I just got my water tested at petco and it tested out fine except for a little nitrites. Does it still mean there are parasites in my fish? If so if it doesn't say on the bottle that it will stain the silicone or the glass could it still happen. There were some that said they would stain it and others that didn't say anything. I rather let the fish die then to damage my tank. Its only a year old and cost alot.
Is it parasites/ does it stain your tank/ silicone?
- Thread starter cichlidcichlid
- Start date
By the way nitrates are fine and the nitrites aren't a prob just that they are a little higher then they usually are.
why would you need to treat your tank for parasites when you have good water chemistry (define slightly higher nitrIte levels, any amount of nitrItes is bad for fish and will cause stress)? unless your not explaining the whole story.....
some meds do stain the silicone of your tank either yellow or blue, but its perfectly fine, only aesthetically crappy. i wouldn't just let my fish die for that reason.....
some meds do stain the silicone of your tank either yellow or blue, but its perfectly fine, only aesthetically crappy. i wouldn't just let my fish die for that reason.....
cichlidcichlid said:
You should find a new hobby my friend.
The semi-good news is that nitrites means your tank isn't cycled correctly, and you don't need to add medications that would stain your silicon.
Instead, you just need to do some reading on how to properly cycle aquariums, and make decisions on how you're going to do that.
Now if by parasites you mean little white spots on your fish, then you do have the Ich parasite, but that can be treated with salt, and no extra meds required at all.
Just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt per gallon every hour, until the total of salt you've added is 3tsp/gallon. Maintain that salt level (table salt mind you) for 3-4 weeks, and your fish will be free of ich.
Of course, if all that sounds like too much work to you, I guess you always have the perogative to let the fish die, and just start fresh right? But give some thought as to what kind of person would that make you.
EDIT: Credit for the knowledge behind that salt treatment for Ich goes to a member of this site by the handle: Davedka. Saved my fish. Haven't seen him around much on the site though.
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Wait a minute i have had this tank for a year and a half. I know how to cycle an aquarium and i know what ick is and its proper treatment. I am talking about a 29gal with african cichlids that are acting a little weird and someone on this site told me it was lymphocycts. He said something about parasites and the fact that i need to treat them. I find it really weird i have nitrites at all. Usually have zero, now that i think about it i might be going into a mini cycle. Not sure why though.
That makes more sense.
The flashing is a sympton of ich, I don't know much about lymphocycts, but with a few minutes of google I'll see if I can help more on that.
Since you know how to properly cycle a tank, you know that you should have no nitrites in an established aquarium. I have read the threads where you've been told 10 africans in a 29g is too many africans, but those went unaddressed, so you're starting to see the two main reprocussions: disease and poor water quality.
The flashing is a sympton of ich, I don't know much about lymphocycts, but with a few minutes of google I'll see if I can help more on that.
Since you know how to properly cycle a tank, you know that you should have no nitrites in an established aquarium. I have read the threads where you've been told 10 africans in a 29g is too many africans, but those went unaddressed, so you're starting to see the two main reprocussions: disease and poor water quality.
I never ignored them, i have been trying to find another tank. Also i have never seen any nitrite before ever only nitrate so honestly i really have no idea what is going on. I promise you i have never seen anything except nitrates for a year and a half.
. they should be ZERO. if they're "a little higher than usual", then in fact they ARE A PROBLEM.
lymphocystis is a viral infection and is not treatable.
ouch! it may be that you are in the wrong hobby. fish are live animals. when you purchase them, it becomes your responsibility to maintain them in the best way possible. they are not disposable as in "oh, if they die they die". would you suggest that a pet dog or cat should be treated with such little respect?
it may well be that your fish are suffering from stress rather than a specific disease process. a 29 gallon tank is far too small for reasonable maintainance of African Cichlids if yours are the typical Malawi Mbuna types.
actually, "flashing" can be a symptom of a number of diseases besides 'ich'. while Ectoparasite infestation is the most common cause of this behavior, the flashing/scratching 'could' be something else. fish can be irritated by metals such as iron, copper in the water. If this is the cause, the fish seem to 'flash' most often right after a water change and less as they 'get used' to the irritant. Then the cycle is repeated at each water change. note that this reaction to metals is not the same for all fish all the time. have your water checked for heavy metals or ask your municipal water company for an analyses. This is a good place to start.
Fish can also flash in response to parasites other than the more obvious Ichthyophthirius (ich). Gill flukes for example which are not obvious externally but require a more internal investigation (gill scraping and viewing under a microscope). Gill flukes usually result in reddened, muccous covered gills.
Elevated levels of ammonia, nitrite or high/low/widely fluctuating diurnal shifts in pH can also cause irritation. Though you haven't given your water parameters yet, you will, right?
Gill flukes are a possibility. these are monogenetic trematodes that need no intermediate host to reproduce. They are reasonably common aquarium pests, especially, it seems, in the cichlid aquarium. Egg-laying adults are 2 mm in length with damaging anchors and hooks. Their tough shelled eggs hatch in 1-5 days, often requiring repeated treatments to control serious infestations.
Adult fish normally tend to have a few flukes, and this minor population is considered like a few fleas on a dog * mildly annoying, but not an immediate emergency. Fry and juvenile fish, however, are often devastated by a fluke infestation, and often whole broods are lost just when they have started to get a little growth on them. It is not unusual for a whole tankful of dime sized fry, for example, to suddenly start hanging at the surface and die off a handful at a time over a few days time.
The main problem with fish gills is that unlike the rest of the body, we can't readily see what is happening. often by the time it becomes obvious that the fish is ill, the damage is advanced and untreatable, so therefore an early diagnosis and treatment is vital.
The early signs are (a) fish respiring heavily. you can judge this by watching the operculum movements and comparing them to other fish. (b) Fish laying on the bottom for long periods - general lethargy - not eating. (c) Fish tending to use one pectoral fin, keeping the other folded back against the body.
At a more advanced stage you may notice that the fish can't fully close the operculum because of gill swelling. Affected fish may segregate and stay alone - often near the surface or water return. There may be strands of mucus trailing from the gills.
At a really advanced stage - and usually too late for treatment - the fish will lay on the bottom with its pectoral and dorsal fins clamped to its body - literally waiting to die.
Treating against parasites can be a problem in advanced cases. The combination of excess mucus and hyperplasia forms a secure shelter for any parasites between the secondary lamellae making them very difficult to get at.