Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 2, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 2, 2008 I've been noticing some long white stringy poop floating around my tank lately. Should I start a round of medicated food? I've got a 8oz jar of Medi-Gold from www.fishfoodplus.com. I'm pretty sure Fredo my red oranda is the culprit. Should I quarrantine him? Is Medi-Gold any good? Will the other fish be ok eating it? I've got a calico fantail and a cory cat. These are all in a 55g tank by the way. Ammonia: 0 Ph: 7.2 Test kits: Drops, API brand Tank size: 55g Name/Size filter: Aquaclear 110/500gph Water changes: Once a week/around 25% How many fish: 2; 4in oranda, 3.5in fantail Water additives: Jungle Ph regulator(fizzy tabs), aquarium salt, Stability and Neutral Regulator by Seachem Medications: None so far New fish: No Food: Wardley Essentials Goldfish Flakes 2x a day, Tetra Sun Dried Baby Shrimp every other day and peas 2x a week. Unusual findings: Just the weird poop Unusual behavior: None 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erinaceus Posted July 2, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 2, 2008 Could you tell us whether your gf are male or female? (that might be relevant in this case, but I'd rather let the more experienced members voice their opinions) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 2, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm almost certain that Fredo is a male and Tiger the fantail is a female. Fredo has been all over Tiger since I got her; displaying some breeding behavior (nudging from bottom, nose in tail). That's what I'm going by anyway. I'm leaving for work so I won't be able to reply more til later today. I appreciate any suggestions, experiences, advice etc. and I'll check back with you all later. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 2, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 2, 2008 I'm home now, both fish are acting ok still, haven't noticed any more weird waste products, so what do you all think? Is it something worth medicating? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Erinaceus Posted July 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2008 Normally a moderator should give some advice soon. To me, it seems like you're describing the faeces you get after a female has reabsorbed her eggs instead of laying them. In that case it's neither necessary nor advisable to medicate. But given my limited experience, I could easily be wrong (about the reabsorbed eggs; medicating just for the heck of it is usually not advisable, that much I do know for sure). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted July 3, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 3, 2008 I wouldnt start antibiotics for a fish that shows absolutely normal behavior and a bit of stringy poop. What the strange poop really is, is an indication that your fishes GI tract is working away at producing antibodies to something that is causing a problem somewhere in the body. This results in a temporary shedding of dead white cells and a growthspurt of new cells that produces a stringy poo. It can also happen miscellaneously when the fish is under stress. Give the fish a few days and watch closely. If you see any abnormal behavior post back at once. Fish have immunity and need to use it in order to strengthen it! Save those precious meds for when they are really needed and thats when the fish cannot cope with immune response alone. At that moment you will see bottom sitting or other "odd" behavior. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Pixiefish Posted July 4, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Let's also take a closer look at this Ammonia: 0 Ph: 7.2 Water additives: Jungle Ph regulator(fizzy tabs), aquarium salt, Stability and Neutral Regulator by Seachem Test kits: Drops, API brand Tank size: 55g Name/Size filter: Aquaclear 110/500gph Water changes: Once a week/around 25% How many fish: 2; 4in oranda, 3.5in fantail My first question would be to ask what your tap PH is and why you are using two products to adjust the PH. Can you tell us more about that? The next thing is that you only tell us your ammonia score, but not what level your nitrates are at. I'm guessing there may be some stressor at work when it comes to the water, so more info would be good to have. You are well stocked and have good filtration - it's possible that 25% may not be quite enough when it comes to water changes, which is why a nitrate score would be good to know. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 4, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Well my tap Ph is 7.6 or maybe a little higher because that's as high as the color chart goes. I tried the neutral regulator powder at first and put in the right amount for a 55g tank but it wouldn't bring the Ph down after 2 days and I didn't want to keep adding it since I used almost half the bottle the first time. The Jungle fizzy tabs bring the Ph down almost instantly. The guy at my lfs told me the same ingredients were in both products so I wanted to use the powder since it was a better deal but I have only had luck with the Jungle tabs. I will probably only use them from now on. I don't have a nitrate testing kit. I was planning on getting one during my next aquarium supply shopping trip. I also plan on buying some high quality food since I realized the Wardley Essentials I'm giving them now is mostly filler. I don't know if that has anything to do with the water quality or not but I do notice lots of little particles suspended in the water long after feeding time . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Acupunk Posted July 4, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Well my tap Ph is 7.6 or maybe a little higher because that's as high as the color chart goes.I tried the neutral regulator powder at first and put in the right amount for a 55g tank but it wouldn't bring the Ph down after 2 days and I didn't want to keep adding it since I used almost half the bottle the first time. The Jungle fizzy tabs bring the Ph down almost instantly. The guy at my lfs told me the same ingredients were in both products so I wanted to use the powder since it was a better deal but I have only had luck with the Jungle tabs. I will probably only use them from now on. I don't have a nitrate testing kit. I was planning on getting one during my next aquarium supply shopping trip. I also plan on buying some high quality food since I realized the Wardley Essentials I'm giving them now is mostly filler. I don't know if that has anything to do with the water quality or not but I do notice lots of little particles suspended in the water long after feeding time . Why are you trying to get your pH down? Monkeying around with your pH with fizzy tabs may be the source of your fishes' stress (and stringy poop). My tap and tank water pH is 8.2-8.4 and goldfish do just fine with that. The beneficial bacteria in your biological filter actually prefer a high pH. The only time you need to mess with your pH is if it is too LOW. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted July 4, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 4, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Well I transfered these fish from a 10g to a 55g. When I first set up the 10g I was under the impression that the Ph needed to be close to neutral. Since I joined Koko's I've learned differently . I got the Ph down to 7.0 and it stayed there. When I went to transfer the fish I wanted the Ph of the tanks to be the same so I wouldn't shock them. So what do you think? Major water change? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Trinket Posted July 4, 2008 Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Yes. Temperature matched (test with your finger) If this is a new set up you really are going to need kits for nitrites and nitrates to monitor your cycle. It could be the pH swinging or it could be nitrites. Did you transfer all the filter media from the 10 gallon? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 4, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Sorry it took so long to reply (got to work sometime ). I transfered the ceramic rings from my 10g. They were nice and colonized. I left the rest cuz I'm using that as a QT/Hosp tank. The 55g has been set up for almost 2 weeks now and I used micro-lift gel filter cartridge inoculant to jump start the cycle process. The fish are still acting ok as of right now. I'm going to get a nitrate/nitrite test kit next week for sure. Will a major Ph change shock the fish? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member tangelo123 Posted July 4, 2008 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 4, 2008 Couldn't edit the last post: I just wanted to clarify that I transferred the ceramic rings from my 10g 2 weeks ago when I set up the 55g, not just now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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