I must say it will turn your water nasty looking. Kind of like iced tea with muddy water. It gets foamy on top too. It's works though so... who cares!
If you can't find either, "ampicillin" (or "penicillin" or pretty much any med with "-illin" on it.) Works great on pop eye too.
Lastly, if you can't find ANY of them (I know they have them at Petco and Petsupermarket and PetSmart), try Maracyn I and Maracyn II. Use half doses of each and treat at the same time. It's a weaker medicine but does have some good results.
Don't get food meds; It's hard to get a sick fish who isn't feeling well to eat some yucky goo.
Hope I got to you early enough. :)
Oh and about salt, I tried a few tanks with some, and some without. I read an article from I believe Texas State University or New Hampsire or one of them, and they put different kinds of fish in different levels of salt. The ones with the highest (they went up to a teaspoon per gallon) lived the longest. The ones with no salt died the soonest. The middle amount had mixed results. I've found the same thing true with my fish. Tanks with less tend to give me more problems. In the wild they have all this salt in the water too so... yeah. It's a good way to keep parasites at bay too. It's cheap and works. That's good enough for me.
