I think they're sick.

[registered]

I first came to this forum because my Jack Dempsey couple had fry, well as some of u might remember I had an algae problem with my tank, a week ago I finally decided to buy an algae killer to get rid of it because water changes/scrubing wasn't really helping at all.

I bought algae fix and so far it's worked amazingly. not a single bit of algae in the whole thing.

Sadly all the fry died, a few weeks after the first batch they spawned again, and again, and again... and they killed the older until there was none of it.

My problem is now the fish seem completely different, this happened since last time I cleaned the tank, they seem extremely shy/nervous... they are hidden 99% of the time I even thought they had died until I checked.

Their colors are completely washed away.. they went from this beautiful Black with purple/blue dots to a creepy pale brown.

and today I realized they don't even want to eat anymore. These two fish were super aggresive and were ALWAYS eating, I couldn't even walk by the tank without them getting all excited for food and now they just dont care at all....

 

[VRWC]

well, chemicals should always be used as a last resort in an aquarium...especially with algae. There are way too many other factors that could cause it or options that should be tried first, such as: 50% water changes weekly, block (or limit) natural light amount if near a window, switching bulbs, raising or lowering bulbs, changing wattage, changing the amount of time the lights are on, amount of food not eaten, amount of waste put out by fish, fish to gallons of water ratio, gravel or sand etc etc etc.

Quit using whatever chemical you are using, do a 50%-75% water change weekly, dont over feed, cut the lighting down to 4 or 5 hrs a day (or move it or block natural light if near a window) and if youre using gravel, clean it way better than you are currently doing. Those steps alone should end any algae issue you have and have your JDs back to the shimmering blue beauties they were prior to you using a chemical. Good Luck.

 

[Sarah88]

yeah +1, listen to VRWC's advice, this is why most people dont reccomend using chemicals like this because you really have no way of knowing how it will affect your fish. quit using it and following the given advice and hopefully they will be ok. what are you water parameters and how much natural sunlight does your tank get, algae problems can ALWAYS be solved naturally

 

[tankboi]

Yeah the fry are super sensitive to chemicals so it should have been avoided just because you had babies. The algae was a good sign since you were have fry in the tank since they could feed off the organisms around the algae. Water changes, new filter cartridges especially those with carbon if you have any, you can limit the time your lights are on or use a dimmer and slack off feeding your jacks while they are acting sickly. Chemicals are the root of evil for all aquarium hobbyists cause people think they will majically make all their problems disappear without any effort. I love the work associated with maintaining an aquarium!

 

[Gruff Master]

well, chemicals should always be used as a last resort in an aquarium...especially with algae. There are way too many other factors that could cause it or options that should be tried first, such as: 50% water changes weekly, block (or limit) natural light amount if near a window, switching bulbs, raising or lowering bulbs, changing wattage, changing the amount of time the lights are on, amount of food not eaten, amount of waste put out by fish, fish to gallons of water ratio, gravel or sand etc etc etc.

Quit using whatever chemical you are using, do a 50%-75% water change weekly, dont over feed, cut the lighting down to 4 or 5 hrs a day (or move it or block natural light if near a window) and if youre using gravel, clean it way better than you are currently doing. Those steps alone should end any algae issue you have and have your JDs back to the shimmering blue beauties they were prior to you using a chemical. Good Luck.

Completely agree. I warn my friends about using chemicals to rid their tanks of algae. They experienced the same things you did. A lot of times those quick fix chemicals are only temporary anyway. The problems spring back up in a few weeks if the root of the problem is not handled. Make sure that there is not a lot of uneaten food settling in your tank, do weekly water changes, and make sure that lighting( natural or other wise) is not causing the progression of algae. Big rule-Never introduce chemicals to a tank with fry. I hope you resolve your situation.