Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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. IMG_1316 by danaj2009, on Flickr IMG_1314 by danaj2009, on Flickr IMG_1313 by danaj2009, on Flickr IMG_1311 by danaj2009, on Flickr IMG_1310 by danaj2009, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camtang Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 thought about getting a fish or 3 to munch it away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Where are you located? Of interest is the fact that you have 0 nitrate. Being the end product of tank that has completed its nitrogen cycle there should be a reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 +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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Oh. location stated above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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???????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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 IMG_1086 (2) by danaj2009, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 BTW, the grasses have been removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 :rotf: :sml1: :rotf: :sml1: hrmmm... someone who has never dealt with a local council???????? Incorrect! How long go was the ammonia issue an how big were the water changes and over what period of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Ammonia issue around 8 weeks ago. Water changes every 2 days 30% till dropped. Levels came down, fish were still sick so I changed 60%. They turned upright by morning, and started eating 24 hours later. Ammonia was reading 0 by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 if thats the nitrate test, make sure you shake part A until it dissolves, part B just once or twice and then just swirl the 5 drops of part C if part A doesn't dissolve you get a dodgy result (sometimes 0 sometimes extremely high) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 This API is a 2 part test. Now showing 20ppm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgustipated Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 man if i were you i would start over. ten points for your patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 I thought about that. Problem being, I don't have anywhere to house my fish while I do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted November 23, 2012 Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 cheap 50L fish bin from bunning, run an airline into it and plop your heater in, will do fine for days like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 That's a great idea. How long can they stay like that? I don't have a spare filtration unit and the current one is in the hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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