RTC in trouble - something's up with one gill

[cl0wn knife]

hope gets better =/

 

[jaguartooth]

till today, the bulb working fine. hopefully the bulb not gonna break because of my action. the reason i dont turn on the uv all the time is to avoid my uv kill all of beneficial bacteria in the tank. depend on how clouded the water was, usually i turn it on about 4 hours in a week.

how about ur plant filtration system? its working? i heard that it can control algae growth..

Doesn't most of the beneficial bacteria reside in your main filter? Any amount of it residing in the water column should be inconsequential. IT should be fine to leave the UV filter on permanently.

 

[navygirl76]

BB resides in your filters, substrate, ornaments and any rockwork. the water column itself holds very little BB.

 

[ctoychik]

like a few others have said-you have gill curl. its a sign of less than good water conditions. it doesnt effect all of your fish, just the most sensitive. you need to first test your water parameters. your nitrAtes should be around 40 ppm or less at all times... the closer to 0 the better your water is.

if your nitrates are high, you need to do a few frequent waterchanges a week to lower them-add aquarium salt and be sure not to over feed. ppl do use clove oil to sedate a fish to perform surgery, but if you dont know the dosage for the weight of your fish i would not advise it.. clove oil is also used to euthanize sick and damaged fish. there is a fine line between sedation and euthanization so be careful! lol.. i would not advise surgery on the gill if you arent 100 percent sure of what you are doing-you then run the risk of bacterial infections, and lower the fishs' immune system and he will be prone to all sorts of bacteria, parasites and etc..

waterchanges and lowering your nitrates are a start.. your water does look cloudy.. best of luck to you! i hope this guy heal up!

The nitrates are between 20-40 judging by the color of the test strip. It is not zero - i am sure it is never zero in my set-up even after water changes. I know that aesthetically my water is to be desired, but the discoloration is difficult to avoid since the tank is outdoor and receives sunlight in the afternoon for couple of hours (tank is truely clear only in dry season due to drop in temperature and less sunshine). In any case, i am working on beefing up my filtration system - originally it was overflow (200+gallon)with lots and lots of bioballs. Now, has a plant filter (overhead) added. Will do doing UGF colums next weekend i am back. ... UV is at home under my desk (last resort).

Surgery would be difficult to arrange ... unless i do it myself, but i can not even imagine how (i am sure there is youtube on this).

The fish has been like this quite sometime without getting worse or better...

 

[ctoychik]

BB resides in your filters, substrate, ornaments and any rockwork. the water column itself holds very little BB.

If true, then definitely worth a try. Except, will the dead algae contribute to the nitrate levels?

 

[phen_dox]

BB resides in your filters, substrate, ornaments and any rockwork. the water column itself holds very little BB.

definitely agree with u. some of BB still in water column and searching for suitable surface to attach.

 

[GetInMahBellay]

Dude i hope your rtc gets better cause the best fish I ever had was an rtc that nuzzled me and ate from my hand and was so awesome and i cried when it died

 

[navygirl76]

hmmm i would take him out and put him in a small hospital tank (if possible) . your nitrates will never be zero (heck, mine never get below 30-40 ppm).I didn't know your tank was outdoors-but the algae dying off shouldnt affect your nitrate levels. what does is waste from the fish and stuff like rotting food or rotting fish. I agree that you probably need more filtration and more frequent waterchanges. as far as ugf (undergravel filter) i would advise against that if you have fish that like to dig and move around substrate. it will make an undergravel system useless.

oh sorry if my reply seems a little scattered and distracted-i work on an acute locked down psych ward, and i have a patient sitting right next to me demanding my attention lol..

 

[necrocanis]

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try to cut the soft tissues around the gills. They do not grow back. Basslover found some good info on this, and apparently some people have actually made their fish worse by trying that method. IT never grows back and heals worse than it was before. If you look at the underside of the picture the curl is deep into tissues that are not soft. The fan like things in the skin underneat the head is bone that pumps the gill cover to pull and push water in and out of the gills. BTW dead algae is just like dead food and will cause a slip in the nitrate levels. When any lifeform degrades it gives off nitrates. You will have to live with the way this guy looks. He's too large, and I'm affraid it will never go back normal. You have to catch it when it first starts and then do massive daily water changes to keep the water as pristine as possible. It will reverse if you catch it before it goes under like on this one. His is severe, but it does not impare the fish. It does make him more vulnerable to gill infections, and gill parasites. This can be remedied, by keeping your water in check, eliminating suspended debris, and never feeding live food. Always freeze any fish products that you are going to feed him to kill off any parasites that might be present. Hope this helps and good luck with him.

 

[ctoychik]

hmmm i would take him out and put him in a small hospital tank (if possible) . your nitrates will never be zero (heck, mine never get below 30-40 ppm).I didn't know your tank was outdoors-but the algae dying off shouldnt affect your nitrate levels. what does is waste from the fish and stuff like rotting food or rotting fish. I agree that you probably need more filtration and more frequent waterchanges. as far as ugf (undergravel filter) i would advise against that if you have fish that like to dig and move around substrate. it will make an undergravel system useless.

oh sorry if my reply seems a little scattered and distracted-i work on an acute locked down psych ward, and i have a patient sitting right next to me demanding my attention lol..

Thanks again for the input ^^ I suppose UGF was not really the right word. The new filters that i am contemplating are 8" PVC pipes with a pump at the bottom (and outlet drilled at the bottom of the pipe) and then topped up with bioballs and gravel with a white cloth thing to top it off. Can do several and can clean them more or less easily - no fish should be able to get in.

I will try the hospital tank - except that i have to find a 'small' tank that can house him comfortably. Any meds besides salt would you recommend? ...<sigh> .... i feel tired already just thinking about trying to fish the injured fella out of the set-up.