Torn fins, messed up barbs, and excess slime coat on some of my corydoras... Whats going on with my water and fish?

[Colin_T]

After draining, I put a measuered amount of conditioner in the tank and then fill with hose water (I let the hose run for a few minutes before I use any of the water I it).

I'm strong, but am unable to lift buckets of water up and over to dump in the tank.
Plus it messes up everything in the tank when I do it.

I've heard of others using straight tap/hose water to full their tanks, especially when using the python so I assume it's ok

A lot of people do this and get away with it for a while. I used to do it until one day when the water corp did work on the pipes and added about 10 x the normal amount of chlorine. I added dechlorinater to the tank and filled it like usual. A minute later half the fish were dead and the rest gasping at the surface.

It's a risk putting chlorinated water in an aquarium containing livestock. you never know when the water company is going to do work on the pipes and they don't normally tell you. After they finish working on the water pipes, they add a lot of chlorine/ chloramine to kill anything that might have gotten into the water supply and it takes several days for this heavily chlorinated water to get used up by people. During that time you can wipe out the tank. We see it here every year, people come on saying they just did a water change and their fish are gasping at the surface or dead. The response is add a double dose of dechlorinater and increase aeration and hope for the best.

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I used a couple of large plastic storage containers/ rubbish bins and filled them with a hose. The bins were next to the aquarium. I added dechlorinater to the water in the bins and aerated it vigorously for a bit before using a water pump and hose to pump the water up into the aquarium. No heavy lifting required, just a water pump/ powerhead (I used an AquaClear 800 powerhead) and some clear plastic hose.

You can make a U out of pvc pipe and attach that to the end of the hose with a hose clamp. The U gets hung over the side of the tank and stops the hose kinking or falling off.

 

[Rocky998]

When you say you've sat there for ages observing the peacocks with the cories and no issues, sleeping next to each other etc? Do that, but with your camera phone handy, and slowly and casually take snaps of them over an hour or so while you sit there and read/write/whittle, whatever you do while you sit near the tank to observe, giving the fish some time to settle and get used to you sitting near the tank pointing a phone at them.

Yah, true... I might...
Things have just been really hectic lol

Main first question, you said you usually change water weekly, but didn't mention volume of water you usually change!

Around 50% or more weekly

Yep, I don't like the look of that nitrite test result.

Me either lol

It should be sky blue. That purple shade isn't good, and will have the fish stressed and make them produce excess slime etc. You've been here long enough, you know if ammonia or nitrites are above zero (and your nitrites are above zero, no doubt) then you water change it out!

Yup lol

Yes. At least use declorinated water if you're not wanting to take it from the tank. I highly doubt it's killing off many of your good bacteria, but it's certainly not helpful, and a bad habit worth breaking.

Yah, will do!

Understandable that you can't promise daily, but I'm sure you can squeeze at least bi-weekly until it's stable and fish are better. Just do it when you get chance, and aim to do it several times this week, and see if your fish and test results improve. I'm betting you will see an improvement, and it's just a case of tank perhaps being a bit under-maintained as you're busy and we all tend to slack off a bit at times, and as we get a bit complacent. When yours was always maintained regularly, skipping a water change or two no big deal, but then it can pile up, and suddenly you realise the levels have been getting off balance and fish have been low level stressed for too long.

I can try. I really want to, believe me

If they're getting that filthy that fast, are you perhaps overfeeding, under cleaning, or do you need more or better filtration? I'm guilty of not cleaning my canister filters often enough, but they still don't get that filthy that fast! Perhaps adding an internal filter that improves flow on the other side of the tank could help? Can get some pretty decent little ones that aren't crazy expensive. Or add a HOB or sponge filter. I've often run two filters plus live plants in heavily stocked tanks, and found it helpful.

I mean it's not fast fast, but like in a span of about 3 weeks it gets pretty dirty

Adding a HOB, internal or sponge filter would do that, without the need to decrease volume. Plus, cories enjoy the flow! Not sure about the gudgeons though, not my fish.

I have 1 aquaclear 50 and 1 aquaclear 20

At least a pic of the tank as a whole?

Yah. I can get one

What's the substrate? And how/how often do you clean it?

Play sand.
I clean it every water change in the areas I can get to.

What do you do about the temp? Mixer tap? Is there much of a temp difference between the tank temp, and the new added water temp?

I don't worry about temp really. I've never had a problem.

Rocky...! Putting on my motherly, naggy voice! Haha. You don't just lift a 15L bucket and tip it in... no one should do that, terrible for your back, and will make a mess of your tank, as you say! If you use the bucket method, you move the bucket near the tank (I have a low table near the tank I can put the bucket on, after putting down a fish towel) then use something like a plastic jug to add the new water a jugful or two at a time. You can use something like a disposable plastic plate on the surface to pour the water onto, so it disperses the force and doesn't just pour into the tank and make a mess of your plants/substrate/pouring it directly onto the fish... although some seem to enjoy that! My mollies do, anyhow.

LOL
Yah, I could try that... But my mom will probably not be a fan...

A lot of people do this and get away with it for a while. I used to do it until one day when the water corp did work on the pipes and added about 10 x the normal amount of chlorine. I added dechlorinater to the tank and filled it like usual. A minute later half the fish were dead and the rest gasping at the surface.

Yikes... But I don't see the difference between doing buckets and straight-from-the-hose tap... In the end they're both the same

It's a risk putting chlorinated water in an aquarium containing livestock. you never know when the water company is going to do work on the pipes and they don't normally tell you. After they finish working on the water pipes, they add a lot of chlorine/ chloramine to kill anything that might have gotten into the water supply and it takes several days for this heavily chlorinated water to get used up by people. During that time you can wipe out the tank. We see it here every year, people come on saying they just did a water change and their fish are gasping at the surface or dead. The response is add a double dose of dechlorinater and increase aeration and hope for the best.

I will keep that in mind

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I used a couple of large plastic storage containers/ rubbish bins and filled them with a hose. The bins were next to the aquarium. I added dechlorinater to the water in the bins and aerated it vigorously for a bit before using a water pump and hose to pump the water up into the aquarium. No heavy lifting required, just a water pump/ powerhead (I used an AquaClear 800 powerhead) and some clear plastic hose.

I could try doing something like that maybe...

You can make a U out of pvc pipe and attach that to the end of the hose with a hose clamp. The U gets hung over the side of the tank and stops the hose kinking or falling off.

Good idea!

 

[Colin_T]

Yikes... But I don't see the difference between doing buckets and straight-from-the-hose tap... In the end they're both the same

Dechlorinating the tap water in a bucket before adding the water to an aquarium means you aren't adding chlorine/ chloramine to the tank. It only takes seconds for chlorine to poison a fish and that's it for the fish.

If you add dechlorinater to an aquarium and then add tap water, it takes time for the dechlorinater to come into contact with the chlorine molecules in the water and the fish can get poisoned during that time.

Do it however you like, but every year we get people coming on here asking why their fish died straight after a water change and it's because of this exact situation where they add dechlorinater to the aquarium and then fill the tank with tap water. The water company has added more chlorine/ chloramine than usual after doing something with the pipes, and fish die.

 

[Boundava]

Ditto to above with the addition that you should put a water conditioner directly into the filter prior to adding the tap water to Prime the filter this will protect your biological media for any chlorine or chloramine in the water. Although a lot of studies show that that isn't detrimental to the bacteria for hours so if you add a conditioner to the water while doing a filter cleaning you should be okay as well.
The best treatment though is frequent and large water changes, clean water will help your fish faster than anything else. That I learned from Rachel O' Leary.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The best treatment though is frequent and large water changes, clean water will help your fish faster than anything else. That I learned from Rachel O' Leary.

I love her!

 

[Boundava]

Me too...miss her on YouTube.

 

[Rocky998]

Dechlorinating the tap water in a bucket before adding the water to an aquarium means you aren't adding chlorine/ chloramine to the tank. It only takes seconds for chlorine to poison a fish and that's it for the fish.

I know... But I just can't do the buckets when refilling sadly.

If you add dechlorinater to an aquarium and then add tap water, it takes time for the dechlorinater to come into contact with the chlorine molecules in the water and the fish can get poisoned during that time.

Yeah, I know that, but I haven't really had an issue with it until the corydoras. The gudgeons aren't displaying any symptoms...
I'm just confused...

Do it however you like, but every year we get people coming on here asking why their fish died straight after a water change and it's because of this exact situation where they add dechlorinater to the aquarium and then fill the tank with tap water. The water company has added more chlorine/ chloramine than usual after doing something with the pipes, and fish die.

Hopefully that doesn't happen, I'd be so sad...

I'll try to figure out a solution

 

[Colin_T]

I know... But I just can't do the buckets when refilling sadly.

That's why I wrote something in post 16.

I used a couple of large plastic storage containers/ rubbish bins and filled them with a hose. The bins were next to the aquarium. I added dechlorinater to the water in the bins and aerated it vigorously for a bit before using a water pump and hose to pump the water up into the aquarium. No heavy lifting required, just a water pump/ powerhead (I used an AquaClear 800 powerhead) and some clear plastic hose.

You can make a U out of pvc pipe and attach that to the end of the hose with a hose clamp. The U gets hung over the side of the tank and stops the hose kinking or falling off.