smithrc
My names Russell.... ....and I'm a
Just a warning to all presurised CO2 users...
Since moving over to the bigger tank for the plants out CO2 level has been a bit low. around 25 rather than the 35 I was used to. I didnt do anything as we had an incident that involved having to move the tank - the external filter leaked. anyway - the canister ran out so I replaced it and upped the bubble rate a bit a little...
I meant to test the PH shortly after, before the lights went out and before I went to bed... but got distracted and clean forgot...
I came home from work yesterday evening to a tank full of, on first glance, dead fish...
some of our prized plecs 2x L134 1x L075 and a bristlenose. 5x Rummynoses, 4x Prestillas, 2x ladder loachs, 3x Khulis, 3 pygmy corys and 3 amano shrimp.
The bubble counter was going 10 to the dozen...
the tetras were floating belly up on the surface, the 134s wer belly up on the bottom, with sand on them, BUT they were still breathing...
the 075 however was compleatly un-responsive
...
I did a 50% water change and turned the filter upwards and added an air stone... PH worries and temp differences were thrown to the wind....
The PH had risen to 5.8 after this and about 30 mins! - I dread to think what it was before but with a KH of about 6.75 the CO2 would have been sky high
I spent the time during the water change moving the 'survivours' and gathering up deads
I moved the 134s to the tank in the bedroom,
we lost 5x rummynoses, 1x ladder loach and a pristilla
as i went to put rambo (the 075 plec) in with the deads I turned him over (tear in eye as he was my favorite) i was just looking at him as i thought i saw its 'chest' move. it did it again about 2 secs later! he was still with us
He joined the rest of the tanks inhabitants in the bedroom tank, and with all the luck in the world, everyone else has pulled through! I couldn't leave them in the bebroom tank as there would have been killing overnight with the plecs fighting with the 5 already in the tank. I moved the plecs and the others i could catch, back to the planted tank last night and they are fine now...
I feel so bad... but it could have been one of those incidents that make you give up fish keeping... as it is i think the planted tank is on the way out... low light easy care plants from now on I think.
Key points to remember....
- ALWAYS allow the CO2 tanks temperature to stabilise before adjusting flow rate
- DONT adjust the output when you cant monitor the results
- Fish can deal with a lot more PH and temp shock than we give them credit for.
- Plecs have a really soft belly
)
[edit]
OMG... i just worked out the co2 level with a ph of 5.5...
about 800ppm!
Since moving over to the bigger tank for the plants out CO2 level has been a bit low. around 25 rather than the 35 I was used to. I didnt do anything as we had an incident that involved having to move the tank - the external filter leaked. anyway - the canister ran out so I replaced it and upped the bubble rate a bit a little...
I meant to test the PH shortly after, before the lights went out and before I went to bed... but got distracted and clean forgot...
I came home from work yesterday evening to a tank full of, on first glance, dead fish...
some of our prized plecs 2x L134 1x L075 and a bristlenose. 5x Rummynoses, 4x Prestillas, 2x ladder loachs, 3x Khulis, 3 pygmy corys and 3 amano shrimp.
The bubble counter was going 10 to the dozen...
the tetras were floating belly up on the surface, the 134s wer belly up on the bottom, with sand on them, BUT they were still breathing...
the 075 however was compleatly un-responsive
...I did a 50% water change and turned the filter upwards and added an air stone... PH worries and temp differences were thrown to the wind....
The PH had risen to 5.8 after this and about 30 mins! - I dread to think what it was before but with a KH of about 6.75 the CO2 would have been sky high
I spent the time during the water change moving the 'survivours' and gathering up deads
I moved the 134s to the tank in the bedroom,
we lost 5x rummynoses, 1x ladder loach and a pristilla
as i went to put rambo (the 075 plec) in with the deads I turned him over (tear in eye as he was my favorite) i was just looking at him as i thought i saw its 'chest' move. it did it again about 2 secs later! he was still with us
He joined the rest of the tanks inhabitants in the bedroom tank, and with all the luck in the world, everyone else has pulled through! I couldn't leave them in the bebroom tank as there would have been killing overnight with the plecs fighting with the 5 already in the tank. I moved the plecs and the others i could catch, back to the planted tank last night and they are fine now...
I feel so bad... but it could have been one of those incidents that make you give up fish keeping... as it is i think the planted tank is on the way out... low light easy care plants from now on I think.
Key points to remember....
- ALWAYS allow the CO2 tanks temperature to stabilise before adjusting flow rate
- DONT adjust the output when you cant monitor the results
- Fish can deal with a lot more PH and temp shock than we give them credit for.
- Plecs have a really soft belly
)[edit]
OMG... i just worked out the co2 level with a ph of 5.5...
about 800ppm!
but could have been worse !
