Black moor resting by heater

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...
Hi! I'm relatively new to keeping an aquarium with fish, and here's
my
question:

We have 2 black moor goldfish. One of them we had about a year in a
1-gallon
aquarium, and he did fine. A few weeks ago, we moved him to a
10-gallon
aquarium and added a second black moor. About a week ago, I noticed
that
the
original black moor seemed to be having trouble swimming against the
current
of the filter. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his tail seemed
frayed.

Is there an ammonia problem in this new setup? Have you checked for
ammonia
and nitrites?

After doing some research after I posted, I'm wondering. We'll be
checking
that as soon as we can get to the pet store tomorrow and whatever we
need
to
test the water.

At the least get a combo test usually using strips or individual tests for
ammonia, nitrite, PH and hardness.

My husband is at the pet shop as I type this, buying the test kit.




I phoned the pet shop, and he was diagnosed with fin and tail rot
and I am now on day 3 of 5 of treating the aquarium with tetracycline
tablets.

These will probably kill off your nitrifying bacteria. :-(

Yup. Do you think the tablets were a mistake? We're total novices at
this
(obviously). The one fish was fine in the 1 gallon tank for a year. We
got
a
tank that was presumably bigger, nicer, more sophisticated, and now this
happens... :-(

Don't give up!

I seem to have a big emotional investment in keeping that little fish alive.
We had to euthanize our nearly 15-year-old dog the day before Thanksgiving,
and my mother has developed some serious health problems. I know in the
grand scheme of things, this is "only a goldfish," but if this fish dies in
addition to these other things, I'll be really devastated.

Had you switched from the small tank to the larger one
correctly (but you didn't know) it probably would not have happened. You
can Google more information on how to set up new tanks, the nitrogen cycle
etc. than you can possibly read. :-) The water conditions were
probably
very different in the old tank than in the new one. This is shocking to a
fish's system, then add some ammonia,..... and they become easy prey to
disease such as fin rots and funguses. Also, GF don't need heat. I
can't
say of the tabs were a mistake since the fish is believed to suffer a
bacterial infection.

With the last few hours, the fish has stopped hiding so much and is now
swimming face first downwards. My husband just phoned me on the cell phone.
The lady at the pet shop thinks he now has swim bladder problems. My husband
will be now purchasing the appropriate medication to treat that.

The sick fish seemed to be doing better as soon as I started
treatment but then I noticed he was in the corner by the heater, by
the
surface of the water, not moving. I thought he was dead. But then, he
began
to swim around, frisky as ever.

Why are you heating the water for cold water fish? Goldfish don't need
a
heater.

I asked my husband if the temperature was set for goldfish (as opposed
to
tropical fish). He insisted that it was. But thank you. I will turn off
the
heater right away.

You can remove it from the tank. I have goldfish outside here in zone 6
and
they live right through the winter in water that drops to 39F (sometimes
lower) at the bottom on the ponds and pools.

The heater is now history.



Are you doing weekly partial water changes?

We will start.

With the old tank, my husband changed the water frequently. We haven't
had
this tank very long (only a few weeks or a month), so my husband may not
have.

PARTIAL water changes are needed weekly, or daily if you have ammonia or
nitrites in the water. DO NOT DISTURB the gravel or filter when you do
these PARTIAL changes. The good bacteria are trying to establish
themselves
and that would stop them or slow them down. Gravel is cleaned later with
a
gravel vac.

Thank you.

Right now, the water is getting really disgusting from the
tetracycline tablets and leaving the filter off part of the time. I
would
like to change the water (at least partially), but I'm afraid that the
removing some of the medicine along with the water (which is obviously
unavoidable) will make the situation worse.

I think the meds really screwed up your tank. They killed off the needed
good bacteria before your tank was even cycled. What a mess! :-( You
can
start doing partial water changes twice a day to remove this mess.......

But today was only day 4 of 5 of the medication. Is it safe to stop using
the tetracycline?

Did you quarantine the NEW fish
for at least 14 days before exposing him to your old fish?

No. But I don't know if that would have made any difference in this
case.
The new fish is doing fine.

The new fish could be carrying any number of parasites or diseases. I
recently (to protect myself I wont mention the name of the chain store)
bought some fancy goldfish from a reputable place and they had COSTIA!
They
sickened and had to be treated. A few didn't survive. The store replaced
them. Had they not been quarantined it could have spread to all my fish.
A
real nightmare to contemplate. Just something to keep in mind as your
fish
hobby grows.

I will not make this mistake again.

Is he staying by
the heater for warmth? Is he tired? I thought maybe he was having
trouble
fighting the current being generated by the filter,

How much current is this filter putting out? If it's annoying the fish
you
need to slow it down or get another type or a smaller filter.


Even when we turn off the filter, he hides by the heater.

As I said it doesn't sound good. Between the medication and (I'm sure)
drastic water change he's not in good shape. I would start TONIGHT to do
some partial water changes to remove the meds and I'm sure ammonia and/or
nitrites building up in this tank.

We initiated the water changes this morning.

Let me know what happens after you test the water tomorrow.

Yes, I will, and thank you so much for your support.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"cindys" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
Don't give up!

Brevity snips.......

I seem to have a big emotional investment in keeping that little fish
alive.
We had to euthanize our nearly 15-year-old dog the day before
Thanksgiving,
and my mother has developed some serious health problems. I know in the
grand scheme of things, this is "only a goldfish," but if this fish dies
in
addition to these other things, I'll be really devastated.

I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your dog and your mother's ill
health. But do keep in mind that sometimes fish die no matter what we do.
And they sometimes die for no apparent reason we can see or find. I just
had a real cute orange and white telescope eye goldfish stop eating, isolate
itself, then in less than 48 hours it died. This was in a well established
55g tank. There were no parasites, fin rots or any evidence of injury or
disease.

I
can't
say of the tabs were a mistake since the fish is believed to suffer a
bacterial infection.

With the last few hours, the fish has stopped hiding so much and is now
swimming face first downwards. My husband just phoned me on the cell
phone.
The lady at the pet shop thinks he now has swim bladder problems. My
husband
will be now purchasing the appropriate medication to treat that.

There is no medication to treat that, if it is indeed swim-bladder disease.
It looks like that shop will keep selling you meds and taking your
money.......

The heater is now history.

I going to guess it was the same clueless person who sold you the meds that
also sold you a heater for GF. Please do not ask the people who work in
these stores for information. You will do better asking HERE or searching
the web for information.

I think the meds really screwed up your tank. They killed off the needed
good bacteria before your tank was even cycled. What a mess! :-( You
can
start doing partial water changes twice a day to remove this mess.......

But today was only day 4 of 5 of the medication. Is it safe to stop using
the tetracycline?

Google some of these common antibiotics and you will see that most are now
useless from overmedication for years and years. Unfortunately they can and
sometimes do work all to well to kill what we don't want them to kill. Go
ahead and use it another day, then start your water changes.

Had they not been quarantined it could have spread to all my fish.
A
real nightmare to contemplate. Just something to keep in mind as your
fish
hobby grows.

I will not make this mistake again.

The new fish may be immune to the "problem" your old fish has, after all
your old fish had no exposure to other fish and fish diseases. He was a
prime target with a weak immune system. Always quarantine new fish and as
a precaution treat them all with something like Quick-Cure or Aquara-Sol.
Parasites are very common in the store systems. Not because no one cares
but because the turnover is so great at the shops and wholesalers. New
parasites come in constantly. As far as I'm concerned *all* the fish I buy
have parasites.

Let me know what happens after you test the water tomorrow.

Yes, I will, and thank you so much for your support.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
Don't give up!

Brevity snips.......

I seem to have a big emotional investment in keeping that little fish
alive.
We had to euthanize our nearly 15-year-old dog the day before
Thanksgiving,
and my mother has developed some serious health problems. I know in the
grand scheme of things, this is "only a goldfish," but if this fish dies
in
addition to these other things, I'll be really devastated.

I'm so sorry to hear about the death of your dog and your mother's ill
health. But do keep in mind that sometimes fish die no matter what we do.
And they sometimes die for no apparent reason we can see or find. I just
had a real cute orange and white telescope eye goldfish stop eating,
isolate
itself, then in less than 48 hours it died. This was in a well
established
55g tank. There were no parasites, fin rots or any evidence of injury or
disease.

I'm sorry to hear that.


There is no medication to treat that, if it is indeed swim-bladder
disease.
It looks like that shop will keep selling you meds and taking your
money.......

I tried feeding the fish the inside of a pea. He was trying to eat it, but
it's not clear if he succeeded or not.

The heater is now history.

I going to guess it was the same clueless person who sold you the meds
that
also sold you a heater for GF. Please do not ask the people who work in
these stores for information. You will do better asking HERE or searching
the web for information.

I agree. And on that note...After reading the goldfish book, my husband and
I have concluded that we need to set up a hospital tank. We don't want to
make any mistakes. We brought out the old 1-gallon aquarium (where the
little fish lived happily for the past year). All that year, my husband had
been using tap water. Now, I see from my reading that we weren't supposed
to be doing that but that if we let the tap water sit for 24 hours, the
chlorine will dissipate into the air. Is that correct? Or should I go to the
store and buy tablets to eliminate the chlorine? Or should I buy a Brita
water filter? Or should I use bottled water? I'm just thinking to myself
that the bottled water may have a different mineral balance... After the
water in the 1-gallon tank has been sitting for 24 hours, I will want to
transfer the fish back to the old tank. But I know better than to just dump
him in. How shall I do this? Shall I remove some of the (disgusting) water
from the new aquarium to go with him? Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank? (Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature). Shall I put gravel on the bottom of the 1-gallon tank? Shall I
put salt? (I know I'm not supposed to feed the fish for 4 days).

Please tell me how to do this. The fish is sitting in the corner of the
tank, more miserable than ever, but he is still alive.
Thank you again (everyone) for all your help.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

clean fresh water is EVERYTHING to any fish. GF are dirty fish and need MORE water
than other fish. a hospital or quarantine tanks should be 40 gallon rubbermaid tub
rather than a 1 gallon tank. when a fish is sick it is MOSTLY fresh water that helps
the fish recover. in fact, the tub to tub method is excellent for this.
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/d...htm#TUB_TO_TUB

aerating water with chlorine MAY do the trick, but if you have chloramine, it wont.
use dechlor.

be sure to match the temperature of the new water to the old water.. sudden colder
water can make the fish sick.. often with ich. so if the temperature is the same,
just move the fish over. read the section on uses of salt.
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/d...rtmnt.htm#salt

most people overfeed GF. they dont eat a lot per day. you need the highest quality
food you can find, the kind with little to no "grains".. no corn, no wheat. Ingrid

"cindys" wrote:
I agree. And on that note...After reading the goldfish book, my husband and
I have concluded that we need to set up a hospital tank.
We brought out the old 1-gallon aquarium (where the
little fish lived happily for the past year). All that year, my husband had
been using tap water. Now, I see from my reading that we weren't supposed
to be doing that but that if we let the tap water sit for 24 hours, the
chlorine will dissipate into the air. Is that correct? Or should I go to the
store and buy tablets to eliminate the chlorine? Or should I buy a Brita
water filter? Or should I use bottled water? I'm just thinking to myself
that the bottled water may have a different mineral balance... After the
water in the 1-gallon tank has been sitting for 24 hours, I will want to
transfer the fish back to the old tank. But I know better than to just dump
him in. How shall I do this? Shall I remove some of the (disgusting) water
from the new aquarium to go with him? Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank? (Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature). Shall I put gravel on the bottom of the 1-gallon tank? Shall I
put salt? (I know I'm not supposed to feed the fish for 4 days).

Please tell me how to do this. The fish is sitting in the corner of the
tank, more miserable than ever, but he is still alive.
Thank you again (everyone) for all your help.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for
any of the recommendations I make.
AND I DID NOT AUTHORIZE ADS AT THE OLD PUREGOLD SITE

Thank you.
Best regards,
Cynthia.


wrote in message
...
clean fresh water is EVERYTHING to any fish. GF are dirty fish and need
MORE water
than other fish. a hospital or quarantine tanks should be 40 gallon
rubbermaid tub
rather than a 1 gallon tank. when a fish is sick it is MOSTLY fresh water
that helps
the fish recover. in fact, the tub to tub method is excellent for this.
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/d...htm#TUB_TO_TUB

aerating water with chlorine MAY do the trick, but if you have chloramine,
it wont.
use dechlor.

be sure to match the temperature of the new water to the old water..
sudden colder
water can make the fish sick.. often with ich. so if the temperature is
the same,
just move the fish over. read the section on uses of salt.
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/d...rtmnt.htm#salt

most people overfeed GF. they dont eat a lot per day. you need the
highest quality
food you can find, the kind with little to no "grains".. no corn, no
wheat. Ingrid

"cindys" wrote:
I agree. And on that note...After reading the goldfish book, my husband
and
I have concluded that we need to set up a hospital tank.
We brought out the old 1-gallon aquarium (where the
little fish lived happily for the past year). All that year, my husband
had
been using tap water. Now, I see from my reading that we weren't
supposed
to be doing that but that if we let the tap water sit for 24 hours, the
chlorine will dissipate into the air. Is that correct? Or should I go to
the
store and buy tablets to eliminate the chlorine? Or should I buy a Brita
water filter? Or should I use bottled water? I'm just thinking to myself
that the bottled water may have a different mineral balance... After the
water in the 1-gallon tank has been sitting for 24 hours, I will want to
transfer the fish back to the old tank. But I know better than to just
dump
him in. How shall I do this? Shall I remove some of the (disgusting)
water
from the new aquarium to go with him? Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank? (Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature). Shall I put gravel on the bottom of the 1-gallon tank?
Shall I
put salt? (I know I'm not supposed to feed the fish for 4 days).

Please tell me how to do this. The fish is sitting in the corner of the
tank, more miserable than ever, but he is still alive.
Thank you again (everyone) for all your help.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up:
http://groups.google.com/groups/dir?...s=Group+lookup
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for
any of the recommendations I make.
AND I DID NOT AUTHORIZE ADS AT THE OLD PUREGOLD SITE

"cindys" wrote in message
...

Just to reiterate what Ingrid said, pre-treating tap
water is essential. Several products remove
chlorine as well as chloramine. If you don't know
which your municipal water system uses, it doesn't
hurt to treat tap water for both (chloramines don't
dissipate over time like chlorine). I use Prime by
Seacham. An excellent product if you can find it.
Most pet stores should carry it. The treated
replacement water can be used right away or stored
for later use.

Don't bother with filtered or bottled water. It's
an added expense that shouldn't be necessary.

[snip]
water filter? Or should I use bottled water? I'm just thinking to myself
that the bottled water may have a different mineral balance...

Yep. But you're not changing out all that much
water. It's not like you're doing a 100% water
change. 20% weekly should be sufficient.

After the
water in the 1-gallon tank has been sitting for 24 hours, I will want to
transfer the fish back to the old tank. But I know better than to just
dump
him in. How shall I do this? Shall I remove some of the (disgusting) water
from the new aquarium to go with him?

If you've matched the parameters fairly closely
(pH, nitrates, etc.) there shouldn't be a problem.
However ...

Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank?

It depends on how different the two water
sources are. If not that different, you might
just try adding a bit of StressCoat, which
I usually do anyway with a partial water
change except in heavily planted tanks.

(Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature). Shall I put gravel on the bottom of the 1-gallon tank?

Gravel not needed and probably more trouble
than it's worth in a goldfish tank.

Shall I
put salt? (I know I'm not supposed to feed the fish for 4 days).

A little aquarium salt (read package for amount)
probably wouldn't hurt.

Please tell me how to do this. The fish is sitting in the corner of the
tank, more miserable than ever, but he is still alive.
Thank you again (everyone) for all your help.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Don't try to be too exact about matching parameters.
Fish generally are pretty tough, and unless you're
moving them into really different water parameters,
they'll probably be ok.

Hang in there. You're doing the best thing you
can, seeking information.

Good luck - Gail

"cindys" wrote in message
...
There is no medication to treat that, if it is indeed swim-bladder
disease.
It looks like that shop will keep selling you meds and taking your
money.......

I tried feeding the fish the inside of a pea. He was trying to eat it, but
it's not clear if he succeeded or not.

I've not had luck with the pea method. I've had GF seem to improve with
swim-bladder but they always died in the end. In fact most of them wouldn't
eat the peas. It's like oranges now. Some GF love oranges and others wont
touch them.

You will do better asking HERE or searching
the web for information.

I agree. And on that note...After reading the goldfish book, my husband
and
I have concluded that we need to set up a hospital tank. We don't want to
make any mistakes. We brought out the old 1-gallon aquarium (where the
little fish lived happily for the past year). All that year, my husband
had
been using tap water.

Do you have well water or water from a water company? If it contains
chlorine you fish could have been poisoned. Our water must sit for 24
hours, be aerated vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes or so, or treated with a
dechlor product. We now buy Sodium thiosulfate crystals in the 10lb size
bucket and make our own dechlor.

Now, I see from my reading that we weren't supposed
to be doing that but that if we let the tap water sit for 24 hours, the
chlorine will dissipate into the air. Is that correct?

Yes, unless it contains chlorimines. As your water company.

Or should I go to the
store and buy tablets to eliminate the chlorine? Or should I buy a Brita
water filter? Or should I use bottled water?

Buy something that removes chlorine and chloromines (sp?).

I'm just thinking to myself
that the bottled water may have a different mineral balance... After the
water in the 1-gallon tank has been sitting for 24 hours, I will want to
transfer the fish back to the old tank. But I know better than to just
dump
him in. How shall I do this? Shall I remove some of the (disgusting) water
from the new aquarium to go with him? Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank? (Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature).

In my opinion that would be MORE stress. Why not start doing partial water
changes on the tank he's in now? Whatever he was exposed to he already
caught.

But I know better than to just dump
him in. How shall I do this? Shall I remove some of the (disgusting) water
from the new aquarium to go with him?

I wouldn't move him. Start the partial water changes. What he needs now is
CLEAN WATER.

Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank? (Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature). Shall I put gravel on the bottom of the 1-gallon tank? Shall
I
put salt? (I know I'm not supposed to feed the fish for 4 days).

That will not cure swim-bladder problems. All it does is put a Band-Aid on
a skin cancer. The problem is STILL there and will resurface once fed
again.

Please tell me how to do this. The fish is sitting in the corner of the
tank, more miserable than ever, but he is still alive.
Thank you again (everyone) for all your help.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Please accept that he may not survive no matter what you do.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
...

I tried feeding the fish the inside of a pea. He was trying to eat it,
but
it's not clear if he succeeded or not.

I've not had luck with the pea method. I've had GF seem to improve with
swim-bladder but they always died in the end. In fact most of them
wouldn't
eat the peas. It's like oranges now. Some GF love oranges and others
wont
touch them.

The sick fish didn't eat the pea. The other fish did.


Buy something that removes chlorine and chloromines (sp?).

Done. I just did another partial water change and treated the water with a
tablet to remove the chlorine and chloroamines.


Why not start doing partial water
changes on the tank he's in now? Whatever he was exposed to he already
caught.

I did end up leaving him in the regular tank rather than moving him to
another tank and stressing him further.


I wouldn't move him. Start the partial water changes. What he needs now
is
CLEAN WATER.

I did this and this time added the salt. I also changed the filter.


Shall I put him in a plastic bag
filled with water and let him reacclimate to the temperature in the old
tank? (Both tanks are now at the same temperature actually - room
temperature). Shall I put gravel on the bottom of the 1-gallon tank?
Shall
I
put salt? (I know I'm not supposed to feed the fish for 4 days).

That will not cure swim-bladder problems. All it does is put a Band-Aid
on
a skin cancer. The problem is STILL there and will resurface once fed
again.

Is there no cure at all?

Please tell me how to do this. The fish is sitting in the corner of the
tank, more miserable than ever, but he is still alive.
Thank you again (everyone) for all your help.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Please accept that he may not survive no matter what you do.

:-(

Thanks again.
Best regards,
--Cindy S.

"cindys" wrote in message
.. .

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
That will not cure swim-bladder problems. All it does is put a Band-Aid
on
a skin cancer. The problem is STILL there and will resurface once fed
again.

Is there no cure at all?

Not that I'm aware of. It seems to be caused more by an internal deformity
of the body than any dietary or bacterial problem. GF after all, should
look like Shubunkins or Comets (their natural shape), not hunchback as the
fancies ones do. This is a genetic deformity that also deforms their
internal organs, the swim bladder being one of them. I have never once had
one of these *normal* shaped GF develop a swim bladder problem.

Please accept that he may not survive no matter what you do.

:-(

They die on those of us with years of experience.......
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

"cindys" wrote in message
.. .

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
That will not cure swim-bladder problems. All it does is put a
Band-Aid
on
a skin cancer. The problem is STILL there and will resurface once fed
again.

Is there no cure at all?

Not that I'm aware of. It seems to be caused more by an internal
deformity
of the body than any dietary or bacterial problem. GF after all, should
look like Shubunkins or Comets (their natural shape), not hunchback as the
fancies ones do. This is a genetic deformity that also deforms their
internal organs, the swim bladder being one of them. I have never once
had
one of these *normal* shaped GF develop a swim bladder problem.

Please accept that he may not survive no matter what you do.
--------------
My little fish died. So, now we have only 1 fish in the aquarium. I have
been doing partial water changes every day, but the water doesn't seem to
look any cleaner (it's still all discolored from the tetracycline). My
husband wants to put the remaining fish in the 1 gallon aquarium (only long
enough to allow him to scrub out the bigger aquarium). I told him that I
thought it would be too stressful for the fish and also that any good
bacteria that had grown on the gravel in the meantime would be destroyed. He
also wants to get another fish ASAP, and he thinks I'm crazy to insist that
we quarantine any new fish for 2 weeks. In truth, even if we had quarantined
the current fish for 2 weeks, the situation with the other fish would have
happened. We've had this new fish for more than 2 weeks, and and he/she
still seems perfectly healthy. My husband thinks the reason the first fish
died was because we "killed him with kindness," and told me that if I hadn't
been insistent on putting the tetracycline in the tank, he would have still
been alive. Then, alternately, he will say that it was his own fault the
fish died because he overfed him (I don't think he did really overfeed him.
He put a few extra fish flakes in the tank a few times). We're just very
distraught because we had the original fish in a 1 gallon tank, did
everything wrong, including not neutralizing the chlorine in the tap water,
and the fish survived beautifully for over a year. Then, we moved him into a
bigger tank with supposedly optimal conditions, and now he's dead.

So, what's next? I didn't want to get any other fish for a while. My husband
told me as far as he's concerned, the quarantine is unnecessary. He says he
plans to go to the pet store on Sunday (5 days from now), get a new fish,
and dump him/her in the tank (after allowing him/her to acclimate to the
water temperature for several minutes first). How and when should we
introduce a new fish? (I agree in this particular instance that the 14-day
quarantine may be unwarranted because our current fish and the new fish
could easily have been together in the tank at the pet store).
Best regards,
---Cindy S.