5 Pitfalls to Avoid when Treating Fish

1. Dumping the med powder directly into the tank. The fish can eat some of the powder before it dissolves and lead to death from overdose. This may be true or not. However, it makes sense to me and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Instead... Let the med powder fully dissolve in a medicine cup with a little tank water before pouring it into the hospital tank.

2. Putting the fish directly into a bucket of fresh dechlorinated tap water when you suspect he is stressing out from the med(s). This shocks the fish and can lead to more stress, which might be that extra nudge that pushes the fish over.

Instead... Do a 50% water change with dechlorinated tap of approximately the same temperature. This halves the concentration of meds without the stress associated with a 100% water change.

3. Treating the fish for less than 10 days.

Instead... Treatment should take a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 14 days. Less than 10 days and you risk the disease not being killed off completely, which may lead to the development of resistant bacteria that are even harder to kill. But treating for more than 14 days can lead to liver damage from the meds. This means treat as soon as possible once you confirm the fish is sick, so you don't have to treat longer than 10 days.

4. Not doing daily water changes and remedicating.

Instead... At least in the case of Maracyn 1/2 and kanamycin sulfate, both effective in treating bacterial infections, daily 25% water changes and remedicating with the proper dose, help keep the water clean and reduces the amount of TDS (total dissolved solids). This helps reduce stress for the fish while also keeping ammonia low.

5. Not bleaching the hospital tank after each treatment is completed. Some of the bacteria may survive to wreak havoc the next time you set up the tank for another fish, making it even more difficult for the fish to get well.

Instead... Fully disinfect the hospital tank with a 1:20 bleach to water ratio. Then rinse thoroughly, let dry, fill and add a double dose of dechlorinator, and drain before storing the tank for the next use.

Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus spp.)

The bristlenose pleco (BN plec) is a great algae eater for mid-sized and larger aquariums. It comes in two main types at the LFS, brown and albino. There are also long-finned versions of both kinds. The brown BN's get a bit larger than the albinos, which top out at around 4''. BN's are spotted with white edging on the back tip of their tails. Males have the trademark bristles on their noses, which can get quite branchy as they mature into adults. Females on the other hand, have very limited or no bristles. BN's are very easy to breed; a breeding pair will have lots of fry given a spawning cave, which is typically a long and narrow one made of slate.

Although BN's are great algae eaters, eating green, brown, and brush algae, they can also damage plant leaves with their strong suction. Otos are recommended if you want to avoid that. BN's can also be aggressive to other bottom dwellers. My female used to chase the USD cats around and did some minor damage before I took her back to the LFS. A tank should also only have 1 male BN, unless there are a lot of hiding spaces in a sufficiently big tank, as they are territorial. BN are reliable algae eaters, but their diet should be supplemented with zucchini (unblanched is fine) and algae wafers.

Head & Tail Light Tetra (Hemigrammus ocellifer)

The head and tail light tetra is a very nice looking fish that gets to 2''. It has a reddish edging on the upper half of its eyes under the right lighting and conditions, and an attractive black and gold spot on the base of the tail. It is a peaceful fish, despite its big appetite and ability to eat relatively large flakes. I don't know if it's just my tetras, but they don't seem to swim around much. They will occasionally chase each other around, though it's nothing serious. It is best kept in shoals of 6+, though I only have 5 and mine don't shoal unless stressed.

Honey Gourami (Colisa chuna)

The honey gourami is a small but interesting fish. It tops out at around 2'', with females a bit larger than males. Like cichlids and bettas, they will swim to the front of the tank to greet you. You can tell males from females by their colors; the male has a golden edging to its dorsal fin and a chocolate brown chin. The females on the other hand, are more drab but seem to have a bigger appetite than the males. Female honeys also appear fatter. Both sexes have a horizontal stripe across the middle of their bodies when stressed. Since they have relatively small mouths, they should be fed smaller flakes and pellets. Honey gouramis are best kept in the ratio of 1m/2f, but I have 2m/2f and they get along fine. They do best in planted tanks of 20+ gallons without much current, similar to a setup for female bettas.

Female Betta (Betta splendens)

(This profile will only cover female bettas, as I've never kept a male betta before.)

The female betta is a very interesting and inquisitive fish that tops out at just under 3''. You can tell it apart from males because unlike males, females have shorter fins. Also 2 females will usually not fight to the death when put together. This does not mean you can keep only 2 females in a tank, as this would entail bullying of the weaker one by the stronger one (like with most fish). Instead, female bettas are best kept in sororities of 6+. They will develop a pecking order, but the aggression will be distributed among the females.

The good part about keeping bettas is their big personalities, which differs from one to another. They also come in assorted reds, blues, greens, purples, and other interesting and nice colors. Feeding is easy, as they accept both flakes and pellets, as well as frozen brine/mysis shrimp and bloodworms. I fed my 4-betta sorority an algae wafer once and a few of them got injured overnight while eating it. I presumed there was a little fighting involved. Also, they were all extremely fat afterwards; so I'd recommend maybe splitting half an algae wafer in two instead if you want to feed those.

The bad part about bettas is that they're very susceptible to diseases and infections, probably because of the inbreeding to maximize the color and color variety of the fish. This is unfortunate, as most if not all of the female bettas I've kept eventually wound up with bacterial infections, developed dropsy, and died. I do not recommend Maracyn 1/2 to treat it, at least from my experience. It used to help, but recently (2010), I've treated with the Maracyns and my L. dorsigera is now virtually colorless and very drab looking. Another WCMM I treated with those meds wound up with a permanent jag in his stripe and also seems to be smaller than the rest. Instead, I'd recommend treating with kanamycin sulfate, available as Kanapro online, with daily water changes and remed.

Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus)

The platy is an undemanding livebearer which is very prolific (as all livebearers are). They stay small at 2-3'', with females being larger. I only had 2 platies (females) for a short time, as one bullied the other until it got ill. I gave the bully back to the lfs, as my kribs were breeding and it was being attacked. One important thing to note about the platy and possibly most livebearers of equivalent or larger size, is that they can add quite a bit to the bioload. At least that's what I gathered from the constant long strings of waste that these fish produce. I suppose feeding sparingly would help, but I was a bit put off by the mess my platies made. Platies, and livebearers in general, also reproduce constantly. If you don't want the hassle of rehoming fry, you can get females only. However, females are usually already pregnant when you get them.

White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichthys albonubes)

The white cloud mountain minnow (WCMM) is a subtropical fish that prefers lower temperatures than most tropical fish. Topping out at around 1.5'', they are a fun shoaling species to watch in a tank of 20 gallons or more. Mine tend to shoal only when nervous; they're usually spread out through the tank. WCMM's come in regular and long-finned varieties. I think there's also an albino form available. I have the long-finned ones and they're stunning when they display to each other, which happens once in awhile. Feeding these minnows is easy. They accept small flakes and frozen brine/mysis shrimp readily, and come up to the surface to eat as well. You can tell the females apart from the males by the females' fatter bellies, assuming they're fed well. Several of my WCMM's once got what looked like lymphocystis, though it seems to have gone away on its own.

Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus siamensis)

The siamese algae eater (SAE) is a great algae eater to have around in a mid-sized to large aquarium (they can get up to 6''). I got 2 of them off Aquabid at around 2'' to help control the brown brush algae in my 20 gallon. They are one of the few, if not the only fish, to eat this type of algae. Soon after introducing the SAE's, all the bba was gone from the wood, plants, and rocks. Fed on zucchini, they grew quickly, though one is noticeably bigger than the other and chases the other one around whenever they're together. They also eat flake and frozen foods like the rest of the fish, though I've read that this may detract from their appetite for algae, especially as they get older. Still, they're supposed to be more diligent algae eaters than others, like the CAE and flying fox. They are also reported as good jumpers, so keep your tanks covered.

Zebra Danio (Danio rerio)

The zebra danio is an active fish that prefers to be in groups of 6 or more in a ratio of 1 male to every 2 females. It stays small at around 2'', but requires at least a 20 gallon long tank because it's such an active swimmer. This is the least expensive fish I bought, costing me less than a dollar each. Many people use zebra danios to cycle a new tank because of this, although I prefer doing a fishless cycle or getting mature media from a fellow hobbyist. Not a fussy eater at all, the zebra danio will accept most small foods. You can get fry from them by putting marbles into a bare bottom tank. The eggs will drop between the marbles out of the adults' reach. The adults can then be removed before the eggs hatch.

Cherry Barb (Puntius titteya)

Female

Male

The cherry barb stays small at around 1.5'' and is suitable for those who only have small tanks. Some say they do well in a trio of one male and two females, as they don't really shoal that much. I don't know if this is true, but I've had 2 males and 4 females so the females aren't always being chased by the same male. However, the 1m/2f ratio is a good guide to go by.

The cherry barb can be a fussy eater and somewhat shy in my experience, but maybe it was because I didn't have any live plants, which I think the cherries would appreciate. They aren't as active as tiger or rosy barbs, but are also more peaceful and less likely to nip at other fish.

Rosy Barb (Puntius conchonius)

Male in the front, female in the back

The rosy barb is an active fish that prefers to be in groups of 6 or more. They can get to 5'', although mine only got to about 3''. They are great eaters and will eat mostly any fish food you put in the tank. Although they eat their fry, I found I could get fry and raise them by putting up a divider. The fry swim through the little holes to the safe side, where I feed them frozen baby brine shrimp. I managed to get quite a few fry to sellable size using this method. I'm not sure if pH plays a part in determining the male to female ratio of the offspring (like it does with some fish), but I got a lot of females and only a few males.

Red-breasted Dwarf Flag Cichlid (Laetacara dorsigera)

This is the only fish I'm currently keeping in my 20 gallon. I originally got a pair I think were male and female, but after one consistently chased the other around, I thought I had two males so I picked out what I thought was a female. However, it seems that the original pair I got were m/f, and I most likely got another (younger) male. They still haven't bred yet though, but I am convinced I have an m/f pair.

They are very skittish, even during feeding time. I added many live plants and Eco-complete substrate and this seems to have helped as they're coming out more now. The larger male hides the most and the female is out and about the most. So far I only feed them NLS Thera A 1mm pellets and they like them, but a more varied diet is recommended which includes frozen brine shrimp and/or bloodworms. It is hard to sex Laetacara curviceps/dorsigera, but females usually have a more compressed profile, appear fatter and smaller, and have a larger blotch on its dorsal fin.

Cockatoo Apisto (Apistogramma cacatuoides)

Male

Female

This was the second cichlid I had that bred in my tank. However all the fry eventually died. I assumed they were eaten by the cherry barbs. The cockatoo apisto is a harem breeder, so get a trio of one male and two females if you intend on breeding them. Males are larger and more colorful, they get to about 3.5'' while females stay around 2.5''.

Clean water is a must with this species, which I found out the hard way as I lost each one of them to bacterial infection. The females developed sores on the top of their heads, the male developed a crooked mouth that he couldn't close and also had a reddish pink growth at the base of his pectoral fins. All three died soon after showing those symptoms.

Kribensis (Pelvicachromis pulcher)

Male

Female

This was the first cichlid I had that I got to breed. They were so prolific I had to give the female away after a few batches of fry (roughly 100 per batch). Males get to 3.5" and females about 2.8". You can distinguish females from their more compressed body shape, larger reddish/purplish belly, and more rounded dorsal fins. Kribs come in regular and albino. From what I've read, males of either regular or albino form prefer albino females, as the reddish color in their belly stands out more.

Kribs breed easily and all you need is a cave of some sort (I used an inverted terra cotta pot with a hole drilled on the side) and at least a 20 gallon tank. They do get aggressive when breeding, so you'll need a larger tank if you want to have other fish. Males sometimes eat a few fry, so to maximize the size of each batch you might want to remove him.

Firemouth Cichlid (Thorichthys meeki)

This was the first fish I had, and not for a very long time, as I had to give them to a LFS because my tank wasn't cycled. They get to about 6" and have a red throat. Mine were rather shy and always hid behind the only ornament in the tank. From what I've read, they do better when there are lots of hiding places and suitable dither fish.

Although I supposedly had a male/female pair, the larger one (presumably male) beat up the smaller one and I had to separate them with a tank divider. I had them in a 10 gallon, so that was obviously too small for them to properly establish territories. I'd recommend a 30 gallon at least for a pair, larger if you intend on having other fish.