RIP BGK

[GrullaQuarters]

He was fine last night, he ate when I fed him, although I had noticed the past couple of days he's not been venturing out for a swim quite as much...doing a lot of sleeping. He hasn't been using his cave much anymore. I thought he was just more comfortable with the tank. He's one of the first things I checked before I went to bed, and one of the first things I checked when I got up in the morning. This morning he was dead. Laying in the middle of the tank on the gravel, with nothing hiding him.....his gills weren't moving, and when another fish would swim by, the current would move him a little....but it wasn't him moving.

I wish I knew what was wrong, so I could change it, water parameters are fine....they haven't changed in a long while, and nitrites and ammonia was at 0. Heater maintained a 78 degree temp. Regular water changes.....

I've had so many hours of enjoyment watching him.....but not knowing what killed him, I'm afraid to get another too soon. I have had him for 16 days, his guarantee at the LFS ended two days ago. Figures.

I'm pretty bummed out.....but there's nothing I could do, I imagine.

 

[wetwetwet]

m8 sorry to hear that

...they are a beautiful fish....

What are the actuall water parameters though?

 

[GrullaQuarters]

Nitrate 40
Nitrite 0
Hardness 25
Alkalinity 300
PH 8.0 (LFS has a PH like this, and said the fish we get from them should be fine, because I asked about it before I brought him home)
Ammonia 0

Temp is 78
Have two filters running (each for a 60 gal. tank)
And no fish were picking on him....he was the head guy in there, the others moved when he came in. Regular 25% or so percent water changes, Stress Coat and Stress Zyme added each time. He got frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp each night right before we shut out the lights for bed.
He had plenty of hiding spots, and liked one certain cave mostly. Just changed the water last on Wednesday morning. Same temp water, well water with a nitrate level of 40 out of the tap.

THanks.....it's been a tough day losing this guy.....
Angie

 

[Perky]

Sorry to hear this. I have had mine for a month and fingers crossed, I will have him for another 15 years or so.

 

[CFC]

A pH of 8 is a bit too high for amazonian fishes which really need a pH of 7.5 maximum and prefferably below that. While many of these fish can tolerate higher pH's it only takes them to become a little stressed or for a outbreak of disease to appeer and they stop tolerating it and become incurably sick The nitrate reading of 40 is getting towards the upper limit for safe levels when keping BGK's as well.

 

[GrullaQuarters]

Ugh....

What do I do about the PH? The LFS isn't helpful with that, as they keep telling me to leave it just as it is. And 40ppm is the nitrates out of my tap water, what should I do about that?

So this could very well have been what killed him? THe LFS says their PH is 8.0-8.6 so the fish I buy from them will be used to it. So if I were to lower my PH, and someday bring another BGK home, wouldn't the difference in PH then be a problem too?

I buy my fish from Petsmart. All of my fish have come from the same place. I have heard "real" plants can help bring Nitrates down, but I have also heard that balas would like to eat them, and I don't know if I want more hassle with plants.

My husband knows how much I waited to get this guy, and how much I liked him, he told me to go get another one (he liked him too). But I don't want to get another until I have some ideas on what the problem was. They're $20 at the LFS, I don't want to keep spending that every 15-16 days if they will keep dieing. But I would like another. As soon as I can get some help figuring out what the problem "could" have been.......

Thanks for the info

 

[Eelzor]

My BGK lives in pH 8, hard water and I prefer to keep the nitrates at 5ppm or lower. They die at 40ppm - you know that? My bgk's were sold at a pet store with ph9 water, they seem to have acclimated to it down here.

 

[ste2k3]

I would say that it was a combination of the high pH and the nitrates. unless they have been aclamated to ph of 8 over time thn a phg of less than 7 would be better. even if they have been aclamated, it still may stress them at a ph of 8.

Eelzor, are you sure that the lfs keeps them at a pH of 9, even marines will be struggleing at that?

ste

 

[GrullaQuarters]

Ok, thanks!

What do I need to do to lower nitrates? And will I have to do something each time the water is changed? Like I said, the nitrate level in my tap water is 40.

I feel horrible. And I miss him....... (or her)

I even had the LFS test my water....although I test it at home too. They weren't at all concerned about the PH or nitrate levels....I may need to buy from them again if I get another, but want to make sure I do things RIGHT too.

Thanks for the opinions!!

 

[CFC]

The easiest way to get around crappy tapwater is to use RO water but RO units are expensive and need to be permamently plumbed in, some good fish shops sell RO water (look for one that specialises in marines) but on larger tanks this can be expensive too (sold in England for around 50 pence a gallon). There are several products on the market which remove nitrates from water by acting as a pre fliter between the tap and tank/bucket but these vary in their quallity and will need the nitrate removing medias recharged or replaced regularly. Or lastly there are medias which can be added to the tanks filtration system, you will need a large external canister filter in which to house them and again the vary in effectiveness and life time.

Since you are in the US i cannot recomend any particular products since i dont know what is available but look out for KENT MARINE NITRATE SPONGE GRANULES which i have found quite effective though a little slow to get working.

 

[Perky]

Nitrates should be <25 at least and should be <5 for better health. Plants will help. I have 3 Bala Sharks and they will not touch the plants. Whoever said that is lying. You could buy Amazon Swords (plant) and other plants that are from the amazon. Then it will be like a amazon tank with a high Ph. Ph only really matters when the fish you buy are from different pH like a fish that needs 6 going into a tank that needs 8. If you acclimatize it should be alright but as soon as it gets stressed it may die.

 

[Eelzor]

Eelzor, are you sure that the lfs keeps them at a pH of 9, even marines will be struggleing at that?

May have been 8.5 actually.