Parasites

[jcunningham0295]

What is the best remedy for parasites?  I think something got a hold of my Frontosa's as I lost one and the rest are acting kind of sluggish and not really eating.  A few of them are even rubbing on the sand.  I can't see anything on the outside of them though.  Yesterday I checked the water and had 40ppm of nitrates so I did a 30% water change and plan to do another one tomorrow.  Any thoughts?

[Marty]

Add one tablespoon of salt per 10 gallons, raise temp to over 80 degrees, and treat with metronidazole.

[jcunningham0295]

One just had white stringing fecies instead of the red and another won't get off the bottom, could they have bloat?  I have never encountered this before.

[GrizzlysDad]

Add one tablespoon of salt per 10 gallons, raise temp to over 80 degrees, and treat with metronidazole.

Definitely sounds like bloat to me. Do what Marty said and also do a good vac around any structure to remove possible decaying food.
Lighten up on feeding for the time being and if you have it, feed Thera-A exclusively....great for parasitic infection.

[jcunningham0295]

Add one tablespoon of salt per 10 gallons.

What kind of salt should I add?

[Marty]

Table salt is fine.

[GrizzlysDad]

Table salt is fine.

NON-IODIZED though

[Marty]

Table salt is fine.

NON-IODIZED though

I suspect you're referring to some of the anti-caking agents used in salt.  Iodine is not harmful to aquarium fish in the quantities that is added to table salt.  In fact, quite a few fish foods have iodine in them.  Morton's table salt uses calcium silicate as an anti-caking agent.  From what I've seen, this one doesn't have an adverse effect on fish.

[runawaypencil]

Table salt is fine.

NON-IODIZED though

I suspect you're referring to some of the anti-caking agents used in salt.  Iodine is not harmful to aquarium fish in the quantities that is added to table salt.  In fact, quite a few fish foods have iodine in them.  Morton's table salt uses calcium silicate as an anti-caking agent.  From what I've seen, this one doesn't have an adverse effect on fish.

I always use cooking salt its even cheaper the table salt... 

[jcunningham0295]

This stinks.  Lost two more Fronts and now a Kilsea.

[GrizzlysDad]

This stinks.  Lost two more Fronts and now a Kilsea.

Bloat is a bitch

[GVsailor]

I have had good luck using metro to reduce losses from bloat.  I also know someone who uses clout to treat fish showing bloat symptoms.

[jcunningham0295]

OK, thanks.   I only see one sign that made me think of bloat.  I am now back to an internal parasite of some sort.

[jcunningham0295]

I haven't lost anymore fish, but they are still acting very lethargic.  Come to think of it a few days prior to them acting like this I washed out the sponge filter in a bucket of tank water that has been in their for a few months.  Could that have removed most of the biological and restarted the tank?  My nitrates were up to 40ppm after that and now they are zero along with the ammonia, but the fish still aren't acting like they used to?  Any advice?

[GVsailor]

If you used tank water it shouldn't have messed with the bacteria.  That is what I do and I have never had a problem.