Quarantine is Over

Quarantine is Over

Today marks the last day of quarantine for my two little butterflies.  Ideally I would like to keep them in QT for a week or so longer, but current circumstances prevent that.  Since this is the first Christmas my husband and I own a house, we’re hosting a family get-together at our place, and we have to move the quarantine tub out of the dining room to make room for everyone.  And since there’s nowhere else it can go, that means QT will have to be over for the butterflies.  In any case, no issues have come up during QT and the two fish both appear very healthy.  During their QT period, they had one week in .3% salt, and finished four rounds of praziquantel, so that should have covered the most common parasites.

After the holiday hubbub has passed, I’ll set up the 55 gallon tank for the two butterflies, but for now I’m putting them in the 75 gallon tank with my ryukins, Clover and Callisto.  This is fine short-term, but eventually I do need to separate the two groups of fish.  Not only are the butterflies on a different feeding schedule than the ryukins, but also the ryukins are much faster at finding and eating food than the butterflies are.  If I left them all in the same tank long-term, it would be a constant battle trying to make sure the butterflies get their fill of food.  Plus, I’d like for them to have as much water volume per fish as possible of course. 

Goodbye QT tub!

Hello 75 gallon aquarium!  As you can see, is still partially decorated for Christmas.  I took out all the glass marbles and the glass trees, but left the frost and snowflakes on the outside.  I just didn’t want the butterflies to bump into anything while they were still adjusting to the new environment.

After putting the butterflies into the 75 gallon tank, I noticed that Felix had a small white spot on his tail, almost like excess slime coat was built up there.  I swabbed it with hydrogen peroxide as soon as I noticed it, and I’m going to have to watch closely to make sure it doesn’t become a problem.  That’s the trouble with using a tub (even a clear one) for quarantine.  It can be sometimes difficult to spot issues like this because of the clouded side view and the poor lighting.  Hopefully the spot doesn’t turn into a bigger problem.  I also noticed that both Felix and “Sophie” have numerous breeding tubercles all over the first and second rays of their pectoral fins!  “Sophie” even has a few on the gill covers!  So I guess they are both male, and “Sophie” will need a name change.  I decided on Luca for his new name, because I like it.  🙂

That’s it for now, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Years! 

3 Comments

  • Freedom Posted January 6, 2023 1:43 am

    Hi! I really need some expert advice, I recently noticed on my black moor on his throat that there was a white patch. It is not raised completely but I still think that it could be fungus. Tonight I put in fungal medication and will have to wait from there. I am just wondering what else I could do like water changes or anything like that? I will post pictures of my fish and his white patch on my blog. I am not an expert I just enjoy the hobby and help with what I can but I feel like I do need help for this. I feed him and my other fish peas \x26amp; fish flakes (pre-soaked). He has a bad problem with swim bladder and after every feeding and just in general he is at the surface gulping in air and then eventually flips over. I’m not sure if this is drying on his skin and is some sort of a rash but I would say not because his throat area does not reach out of the water, I’m guessing his fungus. Also any advice on what to do with the SBD? It’s like his routine to go to the surface! At the moment I can’t afford test kits or excellent quality medicine and I’m just wondering what else I can do! 🙁 I love my fish and will have him a year on the 15th January. My tank is slightly over stocked but I am working to take out two fish which are fantails! I know, it’s not good to mix types but I didn’t know any better a year ago. Any help would be much appreciated, thank you very much!!

  • Jennie Posted January 7, 2023 1:47 am

    I would take the antifungal medication out right away.What kind is it exactly?Lots of medications will give your tank a cycle bump, so that’s why I ask.But that’s not what he needs and will do more harm than good.For fish that float, and have areas of their skin exposed to the air, getting these white patches is totally expected.I know you say that his throat doesn’t go above the water surface, but it’s possible that it does at night when he sleeps and you aren’t there to see.What you can do is put vaseline on the area that is exposed to air when he floats; this will help protect it from the air and the white patch should go away.You’ll have to use your judgement on when to reapply the vaseline, but I would start off with every-other day and see how that goes.

    My fish Callisto has chronic swim bladder issues too(she flips upside-down when she stops swimming). Unfortunately nothing I’ve tried has helped her, but some of these things help for some fish. So what I would try first is fasting him for 3 days and then feed him nothing but blanched spinach for 2 days. (Not peas, spinach is better for this). Then resume feeding him a normal diet, but don’t use your flakes and peas anymore. Some people have found that Repashy Soilent Green really helps their fish with floaty issues, so I think you should try that as your new staple diet. The cheapest place to buy it is TastyWorms.com (it’s on my links page under shopping). Peas aren’t actually very good for goldfish, despite popular opinion. I hope this helps. 🙂

  • Alysha Posted December 29, 2023 7:05 am

    They all look so pretty!

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