Urgent help and opinions needed

"Chris" wrote in message
...
I have a desktop tank of guppies and albino cats they have cotton wool
disease. I first thought they had ich and treated them for that. I
just
purchased Furanase to treat the cotton wool.

I decided I better test my water parameters first before the Furanase
so I
can keep an eye on parameters since Furanase can increase Nitrates. My
parameters are off the charts!

Nitrite 5.0 (that is as high as my scale goes)
pH 7.5 (also as high as the scale goes)
pH High Range brings it up to 7.8
Ammonia is perfect at 0ppm

So what is going on? Can the Rid Ich have done this to my parameters?

I just did a water change and just treated with the Furanase which is
suppose to be retreated for three days time, and I have my carbon out.
Furanase also suggests using Biozyme to control the Nitrates from going
up
during treatment so I will pick that up tomorrow.

Having said all this, any thought on my parameters, this medication for
cotton wool and the hopes my guppies and cats will be okay? I'd
appreciate
any feedback.

Chris

Assuming it's an established tank, a possibility is that something
damaged your biological filter, so you had an ammonia and nitrite spike.
The nitrosomonas bacteria typically establish faster than the
nitrobacter/nitrospira, explaining why your ammonia is clear, but you
have high nitrites. Your guppies should not be stressed by 7.5 or 7.8pH,
nor your cats if it went up gradually. Cotton-mouth is a bacterial
disease (columnaris I think), usually introduced by something new (fish,
plant, etc) and can rapidly wipe out a tank if the water conditions are
poor. I'm not familiar with the treatments you are using to comment
further, but I typically concentrate on bringing the water parameters in
line before adding medications. The delay in medicating can cost lives,
but medicating sick fish in poor water conditions can have the same
effect (medications also cause some stress). In a light fish load of
healthy fish, it's not unusual to see a marked improvement only from
progressively larger water changes, before even adding any medication.
ymmv

I've x-posted to alt.aquaria where there are more knowledgeable ppl,
(regarding medication treatments).

NetMax

Chris,

Start doing daily water changes to keep the water quality good.
Turn up your heater slightly this should help.

I'm not very helpful when it comes to medication, but some bacterial
medicines should help. Ingrid or Gunther may be able to assist.