Wonderful news! Nacho is eating again :) At this point I suspect he stopped eating because of some biofeedback message system his body has about the size of the container he is in. I think it took his body a little while in the larger container to get the message that it was okay to eat and grow aga...

Just a quick update- all is well for Nacho in his new home. The transfer preserved all the needed bacteria in his filter as no ammonia is accumulating in the water upon daily testing. More water means that I am doing about a 30% water change every 2-3 days now instead of daily, to keep the nitrate l...

Yes Eric, thank you for the words of caution- I have been mindful of nitrogen cycle flora while doing the new setup :) Victor, the tank is a 40 gallon breeder that measures 36" long, 19" deep and 17 " high. It gives Nacho a good foot more of swimming room in its length. The transfer i...

Thanks guys for the advice about buying used. I may need it if Nacho survives and outgrows this 40 gallon- I bought the new 40 gallon last night since it was the last one they had at the Petsmart near me and for 40 bucks you can't really beat it. It is a step up from what he has now. It was complete...

Good ideas Eric Thanks for the help!

Thank you for weighing in Victor. Your experience gives me a lot of peace of mind....for example I know so little about how probable it would be that the plastic could be poisoning him. Its good to hear you think scenario's 1 and 2 are a bit less likely than I am worried about, but I understand they...

Nacho is still with me but he has been refusing to eat recently. I am very worried. He still looks great. Nothing has changed in his habitat, water quality or feeding routine- I continue to offer the same foods daily. He was doing so well eating about 1/2 teaspoon of food daily with one fasting day ...

Just a quick update- Nacho is doing really well. I am feeding him daily now (except one day a week rest with no food). He is getting a little tummy on him now after he eats! I can tell he is gaining weight a little. I will try to get pictures. I am still going slowly to be safe, only about a 1/2 to ...

Viktor, yes I triple checked all the measurements for the filter mechanics (they get very specific- how far below the tank the filter can sit, how the tubes must be straight, how many inches below the tank rim the water can be, etc....it all checks out and I appreciate you telling me to check, easy ...

Its not clogged, that's the first thing I checked...I carefully washed it/rinsed it in aquarium water to make sure there was no hair/debris etc trapped in it. I don't see the foam density on the package, but its a "fluval edge pre filter sponge" - not that dense. I'm pretty decent with eng...

Thank you for the update about this Viktor. Sorry I have not written back in so long-total chaos over here. That total ammonia calculator was cool, but you did a good job of explaining this as a steady state equation before and I got the general idea. I'm pretty sure this is how the sea chem meter t...

Oh that's right, I remember you taught me that point awhile back. Thanks for the reminder. Well no gills on Rain so I guess its safe to say she excretes it at least!

Rainforest Jasper the turtle has a working functional nitrogen cycle going in her tank. She excretes ammonia waste but whenever I test her water the ammonia levels are zero ( I am assuming because she has plentiful amounts of the needed bacteria living in her filter that break down the ammonia in he...

ok great, sounds good. I will keep this current regimen going and hope. fins and fingers crossed! Thanks Victor. Yes, I read a bit about salt and nitrite. I guess I was taking the cycle graph too literally- I was looking at nitrite as a harbinger of good things. But the fact that ammonia does not de...

Here are some quick pix (sorry not enough time to get really good ones). On June 4th Nacho was almost dead. Water chemsitry issues and caution about re-feeding syndrome have both limited my rate of feeding him. His body is not as bony as when we first met 25 days ago, and his eyes are far far better...

Sorry for the delay- so so busy, not enough hours in the day right now. Thank you Jodilynn for your kind words of encouragement ♥ Yes, Alfred's story was amazing and gives me and Nacho hope. Viktor thank you for the clarification on the sudden death phenomenon. That is nice to know-perhaps there is ...

Nacho Update This is Day 17 that Nacho has had a working running fluval 206 canister filter in his container of water. It is Day 8 of him having a sack of "Marineland Carbon-Ammonia Neutralizing blend" added to the filter. Feeding was with-held today as a fast day (per Victor's info about...

Victor, thank you once again for your careful detailed responses. I'm sure they took much time to write. They are full of highly useful information to me. I have been swamped these past few days with business issues & moving issues, hence my delay in responding but this info has helped me, so my...

Thank you Birger. When I took the red eared slider in, I was taught that consuming a meal about the size of her head every 2-3 days was a reasonable way to feed her. When I adopted guinea pigs I was taught 1/8-1/4 cup of quality pellets, 1/2 cup fresh vegetables and unlimited timothy hay per day was...

Victor, thank you so much for all the time you took to share this valuable information. I deeply appreciate the teaching and advice. MF: I am testing the ammonia levels with API liquid testing kit and they have ranged from 0.25 to 1.0 at the worst (the highest was during the food trapping). VJ: The ...

Remember he'd appreciate the largest footprint over depth. In this vein for instance, a 300 gal Rubbermaid stock pond is great, 150 gal is not so great. So does this means that a large expanse or "surface area" for swimming is preferable over using up your water volume on depth? I think I...

Hi Birger. Why did they reclassify it? Was it gene sequencing data?

Good point, thanks! ;) Appreciate it. I test for nitrite often now and make the rookie conclusion that no nitrogen cycle is present because no nitrite is yet present, but I often make myself go back to the graph as a reminder of how long it actually takes. This is a very true and good point. I have ...

Victor thank you for all the awesome info- I will go through it carefully, read the links etc. I so appreciate the info and your experience with this breed of fish. Yes, I remember reading early on they changed the classification of the genus/species confusing everything for me! I think Ben (store o...

Nacho still going strong two weeks after being found almost dead in a bucket: http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm266/marjorie_loves_puppy/00354bd2-407b-4b7b-aac0-68eea1e1d7a4_zpschbhr2xf.jpg His vision has returned & eyes have healed back up with aggressive water changes-they are VERY sensitiv...

So nice to hear from you Victor-thank you for taking the time to read this thread and share your experience which is HIGHLY valuable since you care for this variety of fish and know others who do as well! Much has happened. I have connected with a HIGHLY knowledgeable aquarium business owner (some s...

Thank you for checking in racoll. I appreciate you confirming that you feel my current plan is a reasonable approach given Nacho's recent response to things and his special needs.

Nacho's behavior and vision have continued to improve in leaps and bounds since I changed my approach on Saturday to my original focus of large daily water changes (currently at about 50%, done in two increments of 25% morning and evening) and daily feedings. He can see again-all the eye swelling ha...

Nacho had a good meal this morning of his fish flakes and he was even willing to try a couple of catfish pellets this time. The difference in his behavior an hour or two after eating is SIGNIFICANT. His energy is markedly improved- he returned to the well behavior state I felt he exhibited the first...

Okay, this sounds like a good idea. I didn't know if the old plastic container had value in terms of water chemistry- possibly serving as a substrate for bacteria. I understanding what you are saying about his freak out potential- HIGHLY IMPORTANT POINT, thank you. I have been reading about this fis...