Tragedy (and stocking bigger fish for a 75g)

**jcarr71** · 06-08-2010, 01:45 AM

Tank - Standard 75g
Filter - Rena XP3 and two lower rated HOBs for water movement and backup filtration

I've had some bad luck and basically I need to start my 75g over. I live in an apartment complex where pets, fish included, are not allowed. However, no one who would care ever comes around. The on site landlord doesn't care as long as the owners don't come around. Well, the owners are coming around. Apparently every five years the village does a fire inspection and the owners come in for it.

I've also been battling a callamanus infestation for about six months. The worms rode in on some apistos I ordered from aquabid. I've seem to reduce the infestation a couple times with various treatments, but I've never completely won as they have returned a few weeks later both times. My fish are all slowly having their insides eaten and are being starved by the parasite. I've lost several already from the community.

Normally I would give the fish temporarily to my girlfriend's mother as she keeps fish and has tank room, store the tank elsewhere, and then re-set it up after they leave, but I won't infect her fish knowingly. I cannot give these to the LFS as their water would be infested forever and I'd never be able to buy a healthy fish.

I am devastated. I've never seen a single worm on any of a lot of the fish, but the worms are present on fish even if they don't show often, so I can't put any of them in any other tank. I can't even set up the tank elsewhere as the people we feel comfortable enough asking to emergency host it for a week or so do not have the room.

My hand is being forced into an option I have tried to avoid thinking about. Nuke the tank. Ice water euthanization for every single fish. Tossing the plants and bleach cleaning everything that would ever go back in. The reset button.

Gah. This is a nightmare.

I'm trying to put the trauma out of mind by dreaming of the possibilities of an empty 75g. I've decided on bigger fish and I'm leaning towards SA cichlids, but I'm open to suggestions at this point. I'm so used to small and midsized fish that I don't know much about the bioload of larger fish. Any stocking suggestions for bigger fish, like the ever common Oscar for a generic example, would be appreciated.

**Sursion** · 06-08-2010, 01:53 AM

That really sucks. But I think you're doing the right thing. A quick death is way better than living in agony with worms eating your insides.

**rothenb1** · 06-08-2010, 01:58 AM

I'm sorry about your fish, and I agree, euthanasia is probably in the fishes best interest. If you "nuke" the tank, will you have to remove it from your apartment for when the owners come through?

**rich311k** · 06-08-2010, 01:58 AM

I am sorry. I do not see much else you could do either though.

**jcarr71** · 06-08-2010, 02:03 AM

Originally Posted by rothenb1

I'm sorry about your fish, and I agree, euthanasia is probably in the fishes best interest. If you "nuke" the tank, will you have to remove it from your apartment for when the owners come through?

We'll store it at a friends for the day they are here, bring it back, and start over. We won't still live here in five years by the time they come back. We're in NY and they live in Florida.

**rothenb1** · 06-08-2010, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by jcarr71

We'll store it at a friends for the day they are here, bring it back, and start over. We won't still live here in five years by the time they come back. We're in NY and they live in Florida.

Hate to say it, but your fish being sick and whatnot couldn't have come at a better time. At least you don't have brand new stock and plants that you have to worry about while you take down the tank. It's a good opportunity to start over, definitely.

**Lindsey** · 06-08-2010, 04:37 AM

That sounds like a nightmare, but you're doing the right thing for your fish and your situation. You'll have better luck next time around.

**Crispy** · 06-08-2010, 10:53 AM

noone suggested feeding garlic laced foods to starve the parasites??

**Scrup** · 06-08-2010, 09:32 PM

Or levamisole. I just finished up a round of treatment on a very bad callamanus infection (worms hanging out pretty far) and it worked wonderfully. Let me know if you are interested, Levamisole can be hard to find, as people use it to cut drugs, but I have a couple of sources, and it works really well.

-note that some medicated foods have levamisole in them. This is the straight stuff, white powder you put in the water. It kills almost any type of parasite as well as your cycle. Didn't hurt the snails, clam, frogs, or fish.

**Scrup** · 06-09-2010, 10:30 PM

any updates on this? Forgot something important that may help you out if you decide to not euthenaize all your fish. Levamisole treatment requires two doses. the initial dose for one week, then another equal one, three weeks later. If you were going with 10 day treatments, or two week treatments, this may be why it didn't work.