Reviving old hobby with my son, cammelanus worms, ich, and equipment failure. Good times!

[autyfish]

Okay so I have a 37 high tank with 2 angelfish, 2 German blue rams, 2 apistogramas, 2 japanseThey are all juveniles and not very impressive yet. Wild story, but one set of grandparents purchased my son the tank for Christmas, and my mom went and picked out the fish based on a wishlist my son had made up. Great right?

Except we live 150 miles from the awesome fish store these fish were purchased at, and the fish showed up the day after the tank. So here I am, doing a fish in cycle with $80 worth of fish . So far it’s all going well and we are about 4 weeks in. I used bottled bacteria and a filter from my daughter’s little tank that hadn’t been changed out in a year, so it was good and bacteria-fied. Except battling cammelanus worms (levamisole to the rescue) they came from the store with and my heater quitting so now they have ich. So it’s been one rough week. But my water parameters are 0-0-5ish and I’m just keeping a close eye on them. Wouldn’t have been my choice to do things this way, but…. I had some awesome tanks back in college and everyone had a little too much faith in my abilities and too little knowledge of what they were doing.

I’m currently dosing with some aquarium salt and trying to get my temperature up enough to help the ich. My heater can’t seem to get the water above 79 degrees no matter how high I crank it, but it’s cold here and the air temp is about 65 in my house, so maybe that’s the issue? I thought these heaters just heated the water to the correct temperature then shut off? It is a 200 watt aquaeon filter that was literally the only thing available to me when my heater quit. Any advice on that?

 

[autyfish]

The above should say Japanese trapdoor snails

 

[Byron]

Welcome to TFF, and welcome back into the hobby.

On the heater problem...most aquarium heaters have limitations in heating the tank water depending upon the room temperature. Years ago I was advised that the room temperature should be no more than 10-12 degrees below the intended water temperature, to avoid overworking the heater which often causes them to fail completely. Also, when the heater is placed in the tank, have the water temperature at or very close to the intended set temperature, again to avoid overworking the heater. As an example, if you want the tank water to be 77F, have the first fill of water close to this temperature, and the ambient room temperature should be around 70F. If the room cools during the night, provided it is not extreme (65F is not extreme) the heater should be OK in maintaining the tank water at or around 77F.

As for the calibration, this is often not exactly on the mark, b y which I mean setting the heater to say 77F may not result in a water temperature of 77F, but it can be less or more. I have an Eheim heater (reliable make) that is set at 21C and it keeps the tank water at 25C (which is where I want it). Setting it at 25C heated the tank to 29C. The heater works fine, but sometimes it needs some adjusting. Always use a thermometer such as one of the floating type that can be floated in a corner (always away from the heater so you know the temperature of the distant water) or a digital one, to have an accurate temperature reading of the water. Adjust the heater until it maintains the water at the desired temperature.

The heater is the most important piece of equipment for the aquarium, as a sudden temperature change (up or down, I've seen both) will stress the fish, and this may result in ich, or outright death of the fish. So it is wise to buy a good quality heater. The light can fail, the filter can fail, with no imminent issues, but not the heater.

 

[autyfish]

Thank you so much for the advice! Wish I had the opportunity to wait to buy an eheim heater…they’re a lot cheaper than the one I was able to pick up at petco for sure! Maybe I should buy one and have 2 heaters in there?

 

[Naughts]

Salt does not cure ich so yes, get another heater. It needs to be 86° for two weeks. The apistogramma looks rather unwell.

 

[Colin_T]

You can buy sheets of polystyrene foam and tape them to the outside of the tank, on the back and sides. Have a piece under the tank too. Try to get foam that is 1-2 inches thick and it will help insulate the tank and make life easier for the heater.

Have a coverglass on the tank. Use glass that is 4, 5 or 6mm thick. It is less likely to crack or chip compared to thinner glass (2 or 3mm thick). A decent coverglass will trap lots of heat, stop water evaporating, and reduce the chance of fish jumping out.

You can put a sheet of polystyrene foam on top of the tank at night to help insulate it too. If you don't have foam, use a towel or blanket but make sure it is not in contact with electrical appliances like light units that can heat up and catch fire. Also make sure no water gets onto the towel/ blanket because it can wick the water out of the tank and empty the aquarium overnight.

-------------------
WHITE SPOT
The white spot can be treated with heat or chemicals. Heat requires getting the water temperature up to 30C (86F) and keeping it there for 2 weeks, or at least 1 week after all the white dots have gone.

Because you are having trouble keeping the water warm, you are probably better off using chemical medications that contain copper or Malachite Green. Copper is safer but kills invertebrates like shrimp and snails. Malachite Green is a carcinogen (causes cancer) so avoid coming into contact with it and always wash your hands with soapy water after working with chemicals or in the aquarium.

If you do use Malachite Green, get it in a liquid form instead of a powder form. The liquid is easier to handle and there is significantly less chance of you getting the chemical on you.

-------------------
ROCKS & ORNAMENTS
You have limestone rocks in the tank. These are the white rocks. They will cause the pH of your water to go up above 7.0. Limestone can raise the pH to 8.5 and you have a few bits in there so that could be an issue considering the fish you keep. They all come from soft acid water with a pH below 7.0.

-------------------
ADD SOME PLANTS
If you put some live plants in the tank, they will help reduce or even prevent the algae from growing on everything. A good floating plant is Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta). It can be planted in the substrate too.

Some other good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, narrow Vallis, and Amazon sword plants. these all get planted in the sand/ gravel.

It looks like you have 2 different species of Apistogramma too. Apistogramma agassizii and A. cacatuoides

 

[vanalisa]

See!

I have actually taped a heating pad next to an aquarium before... I know it's strange but I also know it helped. It was a small 10g, and I had to make sure I kept it turned on, because they automatically shut off after a certain amount of time.
Obviously this wasn't a permanent solution!!! Nevertheless I think it was very beneficial for that one weekend it got really really cold and I was too busy to go buy another heater.

second option is there anyway you can set up a small space heater near the tank just to heat that general area of the room? I've done that before and it really helped also.
Just a couple of heat-related hacks.

Listen to these smart folks and they want to help you and likely will end up helping your fish as well!

 

[foxgirl158]

One time, I had to put some fry in a 3.5g bucket because they were eating the smaller fry. It was a day or so before I was able to get a bubbler and heater, so I heated up rice filled heat packs and wrapped them around the base of the bucket it worked rather well as long as I didn’t let them get too cold!

 

[autyfish]

Salt does not cure ich so yes, get another heater. It needs to be 86° for two weeks. The apistogramma looks rather unwell.

I’ll get it ordered. He’s not at his best for sure. The cammelanus worms were pretty tough on everyone, and the heater was insult to injury. Partly that’s an awful picture, but he’s definitely not at his best.

 

[autyfish]

Salt does not cure ich so yes, get another heater. It needs to be 86° for two weeks. The apistogramma looks rather unwell.

I’ll get it ordered. He’s not at his best for sure. The cammelanus worms were pretty tough on everyone, and the heater was insult to injury. Partly that’s an awful picture, but he’s definitely not at his bedti

You can buy sheets of polystyrene foam and tape them to the outside of the tank, on the back and sides. Have a piece under the tank too. Try to get foam that is 1-2 inches thick and it will help insulate the tank and make life easier for the heater.

Have a coverglass on the tank. Use glass that is 4, 5 or 6mm thick. It is less likely to crack or chip compared to thinner glass (2 or 3mm thick). A decent coverglass will trap lots of heat, stop water evaporating, and reduce the chance of fish jumping out.

You can put a sheet of polystyrene foam on top of the tank at night to help insulate it too. If you don't have foam, use a towel or blanket but make sure it is not in contact with electrical appliances like light units that can heat up and catch fire. Also make sure no water gets onto the towel/ blanket because it can wick the water out of the tank and empty the aquarium overnight.

-------------------
WHITE SPOT
The white spot can be treated with heat or chemicals. Heat requires getting the water temperature up to 30C (86F) and keeping it there for 2 weeks, or at least 1 week after all the white dots have gone.

Because you are having trouble keeping the water warm, you are probably better off using chemical medications that contain copper or Malachite Green. Copper is safer but kills invertebrates like shrimp and snails. Malachite Green is a carcinogen (causes cancer) so avoid coming into contact with it and always wash your hands with soapy water after working with chemicals or in the aquarium.

If you do use Malachite Green, get it in a liquid form instead of a powder form. The liquid is easier to handle and there is significantly less chance of you getting the chemical on you.

-------------------
ROCKS & ORNAMENTS
You have limestone rocks in the tank. These are the white rocks. They will cause the pH of your water to go up above 7.0. Limestone can raise the pH to 8.5 and you have a few bits in there so that could be an issue considering the fish you keep. They all come from soft acid water with a pH below 7.0.

-------------------
ADD SOME PLANTS
If you put some live plants in the tank, they will help reduce or even prevent the algae from growing on everything. A good floating plant is Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta). It can be planted in the substrate too.

Some other good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, narrow Vallis, and Amazon sword plants. these all get planted in the sand/ gravel.

It looks like you have 2 different species of Apistogramma too. Apistogramma agassizii and A. cacatuoides

All very wonderful suggestions. I’ll order another filter, get the soft rocks out of there, and order some live plants. Any suggestions on a fairly pest free place to order them from?

 

[autyfish]

One time, I had to put some fry in a 3.5g bucket because they were eating the smaller fry. It was a day or so before I was able to get a bubbler and heater, so I heated up rice filled heat packs and wrapped them around the base of the bucket it worked rather well as long as I didn’t let them get too cold!

Now that’s ingenuity!

 

[autyfish]

One time, I had to put some fry in a 3.5g bucket because they were eating the smaller fry. It was a day or so before I was able to get a bubbler and heater, so I heated up rice filled heat packs and wrapped them around the base of the bucket it worked rather well as long as I didn’t let them get too cold!

You’re a good fish mom!

 

[foxgirl158]

You’re a good fish mom!

Now that’s ingenuity!

Aw thank you! I try, sometimes it’s really hard especially when I inevitably lose one

 

[autyfish]

Welcome to TFF, and welcome back into the hobby.

On the heater problem...most aquarium heaters have limitations in heating the tank water depending upon the room temperature. Years ago I was advised that the room temperature should be no more than 10-12 degrees below the intended water temperature, to avoid overworking the heater which often causes them to fail completely. Also, when the heater is placed in the tank, have the water temperature at or very close to the intended set temperature, again to avoid overworking the heater. As an example, if you want the tank water to be 77F, have the first fill of water close to this temperature, and the ambient room temperature should be around 70F. If the room cools during the night, provided it is not extreme (65F is not extreme) the heater should be OK in maintaining the tank water at or around 77F.

As for the calibration, this is often not exactly on the mark, b y which I mean setting the heater to say 77F may not result in a water temperature of 77F, but it can be less or more. I have an Eheim heater (reliable make) that is set at 21C and it keeps the tank water at 25C (which is where I want it). Setting it at 25C heated the tank to 29C. The heater works fine, but sometimes it needs some adjusting. Always use a thermometer such as one of the floating type that can be floated in a corner (always away from the heater so you know the temperature of the distant water) or a digital one, to have an accurate temperature reading of the water. Adjust the heater until it maintains the water at the desired temperature.

The heater is the most important piece of equipment for the aquarium, as a sudden temperature change (up or down, I've seen both) will stress the fish, and this may result in ich, or outright death of the fish. So it is wise to buy a good quality heater. The light can fail, the filter can fail, with no imminent issues, but not the heater.

Chewy had Eheim 300 watts for $25! I ordered one!

 

[MonsieurLaGrenuoille]

Hello there, well I don't have any heater in my tanks, now it's cold here, in my apartment there is 24°C and in the tanks round 25, 2 °C, thanks God I can do so.