Dying Fish

[amagphoto]

Have a 55 gal fresh planted tank, Kh reading consistent 6, all other levels in line, water kind of hard, P.H. was reading 6.8 before starting new EI regiment....after EI dosing for 1 week, Flourish Comprehensive 3x / week and Flourish Trace Elements 3x/week my PH has increase to 7.8 in mornings, have had a couple of my celebese, and furcatus rainbows die (don't know if this is related or not to the PH swing???) ....have pressurized CO2, turn off at night and use airstone because thought maybe oxygen depletion?? Is my EI dosing affecting my PH, and is this a bad thing?

Help.

 

[Themuleous]

I'd be very surprised if the EI was causing the fish deaths. Many, many people (including myself) use EI with no problems at all. The pH 'swing' all sounds like it happened over a day or so, so that shouldn't be it either.

Sam

 

[nicklfire]

Do you actually monitor your co2 in the water, you might have way too much co2 and you dont even know it. I'd get a ph drop checker to monitor it or use the ph kh scale to measure your ppm of your co2.
What type of airstone are you using for your co2?? if it's a normal air stone then your wasting alot of your co2 because it's not diffusing into the water long enough... I'd get a ceramic diffuser... made for co2. The increased co2 would account for the increased ph readings i'd think.

That's where i would start

 

[amagphoto]

I'd be very surprised if the EI was causing the fish deaths. Many, many people (including myself) use EI with no problems at all. The pH 'swing' all sounds like it happened over a day or so, so that shouldn't be it either.

Sam

I kind of thought the same thing about the EI, plants are doing alot better it seems, getting some pearling....all other fish seem fine, did lose a couple new pencil fish last week a few days after in tank. Been measuring Co2 levels, use a Redsea pro system with a Co2 monitor in the tank, and test my KH and PH levels every day. Is there a way to check oxygen levels?? Keep trying to narrow down any causes for fish dying....but like I said, none of the other fish are showing signs of o2 levels too low (sucking for air at top of tank), and my plants are pearling. I'm thinking maybe some species are more sensative to certain things in the water, (ph kh co2 levels and the like) and just don't do well.....furcatus / celebese rainbows and/or pencil fish??? The Co2 monitor uses a liquid in an "upside down" drop checker with 3 colored levels, blue, green and yellow. Never let it get to the yellow levels (too much co2).

Do you actually monitor your co2 in the water, you might have way too much co2 and you dont even know it. I'd get a ph drop checker to monitor it or use the ph kh scale to measure your ppm of your co2.
What type of airstone are you using for your co2?? if it's a normal air stone then your wasting alot of your co2 because it's not diffusing into the water long enough... I'd get a ceramic diffuser... made for co2. The increased co2 would account for the increased ph readings i'd think.

That's where i would start

Using a redsea pro pressurized co2 injector system, with a Co2 upside down liquid filled drop checker in the water, and also measure KH at 6 and Ph at 7.8 (today kind of high, usually comes down throughout the day because injecting Co2). Adding Co2 usually drops Ph levels, and only running an airstone at night to oxygenate the tank at night.

 

[nicklfire]

Hmm interesting, I use the same red sea co2 indicator and i know about the pro pressurized your using i was going to go with that but sprung the extra money for higher quality but that's beside the point.

The water you should be using in your co2 indicator should be 4dkh solution instead of just ro water or tank water so you might not be getting a exact co2 amount, i saw in a study of all co2 indicators the red sea was the farthest off reading 70ppm when it was showing 30ppm.

You shouldnt have to add oxygen to the water with your plants in there, they should create enough oxygen aswell.

How long has the tank been setup for... are you newly cycling the tank?? how are your ammonia , nitrite and nitrate levels doing... are they all reading correctly..

 

[amagphoto]

Hmm interesting, I use the same red sea co2 indicator and i know about the pro pressurized your using i was going to go with that but sprung the extra money for higher quality but that's beside the point.

The water you should be using in your co2 indicator should be 4dkh solution instead of just ro water or tank water so you might not be getting a exact co2 amount, i saw in a study of all co2 indicators the red sea was the farthest off reading 70ppm when it was showing 30ppm.

You shouldnt have to add oxygen to the water with your plants in there, they should create enough oxygen aswell.

How long has the tank been setup for... are you newly cycling the tank?? how are your ammonia , nitrite and nitrate levels doing... are they all reading correctly..

All ammonia, nitrites and other levels are doing fine......the red sea co2 indicator is just a color only indicator....I'm also measuring the PH 7.8 and KH 6 and using the Ph kh tables to try to get some idea of exact levels. Also, doing the 24 hour waiting Ph test and have never seen any toxic or even high amounts of CO2 registering. Not sure what you mean by the red sea indicator "showing" 30ppm??? It is a color only indicator.

 

[amagphoto]

I'd be very surprised if the EI was causing the fish deaths. Many, many people (including myself) use EI with no problems at all. The pH 'swing' all sounds like it happened over a day or so, so that shouldn't be it either.

Sam

Don't really thinks it's the EI dosing either ...just trying to narrow down. I'm showing Kh 6 and Ph of 7.8 (this morning) so this does not indicate toxic Co2 levels?? Right? Also, I have a color (liquid) red sea pro system co2 drop checker in the tank that came with the kit....and also ran a 24 hr Ph test, and my Ph did not change a full point, only changed about .6 to .8 also indicating safe Co2 levels. Does this sound like my co2 levels are off? I just don't know another way to measure to get accurate results.