Help!

[tanzen]

I just tested my water.
I havent done a water change since last night, i didnt add any ammo lock, and i didnt feed my fish at all yesterday.
Now it's morning and here are my test results:

ammonia: 1 ppm
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5 ppm

My ammonia hasnt changed, but my nitrates have. Some sort of biological filtration has to be going on.

 

[zoetetra]

hiya how are your water stats now
forgot to ask before when you do your cleaning routine- water change - gravel vac ect do you clean the filter and if you do how do you clean it.

oh and still dont feed your fish just now they will still be fine.

 

[tanzen]

hiya how are your water stats now
forgot to ask before when you do your cleaning routine- water change - gravel vac ect do you clean the filter and if you do how do you clean it.

oh and still dont feed your fish just now they will still be fine.

I do my water changes every saturday afternoon. I remove water by gravel vac and suck up any random pieces or gunk floating around. I take out 20 gallons per water change (usually more) which, according to google, is slightly more than 36% of 55 gallons. I replace the water treated with Aqueon water conditioner. I sometimes add a small amount of aquarium salt, but not usually. And that's it. I dont scrub for algae because i dont have any, i dont clean decorations, i dont clean the filters, and i only change one or two filter pads from the bio wheel every few weeks (i keep four pads in it), and that's when i remember to.

Could my poor filter maintenance be a problem?

whoops, i fed my fish a little last night. was that a big mistake?

and i will go test my water right now, i havent done a water change yet today, but i will.

 

[tanzen]

I did test my water last night though before i fed them, and the water tested this:
ammonia: 1.5 ppm
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5 ppm

I also added some ammo lock so i assume the ammonia isnt hurting them.

 

[tanzen]

This morning's test results:
ammonia: close to 4 ppm
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 5 ppm

But does anyone know what's wrong with my loach??

 

[zoetetra]

you need to do another water change to get that reading down. i would not feed them anymore just now.
dont know what a bio wheel is but to me it is like your tank is not cycled as it is not processing the ammonia.
with my filter i have never changed a filter pad i just rinse it out in dirty tank water every now and again.

how big is the tank?

i dont know about the lumps on your fish sorry x

 

[tanzen]

I'm doing a water change right now. I took out practically all of the water so the ammonia should be nil by the time i'm finished.

I have a 55 gallon tank which is about 208 litres.

 

[zoetetra]

thought one of the other more knowlegable people on here would have thought of something else that is maby going on wi your tank
i would only feed every 3rd day at the moment and just a wee pinch then check the water stats after a few hours and see what that does

 

[tanzen]

okay that seems like a good idea. I fed last night, so the next time i should feed would be friday, correct? Or should i feed tomorrow night?

and dont worry, you're doing great.
thank you for taking your time out to help me with my problem.

 

[tanzen]

Also on the bumps, i was told by a very trusted employee at a very reliable fish store that the lumps on my loach are ulcers. I was instructed to medicate with AquaLife Bacta-Dip and feed bloodworms soaked in a garlic additive.

Hopefully my loach starts to feeling better soon.

 

[zoetetra]

i would test water daily and keep a note of it
feed on friday then after a few hours test water again

never had any fish with ulcers so good luck with that

 

[tanzen]

Thank you zoetetra for all the advice

But i have an idea on what may be the cause of all the ammonia.

I've been feeding chopped nightcrawlers/earthworms every night for months. My fish love them and it's the only thing my spiny eel will eat, so the chopped worms are they're staple diet i guess. My mom and i performed a test though to see how the worm peices may affect the ammonia in my tank. Yesterday, we took a cup filled with water from my tank and put a few worm peices in it and let it sit. Today we tested the water from the cup and compared it with my tank water. Significant difference. The water from the cup tested black (the scale ends at dark green, 8 ppm) and my tank's ammonia hasnt changed since yesterday: 1 ppm.

Do you think that the worms i feed my fish may be part of my problem?

Also, i'm about to do some water changes, so i'll post results up afterword.

 

[Spishkey]

i think they would be a problem if they were not eaten and left to rot try cutting down the amount of worm you feed and remove any uneaten pieces asap

 

[WILDER]

Lumps that suddenly appear are usually bacterial.
Are the lumps hard or soft like filled with fluid.

Lumps can be tumours, lymthocycstis, bacterial, parasites.

Any change to the lumps.
Ulcers are pink or red with a circling of dead white tissue around the edges.

I would add a bacterial med to the tank. Not melafix, you need an internal bacteria med.

 

[tanzen]

Wilder, i dont really know how to tell, but the lumps look hard. Like a BB under the skin. Also, one of the lumps, near his tail has a hole in it. It's a clean hole, not bloody or red, more like it's been pierced by a needle.

So if the lumps are internal, the bacterial dip wont work will it? What kind of medicine would you suggest i use?

Thanks

**
Water stats:
ammonia: less than 0.25 ppm (about to do another water change)
nitrite: 0
nitrate: less than 5 ppm