OMG! I am so getting frustrated.....I dont know what is going on....first it was my tinfoil barb....it went pretty much all away....now it's my favourite fish....my pacu...can someone PLEASE tell what I need to do to treat this....I dont even know waht it is....and I really dont want to lose any of my fish :hmm: :sook:

Did you do anything to treat the other fish that had it?
What size tank is it and what fish do you have in it?
What is your filter system?
Have there been any new additions to the tank within a month before this all started?
How often do you do water changes and how do you treat the water going in?

Sorry for all the questions but I am at a loss as to what it is and maybe the answers will shed a clue, if not for me maybe for someone else here.

That is cloudy eye and an indicator of bad water quality. Take a sample of water to your lfs and get the nitrate tested. Long term high nitrate can be bad for your fish, and if this is the second fish to get this then I would guess it is nitrate problems.

What size tank do you have these fish in and what other fish are in the tank? I dont mean to insult you, but are you aware of the potential size a pacu can get to?
How often are you doing water changes?

Answer dtroups questions too and we will be able to help you more.

:sook: My rosy barb is dead

I just did a 50% water change....for some reason my levels are right screwed up now....I cant test for nitrates because I dont have a nitrate test kit and if I wanted my water tested....I would have to drive for about 45 mins to get to a pet store.... I had the nitrate test kit in my hands awhile ago....and the person that was working at the pet store told me it's pointles....and a few ppls on these fish forums told me that it was pointless...and some said it was important...so I decided NOT to get one....now after talking with you guys....I am waiting for one to come in to the little shop here....they never carry hardly any pet supplies to do with fish....so I have to have everything ordered in

ok water levels are SCREWED right the frigg up for some reason now!?!?

I cant get a PH level ....and I tried high and low range tests.....not colours match....the low range was orange....and the high range was yellow....neither test kits have those colours or anything close to them....so I have no idea my PH level jay

My ammonia is HIGH..... 1.2 so that is NOT good and my nitrite level is 0.1

Last night I put some fungus/ick cure in the tank....so I did the water change today....I dont understand what happened to my rosy barb? he wasnt acting funny or anything last night!?!??!

yes I am aware of the size of the PACU.....when he was sold to me....the pet store people didnt tell me A THING....they hardly say anything.....so ever since I bought the pacu (almost a year ago) I always research the fish if I want to buy the...samething with the tinfoil barbs.... I havent bought any new fish....I have what I have and I dont have room or want anymore right now

All of my fish except the bettas are in a 29 gallon....and yeah I know it's too small for them...I dont have quite enough money YET for a 55 gallon...I was just going to keep gradually upgrading the tanks....didnt happen yet....and no I cant give him away because no one around here has a large enough tank for him....

I use an AQUA-TECH filter and an underwater heater for the tank

I dont have to treat the water going in because I run off a well....I dont have city water or anything

It sounds like your kit is bad/outdated if none of the colors match or even come close.

It sounds like you are way overstocked, if you can't get a bigger tank right now you should do a serious upgrade on your filtration system because it sounds like your current filter just can't handle the load and your water quality is suffering because of it. Getting a bigger filter won't solve all of your problems but it may help. If you get a filter for a 55 gal tank now and put it into use then you will have it for when you get the 55gal tank.

How often do you do water changes? Being overstocked like you are is stressful for the fish so since you can't give them a bigger tank right now you should do water changes more often to keep the water quality up so that they don't have that stress added to them.

Have you had your well water tested? Just because it's well water doesn't mean its good quality, trust me on that, I had a well that when tested the bacteria count came back "TNTC" To Numerous To Count, it made my whole family ill over a period of a few months and we had to move. You should be able to have the County Extension Agent test it for free or real cheaply.

Sorry if I sound preachy or teachy but I'm just trying to help. jay

I just tested the PH level and it's at 6.8 now....I think it didnt work the first time because of the treatment stuff that I had in the tank....the ammonia level is still a bit high.....but A LOT less then what it was earlier....

Yes I know the tank is over stocked :(

I think that maybe I will get a larger filter....I know that the well water is fine because there are those people that come around like every year or something that test the water....

so you think I should treat the tank again on maybe sunday......I say sunday to give them a break from the dye.....actually maybe I should treat the tank on Sunday AGAIN....then do the water change on monday....this stuff that I am using says that a water change should be done within 24 after after putting it in the tank....

Are you able to order online? There are many websites that will ship to you pretty quickly, you just need to have the means to order.... ie credit card (usually cheaper than a store too.) Where are you located, maybe we can help you find an online place to buy testkits?

I wouldnt be putting any medications in the fish tank right now. Fungus/ick cure will do nothing for this problem anyway. What you are seeing is burns on the fish from the ammonia that is in the water. This will hopefully heal when the tank is back in good condition. I would perhaps add some Melafix to help relieve the fish.

Normally when you arent having problems, how often are you doing water changes? Weekly? Fortnightly? Other? (what?) And what volume of water?

Oh, and as you can see, nitrate is an important factor in fish health, especially in an overstocked tank. Sorry to hear your lfs was no help to you when first buying.

Melafix- so that is alright to use with all the fish?it wont hurt any of them?

I have to go away for the weekend....I will be in woodstock, NB.....there is a walmart there....so maybe I can find something in their pet department?? hopefully anyways....maybe I can convince my parents when I am visiting them to buy me a tank for an early birthday present haha

I would normally do a water change like every 2-3 weeks....a 50% water change.....so maybe that isnt enough ???????

If you add anything it should be some salt, maybe 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons, this will help during the nitrite spike. You need to finish the cycle before treating.

I would step it up to 50% weekly at least until the fish gets better and you can get the bigger filter. If it is to expencive to get a larger filter you can get another of the smaller ones and run them both.

A testkit such as this..... http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000255N...SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

would be good to have on hand.

I agree with dtroup on the water changes.

How is he doing?

My pacu's eye is much better....it looks normal again!!! Thank god!!!!!
someone on here said that they might be bale to help me out finding a cheap 55 or 75 gallon tank around where I live....because they are so expensive here....I live in the Saint John area in New Brunswick....

any ideas where to look for a tank at a decent price????

I'd recommend you just get a 100 or a 150. :laugh: He will get big and it would be a waste of money to get a 55 or 75 and watch him out grow out of it. X_x

But sorry...I dont know any good places in Canada to get tanks. Look on Aquabid or eBay once in a while. Good deals pop up...if you're paitent. :)