So after the great fish die-off last week, we went back to
the store on Sunday for 3 more fish. We agreed not to name them until we saw if
they survived. This time we carefully did not put any of the store water into
our tank. We got them safely in, and this time I was on top of testing. And
wouldn’t you know, the ammonia in the water spiked almost immediately!
We fought the ammonia frenetically. Added bacteria,
ammonia-locking chemicals, and changed water like mad. At night, I threw in an
emergency ammonia tablet, hoping some of the fish would survive the night.
Miraculously, all three survived the night, and I changed
out water immediately that morning. But only 2 of the 3 fish ate any of the
food I put in. The smallest was lethargic, hiding in corners. We sensed that
this one was not going to make it—and we were right. By mid-afternoon, fish #12
had died. Daughter shed a few tears: “He was a good listener. He would sit
there and listen while I talked.” She told me that if he had lived, he was
going to be the next in the long line of Seashells we’ve had.
The other 2 fish seemed okay, swimming around rather
vigorously when the ammonia levels dropped after a water change. I tested the
water and changed water every 2 hours the entire day. The ammonia levels
dropped and stayed dropped, although not quite perfect yet. Then the second
night was upon us, and I used another emergency tablet overnight.
The next morning (Tuesday), both fish were still alive, and
the ammonia levels had dropped a bit more overnight. However, one of the fish
was acting badly. Not energetic anymore—and his mouth looked white. He did not
eat, even when the food particles floated right past him. This fish already had
slight tail-rot, so against my own advice I had started calling him Holey. Holey’s
behavior deteriorated throughout the day. Then, in late afternoon, Holey died—and
my daughter saw it happen.
My daughter was distraught. “He was a trooper. He tried so
hard to stay with me, because he knew I wanted him to. He was swimming
sideways. I sang to him, because I knew he wanted me to.” She insisted that his
name was not Holey, but Holy “without the e” because it suited his personality.
Many tears were shed over this fish and witnessing his demise.
I felt bad about Holy because I wonder if I had been more
aggressive with the medicine that protects against tail rot and mouth fungus if
I could have saved him. We have had fish survive tail rot before, but we’ve
never had mouth fungus. I realized belatedly that the first fish had also had
that crazy white mouth before its death. I had put the medicine in the water,
but I know I missed a few times. If I had been aggressive with it, perhaps Holy
would not have gotten the mouth fungus, since he was fine the day prior. But
hindsight is 20-20, and I will never know the answer to my wondering.
So that left us with fish #14, who my daughter named Zippy. “Zippy
comforted Holy. He’s a kind, good fish.”
Today is Wednesday, and I have tested the water every 2
hours. The ammonia has stabilized at a good level, and I have not changed water
as frequently. Zippy had been scratching himself against things, indicating his
skin was irritated from the ammonia. I added lots of a liquid that sooths and
heals the slime coat. He stopped scratching a few hours later and has been
swimming around all levels of the tank (they stick to the top when ammonia is
high), so that seems good. Although he did not eat when I fed his this morning,
I caught him grazing on the moss ball and algae later in the day, and he
gobbled up a flake of food knocked loose when I changed the water.
As of this writing, he seems happy, and his mouth is not
white. I have been crashing the tank with the medicine, as well as the ammonia
detoxifier and nitrifying bacteria. It seems stable. We shall see if Zippy
escapes the mouth fungus scourge.
Fish # 12, 13, and 14 – CoronaLife Day 243
So after the great fish die-off last week, we went back to the store on Sunday for 3 more fish. We agreed not to name them until we saw if they survived. This time we carefully did not put any of the store water into our tank. We got them safely in, and this time I was on top of testing. And wouldn’t you know, the ammonia in the water spiked almost immediately!
We fought the ammonia frenetically. Added bacteria, ammonia-locking chemicals, and changed water like mad. At night, I threw in an emergency ammonia tablet, hoping some of the fish would survive the night.
Miraculously, all three survived the night, and I changed out water immediately that morning. But only 2 of the 3 fish ate any of the food I put in. The smallest was lethargic, hiding in corners. We sensed that this one was not going to make it—and we were right. By mid-afternoon, fish #12 had died. Daughter shed a few tears: “He was a good listener. He would sit there and listen while I talked.” She told me that if he had lived, he was going to be the next in the long line of Seashells we’ve had.
The other 2 fish seemed okay, swimming around rather vigorously when the ammonia levels dropped after a water change. I tested the water and changed water every 2 hours the entire day. The ammonia levels dropped and stayed dropped, although not quite perfect yet. Then the second night was upon us, and I used another emergency tablet overnight.
The next morning (Tuesday), both fish were still alive, and the ammonia levels had dropped a bit more overnight. However, one of the fish was acting badly. Not energetic anymore—and his mouth looked white. He did not eat, even when the food particles floated right past him. This fish already had slight tail-rot, so against my own advice I had started calling him Holey. Holey’s behavior deteriorated throughout the day. Then, in late afternoon, Holey died—and my daughter saw it happen.
My daughter was distraught. “He was a trooper. He tried so hard to stay with me, because he knew I wanted him to. He was swimming sideways. I sang to him, because I knew he wanted me to.” She insisted that his name was not Holey, but Holy “without the e” because it suited his personality. Many tears were shed over this fish and witnessing his demise.
I felt bad about Holy because I wonder if I had been more aggressive with the medicine that protects against tail rot and mouth fungus if I could have saved him. We have had fish survive tail rot before, but we’ve never had mouth fungus. I realized belatedly that the first fish had also had that crazy white mouth before its death. I had put the medicine in the water, but I know I missed a few times. If I had been aggressive with it, perhaps Holy would not have gotten the mouth fungus, since he was fine the day prior. But hindsight is 20-20, and I will never know the answer to my wondering.
So that left us with fish #14, who my daughter named Zippy. “Zippy comforted Holy. He’s a kind, good fish.”
Today is Wednesday, and I have tested the water every 2 hours. The ammonia has stabilized at a good level, and I have not changed water as frequently. Zippy had been scratching himself against things, indicating his skin was irritated from the ammonia. I added lots of a liquid that sooths and heals the slime coat. He stopped scratching a few hours later and has been swimming around all levels of the tank (they stick to the top when ammonia is high), so that seems good. Although he did not eat when I fed his this morning, I caught him grazing on the moss ball and algae later in the day, and he gobbled up a flake of food knocked loose when I changed the water.
As of this writing, he seems happy, and his mouth is not white. I have been crashing the tank with the medicine, as well as the ammonia detoxifier and nitrifying bacteria. It seems stable. We shall see if Zippy escapes the mouth fungus scourge.
Fingers crossed for Zippy.
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