# PLEASE HELP REDS DIEING



## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

i have a very serious problem.. my 2 nine month old reds look like there about to die..... i think it may be because my tank was already in need of a cleaning since i havent changed the water or cleaned the gravel in alittle over a month and to top it all off i went away for the long weekend and specifically told my dad to feed my exo's but not my p's which were in seperate tanks.. he fed them both and when i came back there were all left over scraps of food which were left for 3 days.. my p's both had white scars on there eyes and lower jaw.. there eyes looked cloudy i was guessing it was ammonia burn. i cleaned my tank and took out all the fake plants and deco's so my p's wouldnt run into them cause i noticed them swimming into things. and i bought biosupport. it has gotten worse.. one of my p's isnt moving anymore and he is flopped on his side but he is still moving his gills and the other has no lower lip it is all ripped away and also their fins look like they are starting to get eaten away or something.. i have no idea what to do and it looks like its only getting worse.. is there anything i can do??? if they do pull throughis it possible they will be blind or scarred for life?


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## viZual (Jan 16, 2005)

put in pimafix FAST!!!!
should cure the problem.. also do a water change before the pima fix..


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## daaaaaan (Oct 27, 2004)

I would get them out of that tank ASAP, if you have another tank toss them in there, they wont attack the other fish if they are barely moving


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## Azeral (Dec 28, 2004)

Ammonia burn. Do a water change and clean out the leftover food. Make sure you use water conditioner.


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

what is that?? where do i get it? do u think its ammonia burn?


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

the other tank is a 20 gallon and there proabably about 7-8 inches each.


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## Azeral (Dec 28, 2004)

MikeG said:


> what is that?? where do i get it? do u think its ammonia burn?
> [snapback]1042520[/snapback]​


Yes I do think its ammonia burn. Did you cycle your tank? Ammonia is produced by fish waste, rotting food, etc.

If you have not cycled I suggest a large water change and add bio-spira asap.


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

i did cycle my tank and i am already adding that stuff also.. is there anything else that would help ?? somthing medicinal maybe?


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## Azeral (Dec 28, 2004)

If you have a test kit , post your water parameters in here.


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

i dont have a test kit


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## Azeral (Dec 28, 2004)

MikeG said:


> i dont have a test kit
> [snapback]1042540[/snapback]​


Ok, do a water change. Make sure you use water conditioner.


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## Azeral (Dec 28, 2004)

Hrmmm upon reading your initial post again, it seems they may fought eachother.


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

i did a water change... i dont know about the fighting eachother cause i alseo noticed them swimming up against the glass in the same direction for hours on end so i think it wore thier lip down. they are barely moving so i doubt they could fight


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Adding medication into a tank with sick fish should be your last resort. Yes your ammonia levels are sky high due to the decaying food left in your tank for days and the description you stated about your Ps. Dont do a major water change, since diifferent levels from your tap can and will shock your Ps and definately kill them in an instant, due to their current and weak condition. Do 25% water changes, cleanse out your filter w/ aquarium water, and keep the lights off. Check the levels of your parimeters if possible. If nitrite is skyhigh as well, salt would help decrease and break down the poisonous toxins for the moment.

Goos Luck!!


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## James Blake (May 18, 2005)

take your water down to the LPS and ask them to test it.... it sounds like some much waste in the tank has become more of a load that your bio-filter (beneficial bacteria) can tolerate. P's are very tough fish but no matter how tough you are if the ammonia or nitirite levels are high it will litteraly suffocate the fish, i know nitrite bonds with the hemoglobin sp? instead of oxygen and the fish get what is called "brown blood disease" usually they will display this by gasping at the top of the tank for air. since you werent there you wounldnt have seen anything. try asking your dad if they were acting stange and it could give you more insight into the problem. if you have a hospital tank put them in it. immediatly do a water test and take steps to get your ammonia and nitirite levels down. here is what i would do: go to LFS and get the parameters ammounia is highly toxic and if the PH is high it become more toxic so have the LFS test for PH aswell then a water change with the exact temp water 20-25%. add a rounded teaspoon of freshwater aquarium salt per 5-7gal, it may suggest more but i found anymore than teaspoon/ 5-7g was a bit of a shock to them. make sure you have lots of airation and something breaking the surface tension at all times. check your filter to see if there are bits of uneaten food that may be decaying. good luck and keep us posted! also pictures will help the members of PF identify the problem easier.


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## James Blake (May 18, 2005)

if they worsen slowly turn the temp on your heater up incase it is a bacteria infection that should give them more of a chance. ie. from 77 to 81.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

to Parasite, Disease, and Injury forum


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## Elongatus cockus (May 28, 2005)

Let us know how things go


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

i wish i seem rhomzilla's reply earlier because i did a major water change and my biggest of the 2 got worse instantly and died hours later =*(
i am soooooooooooooo f*cking mad but on the bright side my other one seems to be alot better he is swimming around and his eyes cleared up alittle and so did his lower jaw. but still nothing can help the fact that i lost one of them.. do you think i would be able to buy another one about the same size and have a good chance of them living together i would like to get 3 but i only have a 50 gallon


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

To bad about the loss









You should be able to find similar size if you keep your eyes peeled


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## James Blake (May 18, 2005)

sorry to hear about your loss.... i had to learn the hard way about treating P's aswell. the most important thing to remember with fish is that you need to make gradual changes, if you do too much at once you risk shocking your fish or further stressing them out.


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## MikeG (Nov 20, 2004)

it looks like my other piranha isnt pulling through after all.. i just came home now and hes swimming upsidedown and all around
and looks like he is gasping







i dont know


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## James Blake (May 18, 2005)

unfortunatly if he;s upside down its probably too late already. if he is gasping for air you can almost guarntee that something is wrong with his gill function or the water has highly toxic levels of ammonia or nitrite. do a water test and tell us the parameters and we might be able to help


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