Someone Plz! Help Emergency

[maggotcorpse08]

Hello my name is robert i have a sick rainbow shark!! Just noticed the strange activity today usually the cave is the main place it stays except to feed of corse. But just today she has been floating straight up and down in the tank near the top sticking her head out every now and then ... what is wrong plz help i wanna save her!!!!!!

[mizzoutank]

1: welcome to the forum

2: a mod will move this thread so i'll answer you here:
we need the following info to start to help:

A: tank size
B: Tank filtration
C: Water Parameters: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate
1: is the tank cycled?
2: what are you using to test the water parameters?
D: other fish in the tank

[maggotcorpse08]

29gal.
with a tetra30-60gal. filtration.
1rainbow shark
2tiger barbs
1 dwarf graw.
and a placo
all has been fine till today no agression in any of the fish very peacefull till today yes it is cycled the tiger barbs and rainbow sharks wher moved from my 10 galabout 3months ago when i got new tank

[maggotcorpse08]

Im using jungle 5 in 1 test stripes
nitrate 80-180 its hard to tell the color
nitrate(no2) 0
Hardness soft
alk. Low
ph. 6.2

[mizzoutank]

What is a "dwarf graw" I put that into google and nothing came up.

second: what kind of pleco

third-rainbow sharks should be in a least a 55gallon tank (4ft long minimum) they are super active swimmers and aggressive.

do you have a reading on ammonia?

how did you cycle your 29gallon tank?

based on those #'s, (no nitrites or nitrates) I'm leaning towards your tank is not cycled and nitrates that high are dangerous to fish.

So for starters while we get the above info:

do a 50% water change, fill back up, then do another 50% water change.
This will lower your nitrate levels to safe levels.

[maggotcorpse08]

Sorry ment dwarf gourami and i dont knw exatcly what kind of placo and i dont have any ammonia test strips at the moment

[mizzoutank]

Right, so do the water changes as I listed above to save the fish.

You do own a dechlorinator...right? (what kind do you use)


once you get your rainbow shark to normal health, you will have to rehome it.
your tiger barbs will nip at your gourami.

and i would assume you have a common pleco, which gets 1-2ft long...so he'll have to go as well.

so if you can rehome those 2 fish: the shark and pleco (return to LFS-or give to a friend with a bigger tank) then we can get you an awesome tiger barb tank set up.

until then. you need to do the water changes.
get the api master test kit (your strips are not accurate and more expensive than the other kit)
then read up on how to cycle a tank with fish.

[maggotcorpse08]

I use tetra aqua safe i will get tat test kit but do u knw what could be wrong with her the other fish are fine and havent acted strange...
And like i said the tank has been up and running for three months now ( prob a little longr than that not much tho) and this is the first prob i have had i do wayer changes once a month about 25-30% and there is no agression in my tiger barbs or from my shark to the gourami
just did first water change

[mizzoutank]

That's another reason why your rainbow shark is ill.

1: tank is not cycled: I'll repeat, please read how to cycle with fish. then let us know if you have done that to cycle your tank.cycling with fish (as you are doing now) takes upwards of 3 months. and by your water paramters, you are not complete with your cycle.

2: you can't wait that long for water changes. it has to be a weekly thing. recommended at 50% per week.
I personally do 50% every 3 or 4 days.

by waiting that long for water changes, the water gets old, stale and nitrates raise to harmful levels-as you are showing right now.

think about it. fish in the wild have constant water changes-the river flowing with new water allllll the time. and when we put them in tanks, it should mimic that to the best of our ability. hence the 50% change per week (if not more).


there is no aggression now* but there will be. it is their natural behavior once they get settled into the tank to be mean like that. I can't tell you how many times people have posted- "they were happy and friends a few days ago" and then fish are dead because one kills the other.

[Lady Hobbs]

You need to do massive water changes. Nitrates should not be over 20.

[maggotcorpse08]

As far as i can tell yes it should be cycled i test the water regularly and havent seen any problems till now i also have the 10 gL which is my daughersnow with 3 guppies and 6 baby blk mollys yes i knw i have to find them a home when they grow bigger i had to adults and found them mateing then babies adults habe a new home now but like i said the shark is the only sick fish i have had and have had her about 7 mo. Now she started in the 10 gal and when i got the new tank icycled her water into the new tank and left some for my daugjters new fish (just added more new water to both to fill up.

[mizzoutank]

You can't tell if it is cycled when you don't have readings for the ammonia and nitrites.

and once you know those values, a consistent testing of those values for a few days will reveal having a cycled tank.

so all the factors/issue's pointed out is the reason for your rainbow shark to be i'll. when you stress fish out with UN cycled tank, too small of a tank (for the rainbow) and unhealthy water-fish get ill, 1: being their health declines, 2: stress causes diseases-ich, columnaris, swim bladder issues, ammonia poisioning, nitrite poisoning....the list goes on and on.

now you see why all these "recommendations" are in place.
by following these guidelines, you can have a happy healthy tank. if you don't. you'll see more issues arise like this.

I've had my tank for about a year, 1 outbreak of ich, and didnt lose anything either (due to me being an idiot and not QT'in new fish) and that was it. no other fish have had issues.

[maggotcorpse08]

Could it be ich ?

[mizzoutank]

unless you see the fish have a "salted" look on its scales-then no. it isn't ich.

you could post a picture for better evidence.

[Goes to 11!]

Could it be ich ?
Most likely not - or maybe but either way ...

The fact is you have to focus on the issues that have been brought up so far.
They are fundamental to the health of any tank.

Please review all the info Mizzou has laid out for you so far, You need to apply this information for it to be useful.
:22:

[Azurescriber]

Cycling has NOTHING to do with the water, so if you think adding old dirty water to a new tank is cycling, you are wrong.

You are not cycled and that is why she is ill. Do the water changes and stop looking for a cure in a bottle.

[maggotcorpse08]

Ok so i googled pics of ich and yes she does have a salted look to her. I thought it was sand fron the water changes at first but now it looks more like the pics i googled but no oter fish seem to be affected is that normal or just that it hasen't spread yet?

[mizzoutank]

i would get a second opinion

i.e post a picture here.

you don't want to treat for the wrong thing. that may do more harm.

reading that you added this fish so long ago now-is another thing pointing out that this fish does not belong in your tank. stressed fish get sick-as i've pointed out.

if it is ich-then it will spread
if you don't treat it, then it can kill everything in the tank.

also, if you share equipment between your 29 and 10, it can spread to them too.

[maggotcorpse08]

So laptop is down only way i could post pic is my new profile pic. All i have is a tablet and it wont let me post pic.