Re: New list member with questions...

[Chad Attlesey <davinci@uswest.net>]

A clarification on medications....  I only resort to medication when I run
out of other options.  I have known a lot of people who have spent a lot of
money on medications (and dead fish).  I typically try to isolate new fish
in a separate tanks and observe them closely for the first 2 weeks before
introducing them into tanks with other fish.  I don't use medication on them
unless I see a problem in the holding tank.

One exception has been with Rams.  In the past, I have had the experience of
getting seemingly healthy Rams (wild and German) that waste away to nothing
and die less than a month later.  I have gotten into the habit of treating
new Rams with anti-parasitic agents and broad spectrum antibiotics for the
first week that I have them.  The anti-parasite medication kills the
intestinal parasites, any external parasites (Ick, etc.) and the antibiotics
help to prevent secondary infection.  I recently used this process on some
young, very sickly wild caught Rams.  There were four alive in the tank at
the store (a few dead or dying) - 3 female and 1 male.  They where covered
in ick and had noticeable fin damage.  Why did I get them then?  I really
wanted some wild caught stock, they were only a couple of bucks a piece, I
had an empty tank and if I could pull them out of the tail spin, I felt that
they would be nice stock.  Anyway, I got them home and medicated them with
the anti-parasitic and antibiotics.  In the end, I lost the male (I am still
looking for a decent wild caught male).  He almost pulled through but he was
too far gone.  The females are now all very robust and look great.  The
point is that this is an instance where I felt that medication was the only
course of action.  If any of you know of a more natural method I would like
to read about it and try it in the future.

Chad

> From: "Frauley/Elson" <fraulels@minet.ca>
> Reply-To: apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
> Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 06:56:52 -0500
> To: apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
> Subject: Re: New list member with questions...
> 
> Hi Chad,
> Welcome to the list.
> Your questions may cook up some debate here. I'll start as I'm an early
> riser. I'd say your fish were ammonia burned somewhere along the way,
> and that you offered excellent conditions. However, the medications
> didn't help. It's important to only treat clear conditions. Antibiotics
> in pet stores are illegal where I live. I was upset when the law passed
> a few years ago - now, I lose fewer fish and buy my black market
> antibiotics at most once every two years. Fish internal medecine is
> non-existant for most hobbyists. We se an illness and fire a broadside
> of drugs to maybe cure it. Often, that can kill the fish, although i
> doubt it in your case.
> The german fish are bred in soft water then acclimated to harder water
> for the business.
> I do well fighting brown algae with new lightbulbs, or more light. I
> only get it in underlit tanks.
> Your hydra? I wish I knew. Copper medications reduce them, but aren't
> great for the fish. All commercial hydra-whackers and list suggestions
> have failed for me. I've learned to live with them. They come and go
> with the brine shrimp feedings. Since I've started feeding more
> decapsulated brine shrimp, I've seen a serious decrease in hydra.
> Keep posting,
> Gary
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Chad Attlesey wrote:
> Further information: I am told
>> that these Pandurinis are German bread in relatively high pH (7.5+) and high
>> hardness in hopes of making them more hardy for the general pet industry.
>> Has anyone heard of this?  Could this have contributed to the problem I had?
> 
>> 
>> 1) Is there a good, reliable way of getting rid of brown algae without
>> taking out fish in the tank?
>> 
>> 2( I have an outbreak of these weird little organisms all over two of my
>> tanks.  They look like hydra without the arms.  They are whit,
>> semi-transparent, have filaments that attach to any and all surfaces and end
>> in a ball or mushroom shape -----@.  They are everywhere.  What are they and
>> how can get rid of them without nuking my fish?
> 
>> Chad (are first names OK?)
> 
> 
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