Back to my fish.....

[flying dog]

Wanda - a "fighter fish" is still alive!

 

I'm amazed!

 

Alas he isn't looking the best.

 

Although people advocate that I change half the water every couple of weeks: He has lived in the same tank of water now for months.

 

Granted the PH will probably be off. That's why I was asking about litmus paper a while ago.

 

Anyway, "evilbay" had some on sale for $2 for 160 strips. can't really go wrong.

 

They haven't arrived yet, but here is my thinking:

 

The PH will probably be "up" in the blue area. Although they don't mind that, his fins are not looking as good as they once did.

 

I once tried to "lower" the PH to more the lighter side of blue, but he didn't like that. Maybe I did it a bit too sudden and too much.

 

So I quickly changed most of the water and he was ok soon after.

 

How quickly would I need to change the water to not "Shock" him too much?

 

It is a 4.5 L tank, but I would guess I only have 3.7 L in it. There is the pump, a small heater, a small-ish cave and a silk plant. As well as the rock bottom for the other "critters" to live to help clean the water.

 

"critter" - algie?

 

The tank is a one piece plastic one sitting on top of my "hifi" cabinet and computer. So leaks are a definite worry.

 

Alas it is "high" and I can't easily get too close to it and there is bugger all room around it.

 

(Male of the species: Flat surface = storage)

 

Asking in the fish forum I get all sorts of weird replies and so take them (ironically) with a pinch of salt.

 

Anyone got any ideas?

 

 

[nomadpete]

I had an aquarium once. After listening to many experts, I eventually found the answer- Stop worrying . A new fish is cheaper than constantly buying additives.

 

 

[facthunter]

Depends on the scale of your operation. The pinch of salt may be a problem. Nev

 

 

[bexrbetter]

Yes, don't add a pinch of salt ...

 

Everytime I have tried to keep fish they die when I change the water so I'm the last person to ask, lizards and snakes I know about.

 

 

[flying dog]

Yes, a new fish is "cheaper" but it is a life for which I am responsible.

 

The salt is only a saying I hope you realise.

 

So I am still stuck on how to blend the newer water. Of course, not much will happen until I get the litmus paper.

 

 

[SDQDI]

Maybe A visit to a pet shop if you aren't too far from one, they are generally happy to give advice. Friends of ours recently had a fungal problem in their little tank which caused the fish to discolour and loose condition on their fins, easily fixed with a quick treatment.

 

If all else fails there is always lemon juice and tartare:happy:

 

 

[Bikky]

Fish don't like changes of temperature or chlorine. Change a little of the water once a fortnight - in your case a litre will do the trick.

 

To get rid of most of the chlorine, put the water in a clean, open top ice cream container and leave in an airy place for 24 hours beforehand. Feed the new water in slowly, not all at once.

 

Siamese fighting fish are tough little buggers but thrive with a bit of care.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I have spent a lot of money and effort trying to stock our dam with native fish. Equalise temperatures before releasing, put pipe pieces in the dam as refuges, all to no avail. But we have very happy Cormorants.

 

 

[Powerin]

OK FD...this may be a "weird" reply but you asked for it.

 

The basic fact you need to know is that your fish is swimming around in his own toilet. The "critters" on your gravel or in your filter are aerobic bacteria and they do exactly the same as they do in a sewage treatment plant. They convert highly toxic ammonia from the fish waste into less toxic nitrates. Fish can handle a certain amount of nitrates but there are limits.

 

In a closed system like a fish tank the nitrates will gradually build up, there is nowhere for them to go. The fish will tolerate it up to a certain point but will not be healthy and will soon die. Some fish like the Fighting fish can tolerate it more than others bet eventually it will get em.

 

The solution is to occasionally flush the toilet.....but gradually. The best thing you can do for your fish is to take a quarter of the water (and with it the toxins) out at least every couple weeks and replace it with fresh water. pH and other stuff can be an issue too....but nitrate is the number one health problem and killer. Don't forget about toxic chlorine as mentioned above.

 

The golden rule - fish in an aquarium are swimming in their own toilet...flush it now and then.

 

 

[dazza 38]

Our fighting fish is a year old now. Every month I scoop him up into a cup and I then empty out his bowl. I was out the gravel, filter etc. We fill the bowl up again, throw in water conditioner and wait for about 10 minutes. Then I throw his back into the tank. He loves it.

 

 

[gandalph]

Waaaaay back when I when I was a kid had fish I was warned to run our tap for about 5-10 minutes before replacing any water in the tank. We had copper pipes and apparently some bad-for-fish-stuff leaches out of the copper. I never bothered to find out if that was true or an urban myth, I just did as I was told and we had reasonable success with keeping them alive & healthy (apart from clever fisher-cats).

 

 

[Powerin]

Most fish are pretty tolerant of copper, but it is deadly to invertebrates such as crayfish (yabbies), shrimp and snails if you happen to keep them with your fish. Yabbies can be an entertaining addition to an aquarium.

 

 

[RKW]

I have spent a lot of money and effort trying to stock our dam with native fish. Equalise temperatures before releasing, put pipe pieces in the dam as refuges, all to no avail. But we have very happy Cormorants.

A liberal application of rule number 12g works very well on cormorants!