Black Aquarium Crappie Got Sick and Died today

[Moose1am]

,

[Crapbie]

I feel for ya, bad luck. I know about those damn fungal infections from my pet fish. Damn ick errrrr. I think you need to get a bigger aquarium if you get the chance. 20gal sounds alittle small to me anyway. I know a petshop that sells large ones from 60-100 bucks and they are like 50 gal or more. I really think it would be a good investment. Then use your current pump and filter but buy another one too from wally world or something. And deffinetely get a water temp gauge so you can be more ontop of the spawning and stuff. I know you know about that stuff and I'm sure it must be incredibly related. Maybe changing the location of the fish tank to different places in your house could be used to regulate the temperature in all the seasons Put them somewhere warmer in warm months and cooler in cool months, if you don't use heat or ac much then just ignore that.

I don't know how much experience you have with keeping those types of fish caus god knows I have none at all but want to do it one day. Maybe you could call a BPS or 2 and talk to the aquarium keeper. Free advice from someone that has to deal with your problems to the extreme?

p.s keep your eye on the other fish because they could be spawning too. The white crappie atleast and the catfish very soon.

[Gar-Getter]

If you have the room, instead of buying a larger, i.e. 100-200 gallon, just pick up one of those kiddie pools at wally-world. they work great for a short term, 1-2 years, experimental situation, and they're cheap.

tight lines and full live wells

[Pomoxis 2]

Sorry about your pet.
For fungal infections I have used Mardel's MarOxy with success. It's also supposed to work on bacterial infections, I think. Follow instructions, of course you will.
Interestingly, I have never had a fungal, bacterial or any other kind of problem with the three crappie I have kept. I got my first one, SLAB, as a 2" fry from a bunch of herring I bought for bait. After he grew to 10" in my 20 GALLON tank I had to let him go. But I was now in "love" so I talked to the friendly bait shop guy and he said he gets lots of them mixed in with his bait. I could have one anytime I wanted. I wanted. The next one was eventually named Albert after the famous physicist. He just seemed so smart.

A couple tips for healthy fish (you may already know):

1- Always use a water conditioner for initial setup and water changes. I used to use Kordon's NovAqua liquid, but later switched to (powder) Seachem's Neutral Regulator pH 7.0 or Discus Buffer pH 6.0 with great results. If your water is hard use the 6.0. You can also mix them to adjust.

2- I have been using a hybrid filter setup. Every aquarium store guy I have ever talked to said "It wouldn't work" or "You can't do that". I think giant Crappie and/or Angelfish are proof enough you can: Use a regular outboard filter like the Second Nature Whisper Power Filter and also an undergravel filter. Connect the intake for the outboard to one of the outlets of the undergravel. I also connected the other outlet of the undergravel to a self priming AC pump to evacuate water quickly at the flip of a switch. No siphons or spills in this house! Waste water is taken from under the gravel. What more could you want? It works so good I do water changes about 1/4 as often as is recommended and they thrive. I think this is another one of my ideas that was "stolen" since then and reaping huge profits for someone.

3- I was able to teach my sunnies (and eventually largemouths!) to eat freeze dried shrimp & stuff and that was way convenient! However, I could never do it with Crappie. They only wanted live, moving food. Fine, but do not give them the same thing every day. Use nightcrawlers, worms, shiners, fatheads, darters, insects etc. MIX IT UP! My doctor told me the same thing. If you can get them to eat prepared food and alternate it with the other stuff they will probably be even healthier.

Sorry for rambling...

[Cane Pole]

Crappie and Bass ain't pets. They food man..

[crappster]

They make great pets. Fun to watch and don't get hair all over the house!

[crappster]

The two crappie I have in my tank just recently got some sort of cloudy fungus or something on their eyes. Same with the little pumpkinseed I have in there. The only thing I did different was treat the tank for ick. The little pickeral I had in there had classic ick looking white spots all over him. I treated the tank and the rest of the fish have had cloudy eyes since. Its been about a week now and its not getting better. Not sure what to do.

[crappster]

Thats the problem with these medicines sold to put in aquariums. I have to use sooo much for a 75 gallon tank. Its a pain. But thanks for the advice.

[Pomoxis 2]

Treating infections in aquarium fish can be near impossible sometimes. As far as I have experienced, it is easier to prevent than to cure. I am no expert, but don't mind sharing tips that have worked for me. Some tips I left out of my original response are these:

4- Always use a good bacterial culture for any setup and after using any medicines. I have had great results with Bacter Vital Freshwater Formula made by Marc Weiss Companies Inc. 954-894-9222. A really good bacteria culture seems to make an environment where harmful bacteria cannot thrive. Any introduction of fish, plants or water from natural sources will introduce beneficial bacteria, but not necessarily all of what you need, and who knows what other harmful stuff. This culture also works wonders for preventing filter clogging.

5- Plants. Real plants will compete with algae in a great way and change the water chemistry to the benefit of the fish. You will have to experiment to find the type of plants that grow best in your tank. Always use a grow light with a timer set for about 8-10 hrs / day.

6- I have had good results with a pH of about 6.2 - 6.8. This may seem acidic but the results were great. If your water is hard it can be near impossible to get it there. A water softener installed in your house will work, but of course you won't put it in just for your aquarium, or will you? An alternative is to use water softener cartridges (ion-exchange resin) to create aquarium water (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals aquariumpharm.com). Forget about those little "rechargeable softener pillows".
Soft water without a buffer is suceptible to pH changes, so use the Seachem and keep an eye on it. I use Mardel's Freshwater Aqua Lab 1 test strips and can read total hardness, total alkalinity/buffering capacity and pH with one test strip.

Have FUN!