Page 24 - iCC044-201501_March
P. 24
Male Convict. Harlock, the Green Terror, after the crash.
that, if anyone were likely to survive, they what may well be a colony of parasites that added them to the tank. What’s the worst
had the best chance. With that, I set up I will now wait out the next three weeks, to that could happen? I really hadn’t imag-
the 25 litre hospital tank, and pulled them make sure that they are all dead before I try ined “the worst” would mean “wipe out my
out to be monitored and treated. My oldest to start the tank up again. entire environment”, but yes, that is exactly
Convict, I had to leave him in the big tank, what happened. Was it just the introduc-
and hope for the best. Alas, the end came Many things have been going through tion of the fish? If that’s the case, why were
for him too, last night. my head since this all happened. What did they not sick? Why did none of them show
I do wrong? The answers are telling. Most any signs of the disease? Could there have
As of now, there are no fish of any kind critically, I broke one of my most important been another potential cause? Yes. Pretty
in my main tank. They are all dead. As of rules, and I did it out of impatience. My much all fish carry parasites. It comes with
this morning, my two Green Terrors are hospital/quarantine tank wasn’t set up. It the territory. “Ich” is expressed when fish
still holding on, one looking like it might hadn’t needed to be for some time. I was have a stress episode, and those parasites
be a hard recovery (he’s lost a fair amount not prepared, and I didn’t have the neces- are excited and activated. They then push
of scale over the left side of his head and sary materials in place. Cautious, intelligent out of the fish to reproduce and look for
flank), and the other having what looks like me would have set up that tank first, and new hosts. Could the two large-scale water
a real fighting chance. My 25 litre tank is would have let it cycle for three weeks, changes in less than two weeks have con-
not much, it’s definitely not the environs I then bought new fish, and had them wait in tributed to that? Well, yes, potentially.
just pulled them out of, but it will have to the quarantine tank for three weeks, before
be home for the next three weeks, and on introducing them to my main tank. The fact is, water pH is probably the one
the plus side, they are currently still alive. thing, outside of ammonia or nitrite spikes,
For the first time in 19 years, though, my Instead, because of a moment where I that will most stress/affect a fish. I try to
main tank is now devoid of life, except for was making a major change in the ecology keep the pH as close to 7 as possible, but
of the tank, I figured “why not?”, and I just
22 facebook.cichlids.org.au
