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Demjor19
05-11-2009, 12:38 PM
Yesterday i did a standard 50% waterchange on my 13" Black Rhoms tank. Everything seemed to go as normal...or so i thought. After I was finished my g/f and I went to a local lake for a while, then came back to the house. After being at the house for a few minutes I noticed our Piranha was acting very uneasy and thrashing around (not normal behavior for her). Moments after she started thrashing, she floated to the surface and started gasping and rolling over on her back (now I'm starting to freak out). I hurried up and lowered the water level as to let more water and air circulate in the tank. I held her upright in the tank for a short while as the water level lowered and she wasnt showing much improvement. That's when I realized that i forgot to add water conditioner to the new water!!! I quickly add conditioner and continue to hold her upright. After a few more moments she began to swim on her own and started acting normal. She seemed good this morning, so i'm assuming she is going to make it. I guess my unconditioned tap water is pretty bad!? What a scare!
robflanker
05-11-2009, 12:44 PM
I don't know anything about piranhas but i doubt it was the unconditioned water. The diffusion of the water-treating chemical isnt instantaneous, it takes a little while. If it has been the unconditioned tap water, the fish would have continued to struggle until the water-conditioner treated all the ions and unwanted substances in the water.

Me thinks its something else.

But thats just me $0.02
Lady Hobbs
05-11-2009, 01:32 PM
I added some tetra's to a tank no long ago to get them to breed. Same thing here, too! One died within minutes and the other two were heading in that direction. I had forgotten the dechlorinator, as well.

Fish just don't like bleach water! Dechlorinator is said to act instantly.
Sharon
05-11-2009, 01:41 PM
I killed four fish last week, including one of my Bettas. I think I forgot the conditioner. I was on the phone several times, with my daughter who was ill, and I was distracted. I refilled the tank, and finished the others. By that time, the fish were gone...I felt really bad, as these deaths were completely my fault. Chlorine is used in different levels, depending on the water source...fish don't appreciate the bleach in the water.
Northernguy
05-11-2009, 03:43 PM
Nice save Demjor!:22:
That would have been a tragic loss!
MCHRKiller
05-11-2009, 04:01 PM
Loosing a big rhom like that would have been a kick in the pants for sure! Im glad you saved her, luckily piranha are tough fish she should be just fine :22:
Demjor19
05-11-2009, 04:15 PM
Thanks for the comments all! I'm pretty confident that it was the unconditioned water that caused the problems. Evidently this type of mistake is more common than I thought.

I'm very happy she pulled through! losing her would have been about a $400 kick in the pants! Not to mention I would be out one of my favorite fish!
Demjor19
05-12-2009, 11:54 AM
Just a quick update...

She started feeding again last night, so i think I'm in the clear. Hopefully I don't have to go through that again any time too soon. :14:
94 sentra_xe
05-28-2009, 06:02 AM
update? i suspect a full recovery?
Demjor19
05-28-2009, 01:21 PM
update? i suspect a full recovery?

Yep! She's back to 100%!

Thanks for checking in!
Northernguy
05-28-2009, 02:26 PM
Post another pic and show her off!
Shes a beauty!:19: Glad to hear she made it!:22:
Demjor19
05-28-2009, 03:41 PM
Thanks! I dont have any recent pics, but here are a few that i've already posted. She hasn't changed much since then.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/KaraJ0/Monster%20Fish/DSCN6647.jpg

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/KaraJ0/Monster%20Fish/DSCN6628.jpg

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t244/KaraJ0/Monster%20Fish%20II/DSCN0095.jpg
Northernguy
05-29-2009, 05:15 AM
lol I always did like those pics! :hmm3grin2orange:
Whatta beauty!thumbs2:
Demjor19
05-29-2009, 12:29 PM
lol I always did like those pics! :hmm3grin2orange:
Whatta beauty!thumbs2:

Thanks! If life ever slows down...I will try taking/posting some new pics of her.
Lady Hobbs
05-29-2009, 12:48 PM
What's that white spot on her chin? She's looking good and glad she made it for you. It only seems to take one time of forgetting that dechlorinator until we remember to slow down and not forget it twice.

Have you still got your Gars? I haven't seen anything of them in some time.

PS......Like your mutilated strainer! LOLOLOLOL
Demjor19
05-29-2009, 02:21 PM
What's that white spot on her chin? She's looking good and glad she made it for you. It only seems to take one time of forgetting that dechlorinator until we remember to slow down and not forget it twice.

Have you still got your Gars? I haven't seen anything of them in some time.

PS......Like your mutilated strainer! LOLOLOLOL

They call that white spot a "chimple"...that comes from when the cats walk by her tank and she has a go at them! She isn't normally overly aggressive, but she has her moments...hence the strainer pic!

You couldn't be more right about the dechlor. I was talking to an LFS owner here and he said that the city adds much more chlorine to the water this time of year...what a great time to forget to use my conditioner! :14:

I still have two of my gar. A Florida Gar and a Tropical Gar. I haven't had the time to post my fish as much as I'd like.

Thanks for the comments!
blacksnow
05-29-2009, 10:28 PM
beautiful fish!!!

I now keep multiple bottles of water conditioner...whew!
dblzz
06-01-2009, 05:29 PM
she looks beautiful hope she is doing better at one time i had 4 rbp got them to breed just 1 pair they were awesome fish, great to have hope yours gives you the joy i got from mine good luck
Demjor19
06-01-2009, 08:16 PM
she looks beautiful hope she is doing better at one time i had 4 rbp got them to breed just 1 pair they were awesome fish, great to have hope yours gives you the joy i got from mine good luck

Thanks! She's doing great! I wish I could get her to lay eggs again...although breeding would be nearly impossible anyway. She is the only
S. rhombeus to date that I have heard of laying eggs in the home aquaria. She's had the attention of quite a few piranha fanatics across the country.
fraggle
06-01-2009, 11:56 PM
She's gorgeous Demjor!!!

I must have missed the pics of her before. Glad she's OK.thumbs2:
Good luck with getting eggs again (although eggs wouldn't be much good with a bloke around too would they, LOL, or do you have one too?)
Red
06-01-2009, 11:58 PM
Very nice demjor, are you still selling this baby?
Demjor19
06-02-2009, 12:32 AM
She's gorgeous Demjor!!!

I must have missed the pics of her before. Glad she's OK.thumbs2:
Good luck with getting eggs again (although eggs wouldn't be much good with a bloke around too would they, LOL, or do you have one too?)

Thanks alot!!!

There is no way to morphologically sex a Rhom...other than the egg laying mine did. That being said...I dont really have another $500-$600 to conduct a trial and error experiment. Although that would be rather cool to try!


Very nice demjor, are you still selling this baby?

Thanks!

For the right price/buyer she may still be for sale. Are you refering to the MFK thread?
Red
06-02-2009, 12:33 AM
Yeah, saw her up there the other day :)
Demjor19
06-02-2009, 12:34 AM
Yeah, saw her up there the other day :)

lol...that was part of my little "mid-life fish keeping crisis" I was going through. I never did end up selling anything! :14: