Oops? Help, please.

[OrandaMan]

Today, I bought a product from Tetra called Blackwater Extract. It advertises that it replicates the blackwater conditions of an Amazon biotope. I used it for my tropical tank and after waking my aquaria this morning, I noticed a marked positive difference in color and behavior of my tetras and rasboras and the mickey mouse platy and betta don't seem bothered by it, even if I notice no difference in color or behavior (which I expected anyway). However, I'm concerned for my three guppies. When I turned the lights on, the male remained just above the substrate for several minutes before he rose to the top and swam around slowly just under the surface. I also notice a short, slight rugburn-red stripe on either side of him that runs from behind his eyes to shortly before the mid-point of his body. The two females seemed to be doing slightly better at first, especially the smaller, yellow one. But the previously grey female is now a much brighter, beige color and seems a bit more translucent. Now all three are hanging out at the surface. All of this seems to point to them not getting enough oxygen. To me, it says a lot about the seriousness of the problem that the male isn't at all being the horndog he always is. And I don't recall their eyes to be bulging out of the sides of their heads as is happening now.

The additive claims to be an excellent conditioner for all soft water fish. The principal ingredients are vitamins B2, B6, B12, nicotonic amide, panthenol, biotin, and peat extract. Did this make the water too polluted for guppies?

I suspect I may have to give them to the store where I got them, though I'll miss them dearly (as will my betta, who seems to have become the male's best friend). If I have to, I won't be able to until the afternoon, so should I perhaps move them to the goldies tank or even the 2.65 gallon tank where my new betta resides to prevent disaster, or would those choices be just as disasterous?

Most of you have much more experience than I, so your quick opinion would be greatly appreciated.

[OrandaMan]

Hmmm. Maybe this was a false alarm. They all went eagerly to their breakfast and, all of the sudden, the larger female is grey again. Thay're also more active and spending much less time at the surface. Still, the earlier symptoms can't be ignored, can they? Whoa, the male is even chasing tail again. But, one of his eyes is most definitely bulging unnaturally.

I can still move them to another tank and (I just thought of this) can even keep them safe with my breeder box. What should I do?

[OrandaMan]

Hmmm. Maybe this was a false alarm. They all went eagerly to their breakfast and, all of the sudden, the larger female is grey again. Thay're also more active and spending much less time at the surface. Still, the earlier symptoms can't be ignored, can they? Whoa, the male is even chasing tail again. But, one of his eyes is most definitely bulging unnaturally.

I can still move them to another tank and (I just thought of this) can even keep them safe with my breeder box. What should I do?

[CichlidFan]

Keep us posted on this issue...sounds interesting ...good luck...

CF

[PhishPhreek]

Sounds like you overdosed the fish.
"pH Shock" in fish has visible symptoms. Fish that exhibit pH shock will lay on the bottom of the tank, often on their side, and will be breathing abnormally heavy.
When making changes to your tank it is best to make them slowly. I usually do a 30% change when introducing imported "rain forest" fish to my "fish room" environment. Put the new fish in isolation in the water it was shipped in. Add half as much new water wait a few hours and repete until the isolation tank is full.

[OrandaMan]

I just checked the pH and it's where I had it previously - 6.4. It had to have been one of the ingredients of the additive. I'm guessing the information on the label was wrong or I've been wrong about the conditions my guppies require.

Anyway, they seem to have adjusted. But will this happen again if I use the product again? It says to replenish monthly or with every water change and I really like the effect it's had on my tetras and rasboras. I guess I should get another tank strictly for guppies. The minimum size I should look at is 10 gallons, right?

And I suppose the eye damage is permanent. That's more than upsetting, but as long as it doesn't get worse and they seem happy, I guess that's okay. Will have to watch them, though.

[OrandaMan]

By the way, I apologize for the two double posts. Due to a mixup with the phone company, my DSL is off until the 25th, so I'm stuck on my G1 phone, which obviously has a few bugs in the browser department. I hope that posting this from the full reply screen rather than the quick reply box relieves the problem.

If someone could remove the unnecessary copies, it would be greatly appreciated.

[PhishPhreek]

I have only used blackwater extract a few times, I prefer a tea made from IAL. I use it to lower the pH for my Bettas and as a mild antibiotic to heal/prevent infections and wounds. If you are attempting to duplicate rain forest waters, then yes you should use it again when you do a partial water change. If your fish seem aclimated now then it was more than likely a shock due to the change and continueing to use it should not create any attitional problems.
The reason I don't use any tanks smaller than a 10g is that they are more expensive than a new 10g and I pick up 10g at garage sales for next to nothing and they usually come with lots of accessories i dont use.
Small tanks are inherantly unstable.... It takes much less crap to polute them. And things can got to hell a lot faster if you don't keep an eye on them. But there are a lot of great looking mini-water worlds being cared for those that love them. This is a self correcting hobby. If you don't have the time to take proper care of your fish. They will die off until ther are only as many as you can take care of. So if you want to make the time to care for a micro-environment, go for it.

[villa1973]

couldnt agree more with phishphreak answer, sudden water changes or drops in temperature or ph, can harm your fish.