Quick Help with New Fish - High Ammonia in Shipping Bag

[Beastie]

Hello All,

Looking for some quick help.

I received 4 fish today. Convict tang, powder blue tang, hippo tang and swallowtail.
Out of the 4, 2 (hippo and convict) had really high ammonia in the bag to the point the fish were swimming upside-down and breathing heavy.

First thing I did was get those two fish out of the bag water and into a bucket with good tank water. (ph was off slightly, and so was salinity) I figured this was better than trying to drip acclimate them.

I have an air pump running in the bucket. the convict tang is starting to swim around, but the hippo is laying on the bottom breathing heavy.

Anything else I can do?

 

[Humblefish]

Methylene Blue or Malachite Green is great for treating ammonia burn. Use about 1/2 teaspoon in a 5 gallon bucket. Looks like even Wally World may have it (I'd call first before you deal with that mess ): http://www.walmart.com/ip/48186437?...3814554&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=177089331634&veh=sem

Malachite Green/Methylene Blue: Treats ammonia burn, cuts, injuries.

How To Treat - Comes in both liquid and powder form, sometimes mixed in with another medication(s). So, follow the directions on the label. Best used as a 30 minute bath solution, but you also can treat with it in a quarantine tank. Aerate heavily. If you are using it in a bath solution, then it is also a good idea to treat the fish with nitrofurazone (active ingredient found in Furan-2 and Nitrofuracin Green Powder) once he is returned to the quarantine tank. Nitrofurazone is great for treating open wounds or sores.

Pros - Highly effective.

Cons/Side Effects - Depletes oxygen from the water. Malachite Green is considered “harsher” on fish than Methylene Blue.

 

[Beastie]

Thanks for the reply.

Wally World by me doesn't carry it. Looking elsewhere

 

[melypr1985]

Quick thinking. Hopefully they recover. Good advice from Dr. Fish there. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Humblefish]

Thanks for the reply.

Wally World by me doesn't carry it. Looking elsewhere

Petco/smart probably sells a product containing Methylene Blue. Even if it has to wait until tomorrow, I would still give the fish exposed to the high ammonia a 1 hour bath in it to help heal their gills. But if the ammonia has already reached their internal organs, those fish are toast and will likely die in 2-3 days.

 

[Sabellafella]

Hello All,

Looking for some quick help.

I received 4 fish today. Convict tang, powder blue tang, hippo tang and swallowtail.
Out of the 4, 2 (hippo and convict) had really high ammonia in the bag to the point the fish were swimming upside-down and breathing heavy.

First thing I did was get those two fish out of the bag water and into a bucket with good tank water. (ph was off slightly, and so was salinity) I figured this was better than trying to drip acclimate them.

I have an air pump running in the bucket. the convict tang is starting to swim around, but the hippo is laying on the bottom breathing heavy.

Anything else I can do?

Keep in mind the higher the ph the more toxic ammonia is so if yi
Our going to drip them keep taking out a cup of water constantly