Angel Fish & Tetras

Question
My husband placed our fish in a sheetrock mud bucket with the air filter and everything.  The bucket was clean - we've done it before in order to clean our aquarium.  He left them overnite.  One of my tetras was dead and my other 2 fish are sick.  The angel fish is alive but floating sideways and has some kind of covering over one of his eyes.  The other tetra just lays at the bottom.  He's treated the water but they are no longer eating.

Can you help?  I hate for them to suffer.

Rebecca

Answer
Hi Rebecca;

They probably got too cold and irritated their eyes and skin on the sides of the bucket. Turn off the lights in the aquarium to let them recover on their own. If you can get some melafix and aquarium salt from the local fish store they will help the fish heal and ward off infection. Use the Melafix according to instructions on the label and add the salt at a rate of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of tank water.

It isn't necessary to remove the fish from the tank to clean. It puts them in shock if they are removed. Doing regular water changes of 25% every week and vacuuming the gravel every 3 or 4 weeks is all that is needed. It is much easier on the fish if they are left in their familiar surroundings while it gets done. Removing everything and cleaning too much can seriously disturb the biological balance in the tank too. It makes the fish sick and just isn't helthy. Even if you have waited too long between changes and need to clean more than usual, it is safer to just make a 25% water change every day for 3 or 4 days to gradually get it cleaned up. Major changes are just too hard on the poor guys.

Here is more info on cleaning;

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/qa/l/blqa2006.htm
http://www.fishinthe.net/html/section-viewarticle-23.html
http://www.acicorp.us/cleaning_aquarium.php

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins