HELP! E-Nose looking very very sick!

C

crissy7399

AC Members
Mar 10, 2006
27
0
0
He has been totally fine, with no problems at all, have had him for 4 months, UNTIL NOW.

Tap: KH 60 GH 120 Nitrates zero Ph 7.0

Tank: KH 60 GH 120 Amonia zero Nitrates 20-30 Ph 7.1

Nitrates have been around that the whole time.

He's been lying on his back or side, or spining while floating to another place for the last 16+ hours.

Right now he is upsidedown barely breathing, hangin over a low growing plant.


I don't see anything physically wrong with him. He's nevew tried to jump out either.

I just did a water change 25% (I usually do them once a month and the last one was a week ago)

What should I do next???
 
sounds like he's a goner. Fish usually don't recover from symptoms like that.

only 1 water change a month? not enough.

elephant noses require excellent water quality... plus they like to be in groups.

i think you will lose him.
 
He's always keeping his body in a curved sideways shape too. so his tail and "nose" are touching the bottom but not his body.

I was checking online to see if it was okay to use aquarium salt, and I ended up finding a site that said they are brackish!?!!! I researched this fish earlier this year and never found that at all.

Well, I added 5 tablespoons to my 46 gal tank. I'm wondering if I should do more or not.


Thanks anyone!
 
OK, adding salt that fast will kill every inhabitant in your tank. And please do water changes every week not once a month. It sounds like he's done.
 
its a tough call. i mean it sounds like its near the end already.

its true aquarium salt can help stressed fish when they are sick or vunerable... but usually it won't cure the sickness or problems.

I'm sorta at a loss. I can't think of any ideas to help you out... i just know from past experience when it gets to that point, its a very bleak outcome.

btw, I had a few E-noses many many many years ago. I couldn't keep them thriving and they died. so I know how you feel. they are cool looking fish though. in my experience though, not the hardiest.
_______________________________
55 Gallon:
2 Silver Dollars (large)
1 Convict (medium)
1 Tiger Pleco

10 Gallon:
3 Dwarf Puffers

Part-Time Aquarist at Adventure Aquarium
 
Aussie_hippie_2 said:
OK, adding salt that fast will kill every inhabitant in your tank. And please do water changes every week not once a month. It sounds like he's done.
Click to expand...



The bottle on it doesn't say anything about slowly putting the salt in. I did it on e time about 6 months ago, my dad's idea who said he always uses it and thinks it's helped his fish stay healthier.

Guess I'll read up on it.

In regards to the water changes.. every one has their own opinion. I hate that no one can all agree on how to take care of a tank. The aquarium shops really never say the same things, so that's usually why I come here to find out answers.

ugh. I think getting the fish tank was a mistake, and something I really didn't need to do. It was suppose to be for my 8 year old, and he rarely looks at it. I'm the only one who pays attention to it and when I "kill" a fish, it makes me stressed. This was way more work than I expected.

I also read to keep either one enose or several. If he passes, maybe I should just give away all the fish and stick to chiclids. Aren't they really really hardy?

Thanks for all of your advice! I'll keep you posted on what happens
 
most cichlids are quite hardy, but they won't live through everything. you'll need to do weekly water changes (15-35%). In addition, you'll need to feed from a varied diet. Also cichlids tend to be quite aggressive with each other, especially as they mature and DEF when they are breeding. very nasty. So fighting can be common in cichlid tanks.

What size tank do you have? I may have missed that. Cichlids require decently large tanks as well. especially if you plan on keeping a decent amount of them. I'd say a 55 gallon is the bare minimium for cichlids. however, like you said there is no definite rule in this hobby. just alot of trial and error (and the error and be stressful and expensive.. trust me. I've been there)

I think you should really read alot of information and decide what you want to do. They are lots of options besides E-noses. If it's the fish death that's bothering you... remember fish die sometimes for no apparent reason to us. Don't take every fish death personally. sometimes nothing can be done. now if the water chemistry was way off then I'd take it personally (and i do... hehe)

However, if you really think that you will not stay up with water changes and be attentive to your fish, I think you should not have a tank. Fish keeping is a job really. The fish depend on you and if you don't think you'll have the continued interest and fun required with this hobby, I would let it go. Weigh your thoughts out... if this is more stress and anger then excitment and pleasure... its prolly not worth it to you.

I was very into the hobby for 3 years, then I stopped for 3 years and was bored by it........and now I'm totally and utterly addicted again. Sometimes a break is what you need to realize what you truly enjoy.
 
do your resaerch if you want to keep 'cichlids'
cichlids are just a species(family actually)

there are many different cichlids requiring different water conditions.

you do not need a large tank if you want to keep dwarf cichlids, rams, apisto's or kribs for example..this is why I suggest you do the research you may want to base the cichlids you keep dependant on the water you have..

IE acidic to neutral pH pick cichlids that like this pH range.(angels, discus rams like acidic pH as do some african cichlids)

also the norm now is to do weekly water changes. many keepers prefer to do several water changes each week.
 
thanks Pallen81

I have a 46 bowfront.

I really like my tank. It's just so annoying with all the algae, which I assume is mainly because I have real plants, but I wanted real plants to make my fish happier.

So trying to combat the algae growths, and then having a fish die every 3 months is stressful to me. I am a person who needs to figure out the problems, and know why something is happening. It seems like any time a fish dies, there's just no reason why.

You don't think that I could do just chiclids since mines only 46G? Couldn't I just have less fish? Or do they need lots of swimming room?

Thanks again.

Maybe I need to find a better tool for changing the water. The syphon thing is one that you hook up to the faucet, so it's not that bad, but the end is too fat and I can't get around everything, and the tube is really too long, so it's just a hassle.

When you have two kids, and one is 2 years old, you just don't seem to find the time for those extra things you need to do. It's a good thing we don't have a dog or cat!
 
Maybe fin rot could be possibility? His fins on the side closest to his head, that help him direct himself, look like they are "feathering" at the ends. I don't know how else to describe, maybe I can take pic.

Also, it seems he can't make his body totally straight. The middle looks like it's curved, and he can only hold it that way, so he's constantly in a "bent" or curved position.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom