There's Something Wrong With The Water, Dont Know What!

[foamo1]

i have just had a big platy die, plus two clown loach.... before they died, theyd swim upto where the pump outlet is, sort of gasping at the pump

now the red tail shark and my little platy are doing the same.. they dont look too well, and they spend their whole time up against the pump outlet

does anyone know what this could be???

i was given the fish tank by my sister, so i really do not know much about fish keeping...

i have just done some tests... they look a bit dodgy...

thankks if anyone could give any kind of advice or help!!!

(also.. i have a nursery tank in the aquarium at the moment, with 5 baby mollies in it)


TEST RESULTS:
pH 9ish
Ammonia 0.1ish mg/l
Nitrite .. just under 0.1mg/l
Nitrate 50mg/l

 

[Davo86]

Hi
All of your stats are too high
I would do a 50% water change Asap

what size tank is it? what fish have you got? what filtration do you use?

 

[foamo1]

Hi
All of your stats are too high
I would do a 50% water change Asap

what size tank is it? what fish have you got? what filtration do you use?

its just a Juwel Rekord 60L

as i said, dont really know much, as it was my sisters tank...
how do i find out what sort of filteration it uses???

thanks alot... will do a 50% water change... (although i did do one very recently!) like only a few days ago really

 

[Davo86]

it may be worth testing your tap water as your ph really shouldn't be that high? have you add any rocks or anything that could have pushed this up,
nitrite and ammonia need to be 0 at all times, and it is best to keep the nitrates as low as possible

the rekord should have the built in box filter in the corner, unless its been ripped out.
Also sorry to say but the RTB shark and the now departed clown loach are/where way too big for the tank
I would be looking at 15-20inches of fully grown fish max in that tank size,

 

[foamo1]

oh yeah... also i've noticed, there is an oil slick on the surface of the water.. ive been told thats protien from the food though.. can that be harmful??

 

[foamo1]

ahhh yeah ive been told recently theyre too big!!! wont make that mistake again!!

yeah the shark used to be tiny... but its grown alot!!

yea, there's no new rocks or anything


yeah there's filter stuff in the box next to the pump and heater... should the filter be maintained in any way... looks a bit manky, for want of a better word


cheers!!

 

[ThePiggy]

I don't know anything about that filter, but for many filters, every so often, the media should come out and be lightly swished in tank water in a bucket.

How often have you been doing water changes?
What quantity of water do you change out?
What water treatments do you use?
Do you gravel vacuum when you do water changes?
What is the temperature set at?
Is there any possibility that something got into the tank that shouldn't have?

 

[foamo1]

I don't know anything about that filter, but for many filters, every so often, the media should come out and be lightly swished in tank water in a bucket.

How often have you been doing water changes?
What quantity of water do you change out?
What water treatments do you use?
Do you gravel vacuum when you do water changes?
What is the temperature set at?
Is there any possibility that something got into the tank that shouldn't have?

thanks for the reply

i normally do water changes every 2 or 3 weeks... changing about 40% of the water by vacuuming the gravel
the temperature is at about 21-22c at the moment
using tap water with AuquaSafe (a chlorine remover)

what can i do to help get the alkaline out of the water?? as 9 must be very high!


thanks!, maybe i will try swish the filter sponges in a bucket of tank water then!

cheers for the help

 

[Davo86]

thanks for the reply

i normally do water changes every 2 or 3 weeks... changing about 40% of the water by vacuuming the gravel
the temperature is at about 21-22c at the moment
using tap water with AuquaSafe (a chlorine remover)

what can i do to help get the alkaline out of the water?? as 9 must be very high!


thanks!, maybe i will try swish the filter sponges in a bucket of tank water then!

cheers for the help

your temperature is too low, 22C is the bare minimum it should be, with a tempt between 24C and 28C being ideal.

did you test the tap water?

 

[kcharley]

Do test your tap water. In the last week the tap water here shot from 7.6 to 8.8. I don't know if it seasonal or what.

 

[foamo1]

thanks, ok i'll do a pH test tonight on the tap water...

is there any way i neutralise the tank water a bit??

thanks for the help!!

 

[ThePiggy]

When you try to stabilize it, you should do it gradually so you don't shock your fish. So, 5-10% water changes every day with water that is in your target pH range.

If your tap water is the problem, then what I would do is buy bottled water to use for water changes instead of tap water. Still treat the water with the dechlorinator, though. Bottled water refills are pretty cheap at most supermarkets. Around here, they are $0.33 a gallon.

If your tap water is not the problem, then we should look for the cause of the high pH.

Also, for your regular water changes, a 40% water change every 2 or 3 weeks is not nearly enough, especially with an overstocked tank. You should aim for a water change once a week of at least 25%. Remember that small water changes more often are better than big water changes occasionally.