catfishes and parasites...

Naor · Post by **Naor** » 04 Aug 2003, 07:36

hi guys

is there any replacement for the "metilan blue"?

because i know that it harm catfishes... but how can i cleanse the water from parasite?

what is the catfishs tolerance to salt?

10x in advanced...

Post by **Silurus** » 04 Aug 2003, 07:43

Methylene blue is actually pretty safe to use with catfishes (in tcorrect dosages, of course). What kind of parasites are you treating for?

Naor · Post by **Naor** » 04 Aug 2003, 09:21

well... in fact... i dont know...

my fish started to scratch themselves on the gravel...
so at the cichlid forum they told me to add salt, and if they dont stop to start use methylene blue.
the dosage is 1% methylene blue, use a 5ml for each 15-20L water.
and keep using the salt (4-5 spoones for 350L)...

is it O.K?

really love my cats... dont want to hurt them...

Post by **Silurus** » 04 Aug 2003, 11:32

Do you see any other external signs other than the fish rubbing themselves?

Post by **Barbie** » 04 Aug 2003, 17:48

Naor those same symptoms can be seen by fish that are in water with ammonia or nitrites. Can you tell us how long the tank has been up? What's in it, and also if you've done any tests on it recently? What kind of water change schedule do you do? That behavior isn't necessarily abnormal with quite a few of the african rift lake cichlids, who seem to use it as a form of territoriality. That information would let us help you have a much better idea what you might be dealing with. Thanks

Barbie

Naor · Post by **Naor** » 05 Aug 2003, 11:05

hi

Silurus - there is no other signs on them... they are just rubbing their side on it...

Barbie - well... one by one...

* the tank is up for 5 month... 350L tank.

* inside i have:
4 golden siamese algae-eater
5 Siamese Flying Fox
5 Clown Loach
4 Dwarf Suckers
2 Raphael catfish
1 Asian Bumblebee Cat
1 Royal pl*co
2 Farowella
4 Auratus c*****d
3 Hybrids from Hongi & Socolofi
7 Moliro Tropheus

* no tests recently

Post by **Barbie** » 05 Aug 2003, 17:38

You should ALWAYS test your water before you dump in chemicals to treat anything. Let alone chemicals that will potentially kill back your bacteria in your filter and put your fish at risk of being poisoned by their own wastes.

I sure hope you have good luck with that mix of fish. It looks like a recipe for a train wreck, without any problems with parasites to worry about, IMO. Is it just the cichlids that are "flashing" against the rocks? Definitely run a set of tests on your pH, your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. How often do you do water changes and what are your tap water parameters also?

Medicating a tank that isn't losing fish or showing distinct signs of an impending problem is a sure way to cause a bigger problem, in my experience.

Barbie