New Member

Posts: 1
From:Saegertown, Pa, USA
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 03-20-2003 07:46 PM            

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Hello! I have a 20g tank with an undergravel filter. I have two zebra danios, a platy, a goldfish, a betta, two snails, and a dwarf frog. I also had two I.Sharks. My furnace quit working and my tank went through a week of fluctuating temps. By fluctuating, I mean between 70 and 80 degrees. (I do have a heater, but it's only rated for a 15g). All my fish got ich which I understand most likely came from the temp changes. I increased the temp to 80, and added about 20 tsp of plain salt. I also added some Ich Gaurd. All my fish recovered-except my Sharks. They only got worse. Eventually, their bodys were covered with a white film and they were unable to swim right-side up. Both sharks' fins started to rot and they turned red. I changed some of the water to decrease the salt concentration and tested the water for ammonia, which was fine. None of my other fish have anything wrong with them. Thanks for you answer! My wife and I are new to fishkeeping and the sharks were our first fish and we were quite attached to them. I appreciate any help you can give me! timpvjr

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Member

Posts: 251
From:
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 03-21-2003 03:10 AM         

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[This message has been edited by kc5gvn (edited 03-21-2003).]

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Member

Posts: 251
From:
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 03-21-2003 03:12 AM         

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You might consider getting a larger heater that is at least rated for 20 gal. One rated at 20 gal. will keep the water stable with the furnace working. Without the furnace it would be hard to keep the tank stable. You stated 20 tsp of plain salt. I'm assuming you mean table salt which contains iodine which is not healthy for your fish. You can use aquarium salt from a pet store or non-iodised ice cream salt which is less expensive and easy to find at any grocery store. Also 20 tsp is a little much on salt. Standard dosage is 1 tablespoon per 10 gallons. 3tsp=1tbsp. The white film was fungus a secondary infection. I prefer to use Maracide for ich because you can use Maracyn for secondary fungus along with it without any adverse effects. Hope this helps.

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