# Big Fish, Small Problem!



## Master Zero (Dec 2, 2005)

Hello everyone,

On Thursday, I picked up a large 13inch Rhom from my local fish store. Everything is going well so far, but on Friday, I noticed that its eyes looked a little foggy. Today, the cloudiness seemed to have concentration on to one point, becoming more visible. Is this stress related, or a sign of things to come - like fungus? I am trying to tackle whatever it maybe as early as possible.

The water that the Rhom came in was a bit cold. So I turned off the tank heaters and let the water get about the same (by placing the bag the Rhom was in inside the tank) before releasing the Rhom. Yesterday morning, the tank water was somewhat colder so I performed a small water change; then I turned the heaters back on after 15 minutes.

Tank specs and parameters as of today:
Size: 125 gallons.
Temp: 89 degrees Fahrenheit (although I have the heaters set at 75).

Nitrate: 160.
Nitrite: 0.
Ammonia: 0.
Ph. 6.0.

There are some plants as well as other small little fishes like guppies and Otto cats in there with the Rhom. The Rhom does not bother them, and that's just the way I like it. I have not been able to get the Rhom to start eating. Every day I throw in a Smelt or Shrimp and remove it the following morning. Any tips on this problem as well? I am going to try to tie the Smelt to a piece of string so that in can "float" in the middle of the tank. The Rhom might be more incline to eating it then.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Nitrates are why to high bud get them down thats what is causing stress

and get the water temp down to 80F


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## Master Zero (Dec 2, 2005)

Yeah, I plan on doing a water change every three days or so until it's under control. I think the heaters might be broken, so I'll have to play around with the settings until the temp starts to go down. If stress is the cause, then I guess no medications are necessary right?

Thanks for the fast reply.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Get those things there under control then if his eye continues to get worse we can try to address the problem, the damage might already be done though.

Why are your nitrates so high ?

By the way have you ever owned piranha before ? Just curious what are you going to feed him ?


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## RedSoxfan (Apr 7, 2010)

That is a beautiful Rhom,good luck.Before i put any new fish in any of my anks i do a 50% water change and add some salt.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

I agree with Ba20, those nitrates are ridiculously high and you definitely need to get your heaters figured out.


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## xeloR (Jan 2, 2009)

big fish, big problem!

your nitrate and temperature levels are crazy- get them in checkfast!


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## Master Zero (Dec 2, 2005)

@Ba20. Yeah, I have owned piranhas before. Reds, Elongs, and baby Rhoms. I do currently own a baby Gold Diamond Rhom in a 55 Gallon. I have not tested the waters for the longest. I think they might be high because I had a couple of dead plants that I did not remove, also it might be due to a little over feeding (the 125 used to be a community tank - I relocated all the bigger fish that would be attacked by the Rhom). I am planning on feeding the Rhom Smelt and frozen Prawns/Shrimps, and maybe an occasional Crayfish (rethinking that one because I don't want them attacking my planets).

@RedSoxfan. Thank you. I think the Rhom will be ok in the long run. The Rhom is very active, and even tried to attack my camera. It's just not eating yet (which is normal for some fish like Oscars and Piranhas). I did not want to perform a large water change because I did not want to stress the Rhom out too much. He had enough of that being boxed up at the store. I am hoping that it's not fungus because it really to large of a tank to treat for fungus. If only I could address it now, it may not require as much later on.

@JoeDizzleMPLS. I am working on it. I might just end up replacing both heaters if the temp does not go down.

SIDE NOTE: The same thing happened a long time ago to a Largemouth Bass I once owned. It never grew into something serious. It simply and mysteriously went away. I later moved my bass into my outdoor pond. I am hoping that the same thing will happen in this situation.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

You might try stuffing pellits into whatever you decide to feed him to add extra nutritional value. I no longer feed shrimp due to the Thiaminase.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_1/thiaminase.htm

A good read for you, BTW if you dont mind me asking what did you pay for your rhom.


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## THE BLACK PIRANHA (Dec 8, 2003)

Very nice fish but I would unplug 1 of those heaters rite away. As for the eye it should heal by its self once you get your water right.


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## Master Zero (Dec 2, 2005)

@Ba20. Thanks man, I completely forgot about thiaminase. I remember reading about it a long time on this very forum, but I thought it was only found in feeder fish, like Goldfish and Rosy Reds - which in why I stopped using live feeders altogether. I remember reading about it stunting growth, which was also mentioned in your link. I'm thinking about possibly giving Kent Zoe a shot, the only problem is that the last time I was looking for it. I couldn't find any place selling it. I am simply going to order it online and given that a go. Thanks again. Oh, and I bought my Rhom for $500. When I first saw my Rhom in the store, the selling price was set at $600. I asked the manager if he would go any lower and he said no because the Rhom was originally priced at $800. I really wanted the Rhom, but I simply could not justify spending $600 for him, the funny thing is he looked kind of small to me for that price (I original thought the Rhom was like 10inches, but when I got home and measured the Rhom. I discovered that I was off by three inches - which made me very happy). I checked back every weekend to see if the price had gone any lower, but it never did. So after my second week of just watching him, I finally asked the manager again if you would consider selling the Rhom for $500. He checked with his boss, and got the ok. The next thing I knew, I was driving home with my Rhom in a huge box in my trunk. This Rhom is the most expensive fish that I have ever brought, but also the fish I wanted the most; simply because at a certain size the Rhom will lose all interest in smaller fishes around him - providing the illusion of a gentle giant.

@The Black Piranha. Thank you. I am currently experimenting with the heaters. Interestingly enough, the tank temperature rose to 90 degrees. I am guessing that was due to the lights being on. I set both heaters one level down from 75, which seemed to have turned them off and I also turned off both tank lights. The temperature did down back down to 89. But I realized that turning off the lights was a bad idea, so I turned them back on. Both heaters were still off at 89 degrees, so I am waiting to see at what temperature they will once again become active. From there, if it's still not low enough, I'll reset them one more level down until the temperature is between 79 and 81 (with tank lights on). Interestingly enough, this Rhom is the only Piranha that I have ever own which seem to prefer the lights on. I had one side of the tank dark, and I had the lights turned on, on the other side. the Rhom always swam within the lit side of the tank. Once both are turned on, the Rhom will swim freely back and forth.


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Right on bro i paid 700 for my 10-11" blue diamond rhom. Im glad i was ble to help on the thiaminase issue i feed talipia stuffed with pellits and soaked in vitachem. It really brings the blue hue out in my rhom. As far as heaters go i use a single 300watt heater on my 125 and it stays at a constant 80 degrees.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Just unplug one of the heaters, thats an expensive fish and I would not gamble with 2 heaters.\

I only have 1 300wt heater on my 220 and its more than enough and actually still goes up to 90 if I wanted it to.

Your nitrate issue is simply due to lack of or too small waterchanges, I suggest a large 50% wc and then smaller ones every three days till they're down to 20-40ppm


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## Ba20 (Jan 29, 2003)

Feefa thanks for the extra input on the 300 watt heater !


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## Master Zero (Dec 2, 2005)

Thanks guys; I will defiantly give that a shot. I will try unplugging one and see what happens. I believe I have two heaters because one is rated for a 55 gallon tank, I'll check the wattage and if it won&#146;t do the job, I'll pick up a new 300 watt heater tomorrow. What brand are you guys using? Oh and I'll make my next water change a large one (50%). Hopefully, this will start clearing up the cloudiness...

As soon as I can get my Rhom to start feeding, I'll start preparing, and implement the supplements for my Rhom.

Blue Diamonds are beautiful man and very rare. Mine isn't a blue, but it seems to have a bluish tent in one of my pictures (this one). It's not apparent in real life so it might have been the flash and my Rhom&#146;s position while taking the picture.

Thanks again guys. You all have been very helpful.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Ba20 said:


> Feefa thanks for the extra input on the 300 watt heater !


No problem it is the truth

+1 rep point for you lol


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Master Zero said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> On Thursday, I picked up a large 13inch Rhom from my local fish store. Everything is going well so far, but on Friday, I noticed that its eyes looked a little foggy. Today, the cloudiness seemed to have concentration on to one point, becoming more visible. Is this stress related, or a sign of things to come - like fungus? I am trying to tackle whatever it maybe as early as possible.
> 
> ...


 Do some good water changes then bump the temp up to 80 when nitrates are getting closer to the normal range of under 40. Make sure to dechlorinate for large water changes as adding a cycle to the mix wouldnt be good.


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## gtc (Nov 5, 2008)

Nice rhom bro, good luck


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## Master Zero (Dec 2, 2005)

Thanks man. The Rhom is actually doing a lot better. He’s eyes are starting to clear up nicely and I haven’t even done anything yet besides lowering the temp. My Rhom also lost two of its teeth, which I found. I thought something was odd when I was able to see them. Anyways, I have my first scheduled water change tomorrow. Hopefully, I can bring the Nitrate down fast without messing too much with the cycle.


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