Should I change the Biowheel?

[WaterBaby]

Crap... I lost the thread I posted this morning on the other site....

Oh well, to make a "long" story short... If there is a virulent bacterial infection in my tank, say for instance septicimia, and all my fish die from it, should I replace the biowheel in my filter or is there some way to sanitize it?

Also, what should I clean the tank, filter, etc with before I set it up and cycle it again?

Yeah, it's happening in my guppy tank. In my infinite stupidity, I added 2 and am "rapidly" losing 8.... I'm very sad..... :sad:

[jm1212]

thats probably what you should do, anlong with sanitizing the tank

[plah831]

you can sterilize it with a dilute bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) but it will kill off your bio filter and you will have to cycle the wheel again until it cultivates good bacteria. after soaking in bleach, wash the wheel off really well with tap water until there is no more bleach smell. to be safe, swish it around afterward in a container of dechlorinated water with extra dechlor in it. bleach is just a chlorine compound, so dechlorinator/tap water conditioner will remove it.

i'm guessing you may have to treat the entire tank to get rid of the infection. that means you'll most likely have to go through an entirely new cycle :(

[WaterBaby]

Thanks, that's what I'm thinking "bleach".

I have been treating for the past 3 days with Maracyn and Maracyn 2, but sadly, I think, it's too late. I have 4 guppies left. One is in pretty bad condition, but still swimming. Two are starting to show blood spots and are starting to "shimmy" and one of the new ones I added is showing no symptoms (so far).

[TetraFreak]

your delemma is one of the main reasons that so many advise to use a QT Tank for new aqusitions. it lets you observe & treat new arrivals and protects the current fish in the main tank from being infected.

As for the bio-Wheel...
if you're foing to kill off the bacteria in the bio-wheel, you're ALSO gonna have to kill off all the bacteria in the gravel, plants, ornaments, and everyplace it all hides. if the tank is infected and you're willing to kill off the bio-wheel, you might as well drain & Sanitize the whole thing.

ALSO...
I'd seriously look for a different LFS to purchase from since the introduction of their fish caused all of this. perhaps tank to them about it and let them know they've got problems in their tanks. Worst case, they'll blow ya off. best case, they'll replace the fish lost or give store credit for it, and suggest ways to prevent this from happening again.


Good luck!

-TF

[WaterBaby]

Thanks TF. I know I should have used a QT. I am going out today to get one. Or should I say "another one".

The problem with quarantine tanks is that I have already bought 2 of them, and they always wind up becoming "occupied" tanks. I just can't have an "empty" in the house. :laugh:

I'm going to sanitize the whole thing when, and if, they all die. Today I'm down to 3. I don't mind starting over. I have a few other healthy tanks in the house to get the bed started again.

PS- as for the LFS, it was Petsmart. I always get my fish from them. I have never had a problem before. I will bring it up to them next time. I don't know that they will compensate me for the loss or not, I can't find the receipt for the 2 I bought last week.

Michele

[TetraFreak]

Sounds like a serious case of MTS to me! LOL

Well, I'd hold off buying anything from Petsmart for a while at least. If one tank is infected with something, chances are many are affected...they use a community filtration system in most stores so what comes out of one tank could easily go into another...

[WaterBaby]

Yep, definately MTS. And I just added another one. This one will be a dedicated hospital/quarantine tank (I hope).

It's just a little 2.5 gallon glass tank with a small penn-plax air cartridge filter. This will do. Nothing fancy.

So far, I still have 3 guppies left. They don't look the best, but the red blood streaks are gone. However, I think one is a little constipated, maybe from the anti-bacterial fish food they have been getting. I'm going to wait a day or two and then feed them a shelled pea.

There's no way I'm going to get any new fish right away. It'll be at least a few weeks until I clean this tank and get it cycled again... If I remember it correctly, it took 3 weeks to cycle last time. I used the no-fish, ammonia process.

Thanks,

Michele

[TetraFreak]

Well, Good luck with the endeavor! I sure hope things work out for ya!

And there's NO LFS in your area? just the chain stores??? WOW!

perhaps it might be worth the drive to scout out a few in the region.


PEACE!

-TF

[WaterBaby]

Yes, there is a LFS, but everytime I go in there (not to buy fish, but supplies), there are alot of dead fish in their freshwater tanks. Not so much in their saltwater tanks though. I guess saltwater fish are more expensive to replace than most FW fish are so they take better care of them.

Also, the employee turnaround in that store is horrible.

[TetraFreak]

AH! good points! any other LFS's even remotely close?

Have you looked at ordering online? Might be a viable option in your case. or also perhaps find other aquariasts in your area and perhaps once a month go car-pool to a good LFS.

[WaterBaby]

Yeah, there are a few others in the area. It's just a matter of getting there. I try not to bring my 2 little ones with me when I go (they're "distracting").

I'm going to check them out when I go to restock my tank.

Thanks

Michele