75 Gallon Tank Help Needed!! Please......

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

  I am sorry to say, but I am back again and need your help. Which you ALWAYS give, your the one person who I know can help me. So here is my tank, a 75 Gallon Semi-Aggressive Planted Tank. We have a Fluval 350 & Magnum 350 Filters w/a UV steralizer hooked up. I checked my Chemistry Levels Last night and they were Ammonia-0ppm, Nitrite-0ppm, Nitrate-0ppm and PH-8.0. The Tempature stays around 80.0 to 81.0 Degrees. We do a water change 1 a week 50%, we gravel vacum about 1 or 2 a month depending on how dirty it is. We have 2 German Blue Rams, 2 Figure Eight Puffers, 2 Red Tailed Sharks, 2 Siamese Alagee Eaters, and 2 Petracola Catfish. We have had MANY deaths in this tank which you had helped me on before, we have lost 7 Fish total. Tank has been set up for 4 Months. Well recently Last week we had three sickness all in the same day. 1 German Blue Ram got pop-eye, 1 Gold Gourami had parasites BAD, and 1 Paradise Gourami I have no idea LOL. I think he died from a fungus, He had hurt his lip, it got better and than 3 weeks later he died. When he did die the lip was black. The Gold Gourami Died the other night and the Blue Ram is on his way now. We used Maracyn 2 in the Hospital tank as well as some eppsom salt...nothing worked. Anyways I was wondering if you could tell me what we are doing wrong here, or if there is something going on with our tank and how to fix it? Our tank is now bare and sad looking, and I can't stand to lose anymore fish. We also just started using Immune Plus to help the other fish in the 75 from getting sick. I have asked other Forums but all I get is that my fish are aggressive and killing everyone. I am just about ready to give up on this tank. Can you Please help?!???!???!

Thank you,

Kristal

ANSWER: Hi Kristal:  Well.... lets start with your fish... You say you have a semi aggressive tank... but the reality is that you have some aggressive fish and some non-aggressive fish... the figure 8 puffers are the only fish you have there that are aggressive and should REALLY be moved to another tank.  The sharks are community fish and may fight with each other but should leave everyone else alone.  The catfish are scavengers and as such will eat whatever they can find including your other fish but should not be attacking your fish.  The Siamese algae eaters and the blue rams are non aggressive.  The diseases that you have listed all have a common element... parasites, pop-eye, etc... there are bacterial infections that mimic parasites and pop-eye is usually caused by bacteria.  I would treat the tank with tetracycline and see how that works for them.  It would be nearly impossible for one fish to die of parasites without any of the other fish having them too.  Boost the fish's diet by giving them a variety of foods that include flake food, brine shrimp, tubi-flex worms and algae wafers.  This will help them to build a better immune system and not be so sickly.  I am not seeing that you are doing anything wrong specifically but would definitely try the tetracycline and the new diet... dave

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Okay, I will try to talk my Boyfriend into moving the puffers out (It is mainly his tank). He thought that it was not the puffers being aggressive, but yesterday I noticed my Other two Blue Rams had there lower (I think it would be called Doral fin but the two that hang down. Sorry I am no good at the anatomy of a fish LOL) Fins were bitten half off, one Ram had a chunk taken out of his fin, a red tailed shark had a chunk taken out of his tail (Which I didn't think would happen due to him being able to swim so fast). I think the Aggression is really coming out at night, because I don't see it during the day. I was also wondering, Should I put something in the tank to help with the fin damage? We do add a little of the Aquarium Salt everytime we do a water change, and the fish are swimming fine and still eating. Also, would a 30 Gallon Fish tank be okay for the 2 puffers or would we have aggression issues in there? I also feed the fish Bloodworms and Flake Food, and they get Krill & Brine Shrimp every other day (as well as some live black worms when I can find them)Thank your for your help, I appreciate it. I am going to go out and find that Tetracycline, Do I treat the ENTIRE 75 Gallon tank? And if so will it be okay with the Live Plants in the tank?!? Thank you again!! I always Know I can count on your for help!! You are like our Fishy Doctor LOL!!

Thank you So much!!

~Kristal & her Fishy's~

Answer
I would just treat the hospital tank for now... unless the other fish start to show signs or symptoms of illness.  The puffers may or may not be the root of the problem...sometimes non-aggressive fish worry themselves sick when there are larger predators around. Puffers will eat each other too... that is how aggressive they are.  One the other hand I have two pea puffers in a tank with guppies because I have about 500 snails in that tank the the puffers are happily eating the snails and leaving the guppies alone.  I have no such hope to leave them there forever because eventually they are going to decide they are sick of snails and eat a guppie or twelve.  If the puffers are fed extremely well they may leave your fish alone... at least for now... dave