would my ugf be the cause

[Angel Lady]

I think my power head isnt doing its job that is the only thing I can figure that mollie fish that was in the s shape is still living but now she has a fungus real bad her tail is about gone I have tried jungle fungus medicine and I have dipped her in salt I have her in maracyn and nothing seems to be working on her does anybody have any pointers I am open to any answers oh I almost forgot I but a little methly blus I figured I would give anything a try

 

[Tanked]

ifyou have a good external or internal power filter on the tank dsiconnect the ugf. I disconnected mine and my water is much more balanced now. keep in mind I have a 25gal. that is hold the stock of a 65 that broke. I had the ugf andpower filter going on the 25 and water would not stabilize at all. I disconnected the ugf and tank seems if it is in a standard cycle now.

 

[playfulalliecat]

I don't have any UGF"S running now but when I was big in the hobby years ago, I only used UGF's and I never ever had any problems. I know most people don't care for them but for a long time, I swore by them. I never really overloaded my tanks though and that could be the reason. Also I didn't have plants. I truly think your main problem is your fluctuating ph and as to how to control that, I have no clue as I have never had that problem. One thing I would definitely do is check the ph out of the tap water before each and every water change. It could be fluctuating. Also I would check it everyday in my tank. This could tell you if it is something in your tank causing it to change. If it was me, after monitoring it in my tank, if I didn't see any changes at all over a period of at least a week, then I would just buy bottled water for water changes. Just being sure not to get distilled water as it removes all of the minerals from the water and the fish and plants, if you have them, need the minerals. I think because of the drastic changes in the ph, this could be what is causing all of the problems with your fish. Fish keeping is one of those things where you have to find and get the underlying problem under control and the rest will take care of itself. I hope this helps but I am at a loss on how to help you. After reading all of your posts and really racking my brain, this is all I can come up with. I truly hope this helps you out. Keep us posted.

 

[reg2k2]

Can't really answer ur q., never used power-heads...
My concern on unplugging the UGF, tho, would be a bacteria die-off...? The tank's cycled?
Why do u think it's not working?

Keeping in mind, I don't know what you have done, if anything, to your water...

I'd like to emphasize Allie's advice on the distilled water. DO NOT add untreated RO water or distilled water to your tank!!
These both have 0KH and would be the last thing your water needs.

As for your tap, you could try this...I tried it w/ mine and it seemed to work. Test the pH & hardness out of the tap. Fill a glass w/ water and let it sit for a day. Then test that and see if there's any change. I think this sh. tell you if your tap's able to hold the pH or not.

 

[Angel Lady]

my ph has crashed again I am pretty sure it is the tap water the ph as of now is 6.0 this is driving me crazy I dont know what else to do but buy spring water mabey I have been told so many different things by that lfs where I buy my stuff for the water at I dont have a clue as to what I am doing now I just know this cant go on or I am going to start losing my fish my mollie is the first fish I bought and she looks like a big s I feel so sorry for her.

 

[playfulalliecat]

Your local grocery stores, at least the chains, like Kroger, and any others in your area should have bottled water dispensers where you take your water jugs in and fill them. These are less expensive than places like Culligan usually. I would try some of that. Be sure to test it before putting it in your tank though. It could do more harm than good. Try testing your water every day of the week straight out of the tap. It could be that according to when they add chemicals at the treatment plant the water parameters are different. I definitely try this to try and decide what is going on......assuming you have recently done a water change which would have caused the crash. If you haven't done a water change then it could be the gravel in your tank maybe leaching out into the water or whatever you have decorating the tank. As for the molly, I can't really tell you what to do for her. I hope that you have her seperated from the other fish. All the medications you have been using wouldn't be good for the fish, I wouldn't think. When using medications, you shouldn't really mix them but should try one and do the complete treatment. Then if that doesn't work, filter the water with carbon to be sure it is all out and then and only then try something else. Too many medications can interfere with the balance of your tank. This brings another question to mind........does your ph crash after meds? Meds can play with your water parameters and with more than one, my guess is that it would alter them worse.

As for you local lfs, you mention all the advice they have given you...I know from experience some lfs employees are hired in off the street, some of them have never kept fish in their lives. Do you know their qualifications? They may not know any more than anyone else but because they have all these medications which "say" they are good for this and that, be recommending you just put them in. I know this sounds harsh but it happens everyday. You should research everything they tell you. It could be as simple as pulling up www.google.com and put in a search for fin and tail rot. Then read several of the sites it pulls up. This is what I do. I will read a lot and when most of the information is the same as or close to several other sites I've read, then I know its ok to trust it. The odd one out, is the one I won't pay any attention to. In this way you can double check your lfs as well as get some peace of mind for yourself. I learned along time ago, never to trust everything you hear or read as many people think they know more than they actually do.

Again, I can't say for sure what is causing your problems. I am only trying to help. I feel that if we can figure out what the underlyling reason for your sick fish is then we can prevent it from happening in the future. I hope that other people will be able to offer better advice than I have. I don't want you to think I am trying to make you look bad. My only intention is to help you not to belittle you or anyone else. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all know how distressing it is to do everything in your power and still lose fish.

 

[reg2k2]

I'm no expert, but here's my thoughts:

Ok, given your previous readings, I think your water's borderline. Meaning you might be able to work something out w/out adding anything to adjust the hardness.

How's ur nitrates??
How often/much do you do wc's?
Do you add any water other than tap?
Do you have wood in the tank?
Have you had any ammonia readings?

Other than that, let me tell you what I did. I added crushed coral in a mesh bag to the filter medium. The one negative thing I've read about this option (remember there's other options, this is just what I did), is that it can continue to raise the GH value as well. Now, my tap readings being very low on both counts, I haven't had a GH reading over 10deg in the tank and I don't think it's been a problem. My pH has been a steady 7.0 ever since.

I think this could work for you, too. (Your tap isn't as low as mine, but still on the low side.)
I think the area where the elevated GH may be a problem is with breeding. I know you have molly fry, don't know if that was on purpose or just happened. And I know absolutely nothing on breeding.
If anyone knows any other poss. problems w/ a raise in GH, please step in!


And I'll echo Allie on the med's...ooh..don't...don't...don't doooo that. Too many med's in such a short time!

 

[Angel Lady]

the nitrates are 5.0 and the nitrites are 0 the ammonia is 0 I do water changes are once weekly and I dont add anything to the water but start right made by jungle.

 

[reg2k2]

k, I was thinkin' it could be nitrates tipping the scales. Doesn't look like it, tho....you'll prob. have to adjust it.

So, if it was me....well, I'd do what I did.

You could still try that test above...um, just for the fun of it?

 

[Angel Lady]

I am going to try this first test that u said to do with the tap water I have started it this morning so we will take it from there,

 

[semper fi]

if you do remove the ugf and just use the powerheads, would suggest that you put a sponge filter on the end of the powerhead. can get one for a few bucks at any lfs.

semper fi

 

[reg2k2]

What were the results?

 

[Jamnog]

how long have you had the tank running? have you taken out the gravel and rinsed it in the last year? do you have salt in the tank? also have you got more than one tank that you might be able to transfer fish? and finally have you recently baught a fish from somewhere that may have had a fungal infection on it?