Topic: Jack

[cichlidlover]

OK Jack has been in the ten gallon tank since sunday i added the Epsom salt yesterday as directed (1 tbsp)per 10 gallons i have some additional questions...

1. Any idea how long it should on average take to see some movement (lol small joke with the movement).
2. I clean tanks every week 20% water change, glass cleaning and vacuum. do i need to re-add more Epsom salt after cleaning or what?
3. I have decided that I will feed him only two of his pellets each day so that i can monitor what he is or is not eating and i have put a screen around the intake filter so that i can see if he is eating or if its being sucked up by the intake...so far he's not eating..

Does this seem like a good routine or not so much....as i stated i have never had problems before of anykind so i am not sure how to proceed from here.                         thanks in advance

[Gerry]

How long is hard to say

Just replace the salts with the amount removed (treat the water going is)

see if he will eat peas instead of pellets,

[cichlidlover]

will do on the peas...but how do i know how much salt to put into the new water being added to his tank..i hate to sound so dumb but i don't want to mess this up and hurt him...

[Gerry]

If you take out 5 gallons add 1/2 a tablespoon. Epsom salts are hard to overdose so don't worry to much.

[cichlidlover]

ok thank you.............and thanks to all of you for your help and suggestions

[Gerry]

No problem, that's what the site is for 

[fnesr]

A bit different with dosing for illness with epsom but for salt in general it's not a bad idea to keep a piece of paper or pad or something near the tank somewhere to help keep track of what you remove/add I reckon. Doesn't need to be 100% accurate or anything but just go off of the tank size, so write what you've put in, then if you change say a third of the tank water replace a third the amount of salt that you originally put in and scribble down removed "blah" amount of water and replace "blah" amount of salt. It just helps keep track if you happen to do water changes that differ in size. Like one day/week you might do 30% water change but the next day/week for whatever reason you did a 50% one. Just means if you ever lose track it is possible to backtrack and have pretty good idea of where the tank's at in concentration.

[Katt]

Just wanted to say your doing a great job. 

Oh did you give him something to hide behind ?     It will help him feel safe.   ( just a thought )

[cichlidlover]

again thanks for all the help no i didn't think to put anything the tank with him to hide behind (totally blonde moment) and my only problem is now that i can not get him to eat anything since i put him in this tank...no pellets and no peas either he won't even eat any of his favorite earth worm pieces and that is one thing he would take from my hand...could use more advice....and i have tried making things look like they are alive.....(except earthworm which is alive but cut up)

[Katt]

Sorry to hear he still is not eatting, tell truth am stumped. 

Try given him a rock to hide behind and see if that helps.   Have you tryed blood worms ?   At this point I would try once a day with diffrent foods.
Take it out if he dont eat it, would still do the WCs.

[Gerry]

How is his breathing? any signs of stress (clamped fins, hiding up in a corner, dark colour)

[mrbigfish]

Good thing is fish can go a surprisingly long time w/o eating. My O went abour 3 weeks w/o eating, then started eating again like it was nothing.

[cichlidlover]

well no he swims all the time at bottom of tank just cant get his belly off of bottom he had the most beautiful cap before but it has gone down to almost nothing....his color is still good and dark ....did put some items in for him to hide behind but left open area also....i do however think that he may have eaten one piece of food..but since i didn't see him do it not 100% sure....this is what i have for his set up

ten gallon tank
heater of course temp is 76
power filter over the back that is rated for a 55 gallon (they are never rated right)
and a bubble wand
no gravel or anything on bottom of tank (because of his scratched up belly from dragging)
and then today i put a rock cave for him to hide in....

that's it oh and i did a tank clean and water change today ....my new water is always one week old (being dechlorinated and such)before i use it ... I do have to say as dumb as it sounds his attitude since i gave him his rock cave does seem to have perked up...not as poutie but so long as he doesn't die and starts eating i will be more then glad to buy a 30 gallon tank to set him up in like this 10 and he can live there.....i just don't want him to die....lol

[Gerry]

Keep the water tip top and keep an eye on him, he's been trough a lot, swimbladder damage and new tank, so maybe he just needs time to adjust. drop a bit of food in and if he doesn't eat it in 10 mins take it back out and try again the next day.

There is a chance he has had more injury than we first thought, but  time will tell.  The hump will go down when he has nothing to display to

[cichlidlover]

well good news folks Jack ate his food yesterday i think the fact that he had a place to hide and i made his new rock cave look like his old one might have made him feel safe enough to eat (just guessing)...have not seen a poops yet....but that should happen in time i would think but now that he is eating i am going to slip some peas in on him and see what happens....you folks are my fish saver i can not thank you enough for your advice.......(and patience)