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Borderline rehoming fish and selling tank


Dana

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I've posted a few times about this. Have taken advice given. It's out of control. Pics taken just after water change and gravel siphon.

(note, TLC was suggested, not stocked in region so have had to order online, not used yet).

AR980 215ltr, been running 4-5 months.

PH 7.6

Nitrites 0

Nitrates 0 (slight spike 4 months ago, back to 0)

Ammonia 0

4 Dwarf Gourami, 6 Clown loach, 4 ghost cats and Bob the bristlenose. No overfeeding. Flake, pellets, wafers and blood worms once per week which I remove any excess worms. Fish seem healthy. Water appears clear.

Neurotic about weekly water changes

Was advised to remove certain plants. Have done.

Was suggested too much light, reduced

Been dosing with excel. Note pics make algae look red as in Dying BBA, but that's just the camera. It's black.

Green algae has to be scraped daily. Brown slime coats everything within 48 hours, even clogging filter intake

I'm borderline giving up. Love it, love my fish. I'm just at my wits end. The healthy looking plants in the background are just a poster...

Please, anyone have anything else that I could possibly try?? It's worse every day.

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IMG_1316 by danaj2009, on Flickr

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IMG_1314 by danaj2009, on Flickr

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IMG_1313 by danaj2009, on Flickr

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IMG_1311 by danaj2009, on Flickr

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IMG_1310 by danaj2009, on Flickr

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I thought the same thing. I'm in Ashhurst which is a small village 10kms outside Palmerston North. Our town is on bore water. We had a manganese issue, but with regular flushing from the council, it hasn't been an issue since before the tank was installed.

The nitrates rose to 5-10ppm 3 weeks after tank was in place, dropped back to zero and have stayed there. I've always wondered if it has something to do with these issues.

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+1, your nitrate reading should be higher, all signs are saying a high nitrate reading.

hate to sound like a salesperson but get an Aquaone nitrate test, I have had trouble getting readings with both the API and JBL kits before, but the A1 ones are not as accurate, but give a fair idea.

seriously though, where are yopu located???, im sure a heap of people here would come and help you rather than lose a person from this hobby (it has to be the most social, anti-social hobby I have ever had.

btw do not add any more fish until you have found the problem. if it is high nitrates (personally had to deal with this recently :oops: ) then adding fish may make the problem worse.

p.s. if you are in TGA i'll personally come round and help

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Cheers. I'll pick up a different nitrate kit tomorrow. The nitrate reading has always bugged me. Just didn't seem right. Spoke to LFS a few times and although very helpful, they couldn't identify what was going on.

I'm loathed to change the plants for obvious reasons. And same with fish, I didn't want to change anything as clearly I don't have the balance right.

I really don't want to give it up, but everything I do just makes it worse. Sorry for self vent over.

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Is there any where you can take your water to be tested for trace elements, would the council do it? Maybe they are still flushing the system with smaller amounts but on a regular basis. Ask them and see what their response is. All indications, looking a your pics point to an overload of something - it may take a while to find out what.

I was asking or the same reason fish guy, to see if Dana was in Aucks.

I use API kit and have never had an issue with a reading.

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I battled the council for over a year, just to test our drinking water. They didn't do anything until I posted a photo on their facebook page of the black water my daughter was supposed to bathe in.

The manganese issue was shown in discoloration of the water. Copper/brown. If it's trace, then there is nothing I can do about it.

Would Manganese not poison the fish? They're healthy. It can be rather nasty and contributes to lack of brain development in children if decent doses are given long term.

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also do a big water change (75 % if possible without disturbing temperature) and gravel syphon under EVERY ornament, it always freaks me out how much crud hides under a rock even when I move it every 2 weeks.

p.s. My nitrate poisoning case (Discus that was floating on its back, on surface for a day before I got back to work) took 3 50% water changes over 3 days to fix (BTW the discus came right after day 2, fine now.... (rookie mistake, doubling population, doubling feeding without increasing PWC's)

intial NO3 reading was 40ppm, next was 40ppm, 3rd was (around )35ppm... now on a 25% daily regime until fish are healthy and NO3 down to 10ppm max, then back to 3x weekly 33% change.

also if you can find funding get a sample tested professionally (or find someone locally that can do it properly (without council links sad but true), it might be a massive imbalance in the water chemistry)

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You should be able to ask the council for a breakdown of chemicals in the water supply and get a fast and polite response. I am wondering if they are using something to keep the water at a safe to drink level. What is the pH of your tap water?

What is your substrate?

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You should be able to ask the council for a breakdown of chemicals in the water supply and get a fast and polite response. I am wondering if they are using something to keep the water at a safe to drink level. What is the pH of your tap water?

What is your substrate?

:rotf: :sml1: :rotf: :sml1:

hrmmm... someone who has never dealt with a local council????????

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I had an ammonia issue a short while ago where I nearly lost several fish. Massive water changes sorted it. This problem followed.

The tap water is 7.6.

I'm just doing another round of tests now as they've been swinging quite a bit of late.

Substrate is gravel. Shown here approx 3 months ago before this all began

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IMG_1086 (2) by danaj2009, on Flickr

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just one strange possibility, try rehoming your clown loaches for a week or 2, see if you have a massive trumpet snail issue.

I had a tank that was trouble, moved the loachs out of it and 1hour later the thing was litterally covered 2 deep with MTS, nuked tank and started again, no problems since, though with the loaches it had been going on for 6 months.never saw 1 MTS (Nitrates through the roof in 2 days due to massive bioload)

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I put the loaches in when snails appeared. Find small shells every now and again.

Here's something interesting....just doing tests. Went back to instructions to be sure I was correct. Instructions advise time to shake vile ,I tripled the time just to be sure solution was mixed....am staring at it on the bench as it gets darker.....

shall see in 3 minutes....

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Heading out to get a couple of fish bins. I have a spare heater and a dual air pump so will set 2 up as the Gourami get antsy with each other.

Should I add some Cycle before reintroducing the fish to the main tank?

Woohoo for my Saturday night.... :slfg:

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