skimpy
Fishaholic
Hi everyone,
Well I've just found out how complicated fish keeping can be. This is what I have found out and wondered what you thought about it (I'll try my best to explain). B)
After a few problems with my tank I had to learn more and look further into my water quality, because even though I was doing everything right PH Am NitrIte and NitrAte all good and under control, regular tests and water changes my fish got internal bacterial infection (treated and OK now).
Knowing that my parameters were good and also knowing that fish get ill because of stress, water quality or certain changes that affect the tank, I needed to know why fish got ill. Well no changes and no stress so I had to look at water quality.
Although I had a pump problem that was most probably a contributing factor, I found out a problem I will always have. GH & KH. I now understand that GH & KH are the backbone to PH and my tap water is very low. Tap = GH 3 dGH (53.7ppm) and KH 2 dKH (35.8 ppm).
Solution: on advice from good lfs. I either change type of fish i.e. get discus etc. fish that like low GH/KH or add calcium plus gravel to tank which will raise the GH/KH Level of tank. Well of course I added the gravel and GH/KH has risen quite well, fish are happy.
If anyone else is advised to do this please remember one important factor that I further found out. Now (unless necessary because of toxins), I shouldn't do more than 10% water change because my tap water is so soft that too big a change and the calcium gravel will constantly be playing catch up. So I think, great, smaller water changes = fine by me. The down side means that when I do a water change I must be more thorough with my cleaning because I will not be diluting the NitrAte so much. I must therefore keep an extra eye on the NitrAte readings to check they do not rise too high.
I never new this could get so complicated
when I started out, but hey, they are such cute little mites, 
I don't really mind. At the end of the day it is all very interesting the more I learn.
Hope I have explained this all clearly enough.
Well I've just found out how complicated fish keeping can be. This is what I have found out and wondered what you thought about it (I'll try my best to explain). B)
After a few problems with my tank I had to learn more and look further into my water quality, because even though I was doing everything right PH Am NitrIte and NitrAte all good and under control, regular tests and water changes my fish got internal bacterial infection (treated and OK now).
Knowing that my parameters were good and also knowing that fish get ill because of stress, water quality or certain changes that affect the tank, I needed to know why fish got ill. Well no changes and no stress so I had to look at water quality.
Although I had a pump problem that was most probably a contributing factor, I found out a problem I will always have. GH & KH. I now understand that GH & KH are the backbone to PH and my tap water is very low. Tap = GH 3 dGH (53.7ppm) and KH 2 dKH (35.8 ppm).
Solution: on advice from good lfs. I either change type of fish i.e. get discus etc. fish that like low GH/KH or add calcium plus gravel to tank which will raise the GH/KH Level of tank. Well of course I added the gravel and GH/KH has risen quite well, fish are happy.
If anyone else is advised to do this please remember one important factor that I further found out. Now (unless necessary because of toxins), I shouldn't do more than 10% water change because my tap water is so soft that too big a change and the calcium gravel will constantly be playing catch up. So I think, great, smaller water changes = fine by me. The down side means that when I do a water change I must be more thorough with my cleaning because I will not be diluting the NitrAte so much. I must therefore keep an extra eye on the NitrAte readings to check they do not rise too high.
I never new this could get so complicated
when I started out, but hey, they are such cute little mites, I don't really mind. At the end of the day it is all very interesting the more I learn.Hope I have explained this all clearly enough.
I would have used it as the perfect excuse to start a discus tank B) 
