Fishlets' Chronicles

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Well, I thought Cayman just did tail biting at night. But it seems he's doing it during the day, too. There were little bits of colorful 'confetti' at the bottom of his tank this afternoon. My little 'crowntail wannabe'....

Gave everyone a partial water change just now. Three tanks is more than enough to deal with. LOL

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Chomp, chomp, chomp. There were bits of turquoise colored confetti at the bottom of Cayman's tank again this morning.

Tail fins must taste good, because Cayman sure seems to like eating his.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Peeked in on the fishies at 1am.

Fiji and Tahiti came right over. "Food?" they asked, "Yay!"

"Sleep," I replied, "Don't you two ever sleep?"

But where was Cayman? No signs of him, anywhere....

Oh, there he is. Little guy is tucked under his heater, sound asleep.

He's so cute when he's not chewing on his fins.

I wonder when Fiji and Tahiti will decide to sleep. When they do, she likes her hammock and he likes his silk plant.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Cayman is still eating his fins. I found bits in his poop this morning.

Fiji and Tahiti are just fine. THEY don't chew their fins, and they seem happy and healthy.

Happy New Year, everyone!

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Cayman's tailbiting has led to a major infection.

Tried to treat with Aquarium salt, but it made his buoyancy issues worse. So I switched him to Epsom salt.

Callistra recommended some antibiotics, but Petsmart either didn't stock them, or else was completely sold out! So I went with Maracyn (eryrithromycin). It's for gram-positive bacteria, and Callistra's recommendations were all for treating gram-negative, but.... I'll give it a try. Who KNOWS what the little guy has picked up.

I did notice two things:
a) The medications cost more than the fish originally did.
b) There was a reallllllly cute blue butterfly delta tail there. And I realllllly wanted to bring him home. But I didn't. Because I have no more room. And I already have my hands full with Cayman.

Note to self: do not return to Petsmart until the cute little blue butterfly DeT has been sold.

In happier news, Fiji is just fine, and Tahiti has been building really impressive bubble nests.

I guess Fiji and Tahiti are my low-maintenance fish, and Cayman has enough issues to keep me busy 24/7.

Poor little Cayman. I think the Epsom salt is working though. He pooped tonight! So I fed him a single pellet. He was hungry. (Which is a good sign.) He has almost no fins (anal or caudal) left though. It makes him swim funny.

Will do a full WC for everyone this weekend, and retreat Cayman with his Epsom salt and Maracyn mixture. I think he needs to be on it for 5 days. (Need to check the box!) I may have to go in search of someplace that has other meds this weekend, too.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

OK, Cayman is now swimming in his meds. Found some furan-compounds, which is for gram-negative bacteria. So now he's getting antibiotics for both types of bacteria. And I also added a small amount of Epsom salt, for his tail-up floaty act.

Felt badly about destroying Tahiti's bubblenest. Again..... But it was water-change day. Checked him a little while ago, and it looks like he's rebuilding.

And Fiji, she's happy as always.

[dramaqueen]

I hope Cayman gets better.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

I hope Cayman gets better.

Thank you!

He is doing better now! He's finished with all the meds, and is back in regular (conditioned) water again.

He has a stubby little caudal fin, and a tattered anal fin. But the infection seems to have cleared up. He's active in his tank, and is acting OK. I'm hoping that he leaves his fins alone, and that they grow back.

My little problem fish.... LOL

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The anacharis experiment is not going well.

I can't get it to grow in the tanks with the fish. And I can't get it to grow in an uninhabited 1 gallon tank with lots of natural light, either.

I've tried floating it. I've tried putting it in gravel. But nooooo. There are a couple of little green shoots, but the majority is a pale, limp mess.

I pulled it from the three tanks, and dumped all of it into the 1 gallon tank.

Then I put the pothos back into the guy's tanks. (With the leaves above water.) At least I can grown pothos.

If the anacharis experiment continues to fail, I'll try a Marimo moss ball next. Either that, or I'll create a nice pothos jungle. LOL

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The anacharis looks even worse today, if that's possible. The pothos that I put into the tanks looks good, however.

Fiji has a new 'game.' She usually hangs out on top of the thermometer suction cup. But now, she's been shoving her body between the thermometer and the glass. She stays there until Tahiti looks towards her, then she flies over to see him. They flirt for a few minutes, then go their separate ways again. Eventually, she shoves herself between the thermometer and glass again, and lies in wait....

Tahiti has been building a new bubble nest today.

And Cayman.... well, I can't tell if he's been chewing on his fins. They're so short already that I can't decide if they're getting shorter or holding steady. He's active and seem healthy, so that's a good sign. He's also been attacking his pellets, so I guess his appetite is good again, too.