parasites and what to do now...

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barbiegrl75

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Dec 9, 2011
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Brittany
I have had my 10 gallon tank for about 3 1/2 -4 months now and have had 3 batches of fish....granted I didn't know a thing about the cycling stuff with my first batch (which ended up a issue bc I had a bully [probably because the water was so unhealthy :headshake2:]) and my second was fine until one of my mollies had babies, killing her and stressing the other one to the point of ich.
Just recently got all my water parameters to excellence and decided to take the plunge again. Just a week ago I got 3 male guppies like my first attempt. All seemed well until one of the little guys died about 3 days ago...then another last night...and the last today. Nothing seemed to be wrong and it was very sudden. I kept up with the parameters and everything was stable. I did some research and posts on other forums and I've come to the conclusion it was a parasite.
I am in college and I have Christmas break coming and I won't be with my tank for about 3 to 4 weeks. I was told I should turn off everything and clean everything with bleach and probably just trash the gravel and filter median and recycle my tank. My main question is if everyone agrees this is the right thing to do? Or if there is something else? And what exactly should I do either way?
Also I've been told to cycle my tank while I'm away but how can I possibly do that when everything I read about cycling talks about adding something daily or testing weekly...I won't be back for close to 4 week.......help!
 

SubRosa

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Jul 3, 2009
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Bleaching the tank is the last thing you want to do. Your problems all spring from an improperly cycled tank. Let it run while you're gone.
 

27emily27

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Jun 19, 2008
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recycling you tank, throwing out yourgravel and filter stuff seems relatively extreme to me (unless there is legitimate reasoning which I don't yet understand) I would certainly wait and listen to what more experienced people have to say but If you've tried cleaning it all and still having the same problems maybe it is the water? you can easily introduce internal parasites and worms etc by using tank water so i would stay clear of that. regarding pH if its off just a little bit it can be enough to stress and lead your fish susceptible to illnesses. other than that I don't really know whats going on but I thought I'd chuck out that little bit and keep an eye out for more knowledgeable answers.
 

27emily27

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Jun 19, 2008
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definitely agree with SubRosa, cycle the tank properly when your gone (just leave it running, you don't need to add heaps and dose if it is cyclyng for 4 weeks with optimal conditions you should be right to test and fix up the last of it when you get back.)
 

SubRosa

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Jul 3, 2009
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even if a parasite has been present?
In the wild parasites are always present. Knowing that one should immediately ask "why don't all wild fish die from parasites?". The answer is that a healthy fish generally doesn't get sick. They can be exposed, suffer the infection and recover to host the next parasite that comes along. There are factors relating to a closed system and increased exposure to parasites but worry about the basics first. How to achieve healthy fish? Three simple things #1 Good water quality, which in your case means a fully cycled tank and regular water changes. #2 Good diet #3 Suitable physical environment, such as hiding places, proper tankmates, etc. That's it.
Do those things and you'll become a successful aquarist. Don't do them and keep posting questions like this
 

barbiegrl75

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Dec 9, 2011
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well my tank is fully cycled, they were all very friendly with each other and they also had plenty of hiding places. So I know what I'm doing as far as that goes I was just getting opinion on what other people said because as I said in my first post I had a few other aquarists tell me to clean out the tank and re-cycle it...
 

Arakkis

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Apr 7, 2008
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SJ Cali
Anyone thought of a UV sterilizer? try one
 
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