Stingrays and dat

[antonium98]

Have you tested your water?

Yes

If yes, what is your ammonia?

0

If yes, what is your nitrite?

0

If yes, what is your nitrate?

25

If I did not test my water...

1. ...I recognize that I will likely be asked to do a test, and that water tests are critical for solving freshwater health problems.

Do you do water changes?

Yes

What percentage of water do you change?

31-40%

If I do not change my water...

1. ...I recognize that I will likely be recommended to do a water change, and water changes are critical for preventing future freshwater health problems.

Good evening, this is the first topic I open on the forum and unfortunately it is in the category of diseases. I have a 180 gallon aquarium (by March 5th I will have received the new 360 gallon). For filters I have 2*2080 eheim full of biological material and two fx6 for mechanical filtering. In the aquarium I have 3 female stingrays 25-30cm (bd, pearl and albino pearl) and a datnoid microlepis at 18-20cm. the last fish I added was on January 23rd, the albino, which came with less weight. The fish hasn't put on any weight since I got it, and he eats every time until she is full usually twice a day if not more. In the last few days, the bd who first entered the aquarium (3 months ago) is constantly acting as if he wants to sneeze but without completing the movement. Also I think that the rays breathing fast. Today the dat suddenly started scraping its gills on the bottom. Fish are active, mobile and with a great appetite for food. My measurements are ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 25. I do water changes every 3-4 days 30-40%. I feed anchovies, shrimp, mussels, sardines.I hope with the information I gave you and the videos and photos I uploaded that a solution can be found as to whether there is a problem and what it is. Thank you very much, I await your answers.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VwjMKBGDNvQ?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J4hDw8lUCxY?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bCal6d-rn4g?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J7LZhq8vMQU?feature=share

 

[Ansorgii]

Those "wheelis" (sorry I cannot find the correct english term) the bd makes in the last video are a very bad sign, she is very upset. If she starts to curl and you still haven't figured it out yet its likely over.

I had this once after a ray died while I had way to soft water (my tapwater was full of chlorine so I used rainwater for weeks without hardening it). I calmed the water with zeolith powder and it tooks weeks for them to calm them down and even more for them to start feeding them.

You likely have sth. different as they still eat. But I'd still like to know how (well) you oxinate your water.

Scratching gills is often a sign or parasites or an infection of the gills, it could also explain the heavy breathing.

What is your water temperature ?

 

[Midwater]

I feed anchovies, shrimp, mussels, sardines.

Anchovies!

Don't know about rays, but that is not a great diet for dats. They primarily eat river fish, and then river shrimp. I think your diet is slowly weakening them.

 

[antonium98]

Those "wheelis" (sorry I cannot find the correct english term) the bd makes in the last video are a very bad sign, she is very upset. If she starts to curl and you still haven't figured it out yet its likely over.

I had this once after a ray died while I had way to soft water (my tapwater was full of chlorine so I used rainwater for weeks without hardening it). I calmed the water with zeolith powder and it tooks weeks for them to calm them down and even more for them to start feeding them.

You likely have sth. different as they still eat. But I'd still like to know how (well) you oxinate your water.

Scratching gills is often a sign or parasites or an infection of the gills, it could also explain the heavy breathing.

What is your water temperature ?

Good morning, thank you very much for your reply. I have done 1-2 water changes in the last month without adding antichlorine. I know it was my mistake. Do you think that was what caused Black Diamond's reaction? Could the dat also react like this because of the chlorine?
Or could it be gill flukes?
I don't know how to move and what to do to help them feel better
My temperature is 37,5 Celsius

 

[Midwater]

My temperature is 37,5 Celsius

Water temperature!

 

[antonium98]

Anchovies!

Don't know about rays, but that is not a great diet for dats. They primarily eat river fish, and then river shrimp. I think your diet is slowly weakening them.

Good morning, thank you for your reply. I didn’t know that for the dats. I will study today more for his diet and I will buy him river fish and river shrimp. Could be that that caused the gill problem or is flukes?
I don’t know what to do. Need a medicine? Need to use something?

 

[antonium98]

Water temperature!

Oh sorry I write it wrong, 27,5 Celsius I mean

 

[Ansorgii]

It is likely sth. that attacks the gills, it could be chlorine, nitrit , bacteria, parasites and more.

How much chlorine is in your tapwater ? If it is a noticeable amount I would highly suspect that.

If it is bacteria or parasites you should crank up the temperature to at least 29°C, better more.

In any case, try to get as much oxygen in your water as you can !

And to the food question, the best food is usually quality pellets since they contain all vitamins in a stabilzed condition. Freshwater animals contain a lot less fat that seafish, so try to look for sth. that has around 48% protein and not more than 9% fat. Cheap pellets are very fatty.

If you feed them fish/shrimp make sure they are with all their guts and not frozen for to long as the vitamins start breakting down. Breading or stuffing them in pulverised pellets can improve their content aswell.

A classic sympton of bad food is a vitamin B12 defficiency, you can buy tabs at a pharmacy and just throw them into the water as it is water soluble and cannot be realistically overdosed. But fish act different when they have that, a lot more apathatic than yours do with no appetit.

 

[antonium98]

It is likely sth. that attacks the gills, it could be chlorine, nitrit , bacteria, parasites and more.

How much chlorine is in your tapwater ? If it is a noticeable amount I would highly suspect that.

If it is bacteria or parasites you should crank up the temperature to at least 29°C, better more.

In any case, try to get as much oxygen in your water as you can !

And to the food question, the best food is usually quality pellets since they contain all vitamins in a stabilzed condition. Freshwater animals contain a lot less fat that seafish, so try to look for sth. that has around 48% protein and not more than 9% fat. Cheap pellets are very fatty.

If you feed them fish/shrimp make sure they are with all their guts and not frozen for to long as the vitamins start breakting down. Breading or stuffing them in pulverised pellets can improve their content aswell.

A classic sympton of bad food is a vitamin B12 defficiency, you can buy tabs at a pharmacy and just throw them into the water as it is water soluble and cannot be realistically overdosed. But fish act different when they have that, a lot more apathatic than yours do with no appetit.

The truth is that I haven't done a test myself and I don't know the exact prices. According to publications that I have read from time to time, we have some of the best drinking water in Europe. Now I don't know if this helps in any way. If not, I will look to find the appropriate test so I can do it on my faucet. I have seen nitrates and ammonia in this particular aquarium for several years and I do regular tests. If we rule out chlorine and water quality what should I look for next? Internal parasites or gill flukes? Or something else; How do I know what to choose to tackle first?
So I should look for freshwater fish to feed and no fishes from sea?

 

[Ansorgii]

Where I live the tapwater is usually Ok and not high in chlorine, however if they find a bacteria in a test they ad lots of chlorine, to the point it smells like in a puplic pool. One change with that water would seriously harm my fish.

If we can rule out chemical burns I would look for heavy metals like copper, is your tapwater safe to drink ? They can cause irritation und scaring of the gills.

Another thing could be simple stress, you have a bare tank with not a lot of space.

Is everything alright with your filters ?
How hard is your water and what is the pH ?

I would treat a bacterial infection with tannins and as high of a temperature as possible.

Parasites can be treated that way aswell, but not all of them.