# What's Wrong With My Piranha?



## jamezgt (Jun 24, 2008)

It's very strange - everytime I do a water change there's always one piranha that gets affected. It's some white film on the eye, and the body starts to look like it's getting burnt from something. It's not heater burn or anything, I think it may be the nitrate levels are spiking from debris underneath the gravel, but why is it only one piranha that's getting affected? My other five red bellies are 100% perfect.


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## Tensa (Jul 28, 2008)

post your water parameters as well. if you don't have a test kit take it to the local pet store and post that as well please.


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## jamezgt (Jun 24, 2008)

Everything is at 0, Nitrates are @ 20ppm. I believe pH is around 7.4.


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## Tensa (Jul 28, 2008)

might be battle wounds then just getting picked on after a water change or a weird development of ick. just my stab in the dark from whats happened in the past with me.


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## jamezgt (Jun 24, 2008)

That's what I thought too - but he's the biggest one of the pack. Kinda weird because every week is a different piranha, and the others are 100% fine. Might take out all the decorations and literally take out the gravel and clean it in a sink.


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## Tensa (Jul 28, 2008)

could also be bumping into things but its probably ick which is being caused from your water changes. how much water do you change at a time? also the biggest P is not always the dominant one.


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## Armand_caribe (Sep 9, 2009)

One of mine suffered just the same twice however got healed when I did a 30 to 40% WC and added some salt, I guess it means a partiall WC is needed. What is brought to my attention is that you say this atually happens after you make the WC right?.... That's pretty odd.

By the way, rise the temp.

It also can be an ammonia spike, your filter might need to be upgraded, I remember, last time mine suffered that was about 2 weeks, there was a black out per about 12 hours, and next day the mentioned P looked exactly the same as yours, the 2 filters obviusly didnt work for the 12 hours and ammonia level went up, I solved the problem as I mentioned above and eventually the filters had the job done again.

So if I were you I would look for extra filtration....


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## jamezgt (Jun 24, 2008)

Armand_caribe said:


> One of mine suffered just the same twice however got healed when I did a 30 to 40% WC and added some salt, I guess it means a partiall WC is needed. What is brought to my attention is that you say this atually happens after you make the WC right?.... That's pretty odd.
> 
> By the way, rise the temp.
> 
> ...


I already have an Eheim Canister 2028 + AC110 on it. I highly doubt it's the filters - maybe it's just the debris and junk that floats into the water after a water change. I'm thinking of just removing all the decorations, give the gravel a good cleaning and hopefully that fixes it. Six Adult Red Bellies do poo a lot


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## THE BLACK PIRANHA (Dec 8, 2003)

It may be some thing in your water and the one fish that is swimming in the current of the new water may be getting affected, I would run about 50 gal of your tap water threw a black shirt and see if anything gets caught in the shirt if nothing than it may be micro bubbles in your water attaching to the fishes slim coat. Hope this helps and let us know if you figure it out.


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