CONGO TROUBLE

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
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Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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KIONG
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CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

HEY All,
I recently bought back a congo puffer form LFS cause its in terrible condition. :( The tank, more like a small container, is about 70ml, no filtration, just an air hose. The puffer lost its tail when i first got him and is extremely skinny. GOSH

Always wanted a congo puffer, so I decided to bring him home, saving him from the LFS. He settle in pretty quickly, and seems to enjoy its tank. Its currently a 8G tank (he's only abt 2.5cm small), fully cycled with ammonia=0, nitrite=0. I'm planning to introduce him and ,hopefully a her, (another healthy little congo i have) into a 50G tank when both of them reaches about 3.5cm long. All the water have been conditioned and left to stand for a day before water changes. he's been fed with live small shrimp(gut-loaded with nutritional powder fish food) twice a day. This guy have been with me for abt 9 days now. He have put on a GREAT deal of weight and the tail is healing very quickly. But, some irritating symptoms starts to become more prominent.

ICH starts to appear in great numbers, and this digusting mould/fungus like spot appear behind his eye. I start to use a little medication(methlyene blue for ich), do 50% WC every alternate days. No tankmates in his tanks and water parameter is good. Ammonia=0, nitrite=0, nitrate=near 0. Its been 3 days since the first white spot appear, and you know how it feels that no matter what you did, THEY JUST DONT GO AWAY. I think its getting worst. Below are the attached photos, just look at the mould spot behind the eye. :(

But look at the tummy it gain, sweeeeet. :D Anyway, PLEASE HELP!!

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Pufferpunk
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by Pufferpunk »

Are you using the regular heat/salt technique for the ich? I'd try Melafix/Pimafix for the spot behind the eye. He's a real cutie!
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

OH GOD, I been following up with treatment using the aquarium salt and loads of WC,temp is now at 28 degree celsius, but the poor little fella seems to be slipping into worst condition. It start to have heavy breathing all the time, appeitite decreases dramatically (usually he eats up to two shrimp, but now only take a chunk out of one tiny shrimp), lie in one corner all day long without even burrowing. The amount of white spot seems to have increased and the thing behind its head got bigger, yikes. Do you have any idea what's goin' on with him?? and what's the thing behind his eye?

Many many thanks.
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

yep i'm trying Melafix currently. How's the chance of his survival?? =(
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spoot
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by spoot »

You should try to add a bubbler to the tank, as increasing temperature decreases the amount of oxygen in the water.
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

hmmm yeah, I got a venturi internal filter on and air pump. hopefully air is sufficient. anyway I just saw him went for a shrimp,evrything's gone in one gulp. =)
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manutius
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by manutius »

It sounds like things are gonna be ok for your puff. Its worth remeberin though that they have a 40% higher oxygen dmend when they are feeding and when this is doubled with high temp which reduces available O2 as Spoot says. This is why you saw the gasping. Try not to overfeed while the treatment is running
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

Hmmm, I guess you're right. HAha, I forgo his dinner yesterdady and the panting stopped. Thanks man!!!
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

Guys,, UMMM could it be velvet??? I ask a friend of mine, and he suggested it. UH OH...
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

Guys, he's dead. Found him dead on the bed on christmas day. He turn real bad in color. At least the suffering for him ended
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Pufferpunk
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by Pufferpunk »

Awww... so sorry for your loss... :(
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...

"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
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puff_love
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by puff_love »

That was such a sad story. Had you troubled then full of hope. poor guy
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yunachin
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by yunachin »

I am sorry about your puffer. :(
E.Ridgeway
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manutius
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by manutius »

I am soos orry to hear that, often their are factors that we just can't help. It seems that the damage had been done to your puff before you got him home :(
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KIONG
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Re: CONGO TROUBLE

Post by KIONG »

Thanks guys, we did your best =) I'll focus on my another healthy small congo for now.
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