Kubotai with second ulcer and flashing

[jwyfk]

My fish have been stressed from moving tank to tank...long story. Anyway, one of my 4 young Kubotais had an ulcer burst a couple of months ago. I added salt at the rate of one tablespoon per 5 gallons, and I was happy to see that the would healed.

He's been looking slightly skinnier recently, and tonight I was sad to see a new lump on the underside of the fish, after watching him scratch on the rocks a few times. I don't want to add salt to this tank anymore, and my first attempt at catching him failed this evening. I'd like to put him in my quarantine tank and feed medicated food. On the other hand, I'm tempted to turn on my 2 18 watt UV sterilizers that are now off. The tank is cycled, but not as CRYSTAL clear when looking end to end that all my tanks have been in the past (its a 4 foot long 120 gallon). That's why I turned of the UVs. Should I turn them back on and leave him alone? Should I do whatever it takes to remove this fish to quarantine?

[Diana]

Have you found out what is the cause of the ulcer(s)? I would turn on the UV but continue trying to catch this fish for separate treatment. Try a bottle trap.

[jwyfk]

Hi Diana, I don't know what the cause of the "ulcers" could be, other than stress from moving. It's more like a small, raised lump or pimple. At my last house, he was kept in a 55 gallon, then moved in to a new 120 gallon, which needed to be replaced under warranty, so then he was kept in a 20 gallon for quite some time, and now lives in the replacement 120. It's possible that these are wild caught fish, and the problem was already there, but kept under control when water conditions were stable.

I turned the UVs back on today, but the fish is hiding. The PH of my tap water at my new home is much higher than the previous one. My Wardley PH test kit only goes up to 7.4, and that's what it indicates. The tank water is the same. According to my difficult to read Seachem Nitrite/Nitrate test kit, my Nitrates are less than 5 ppm. I'm fanatic about doing water changes, so adding chemicals to lower my PH would be very costly.

[chefkeith]

You should always quarantine unhealthy fish.

An ulcer could just be cosmetic though. Have any pics?

[Diana]

Do not add chemicals to lower pH. They do not work.
There are better ways to do it. Ways that really work.

[jwyfk]

I have no clue where that fish hides! He comes out during feeding, and it's so annoying how fish face the opposite direction when you're trying to look at or photograph something on their other side. I'll try again tonight. Catching him would be tough. If all else fails, I'll try a bottle trap with food in it.

I have Swahala driftwood, which doesn't do anything for the PH. Is there some kind of ion exchange resin that you would recommend?

[Diana]

Reverse Osmosis system, actually. Pre-treat the water before doing water changes. Create just the recipe you need using a certain % tap water for the minerals, and a certain % RO.

Yes, I also have noticed that a fish I want to see the left side of will swim with his right side to the front of the tank.

Kubs can burrow, perhaps your elusive fish is underground? Mine hollow out the substrate under the bark and wood that is in the tank. Makes them very difficult to find, because my first thought is that there is no hole under the bark, so they cannot be there.

[jwyfk]

I'll have to read up on reverse osmosis systems. Over 15 years ago, I tried a product called Bullseye 7.0, which did absolutely nothing in my 75 gallon tank. The PH fluctuations probably stressed the fish out more. Chemi Pure didn't last long enough, and couldn't be regenerated. For a while I used a tap water deionizer made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. Afterwards, you'd add the trace elements and buffers, etc., but every 25% water change almost completely exhausted the expensive cartridges, which were just thrown away when the color was completely changed. It was a waste. Since then, I've done nothing to the tap water. Purigen and 50% weekly water changes have kept the dissolved organic compounds in check, but this is the first time I've had tap water with this high of a PH. I will be moving again in the Spring, so hopefully the tap water is more neutral in my new home. If I treat myself (actually, my fish), to a reverse osmosis system, this would be a perfect opportunity to try a planted tank with Discus and Sidthimunkis.

The fish seems to be better the past couple of days, and I have several pictures of him/her, but any pictures of the underside where the sore is located are out of focus, because the camera isn't fast enough. I agree with you, though. There are tons of places for it to burrow.