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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

One sick kerri Danio

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06 Jan 2013 20:16 #1 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
Heys guys.

In a bit of need for some good advice, I got home tonight and noticed one of my 8 kerri Danios is beginning to lose an eye and the skin around the eye looks a bit rotted. the eye is starting to white out and become dislodged. There is no sign of ill health in any of the other fish and this particular fish is swimming perfectly. The danio is the largest of the shoal that is probably due to age perhaps?

Is this a natural occurrence with age or is it due to poor water chemistry i am a bit baffled and dont want it to spread throughout my tank.

Anyone got any ideas?

Please respond!

Thank you

Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.

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06 Jan 2013 20:29 #2 by k.galvin (Kieran Galvin)
What else is in the tank Gilly?

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06 Jan 2013 20:35 #3 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
7 other kerri danio, 6 cory cat fish miniature, 3 gourami and 3 siamese algae eaters, all hardy fish in their own way....still a bit worried cause i have no hospital tank and even if i did one danio in a tank on its own will stress it out extensively.

Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.

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06 Jan 2013 21:28 #4 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
Which species of Gourami do you have? and the size of them?

With the Danio.....you could isolate it in the tank: if it survives till tomorrow then get a breeding box to float in the tank (and put a few twigs of plants in there as well).


ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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06 Jan 2013 21:47 #5 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
ah ian glad your here... 2 pearls and one blue.... one large pearl of 3 inches id say and the other 2 are 2 and a half give or take.... do those breeding boxes not use the same water as the tank.... or is the water seperated entirely? hes swimming great.... looks healthy bar the eye and skin defect .... the problem is catching him... it took me ages in a lightly planted 35 litre...i have no chance in a 180

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06 Jan 2013 21:50 #6 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
and ian i left out some minor details... i might have introduced too many fish in the past week and over feeding is my nemesis so i have now got .25 ammonia...just did a 30% water change and dosed with prime....

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06 Jan 2013 22:29 #7 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
If the ammonia is doing anything then you are more likely to see frayed fins amongst other symptoms.

But, if an eye is gone and there are marks on the body and you have blue gourami, then my first port of call would be to watch the blue gouramis.

As for the ammonia, maybe some ammonia adsorbing zeolite (not expensive) is a good idea. I don't like Prime as you cannot accurately determine the ammonia concentration if you use it.....it will not reduce the measurable ammonia.

ian

Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.

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06 Jan 2013 22:35 #8 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
... Im new to fish disease and am a bit worried that this might spread around my tank ian..... here a video of said fish i uploaded because pictures wouldnt capture him cause of his speed....you can see him at 0:18, 0:51, 1:09. Open up the window wide on youtube to get best view



Tbh out of the pearls and the blue the blue seems to be the most tame... and in saying that i havent seen gouramis go near the danios just pecking themselves occassionally when competing for food

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06 Jan 2013 23:09 #9 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
The fish all look pretty OK in general.

The one danio could be a one-off.

The pearls would be the next port of call to see if they are getting iffy. Gourami can be great mixer fish, but they do have the capabilities of being aggressive if needed.

ian

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06 Jan 2013 23:18 #10 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
ok ian, he doesnt look like he will make it through the night? whats your view on aquariam salt? should i pick some up and throw it into the tank tomoro ...would it help in anyway?

Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.

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06 Jan 2013 23:20 #11 by newbejkjimk (damien kelly)
Hi gilly,
IMHO it looks like a one off injury the danio could of had a collision with something in the tank something similar happened to a Cory i have and he lost the eye but it healed up great i would just keep an eye (excuse the pun) on him and the rest over the next couple of days and maybe a stress coat might help with the damaged tissue.
jim

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07 Jan 2013 00:11 #12 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
Salt.....not an good idea with Corys in the tank.

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07 Jan 2013 01:18 #13 by k.galvin (Kieran Galvin)
I was thinking along the same lines as Ian, Gourami's look peaceful most of the time but can have a bit of a vicious streak when they want to.

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07 Jan 2013 10:59 #14 by des (des)
Replied by des (des) on topic One sick kerri Danio
Hi Sean

the Gouramis You have are:

Opaline Gourami x1
Pearl Gourami x2

I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that there is only 1 Opaline ?
I think they are better in pairs...

Also I'd agree with the Lads in saying that it could have been an unfortunate collision of some sort (maybe even involving one of the Gouramis) with the Fish going for the same piece of Food perhaps ???
Or possibly even a collision with a piece of Moor Wood (although I must admit that I kinda doubt this)

again, who know's as yet ?
If it is a thing of aggression, I'd keep a close Eye on them and try to observe their behavior (especially when being fed)

Hope it works out for You Buddy


Des

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07 Jan 2013 12:37 #15 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
Hey guys thanks for the piece of mind anyway. he made it through the night so thats a good sign and is swimming fine.

Des i might pop up and get another opaline so... i have noticed a bit of aggression between the gouramis at feeding times but only towards eachother...i would have a problem with sexing the opaline i have... if i took a photo could you guys tell me then id know whether to buy another male or female?the aggression is when i used the jbl pellets that stuck to the glass and feeding was close quarters. might just stick with normal flakes...

The danio suffering from a collision with a piece of moor wood wouldnt be a bad guess. the danios are constantly nipping at each other aggressively .... and ive witnessed a few bump into things in there battles to get away... why do danios constantly harrass each other when they are a schooling fish?

Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.

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07 Jan 2013 17:52 #16 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
Fish behaviour is one of the most fascinating things to study.
,
There is no set of rules that govern all species of fish, and within certain species of fish there can be immense differences in behaviour.

There are many reasons why a fish may show aggression:
Breeding competition; food competition; territorial behaviour; spawning tests; defense; and also battling for the 'best position in a pack' (being at the back or the front of a shoal is not an advantage to an individual fish)

The type of aggression in danios is usually no more than a bit of barging around, a weak fish may, though, become hassled too much.
Also, the fish could be spawning !!

Gourami aggression is a lot different to that of danios.

Studying and noting fish behaviour is an important part of fish keeping......eg in the ability to spot at a glance if something is wrong or totally normal.

ian

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07 Jan 2013 18:00 - 07 Jan 2013 18:13 #17 by des (des)
Replied by des (des) on topic One sick kerri Danio
a very well worded response Ian
great points made...

EDIT:
I don't want to side track this thread or anything but just in relation to Ians comments on observing Fish behaviour, I couldn't agree more, I have a group of 12 Empire Gudgeon in a Tank and I have to say, their behaviour is fascinating...

"The type of aggression in danios is usually no more than a bit of barging around, a weak fish may, though, become hassled too much"

I'd imagine that this is the answer to the missing Eye
(also agree with not using the tabs that stick to the glass, too close quarters, I often break them into about 4 pieces and drop them in at different areas of the tank)


Des
Last edit: 07 Jan 2013 18:13 by des (des).

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07 Jan 2013 18:50 - 07 Jan 2013 18:53 #18 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
Lads you really delivered for me this time, thanks ian and des especially. Was freaking out last night thinking all my hard work would be destroyed by a bacterial infection. The said fish seems to be ok but the scales are very blood shot around the dislodged eye... the gouramis are difficult individuals to understand. The opaline i felt was the least aggressive out of the 3 gouramis as it was smallest and kept to itself but just there i witnessed it chase the largest pearl across the whole tank and peck at it twice....dark horse this opaline has proven to be.

In relation to the danio, they have always been pecking at eachother its a constant chase at each other. Maybe if i made the shoal 4 fish larger and turn it into twelve they might calm down in larger numbers?

and des.....I LOVE CORY PYGAEMUS. what a cool fish to observe....from no movement for hours... to shooting up and down the back of the tank repeatedly .... even fending off 3 " gouramis from their food. I want to make the shoal from 6 to 10...

Stocking levels....

12 danio
3 gourami
3 S.A.E
10 Cory pygaemus.........To high stocking for juwel vision internal filter?

Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.
Last edit: 07 Jan 2013 18:53 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan). Reason: I cant spell

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07 Jan 2013 19:33 #19 by igmillichip (ian millichip)
The first tropical fish I ever got was an opaline gourami (so so many years ago now).

Just as a note on them: the gold, blue, three-spot and opaline gourami are all the same species (Trichopodus trichopterus) but different colour morphs....and all have about the same type of behaviour!!

Don't be too fooled by what may often look like an awkward fish.....gourami are masters of precision targetting. Very keen eyes, and can intercept what they spot where many other fish may miss.

You may also find that some gourami species will pick at the skin of other fish.....could be eating little parasites. Gourami are quite good at that.

Now, the stocking level of the tank: in principle, the tank is not overstocked, but you need to be careful as it is still quite a fresh tank.

ian

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07 Jan 2013 19:49 #20 by Gilly (Sean GIllivan)
If i continue to stock it ian what might be warning signs for me...what might i look out for and be careful of?

Life is as dear to the mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures.

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07 Jan 2013 19:59 #21 by igmillichip (ian millichip)

If i continue to stock it ian what might be warning signs for me...what might i look out for and be careful of?


I would say not to add anymore just yet until it is a bit older and all water parameters are showing signs that your biological filtration system is capable of handling the bio-load.

As you add more fish, you should give a water test a shortwhile after to see if ammonia is rising (now, it will rise temporarily, but should drop if your biological filter system is working well enough).

Other signs of ammonia rising are mad dashing around the tank, attempts to jump out, other psychological problems, red streaks in fins, frayed fins, gasping at the surface or rolling over, or clearly dying (or dead) fish.
Not all of those signs will be seen in a fish, and different species react in different ways.

hence, why I said earlier that watching fish behaviour is a good thing.

If your nitrites rise too much then you are more likely to see very much raised or curled-out gills, gasping, brown instead of a nice pink on the inside of the gills, and death.

Both ammonia and nitrites reach toxic point at quite low concentrations; nitrates, on the other hand, have a much higher lethal concentration. You are most likely to see nitrate poisoning in old tanks that have been overfed, overstocked and have few partial water changes.

ian

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