Stocking Help 180 Gallon (Updated)

[Perchance]

Some photos; you can see the melting on the leaves of one of the plants... And two bottom photos show two of the Rosboras, one with the spot on it's mouth and one with an injury on it's side. Not sure what it is, it's difficult to photograph

[Perchance]

Bah, I lost another Rosbora. Down to 6 out of the 14 now.. I feel like there has to be something other than the whitespot but can see no real evidence of it. Maybe a bacteria going through the tank...

I really need some advice on what to do.. Should I dose for bacteria, or will that be impossible in this tank? I CAN take them out, just have no clue how to catch them. I can see heaps of people looking at this thread, someone chime in and help, maybe?

[manzpants92]

In my opinion a water change is only going to help. It may cause stress to your fish but if there is something that's wrong with your water, a change is only going to take out some of the bad. Good luck!

[LyzzaRyzz]

Taking them out is going to take time, and a lot of water removal.
When I need to catch certain fish, or just one species of fish, I turn the filters off, drain water half way, [i use many buckets! Mines a fifty gallon!] and I use two nets. I remove everything from one third of the tank, an my boyfriend scares that fish, or as many fish as he can toward my side of the tank. From there it's just out faking the fish to the side of the tank, and scooping him up before he darts around the net!

I'm not goin to give any advice about the medication, or the ich, since I've had little experience and knowledge about either one. But I know that while catching the fish will be a stressor, medicating a big tank is next to bank account draining. Medicating a smaller tank is not so bad.

[Perchance]

Yeah, shall do. I'm down to four Rosboras now. Still not sure what to do in terms of medicating or what


The tank is at 31degrees C, haven't added salt or anything as the signs of white spot seemed to disappear. How can one tell if there is a strain of bacteria just killing everything? What should I be looking for? I thought bacteria showed symptoms such as cloudy eyes and such.

But yeah I will do a water change. Probably 50%

Thank you for your input

[Perchance]

Originally Posted by LyzzaRyzz

Taking them out is going to take time, and a lot of water removal.
When I need to catch certain fish, or just one species of fish, I turn the filters off, drain water half way, [i use many buckets! Mines a fifty gallon!] and I use two nets. I remove everything from one third of the tank, an my boyfriend scares that fish, or as many fish as he can toward my side of the tank. From there it's just out faking the fish to the side of the tank, and scooping him up before he darts around the net!

I'm not goin to give any advice about the medication, or the ich, since I've had little experience and knowledge about either one. But I know that while catching the fish will be a stressor, medicating a big tank is next to bank account draining. Medicating a smaller tank is not so bad.

Thanks for those ideas! They're so freaking quick, too. Hahah Yeah, I'd probably incorporate that into a 50% water change, as I just siphon water down the drain nearby.

But even if I was able to catch them, and place them in a tank for quarantine... Where I'd probably have issues with ammonia, I wouldn't even know what to dose with.. It was ich to begin with, but now I'm not sure.


Ichonex is a farily cheap product, and people have used it with success. I emailed the company and it is plant safe, and dosing my large tank (although a pain in the butt and wallet) should be ok. I'd also worry about what's left in the tank when I finally return these fish or add new ones...

I have no clue how long bad strains of bacteria or fungus can survive without a host, though I know white spot (not sure about other parasites) die within a couple of days.

[Perchance]

So I did a 50% water change... Closer to 60% at about 100 gallons. While the water was low I struggles and finally triumphed in catching the remaining 4 Rosboras. They are now residing in a 15 gallon tank on my desk which has just a little internal filter with media from the big tank, a heater and a light. I've dosed it with Aqua Master White Spot Remedy which contains both formaldehyde and malachite green I believe.

It's an Aussie brand so I couldn't find much info on it.. But no other produts other than Melafix and Primafix were available (small rural area), and so I figured this would have to do. It also FORCED me to get them out of the main tank. WHich is good, cause a couple of the plants are dying with the 31C water

Did I do the right thing? Also I can't find an air stone small enough for the tank, so the filter is just disturbing the top of the water, is this enough oxygenation?

[manzpants92]

If your fish have something you wanna get them as much aeration as possible. I've noticed that sometimes if my water level isn't all the way to the top so the water has to fall farther from the filter it'll create more air bubbles, so while not having an extra air stone this might be an idea.

As for taking out your fish and saving your plants you did make the right call. From having discus I quickly realized its always, always, a lot easier to treat in a small quarantine tank rather than your large display tank. That way you can do large water changes with only having to do 5-10 gallons instead of for your case 100 gallons for a 50%.

Id up the water changes in your hospital tank to maybe 50% a day and add 1TBSP of salt per 5 gallons and turn the temp up to about 88 and see if they do any better

[Perchance]

Thanks for reassuring me of that. It's certainly easier to monitor them and I think it'll make future problems easier. I'll try to add an airstone if I can find one, or go buy one. At the moment, the filter is just sitting really high to make some turbulence

I also added salt before checking responses here, good to know it wasn't a bad decision! Thanks.

Will be doing 50% water changes in the QT daily, it's like.. only one of my larger buckets ahahah so so so so much easier

I'm now fairly certain it's a bacterial infection going through the tank... Bah. One has dropsy. The fungus on the mouth, and the various wounds/markings on the fish and well as the discoloration all seems to fit this.

Will the salt help? Or should I do several water changes and then treat with a broad spectrum antibacterial medicine? Also, if it is a bacterial infection, when will the main tank be suitable to return the fish to?

[manzpants92]

Salt may help depending on the case. Discus are a super shy fish so sometimes when i would turn the light on they would dart and run into my driftwood and scrape against it so they would get cuts, if i ever saw that i would add salt. Salt helps heal wounds, promotes slime coat(not sure if that will help for you but discus rely heavily on theirs), and also helps reduce stress. So if anything salt will only help. Salt and high temps will cure ich but if your positive its bacterial i would use a med.

If its bacterial then use a med and a lot of times on the bottle it'll say like "treat for ten days with 25% water changes"...then if they look good after however the medication specifies then your probably good to toss them back in

[Perchance]

Yeah, I'll grab a medicine tomorrow. Wont get a chance today as I have to go to the vets.


The one with dropsy died (obviously) but the three remaining seem fine.

When I emailed a company asking if one of their products was plant safe, they told me that plants may be harboring the bacteria and should be disposed of? IS that true? Have you heard anything like this before?

Also, I checked out your profile and your discus are absolutely gorgeous! Just stunning

[manzpants92]

Why thank you

uhmm to be honest i couldn't help you with that i'm not really sure if that's possible. I would think that the fish would be the ones carrying the disease but i guess its possible that your plants could? i would start a thread and ask around on that one

[Perchance]

I haven't read anywhere that it is possible.. ANd chances are it was more of a opportunistic bacteria which wont harm healthy fish... The stress of the move and the white spot made them viable to infection, I think. I've done a lot (way too muchhh) and I think my main tank should actually be fine. I can't dose it with an anti-bacterial medicine anyways, so I might just have to see it I have any problems in the future.


On a more happy note; I found one of my harlequins in the sump hahaha so we're back up to 4 survivors in the hospital tank, which I've been testing and doing water changes on. They seem happy. Eating well, no scratching, no fungus, no dropsy and no abrasions. Problems passed?? I hope hahaha


Also, I was at the LFS today, and saw some really really gorgeous phantom tetras.. The blue on them is amazing and these ones a fairly big.. Seem healthy. Didn't buy any, obviously, but I looked them up when I got home and they are apparently fin nippers... Not as bad as skirts and serpae or whichever, but still nippy... What do you think they would be like in a larger tank with a larger group?

I'm worried because I'm thinking I'd really love some Angels as the center point fish, and they're a fin nippers delight, really.

[Perchance]

Anyone got an opinion on the phantoms? They are such cuties.

Also. Lost another Harlequin. I literally jinxed myself. Far out =/ . Yesterday I had done a large water change 70% approx and started treating for the bacterial infection which I'm 100% sure it is.About three hours ago I fed them... Then checked on them about an hour ago again and one had some dark red splotches.. Looked it up, added some salt to replace what I'd forgotten to replace last water change, but it died about 20 minutes later..

Super quick change from perfectly fine and eating to unable to swim straight. Sigh. They're in the QT still, so I guess it doens't matter... I apparently will be able to stock the main tank, as it shouldn't be really harboring anything malicious.

[LB79]

GET THEM!!!!!!!! Phantoms are spectacular fish. They don't really school, just sort of shoal, and the males are constantly sparring/displaying. SO cool! And in big groups, they don't touch anyone else. Big as in 20+.