So, clearly at least one of my Clown Loaches and a White Cloud Mountain Minnow are in distress. The loach has a red mark around his mouth, and his skeletal structure is visible around his head (he's wasting away). At first I thought the red area was a scratch, or something irritating him, as the other two Clowns can get a bit rough, and I didn't know what to think of his head. The Minnow is rather reddish, and another is clearly wasting. Yet my remaining two Minnows look healthy (one is a male and has harrassed the others in the past), as does my Black Neon Tetra. Now, I've done some Nutrafin test kit tests (liquid tests, not the stick-based ones), and I've even gone to the vets with water, and there is a lot of confusion on my end.
My Nutrafin tests suggest:
PH ~7.5 (5/1/13)
*Ammonia ~0.3mg/L (23/12/12, 3/1/13, 5/1/13)
Nitrites ~0mg/L (4/1/13)
Nitrates ~5-10mg/L (4/1/13)
*To my knowledge, the Nutrafin test doesn't discriminate between toxic ammonia (NH3) and ionised ammonia (NH4), and the instructions are somewhat confusing too. They suggest that if the results are over 1.2mg/L to test PH, and then use the chart on the back of the instruction leaflet to determine if toxic ammonia is present. Am I to take it that such a kit will almost always detect ammonia in some form, and that my current stats suggest it is likely in non-toxic form?
The vet tests suggest Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are all very high, in the danger zone...except over the phone I was advised to take in water from the filter. I asked if their tests would detect parasites, possibly through the fish waste (the receptionist said it would). I basically squeezed water out of the carbon and polyester filter sponges, along with some waste, while my own tests are with a pipette and right from tank water, not the filter. Would that have something to do with the disparity in my tests and the vet's? I.e. is it to be expected that ammonia and nitrites would be found in the filter, since that is where ammonia>nitrites>nitrates takes place?
Tank is 50-60Litres...and I know I shouldn't have Clowns in such a set-up, but I had them way back when I was very naive and uninformed, and have stuck with them since. One of them is +8 years, the other two coming up to 8 in September/October (actually, I had a larger fish tank before 2009...had to emergency evac to this one, with NO opportunity for cycling in-between...no idea how the Clowns survived that ordeal). Up to now, I've had no issues, been able to keep the stats fish friendly. Never ever had Ich or Velvet *touch wood*. My main concern with moving these fish is stressing them out far too much, since they are very difficult to catch. However, recent developments have convinced me it might be time to change that outlook...but that will now have to be addressed after the current situation has been resolved.
I am currently doing water changes, 10L yesterday, 10L today, and 10L tomorrow. Added Nutrafin Cycle yesterday (but have never used it previously), and will also tomorrow. I did change one of the carbon filters about a month or so ago (could this have caused an ammonia spike? I always douse any replacement media in water I have already cleaned dirty media in to retain beneficial bacteria). I previously dosed the aquarium with Nutrafin Aqua Plus for the so-called scratches (that aren't scratches afterall...). Last clean was 24th December (10L), after noticing that ~0.3mg/L ammonia on the 23rd, and before that it was the 19th.
EDIT: Not sure, but the catfish pellets I feed the Clowns may have become damp at some point (no way that any liquid got into them, though). A few of them were clumped together, but if they'd gotten damp, I'd think most would clump. Maybe the way they were made? I use the lid from the catfish pellet tub to dish out the flake food rather than touch it with my hands (some flake food is stuck to the lid). Here I go obsessing...
My Nutrafin tests suggest:
PH ~7.5 (5/1/13)
*Ammonia ~0.3mg/L (23/12/12, 3/1/13, 5/1/13)
Nitrites ~0mg/L (4/1/13)
Nitrates ~5-10mg/L (4/1/13)
*To my knowledge, the Nutrafin test doesn't discriminate between toxic ammonia (NH3) and ionised ammonia (NH4), and the instructions are somewhat confusing too. They suggest that if the results are over 1.2mg/L to test PH, and then use the chart on the back of the instruction leaflet to determine if toxic ammonia is present. Am I to take it that such a kit will almost always detect ammonia in some form, and that my current stats suggest it is likely in non-toxic form?
The vet tests suggest Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are all very high, in the danger zone...except over the phone I was advised to take in water from the filter. I asked if their tests would detect parasites, possibly through the fish waste (the receptionist said it would). I basically squeezed water out of the carbon and polyester filter sponges, along with some waste, while my own tests are with a pipette and right from tank water, not the filter. Would that have something to do with the disparity in my tests and the vet's? I.e. is it to be expected that ammonia and nitrites would be found in the filter, since that is where ammonia>nitrites>nitrates takes place?
Tank is 50-60Litres...and I know I shouldn't have Clowns in such a set-up, but I had them way back when I was very naive and uninformed, and have stuck with them since. One of them is +8 years, the other two coming up to 8 in September/October (actually, I had a larger fish tank before 2009...had to emergency evac to this one, with NO opportunity for cycling in-between...no idea how the Clowns survived that ordeal). Up to now, I've had no issues, been able to keep the stats fish friendly. Never ever had Ich or Velvet *touch wood*. My main concern with moving these fish is stressing them out far too much, since they are very difficult to catch. However, recent developments have convinced me it might be time to change that outlook...but that will now have to be addressed after the current situation has been resolved.
I am currently doing water changes, 10L yesterday, 10L today, and 10L tomorrow. Added Nutrafin Cycle yesterday (but have never used it previously), and will also tomorrow. I did change one of the carbon filters about a month or so ago (could this have caused an ammonia spike? I always douse any replacement media in water I have already cleaned dirty media in to retain beneficial bacteria). I previously dosed the aquarium with Nutrafin Aqua Plus for the so-called scratches (that aren't scratches afterall...). Last clean was 24th December (10L), after noticing that ~0.3mg/L ammonia on the 23rd, and before that it was the 19th.
EDIT: Not sure, but the catfish pellets I feed the Clowns may have become damp at some point (no way that any liquid got into them, though). A few of them were clumped together, but if they'd gotten damp, I'd think most would clump. Maybe the way they were made? I use the lid from the catfish pellet tub to dish out the flake food rather than touch it with my hands (some flake food is stuck to the lid). Here I go obsessing...
/www.bollmoraakvarieklubb.org/artiklar/praktbotia/clown%20loach.htm
and yesh u would need to remove the carbon as that would just kill of the medication quicker if u dont 
