queeny Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Hey, I just finished treating a sick silver dollar tetra with a mix of pimafix and melafix for an opportunistic fungal infection (his side had skin hanging off-not pretty). Anyhow, he was treated for 9 days and I removed the charcoal filter from my tank for a period of 7 days. After the first 7 days of treatment passed, I put in a new charcoal filter( the sponge was rinsed out last week). I just checked my levels (ammonia 0ppm, nitrate 5.0ppm and nitrite between 1.0 and 2.0ppm)Before the treatment all levels were pretty much at 0. Which part of all this mess might have caused the spike and when can I expect things to return to normal. Have I fubarred anything with all my mucking about? ps- the silver dollar is doing much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaggle Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 It sounds like your nitrate cycle was thoughen out of balance with the medication. I would do a water change and keep an eye on the levels . Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queeny Posted December 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Thanks, I did a 25% water change after the first 7 days of treatment. I think I might just wait it out for a few days and then keep checking on the levels to see if they get better. The fish don't seem all that stressed out for now so that's got to be a good sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midgetwaiter Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 The melafix / pimafix combo won't effect the bio filter. What did it was rinsing out the sponge which I'm guessing you probably did under the tap. Don't do that. It's a very common mistake for newer fish keepers to make and almost always results in wacky nitrite levels. For whatever reason the nitrite munching colonies are easier to knock back than the ammonia eaters. If you must rinse you sponge make sure you do it in water taken from the tank or tap water that has been treated to remove chlorine. Take it easy with this, it seems counter intuitive but keeping your sponge too clean can get you in big trouble, you need that gunky bio film on there. In the mean time if you notice any distress with your fish you do some water changes and add a couple tea spoons of salt to the water, this helps block the effect of the nitrite on the fishes blood and makes it easier for them to breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vapor Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 I have to agree on the filter rinsing. One of the first no-no's I was taught as a beginner to this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Are you using an HOB filter (like Aquaclear)? If so, you can grow a pothos, ivy, Peace lily back there. Just clean off the dirt from the roots and set it in. The plant will thrive, and remove nitorgenous waste from your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queeny Posted December 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Yeah, the tap rinse was totally my bad. I have an aquaclear 200 and I normally leave it alone. The tank has actually been on the go for about 3-4 years but this is my first bad infection that I've had to deal with so I had a bit of a panic. The nitrites are dropping, though. I checked again this evening and they are now between .25ppm and .5 ppm while nitrates are still around 5.0 ppm. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things continue to improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaggle Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 Are you using an HOB filter (like Aquaclear)? If so, you can grow a pothos, ivy, Peace lily back there. Just clean off the dirt from the roots and set it in. The plant will thrive, and remove nitorgenous waste from your tank. That is the coolist thing I have heard of, I never thought of that even though I have a betta with one of them. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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