Archerfish EMERGENCY + (spitting images)

[Scott Linstead]

Hi, All

I am the photographer guy who was asking about archers a while ago. I now have 3 adults in a separate tank that performed very well for my photography purposes. Suddenly, the adult tank seems like they are all dying. The aggressive one whose color changes often based on his mood is now very dark and just plows up against the sidewall of the aquarium all day. The other two seem lethargic and their eyes are strange looking and no one is eating much.

- Yesterday, I changed a good 60 percent of the water yesterday thinking that maybe there was some nitrate or ammonia issue that was beyond my understanding -- no improvement.

- The salinity is exactly what it was at the store where I bought them. The temp is around 27C, again same as the store.

- As far as incidents go, the pump shut down while I was away for a few days and the guy who was feeding them for me dropped in more crickets than he should have. I had to scoop out a bunch of dead ones when I got back so they wouldnt start rotting in there. I have been adding cycle regularly. COuld the rotting crickets have messed up the water chemistry? They only took a turn for the worse over a week after this incident and their appetite and behavior was quite normal until only a few days ago. Also, I changed a good portion of the water in case there was a contamination issue. As I said, no improvement since the water change yesterday.

ANY SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED, THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN GOOD TO ME AND I HATE TO SEE THEM GO BELLY UP!

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE IMAGES THEY PRODUCED HERE:

http://www.scottyphotography.com/wildlife/birds/pages/eastmdwlrk1.htm

http://www.scottyphotography.com/wildlife/birds/pages/bb1.htm

[gm72]

If by pump you mean the filter, you probably had a bacteria culture die-off and you are now having to re-cycle. I am guessing you have ammonia and nitrIte spikes. What are your water parameters now?

[Scott Linstead]

If by pump you mean the filter, you probably had a bacteria culture die-off and you are now having to re-cycle. I am guessing you have ammonia and nitrIte spikes. What are your water parameters now?

I am embarrassed to say that I have never tested the water for PH, nitrates, etc.

[Red]

if you havent i would go by a API test kit and check it..

[gm72]

I am embarrassed to say that I have never tested the water for PH, nitrates, etc.

Responsible fish keeping does indeed require being prepared to test for these issues. You need a test kit immediately.

[smaug]

I echo GMs sentiments.There is no other way but to check your water frequently.BTW,they are some awesome pics,especially the jump shot.Im really glad you dont post your pics here for potm!

[Scott Linstead]

I will have to wait till tomorrow to get a a testing kit. I am now noticing that 2 of them have a swollen eye!

When you keep track of the chemistry of the water, are all the quantities immediately correctable? What I mean to say is: Ph seems like a simple enough quantity to correct with the right product, but what about ammonia and nitrates etc.? Could someone describe the various quantities taht need to be monitored and how they are corrected?

Thanks!

[gm72]

Unfortunately this is what happens when you don't stay on top of their conditions.

We appreciate your photo-taking skills, no question, but please take part as a responsible fish keeper and immediately initiate water testing. Not fair to the animals and I'll leave it at that.

[Scott Linstead]

No need to get sanctimonious, GM, I wouldn't be here trying to find out how to solve the problem if I didn't care about the welfare of the animals. My commercial interest in the animals is over and I could easily just flush them down the toilet if I was so minded. In my lengthy pursuit of trying to find this elusive species, I spoke to many vendors and fish-keeping types and no one ever mentioned to me that these quantities needed to monitored constantly. And, believe me, the inclination to sell a layman like me every bit of preventative products was always there with the vendors. Sorry to have offended your fish-enthusiast sensibilities by asking a question on how to restore the health of a fish.

Scott

[Red]

ehh dont mind him.......
He is totally right that you should focus more on the fish keeping aspect then picture taking.... I would go get a API test kit. You will need nitrIte and nitrAte and ph and we will try to figure out whats wrong.... i would pick up some fungas remover and parasite killer....
You do have a heater in there right? What is the temp?

[Scott Linstead]

i am currently keeping the tank at the same temperature that the vendors tank was at 26~27C

thanks

[country_boy454]

Well one thing that will help get the the nitrites, nitrates, ammonia down is doing a water change(I see you did one already). Ph is best kept alone unless you are on the far extremes of the test range. I'd say below 5 or above 9. Most fish will adapt to a broad range of ph's as long as it is stable. Before moving into my apartment my ph was about 6.2 but now in our apartment it is about 7.4. My fish did great in both ph's.

Some good things to know are what size is this tank and what are you using for filtration(filter or filters also the size of them).

Also very nice pics and I second the API Master test kit. Just make sure you get a liquid test kit and not the test strips. They are not very accurate. Make sure you get both a nitrAte test and a nitrIte test with it.

[Scott Linstead]

Well one thing that will help get the the nitrites, nitrates, ammonia down is doing a water change(I see you did one already). Ph is best kept alone unless you are on the far extremes of the test range. I'd say below 5 or above 9. Most fish will adapt to a broad range of ph's as long as it is stable. Before moving into my apartment my ph was about 6.2 but now in our apartment it is about 7.4. My fish did great in both ph's.

Some good things to know are what size is this tank and what are you using for filtration(filter or filters also the size of them).

Also very nice pics and I second the API Master test kit. Just make sure you get a liquid test kit and not the test strips. They are not very accurate. Make sure you get both a nitrAte test and a nitrIte test with it.

Thanks for the feedback, country_boy454. I am keeping the fish in a half-full 120L tank and running an Aquaclear 50 with a sponge filter, charcoal pouch and a porous pouch with those cylindrical pellets (bio-filter, i think they called it?)

Scott

[smaug]

120l is 30gals correct?That means they are actually in 15 gals of water?I realize you are keeping it this way to better photograph them but to keep big problems at bay they need a much larger water volume then this.Get the tank filled up to capacity and of course get a lid since they can obviously jump.For your photog sessions simply drop the water level to what is needed temporarily.Also ,they need better filtration ,at least twice the capacity you have now,either get a bigger filter or another ac50.

[Sounguru]

Scott - Being a photographer myself I can understand and think that a few have gone way overboard on jumping on you with no real info.

The main things you need to monitor are:

PH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
salinty
temp

Now all these things are correctable with the proper steps and will need to be adjusted either quickly or slowly depending on which is out of whack. Nitrites, Nitrates, Ammonia can be dealt with some what by water changes until the biological filtration takes over. The PH can be adjusted by natural or chemical means. Temp and salinty are easy fixes.

Now once we know what the levels are of each we can better help you to correct the problem and as others have already asked the tank size and filter.. Right now the best you can do and have already done is do water changes and if you are on city water make sure you add a dechlorinator.

I apologize for others not fully answering your questions and I hope that what I have typed will be more helpful in helping you balance your tank. Feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have because I would love to pick your brain on photography....

I will say that archers do require more living area than what is being provided.

Wonderfull pictures by the way....

William

[smaug]

Scott - Being a photographer myself I can understand and think that a few have gone way overboard on jumping on you with no real info.

The main things you need to monitor are:

PH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
salinty
temp

Now all these things are correctable with the proper steps and will need to be adjusted either quickly or slowly depending on which is out of whack. Nitrites, Nitrates, Ammonia can be dealt with some what by water changes until the biological filtration takes over. The PH can be adjusted by natural or chemical means. Temp and salinty are easy fixes.

Now once we know what the levels are of each we can better help you to correct the problem and as others have already asked the tank size and filter.. Right now the best you can do and have already done is do water changes and if you are on city water make sure you add a dechlorinator.

I apologize for others not fully answering your questions and I hope that what I have typed will be more helpful in helping you balance your tank. Feel free to contact me directly with any questions you may have because I would love to pick your brain on photography....

I will say that archers do require more living area than what is being provided.

Wonderfull pictures by the way....

William
Great post Guru,I dont think he was treated too roughly, some here do get a bit passionate though.After seeing his last post ,I am certain that the biggest issues are too little water and not enough filtration.Archers are a fairly tough species as most brack fish are so ph and salinity[within reason] are not the culprits here.Unintentional neglect is the biggy.And Im sure the poster will be willing to do the work.

[gm72]

No one is treating anyone roughly. You keep a fish, you accept the responsibility and PLAN accordingly instead of reacting to a problem situation. I'll agree with Smaug and state "unintentional neglect is the biggy."

[Scott Linstead]

Thanks for your help, everyone!

[Sounguru]

So I'm assuming they didn't make it Scott from the title of the post....?

Sorry to hear it if that is the case anytime you would like some help on fish please ask and I would still love to know what your setup was for the arecher shots.