OMG i cant handle this my baby is dying i came home to find her upsidedown, i put her the right way up and she is still breathing but i dont know what to do ive not had her long and i dont want her to die! ive just done a water test the water parameters are nitrite is 0.1 nitrate is between 0-5 (my test doesnt go below 5 but it was a lighter colour than 5) and ammonia is 0 is there any other tests that are really important? what can i do?? she has been eating tiny amounts since i got her but only about 3 bloodworms at a sitting anything i can offer her to get her feeding now?? she is also breathing quite heavily there is a bubble wall in the tank and an air stone. What should i do??
please help i think she is dying
- Thread starter stranger23
- Start date
If you have nitrite, add a few teaspoons of salt to the water. Or you can change water out and still add a few teaspoons of salt (any salt, ignore the threads crying about table salt, table salt is fine).
But if she's that bad there probably isn't much you can do, sounds like the damage has already been done.
But if she's that bad there probably isn't much you can do, sounds like the damage has already been done.
How long has your tank been up and running?
Do you have another tank to move her into?
Sounds like you're tank isn't cycled, or tried to re-cycle itself. If your ray was upside down, it's probably too late unless you have a nice old tank/old water to move her into.
Add extra airstones to get the disolved oxygen levels up. Usually water issues turn into gill function failing - making it hard to get O2 out of the water. Adding extra O2 will sometimes help off set that.
Do you have another tank to move her into?
Sounds like you're tank isn't cycled, or tried to re-cycle itself. If your ray was upside down, it's probably too late unless you have a nice old tank/old water to move her into.
Add extra airstones to get the disolved oxygen levels up. Usually water issues turn into gill function failing - making it hard to get O2 out of the water. Adding extra O2 will sometimes help off set that.
ok ive found out its a nitrite problem my test kit didnt pick that up said the water was fine but i took a sample into my nearest pet shop and they tested it for me ive got some safe water stuff to use that sorts the nitrites out also going to do another water change to help bring it down ive added more air into the tank already first thing i did and the only other water ive got is from my tropical tank. both tanks have been set up for over a year so shouldnt be a cycling problem should i add the salt anyway? im willing to do anything to save her ive been testing everyday but the test kit didnt pick anything up im going to be complaining to the company
Yes, the salt suggestion was for the nitrite, it will stop the nitrite poisoning the ray - although water changes will also help so I'd both change water and add salt.
Also what's the pH? If the pH is low, depending on your ammonia test kit, your kit may also be failing to register the ammonia level. Also if the pH was low it may easily explain why the filter stopped processing waste properly.
Also what's the pH? If the pH is low, depending on your ammonia test kit, your kit may also be failing to register the ammonia level. Also if the pH was low it may easily explain why the filter stopped processing waste properly.
I was told everything but the nitrite was fine how do i put the salt in the tank? do i need to dissolve it in water first or just add it straight to the tank?
ive just done another test with my test strips and they also say that the nitrites are low not high?? ive added some aquarium salt to the tank my mate brought some round for me i just hope there isnt to much damage done and that my baby recovers doing a water change in a min when ive got the kids some dinner so they stay out of my way
damn, i hope everything turns out ok!! sorry to hear this...
for the future, i'm assuming you have sand in your tank, if the ray isn't moving all the sand around(depending on tank size/ how much sand you have) i have heard that nitrites will build up underneath... your kit is probably fine and when you tested it was all good, until nitrites escaped from underneath... could be wrong... my pleco stirs up the whole tank so i haven't had problems...
good luck, i hope you save her!!
for the future, i'm assuming you have sand in your tank, if the ray isn't moving all the sand around(depending on tank size/ how much sand you have) i have heard that nitrites will build up underneath... your kit is probably fine and when you tested it was all good, until nitrites escaped from underneath... could be wrong... my pleco stirs up the whole tank so i haven't had problems...
good luck, i hope you save her!!
I've heard that test strips don't retain their accuracy for very long. Personally I use the liquid test kits.
For adding the salt, best to dissolve it first, I hear it can burn rays if lumps of salt end up on their skin. I'm lazy so I just add it to the filter.
What's the actual pH reading?
For adding the salt, best to dissolve it first, I hear it can burn rays if lumps of salt end up on their skin. I'm lazy so I just add it to the filter.
What's the actual pH reading?
Ph is at 7, ive added the salt at the other end of the tank to her and as she is sticking under the outflow pipe she shouldnt get burned by it, ive also put the temp up slightly so that is now set to 26, im going to take another test sample into a different pet shop to get them to test it see what results they get as both my liquid test kit and my strip test kit come up with the same results but the pet shop ones were different my test kits are not from the same company either. im hoping she is ok i love her so much and right now im willing to do anything to save her!