Gill frills are gone!

I

Irishsean

New member
Joined
Feb 12, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Texas (TX)
Country
United States
We have two 4 inch juvies in a cycled 20 gallon tank with a sponge filter and a small airstone. In the last few days the beautiful gill frills on these babies have disappeared. They just finished our last batch of blackworms and are now eating bloodworms and red wigglers if we cut them up. Can anyone tell me what is happening here? Its freaking me out to see such a huge change.

Temp 68
PH 7.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

JK03WOz.jpg


IKMM8np.jpg


KjvxO9o.jpg


i1jO57P.jpg
 
Oh, that is quite a drastic difference. (They're very good-looking axies otherwise, congratulations!)

I don't have anything to suggest... Has anything changed with the aeration in your tank? I'm given to understand juveniles sometimes have more curled gills than adults, but the curled gills in the first two photos of them with their gills could mean they were stressed by something that could have contributed towards the decline? No idea what though. I hope someone else can help you figure it out. Do they seem okay in themselves?
 
I think we figured out what was wrong. I decided to move them into another tank and do a water change. When I went to pull out the aquarium safe bridge we had in the tank from Petsmart it crumbled in my hand. It had been in the tank for about 3 weeks and is just disintegrating. I'm betting it was posioning the little guys.

Don't buy this!

Top Fin® Three-Arch Bridge Ornament - Decorations - Fish - PetSmart
 
Irishsean said:
I think we figured out what was wrong. I decided to move them into another tank and do a water change. When I went to pull out the aquarium safe bridge we had in the tank from Petsmart it crumbled in my hand. It had been in the tank for about 3 weeks and is just disintegrating. I'm betting it was posioning the little guys.

Don't buy this!

Top Fin® Three-Arch Bridge Ornament - Decorations - Fish - PetSmart
Click to expand...

oh god, you should complain to the store you got that from! your poor little babies could have DIED because they're selling you shoddy product!
 
That's just awful! ( Although it's good you figured out what the issue might be and have removed it! ) I hope their gills recover quickly.
 
Keep us updated on hopefully, what will be their recovery.....hope it's speedy.
 
Definitely file a complaint. This kind of stuff should NOT be sold.

I'm glad I only have natural stuff in my tank...
But I didn't always have that. I used decorations like that too in the beginning. If I'd had that problem, I don't think I would have found out as fast as you did. I'm glad you found that. Kudos.

Here's to a speedy recovery!
Oh, and I think you may have to take up a new cycle. Clean out your tank utterly and completely. Who knows what kind of junk that bridge put in there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top