My Pacus are in horrible health...I need help please!!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
It only matters in that well water doesn't have chlorine or chloramine, like city water does, which is better, but I've heard it can still have a some amount of heavy metals, and sometimes a lot of nitrates, so adding conditioner is still a good idea, unless you get the water tested for everything it could possibly have, and it doesn't have anything harmful in it.

Keep performing multiple large water changes (like, 80-90%) until you can get Stability and Prime. Once you get those two, you can relax a little with the water changes and just follow the instructions on the Stability bottle. Still keep dosing with Prime though, to lock up the ammonia and nitrites, which are harmful to fish.

With good water quality and some salt, those Pacu fish will heal up in no time.

Check this thread out, it has some really good links to a bunch of other threads about tank cycling: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224559 Next time you start a tank make absolutely sure to cycle, otherwise the same thing will happen again.
 
I don't mean to sound harsh, but dismissing Prime/Stability because you don't have it isn't going to help your fish for long. There really aren't many alternatives to Prime, which is why so many people use it. Why can't you run out and get some?
 
Your not sounding harsh, trust me. The reason I don't run out and grab things when I notice Ive ran out or never had it on hand is because I live in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. I don't have convenient access to a pet store, wal mart, grocery store, things like that. Just to go to PetSmart is an hour there and an hour home, so when they close at 9 and I notice this around 7, Im SOL until the next day. I don't have anything close, and for me to go to an actual store that sells nothing but fish and reptiles I hve to go into TN.

He has finished another water change in the 125 gallon with the Pacus and is doing a water change in one of the 75 gallons now that has the oscars. He did clean the gravel in both tanks too. I think hes realized taking care of the tanks on a routine basis is an all day job...and once the red tail boa gets here....one of us might have to quit our job LOL
 
Quick thing to add that might help your pacu's tank cycle a bit faster. Get a couple big handfuls of gravel from your healthiest tank and add it to the Pacu tank. It'll speed things up a bit.
Good luck.:3
 
He did add a water conditioner and I've added some stress coat. I will have him take some gravel out of the Oscars tank when hes finished with the water change. One of the Pacus is doing alot better. I had been feeding them Krill with these tweezer looking things and only one of them would eat. I put some alage chips in about an hour ago for the alage eater thats in there, and the one Pacu that would eat for me is eating those on his own now, so it makes me feel a little better knowing that he can actually still see. As far as the other two, they still arent eating and they are still bumping into everything, so I dont think they can see.

Is there a website that I can order the Prime and other things I may need from? Like I said, going out to get it sometimes isn't possible, they close at 9 and I work at a motorcycle shop and I don't get home until close to 6...so after I get everybody and the animals fed, I'm almost out of time to go get anything.
 
I think my tank is "finally" on its way back to where it should be. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it will be in time for my Pacus. We did a 2nd water change today, added stress coat and another chemical that is recommended when doing a water change, starting a new tank, or adding new fish. I did go to TN to PetSmart ans picked up the following (please let me know if I need anything else):

Prime
Stabilizer
Stress Coat
Ammo Carb
Aquarium Salt
Cichlid Sludge Buster
Proper pH 8.2
He picked up some things for the filters
I also got a ammonia detector for each tank that is supposed to give me an idea of what the level is.

Ive tested the water in the Pacu tank 3 times today, and the last still had the ammonia at 1.0 but I did add AmmoLock last night.

Do I need anything else? I may have went overboard on stuff, but I would rather have it here if/when I need it, rather than going through a box of stuff somebody gave me to find out the dates ran out like 6 years ago....

Again, thanks a million for everything.....I hope my babies pull through!!
 
Why have you got something called Proper pH 8.2? Don't use chemical additives to adjust your pH because whatever your ph of your well water is your fish will adapt to it. the lower your ph is the less toxic ammonia will be but don't go out of your way to adjust it. Fish would rather have a stable, constant pH out of range of what their species evolved in than a pH that changes frequently, over time or during water changes.

Otherwise, sounds like you're doing the best you can for the fish! just keep up the water changes
 
:iagree:

And what is this Cichlid Sludge Buster?
 
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