Not only Drs, but aquarists seem to always want a quick med fix, when most diseases (albeit the obvious parasitic worms, like Lernea, or protozoans like ick) are best treated by controlling the source of the problem, not putting a bandaid on it.
Most diseases are caused by stress
Stress can be the wrong or too many tank mates, in too small a space, with too few water changes. or
The wrong water type the fish has evolved to live in (and it may be only 1 or 2 components) or components in combination with something like elevated nitrate.
Etc Etc.
Before I retired as a microbiologist I did experiments trying to grow certain bacteria in the lab under varying conditions.
The bacteria that cause HITH and some digestive maladies seemed to grow best in agar in pH levels of 7.5 and above.
So if an Amazonian fish that has evolved to live in a pH of below 7, and next to 0.5 ppm nitrate, this fish has not had to develop resistance, or evolutionary response to those bacteria......
hence an oscar, Uaru, or Geophagine from a river with pH 6, but plopped in a aquarium with pH 7.6 water and 10 ppm nitrate, is not in a great position to resist HITH or bloat, or other chronic maladies.
Yet a molly or Central American cichlid evolved to live in water with pH of 8, can remain relatively unscathed.
Most diseases are caused by stress
Stress can be the wrong or too many tank mates, in too small a space, with too few water changes. or
The wrong water type the fish has evolved to live in (and it may be only 1 or 2 components) or components in combination with something like elevated nitrate.
Etc Etc.
Before I retired as a microbiologist I did experiments trying to grow certain bacteria in the lab under varying conditions.
The bacteria that cause HITH and some digestive maladies seemed to grow best in agar in pH levels of 7.5 and above.
So if an Amazonian fish that has evolved to live in a pH of below 7, and next to 0.5 ppm nitrate, this fish has not had to develop resistance, or evolutionary response to those bacteria......
hence an oscar, Uaru, or Geophagine from a river with pH 6, but plopped in a aquarium with pH 7.6 water and 10 ppm nitrate, is not in a great position to resist HITH or bloat, or other chronic maladies.
Yet a molly or Central American cichlid evolved to live in water with pH of 8, can remain relatively unscathed.
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I will check the hardness next time I'm there. Would really 10-20ppm nitrate towards the end of the WC schedule be damaging, even longterm? Even 10ppm is considered acceptable for drinking water, so not uncommon that the tap has that high. Remember, most of the week he will be in 5-10 ppm nitrate levels, only last day or two will be at that 10-20ppm (that was measured after 9.5 days, not the usual 7 day intervals I do waterchanges). Unfortunately the fish had to remain at my parents house when I moved out, due to my apartment being too small. So more frequent than weekly waterchanges is not really viable year around, but perhaps I should up the WC to 50-60% weekly instead of 35-50% every 7-10 days?
Anyways, his bloat has gone down slightly after 4 days of no food. He has also become far more active, moving gravel around, eyeing other fish, moving his "favorite" fake plant, etc. He is acting 100% normal now, but still bloated (albeit less). Should I still try epsom and eventually metro? Going to my parents house tomorrow (where the fish is), so can start any treatment plan then.
Got 14 days until I am gone on a 13 day trip. Those 13 days will unfortunately be without waterchanges, but I will bring his meals down to half size (and doing waterchanges multiple days in a row before leaving, so should be very low nitrates to start with). So should be fine, unless his condition gets worse again.
Unfortunately my liquid test kit that has gH and kH has expired since march 2021, so do not fully trust them.
30 drops of gH did not react, so either both my tap water and aquarium has OVER 30 gH, or that test is faulty (guessing the latter, we have pretty good communal water; not a well or anything like that).
kH showed 5.
Thoughts on that?
Gave him 50mg of metro today dosed in gelatine food. I believe he ate maybe 50% of it, so 25mg. Will it help if I can get a dose of that size in him daily for a few days now?
Unfortunately the pleco's got some in them also, but likely just a mg or two each, so shouldn't be bad.
Also noticed my Oscar has a very hard time swallowing food. He has always had that, but COULD be worse now. He tries several times with each pellet, but most just ends up being expelled through mouth and gills after a lot of chewing.
After reading this, and finding an old expired test kit in a drawer, expired in 2018
I decided to take the opportunity to check and see how far off reagents expired 5 years ago, (or not), it would be from a new test kit.
Above the old one.
Below the new one
Not that I'm extolling the virtues of using expired tests, but.....other than a slight difference, they both give the same readings
On the standard pH reagent, my tanks water overwhelmed its ability to measure acuritly (blue too dark on both old and new)
requiring the use of a high range pH reagent, both reading the red of @ 8.2.
And both nitrate reagents (old and new) the same yellow, both in the non detectable range
Well a gH of over 30 in both my tap and aquarium can't really be right, can it? It's regular communal water, so really doubt its THAT high gH.
He has passed some large poops, and his bloat has gone down even more. Feeling good and hungry again!
He has also been able to swallow food properly.
His anus is however a little swollen. Perhaps just from passing a stool? Going away for 13 days on friday morning, so medicating is no longer a good idea incase of complications.
He has also been able to swallow food properly.
His anus is however a little swollen. Perhaps just from passing a stool? Going away for 13 days on friday morning, so medicating is no longer a good idea incase of complications.
