Treating with Metronidazole, cycling

[enufluvfor3]

I have some cory's with nicked fins and a molly with stringy poop. I was told Hex-A-Mit wouls not kill my biological bed. I am still cycling and the bio spira I am not that impressed with. My ammonia spiked and is higher then it was the other day when I posted at about 1, 0 nitrites and still 12.5 mitrates. I tested, did a 2 gallon water change, tested again and changed again already this morning to bring down the level. Going to test again but don't want to change too much in a day. Don't I need some nitrites to get rid of the ammonia? I am woried that one of my cory's has ammonia poisioning because of pink gills and a pink streak I can see in his body. I wish I didn't trust this stuff as much as I heard to add a full load when using it. Could the antibiotic be killing the bio?

Thanks,

Heidi

[wetmanNY]

Is this a perfectly raw new tank without any seeding of floc or gravel or filter media from a mature tank, with no plants or algae but with a full load of fish added all together right from the start and some Bio-Spira, plus some Hex-a-Mit because the mollies haven't been fed any greens and have no algae to eat, and you say you're not that impressed with Bio-Spira?

Have you added salt because mollies are brackish water fish or instead have you held back because cories are Amazonian fish with a reputation for not tolerating salt?

Changing 2 gallons would be a modest water change in a 10-gallon tank. In a 20-gallon tank it would only be 10%. It's the percentage that makes a difference.

No, you don't need nitrites to get rid of the ammonia. Your cories are registering the stresses.

[enufluvfor3]

Yes, it is a fresh tank. I put a full load in because I was told to with the bio spira in order for there to be stuff for the bio to live off of. I did give the serpaes away today because they were terrorizing the other fish. Now I have 2 mollies & 2 panda corys. I figured 2 gallons would be 20% & I did that twice this morning. Will you please advise me about the Hex-a-mit. Should I stop it or continue? Will it harm my bio? I don't want my mollie to have internal paracites and not be treated. Are you thinking this is just "diarrhea"? Could I give them some peas?

I do have salt added for the mollies. I was told by a couple people that the corys will tollerate the salt, Is this not true?

I will wait until my tank is cycled before adding something in the place of the serpae tetras.

How do I have nitrates without nitrites ever showing up? I thought nitrites showed up first. Is that because of the biospira?

I appreciate your help.

[enufluvfor3]

Someone please advise me. What can I do for my molly with the stringy stuff hanging out is anus? You asked me about algie. Should I get an algie suppliment?

My water is still the same but ammonia is higher, pH is now 7 and water temp is 78. Nitrites still 0 and nitrates 12.5. I did two 20% changes yesterday. I am reading between 0.5-1 for ammonia. It is a color that gives a range so I can't know exactly. Either way it is high.

I have treated with Hex-A-Mit after removing carbon from filter. Will this kill my bio bed? Is this the wrong thing to do? Should I continue with the treatment or soak some of the fish food in it or forget about the treatment get a new carbonated filter, do a water change and add more Bio Spira to help out?

As posted above I do have salt added for the molly's. The fish are a lot more active now that I got rid of the serpaes.

I am humbly asking for advise on what to do from here.

Heidi

[OrionGirl]

Feeding peas will clear up constipation. Supplement the mollies diet with some veggies, preferably fresh, in addition to the peas.

You may want to re-think the fish you have in there. Mollies and cories naturally inhabit waters that are very different. In meeting the preferences of one, you will be moving away from the preferences of the other. This is going to cause some problems for one group or another.

I would not use the hex-a-mit. I am not sure what you are treating with it, but nicks and cuts will heal on their own, and much better in clean water. Without seeing the fecal matter, there is no way to determine if it is showing signs of a problem, or just the normal feces. All small fish feces tends to be a string. For it to be symptomatic of a problem, usually the color is off, or there is a long strand with several clear stretched within the darker, normal colored chunks.

As for Bio-Spira--the initial results that I have heard indicate that this product will bolster the development of the biological filtration of a tank. I am not familiar with it, but I believe the instructions provided with the product indicate that you should remove the carbon prior to dosing with Bio-Spira. If your filter had carbon at the initial dosing, this may impact the effectiveness of the product.

What I would do: Do some water changes to reduce the levels of ammonia. If you haven't already, take your water to have it tested at the LFS, just to double check your results. Read the product instructions for Bio-Spira, and treat your tank accordingly.

[enufluvfor3]

I was using the hex-a-mit on referance from the LFS due to the stringy poop. I don't think this is normal at all. She has had clear/whitish "strings" thicker then thread and somewhat segmented that get as long as an inch. None of the other fish have this symptom. Other then that she seems to be acting like a perfectly normal molly begging for food at the meer sight of me. I get nervous because my dalmation molly tries to eat the stringy stuff and has succeeded on occasion. I don't know if this will hurt her or not but it can't be good.

I didn't think the salt was that bothersome to the cory's. I will trade one of them in if you think that is the case. I already got rid of the serpaes because of the nipping. Any suggestions on which ones to keep and which ones to go with those I keep. I like them both but I want healthy, happy fish. I love the cory's because of keeping the ground kind of clean not to mention they are adorable and same with the mollies. I never have to worry about algie the way they go around looking for it. And they do get along so great together. I want really peaceful fish. Any ideas? I would ask LFS, but we all know how that turns out. I investigate species after species but can't seem to find a great combo. I am interested in platty's, guppies, mollys but don't want a whole tank of livebearers and I feel comfortable using salt because I believe it helps cut down on certain diseases but oooh, I really want to keep my cory's. :(

Thanks for your reply. Does what I'm describe sound like an internal parasite to you? If so, what would you do to treat it?

Oh, and I don't have anymore carbon in my filter so I did add more Bio Spira to see if that will help with the ammonia. Don't know why I haven't had nitrites yet. It doesn't say to remove carbon but I don't think it would hurt to not have it in there. The only purpose is to clear the water isn't it?

Heidi

[OrionGirl]

Cories won't thrive in the same water conditions that the mollies like, and the mollies won't like the water that is best for the cories. You could switch to platties, which would be closer to the soft water preferred by the cories. There are many live bearers that like the softer water, just not mollies. Mollies can be acclimated to full marine conditions, with high dissolved solids. The fish can live together, but they won't be as healthy and happy as if they were kept in the right water conditions.

Try feeding the molly peas. Get some garlic elixir (health stores carry it) and soak all the foods in this before feeding. Garlic has many advocates, and while the jury is still out on it's true effects, it won't hurt the fish or the bio-filter, and it may help. While it isn't impossible that the fish has internal parasites, it is unlikely. Internal parasites are often seen in wild caught fish, but I can gaurantee you that mollies are not wild caught, but rather farm raised.

Carbon is not needed in most aquariums unless your are removing discolorants such as tannins or medications. Leaving it out won't hurt, but using it may pull beneficial treatments out.

[wetmanNY]

OrionGirl gives good advice. Sounds like your population of this new setup is very modest-- some people have been stretching the capabilities of this new Bio-Spira product with too many fish right away. Hence my cross tone. I'm really o.k. when you know me...

But OrionGirl is certainly right about the incompatability of mollies with corydoras. Have you tried them with a little chopped lightly boiled spinach? They all love it. The mollies really need it. And spinach might solve the mucusy feces problem. (Might.... I hope so.)

If you go with the garlic extract, remember to include it with every feeding.

Not everyone gets a big nitrite spike. Some nitrates (<40ppm) and undetectable ammonia and nitrite: that's what you're aiming for.

[enufluvfor3]

Thanks guys. I am trying to think of what I want to put in there with the mollys but I am not going to do anything until the tank cycles. I don't like the idea of suicide fish and don't want to put all my faith in the Bio Spira. I am thinking about Platy's because I like the red, white and black.

I got some algie tablets for them and they fight over them. I wonder if the cory's will ever be able to eat as long as they are in there. I will see if the store will take them back. Any ideas on another cute bottom feeder?

I will give them peas tonight and get some spinach for them. What do you mean use garlic with every feeding? I am only doing once a day until the tank cycles, but I will do two today since I am doing the peas. Do you mean to continue to use the garlic? I hope that helps the guy. I don't think these are tape worms because they are not flat, but I have no other ideas. I don't want to use the Hex-a-Mit because of the bio bed I am trying to build.


BTW-My readings are the same today. The ammonia is a little less I think. The color wasn't as dark but was still tinted. I'd say less then 0.5 because it wasn't as dark as the color on the card. Nitrites still 0 and nitrates still 12.5. I used the Bio Spira yesterday again to see if that would help at all and you can't OD it so I thought what the heck. It does make my pH go up though. It was 7.6 but then today it went back down to 7.4. I hope this fluctuating doesn't stress them more.

I have to say as far as behavior, they are acting normally but I am worried about the look of the cory, the lines on his body are dark and his gills are pink but not swollen. Their fins are no worse since I got rid of the serpaes. The other looks great except for the fins. The mollys are doing great as far as I can tell except for the poop and hopefully the veggies will help that.

I can't thankyou enough for all your help.

Oh, and I got them a bubble wall and they seem to enjoy it. The cory's got a lot more active. I wonder if there wasn't enough oxygen in the tank. The filter didn't give a lot of surface aggrivation at all.

[Sharyl C]

I agree with Wetman and OG previous advice and just wanted to add a small bit of my own.

I have seen many new hobbyists run into problems such as your's - and aside from getting good/proper advice on solving the problems at hand I think it is important to prioritize the problems that you are having and work through them one by one. For example: an ammonia spike or poor water quality will kill fish faster than an internal parasite, and both should take importance over deciding what fish will be added.

On a personal note - Although I am not familiar with Bio-Spira, I have never been impressed with cycling additives. I feel they cause false water quality readings, and nature or fishless cycling is more efficient and thorough. In your case, I would stop using the bio-spira and continue with good water changes as needed - that's just my opinion.