I am desperately in need of help. My dad likes to buy tropical fish, but he won't invest the time to learn how to take care of them. He's killed several tankfuls of fish already, all through improper feeding, over crowding and hypothermia. He's not someone who learns from his mistakes, and he's so stubborn that he never listens to the most rudimentary advice. I'm just so f-ing tired of watching him screw everything up. He's out of the country right now and I really can't stand watching the fish suffer needlessly, so I'd like to do as much as I can before he gets back.
I'm here to beg for your advice on how best to take care of the fish. I will spend my own money to get the necessary equipment, and I will spend what little time I have to read up on proper caring of tropical fish. If you can take 5 minutes to help me identify the fish in my aquarium and impart advice on how to care for the sick arowana, I would so very appreciate it. I may not be able to give anything back to the forum for a while until I learn more about this field, but please help me make it easier for the sake of the fish, they really deserve better than this.
1) One of the Arowanas is really sick. He keeps rubbing his mouth against one side of the tank non-stop 24/7 and it's been going on for days. He does NOT eat at all and just constantly swims in one direction against the tank, rubbing his mouth against it until all the skin is gone. I've been unable to find out what disease it is that's causing it. The only other symptom is that the fins look unhealthy, weak and damaged, and there's a huge chunk missing near the end of the tail (red circle around it in photo). The gills look fine, the scales look healthy, there are no white spots or signs of cotton mouth. I have no idea what's causing it, maybe the other arowana is picking on it or it's an early stage infection? I just bought a 10 gallon tank to quarantine it until I can get another tank tomorrow. What can I do to diagnose it or treat it? Please everyone, I need to know ASAP if I'm going to have any chance of saving this arowana. If you have any advice on quarantining or treating it, please be very detailed and thorough, I'm not stupid but I know nothing about keeping an aquarium. Keep in mind that my dad RARELY changed the water, RARELY cleaned the filters, did NOT feed the arowana proper food (mostly pellets), and kept TWO of them in a filthy 30 gallon tank along with 7 other fish. My guess is ICH but there are no white spot yet, and it's only his mouth (unlikely spot for ICH) that's itchy. Furthermore he only rubs against one side of the aquarium.
2) I really want to know the name of each of the fish in the photograph below. It would really help in googling on how to take care of them. It took me almost an hour to identify the arowana on my own so any shortcuts would be nice.
Misc advice:
We currently have 9 tropical fish in a 30 gallon tank. It's horribly over crowded. My dad also realized AFTER buying the big black fish to the side that it's highly aggressive and attacks other fish so his solution is to fence the fish in a space narrower than the fish's length. What is the best way to divide up the fish? What sized tanks should I use to hold them? What else can I do to improve their living conditions? Should I give these fish back to the pet store before my dad gets back? What would you do if you were bequeathed with this miserable aquarium?
I don't think I have the capabilities of taking care of two arowanas right now. Two is a really bad number for them, and there's no space for a proper sized 6 feet aquarium. The biggest I can find in my neighborhood is a 4 foot 55 gallon one.
http://hangxu.com/hangxu.com/fish/tank.jpg
Again, I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this and respond in any way. I know I have no right to just barge in here and demand help on my first post but I'm so desperate to find a cure. I hope you understand.
I'm here to beg for your advice on how best to take care of the fish. I will spend my own money to get the necessary equipment, and I will spend what little time I have to read up on proper caring of tropical fish. If you can take 5 minutes to help me identify the fish in my aquarium and impart advice on how to care for the sick arowana, I would so very appreciate it. I may not be able to give anything back to the forum for a while until I learn more about this field, but please help me make it easier for the sake of the fish, they really deserve better than this.
1) One of the Arowanas is really sick. He keeps rubbing his mouth against one side of the tank non-stop 24/7 and it's been going on for days. He does NOT eat at all and just constantly swims in one direction against the tank, rubbing his mouth against it until all the skin is gone. I've been unable to find out what disease it is that's causing it. The only other symptom is that the fins look unhealthy, weak and damaged, and there's a huge chunk missing near the end of the tail (red circle around it in photo). The gills look fine, the scales look healthy, there are no white spots or signs of cotton mouth. I have no idea what's causing it, maybe the other arowana is picking on it or it's an early stage infection? I just bought a 10 gallon tank to quarantine it until I can get another tank tomorrow. What can I do to diagnose it or treat it? Please everyone, I need to know ASAP if I'm going to have any chance of saving this arowana. If you have any advice on quarantining or treating it, please be very detailed and thorough, I'm not stupid but I know nothing about keeping an aquarium. Keep in mind that my dad RARELY changed the water, RARELY cleaned the filters, did NOT feed the arowana proper food (mostly pellets), and kept TWO of them in a filthy 30 gallon tank along with 7 other fish. My guess is ICH but there are no white spot yet, and it's only his mouth (unlikely spot for ICH) that's itchy. Furthermore he only rubs against one side of the aquarium.
2) I really want to know the name of each of the fish in the photograph below. It would really help in googling on how to take care of them. It took me almost an hour to identify the arowana on my own so any shortcuts would be nice.
Misc advice:
We currently have 9 tropical fish in a 30 gallon tank. It's horribly over crowded. My dad also realized AFTER buying the big black fish to the side that it's highly aggressive and attacks other fish so his solution is to fence the fish in a space narrower than the fish's length. What is the best way to divide up the fish? What sized tanks should I use to hold them? What else can I do to improve their living conditions? Should I give these fish back to the pet store before my dad gets back? What would you do if you were bequeathed with this miserable aquarium?
I don't think I have the capabilities of taking care of two arowanas right now. Two is a really bad number for them, and there's no space for a proper sized 6 feet aquarium. The biggest I can find in my neighborhood is a 4 foot 55 gallon one.
http://hangxu.com/hangxu.com/fish/tank.jpg
Again, I want to thank everyone who took the time to read this and respond in any way. I know I have no right to just barge in here and demand help on my first post but I'm so desperate to find a cure. I hope you understand.
