Hi, very new to here and to fish! About a year ago I saw a huge show tank of parrot fish and fell in love and have wanted them ever since. Someone at the pet store convinced me that all I needed was a 20g aquarium, 3 parrots, 5 tetras and 3 cory fish. I was so patient and put the aquarium together and let it run 2 weeks before I added fish. THe first 3 days were wonderful, but then every day I was scared my parrots were going to die. They would lay on the bottom, be sideways, or a number of other things. I have been told many things that contradict each other, even from different people at the same pet store!
It didnt take me long to figure out on my own (10 days!) that my little parrots could not survive in a 20g and I bought a 55g. Before I coiuld get the new tank fish ready, one of the parrots developed ich. (one tetra died also) I started treating the tank immediately with meds, turned the heat up to 83 and took the carbon filter out. On Tuesday I moved my 2 parrots to the new tank. I was watching them having fun in their new big house when I noticed that one had more black on him than usual. Then I saw that there was one perfect black dot on the other ones back fin. The one with ich (still in the 20g) has alot of black.
So back to the stupid pet store and this time I came back with Melafix.
Do I treat both tanks? Do I put them all back in the 20g to treat? Do I add salt? (some say do, some say dont) I have been using Cycle every 2 days, should I keep using that also?
The water in the 20g was so gross that I changed about 40% of the water tonight. Then my poor parrot was at the top of the tank which he never did before. I tested for ammonia and nitrates and both were high so I put more Cycle in. Now he is back to the bottom.
At this point I feel uncomfortable with everything I am doing. I have been online reading and reading and everything contradicts what the other said. SO! I stumbled on this wonderful site and figured who better to ask than other parrot heads?
Thank you for your help and I apologize for my long and rambling post
Comments
Happy Parrots!
I wanted to thank everyone and update you on how GREAT all 3 are doing! They are all in the 55 g tank, the one with ich is cured, and everyones black streaks and blotches are gone. It is so nice to see them back to their bright orange and swimming and happy. I rearranged some hidey holes and caves and they seem to be playing nicer and getting along.
I will definitely keep up with all the water changes and advice I have received here. You hear all the time about how important filtration and water quaility is, but seeing such a huge change take place so fast after changing those things is just amazing.
Thank you! :-)
happy parrots
glad to hear that they are better, I cant say how important I think water changes are, they are like that first aid of the fish world, if in doubt, no matter what, do water changes while the problem is sored out, that alone may save your fish
bully
Thanks for the advice! It is much appreciated. We will have tank rearrangement day today!
Now I have a bully!
Now that I have the 2 parrots in the 55g tank, my big one is a bully always chasing the other one out of the caves and hidey holes. I stopped at a place for more Cycle and was talking to someone and they asked if the bully had ever been sick with ich or the black splotches, which he hasnt. The one that is getting chased is getting more and more black on him daily. This guy said that he thought the reason the other 2 bp's were having trouble is because this one is a bully.
Do you think that is a possibility? They said I could trade him in for another one, but he is my favorite! And how sad to return a fish. :(
Think there is any truth to this?
bully
yes but you did say previously that you had ich in your tank, it s said that it never really goes away and is always present, if a fish is healthy and your water spot on ,the fish deals with it well, it may be that the bully is just sorting out the new territory in the bigger tank and it may settle down, it could be that if you returned him the next biggest fish would then become the bully, I would find caves or rocks or arrange your tank so that the smaller ones have a hiding place where the big one cant fit, ( I put artificial plants in front of the entrance to a cave, so the gap was too small for general fin to get into) try a big plant in the center of the tank, if they cant see each other they arn t as likely to fight,or try a line of plants or decor right along the length of the tank, sort of dividing the tank in two , your bully will take the front cause that's where the food comes in(I put a huge rock decor slap along the middle of mine,slightly on a angle with a pot at each end,)so they each have the length of the tank to call there own, this worked beautifully,also do 50% water changes every two days if you can while the fish has black on him, this will help enormously
Re: Sick little parrots! Help!
I'm so glad to hear that your bp is doing better today. Yippy!!!!
55 gallon: When there is ammonia and nitrites present with no detectable nitrates, this means your tank is not cycled. Once the tank is cycled you should have the ammonia and nitrites at 0 with the nitrates 20 or below. Until then keep doing what the other post stated with the water changes.
20 gallon: My test kit only goes up to 5.0. So, 10.0 is literally off the charts. Keep up with those water changes as the other post stated. However, you do have nitrates, so your tank is on it's way.
I know it sounds like we're throwing a lot of chemistry at you and it's a lot to absorb. Basically, your fish produce waste which is ammonia and highly toxic to the fish. Your biological filter will then convert the ammonia to nitrites, then nitrites into nitrates. Ammonia and the nitrites will spike before going to 0. That's probably why your 20 gallon is reading so high. Each stage is a bit less toxic. But, none the less, they are toxic. Once the tank is established you will continue doing water changes to keep the nitrates down, probably 20% once a week assuming both ammonia and nitrites are kept at 0. It takes a while to cycle a tank becasue you have to grow the bacteria which is what transforms the ammonia to nitrites and nitrites into nitrates. That's why you are adding the cycle. It contains beneficial bacteria and speeds the process up a bit.
Your fish probably became sick because their immune systems are compromised from living in a tank with ammonia and nitrites.
Best of luck:)
I agree... there should be no
I agree... there should be no nitrite of ammonia present in your tanks....
can i ask how they are filtered?
Team BPF - http://www.bloodparrotforum.com
filtration
Thank you for asking, I have always been doubtful of my 20g tank set up. The pet store guy convinced me to go with an aquaclear powerhead and underground filter (which now I know is not good for parrots!) and a aquaclear flow filter. That was for up to a 20 gal tank and I didnt feel it was doing enough. Tonight I went out and bought another aquaclear flow filter that is rated for a 30-60 gal tank.
The 55g is doing great and is crystal clear, that one has an aquaclear flow filter rated for up to a 90g and a penguin filter (I think a 350?)
My BP is improving so much I am amazed! His black streaks are almost all gone and I cant see any of the ich on him anymore. How many more days should I treat him and when do you think he can join his buddies in the new tank?
THANK YOU!!!
sick bp
a correction to a previous post, your first BP needs 30 galls at least, with another 10 galls for every addittional parrot added ,so for 3 parrots you DO need a 50 gal tank, the black should go when water conditions improve, try daily 50% water changes for a week and you may not need to add any medicatins
Do this quickly..... Change
Do this quickly.....
Change 50% of the tank water with dechlorinated tap water...
Use an maturation product like cycle from hagen or safestart from tetra.
Test your ammonia and nitrite levels daily and continue with the water changes / bacteria additive until both stay at zero - at which point you should only need to do a smaller water change weekly or fortnightly.
Kind regards
BloodParrot Forum http://www.bloodparrotforum.com
Re: Sick little parrots! Help!
I'm guessing that your tank wasn't cycled before you added the little guys. Since the tank needs a ammonia source to start the nitrogen cycle, the tank didn't start to cycle until you added the fish. Once you added the fish your ammonia spiked and now your nitrites may be spiking. Both are deadly to fish. Since you just set up the new tank, it's for sure not cycled. Before adding any fish to a new tank the Ammonia and Nitrites must be zero and the Nitrates below 20. Can you please test your water and post what your readings are. That will tell us alot.
When I first got my bp's two of them developed a couple black spots. The spots are normally from stress or poor water quality. Many problems that fish develope in aquariums is a result of poor water quality. If you keep your tank in tip top shape, you and your fishy friends are going to be much happier. My fish were stressed from being put into a new home. The black spots were only visible for four days, then they were fine.
The rule of thumb is normally 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. Bp's normally need 10 gallons of water each when they are adult. So, you may be able to put all of them back in the 20 gallon safely depending on how large your fish are.
My bp's had a bit of ich when I added a new fish to the tank. I treated them with Qucikcure, did not add any salt, and did not raise the temp. But, I always have the temp at about 82 degrees. Since your new tank is not cycled I would put all of the fish back in the original tank and treat for ick. However, tetra's cannot handle the full dose. Follow the directions. I believe it states to only add half of the normal amount when treating the tetra's. If your new tank is already cycled, then you can just treat both tanks.
I have never used Cycle while fish were in the tank, so I'm not the one to give advise on that. I'm sure you already know this, but make sure you're using a water conditioner when changing the water. I always use Amquel and have never had a problem. It helps with nitrites, ammonia, nitratrates, chloramines, and chlorine.
Best of luck to you and your little friends.
clarification
I should have explained my new 55g tank better. I bought an established one, it had cichlids in it with cichlid sand. I hired someone that was all knowing of aquariums, and we transported 50% of the established water as well as only taking half the sand out so we didnt disturb things to much. That was on Sunday, then I treated the water for chlorine added Cycle and ran it for a couple days before putting the 2 parrots in.
My parrot with ich looks so much better today, I tested both tanks this morning and am not real sure about the readings if someone does not mind looking at them and giving any advice. they are:
55g "new" tank
Ammonia < .25
Nitrate No3 5.0
Nitrate No2 0.0
PH 7.6
High range PH 8
20 g "hospital tank"
Ammonia <.25
Nitrate No3 10.0
Nitrate No2 5.0
PH 7.6
(forgot to write down High range PH) I am at work
All the advice is very much appreciated. I can hardly wait until I am not a "newby" and can comment and help others!
Re: Sick little parrots! Help!
im certainly not a fish expert by any means, but i recently experienced a similar situation in which i had to nurse one of my parrots back to health from very severe battle scars and the black dots, so ill share some of what ive learned.
first, i really recommend the melafix. my first parrot got chewed up real bad by an aggressive african cichlid and the melafix really helped him regrow his fins and scales well.
also, i dont think you really have any reason to be too worried. parrots are surprisingly hardy fish, considering they dont have teeth, and the 40% water change should be enough to start getting rid of the spots. i did about 40%-50% water change when my parrots developed ick and within about five days it was gone.
finally, if your 55g tank is fish ready, i would put the ones without ick in the 55g tank. from what ive seen and read, the black spots are a water quality-related issue. so if you have a nice, clean, bigger tank, go ahead and throw them back in there. it will take about twice as much melafix to treat the tank but that way you'll decrease the chances of them getting ick as well. also, a lot of the ick medications are pretty harsh and not particularly good for the fish, especially if they have noting to treat.
if the tetras and corys are not sick, you can throw them in the 55g with the two parrots. i find that having small quick fish helps destress the parrots. you can keep the sick parrot in the other tank and maybe add a cory in there to keep him company. if you don't have any live plants in your aquarium i would suggest adding some of those too.
overall, i dont really think you should be stressing. you seem to be doing alright and parrots are quite tough to kill. just keep their water clean and give them a few buddies and they're good to go.
good luck,
frank