Help for my Midas, Please??

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Your midas can go a few weeks without eating, so considering your water quality issues for now I would not feed anything.

How much, and how often do you typically change water in this tank? Sorry if this has already been asked, if it has I must have missed it.
 
usually once every other week, has always been fine. Then he started having a swimming problem. Someone suggested that I should put in 1-2 tbsp. of epsom salts per 5 gallons of water. I put in 1 tbsp. per 5 gallons, and he came up with this skin condition. The swimming problem is gone, but now I am trying to figure out the skin problem. And noticed the nitrates so high. They were a little better after I removed the carbon this morning. Last water change was last nite. Wanted to let the filter settle in, before I did another one. Have done quite a few in the last few days, with 2 of them being yesterday. Still the nitrates. I am going to do another wc later this evening, add some more Stability, and retest in the morning. He is feeling better, and the skin condition looks a teensy bit better. Not so red. So, I don't know if I am getting anywhere or not.
 
I've never experienced any skin/scale issues with fish when using that level of magnesium sulfate, and I'm not sure what to think about that. Either way it sounds like the skin condition has improved, which is good. As far as the nitrates, if your tap water isn't the cause, and water changes aren't lowering the nitrates by much, then the only other sources left are your filter/hoses etc, and whatever's in oyur tank, rockes, substrate, etc.

If the filter has been cleaned, check the hoses etc just to rule those out. Since you just cleaned your filter, again, I wouldn't start removing any decorations etc from the tank just yet, but you might want to consider those next. Typically large water changes will knock the nitrate levels down by the % of fresh water being added.

Seeing as your nitrate levels are sky high, you might want to reconsider how often & large of water changes you perform in that tank. If it was me, with that size of fish in a 75 gallon I would shoot for at least 60% water changes every week. What do you typically feed this fish, how much, and how often?
 
I took out one huge rock that had a bunch of holes and hiding places in it. It was only in there cuz I liked it. Other than that there is only 3 other medium sized rocks, besides the gravel mixed with some river stones. I feed him Hikari Cichlid Gold Large Pellets, every other day, only as much as he wants at a time, he takes them from my hand. Once in a while, when I think about it, tubifex worms. One cube. If I ever get this cleared up, I am going to go with wc's at least once a week. I DO NOT EVER want to go through something like this again! I have had tanks off and on ever since I was a kid, and never experienced something like this. Why couldn't it be ich. I know how to fix that. LOL
 
Ok, everything sounds good. He was probably just producing more waste than you realized, and over time the nitrate levels kept creaping higher & higher. Good luck with him, he's a beast of a fish. :)
 
until today I had done 2 water changes a day, with same results.....I have not done one today, but did take out the carbon, one large rock with a bunch of holes in it, cleaned the filter, and added some Stability. Here is latest nitrate test.....

new test 001.JPG

new test 001.JPG
 
Is there an expiry date on the bottom of that box?
 
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