Why Does This Always Happen To Me?

[This Old Spouse]

The main problem I see here is that you're changing out your carbon filters once a month. Firstly, you shouldn't be using a carbon filter unless you're trying to clean up after using medications. You've got two HOB filters, so if you need to change out the floss filter (which shouldn't need replacing until it's literally falling apart) you should alternate doing so between the filters so you don't have all new media for both filters. Secondly, what do you mean by "bio filter"? And thirdly, adding that many fish at once can create a mini-cycle in less than a 24-hour period so you might not catch it.

1st: Im not sure if all HOB filters are done the same way... but mine contains a dense fiber filter, which contains carbon. basically a pouch of carbon that catches the large debris. it also contains a 'bio filter'. should i just cut the carbon out and leave the fiber? doesnt the carbon help out with toxins?

2nd: 'bio filter' <-> 'floss filter' ...maybe..? where most of the beneficial bacteria is 'supposed' to be. what do you mean by floss filter? lol

3rd: should the number of fish added at one time always be around 5 or so? or can you add more as your stock increases, so long as it doesnt 'tip the scales'? I know most people say you can add 50% of your stock at once. looking at it, 9 probably was a bit much. but they (the barbs) are fine from what i see. the others are not So should i be testing for ammonia every couple hours or so?

If the tank goes into a mini cycle, how long does it take to bounce back? you said less than 24 hrs... is that always the case? So my fish getting sick and dying might possibly be from a rise in ammonia? could they last for a few days before showing signs? please elaborate!

Tell me exactly which filter you have and then I'll look it up. Sounds like it uses the same kind of filter media mine does. What I did with those was cut a slit in the bottom and took all the carbon out. It only really does a little bit of good for a few days, like when you're trying to remove the last traces of medication. Otherwise it's pretty useless. Then in the back of the filter where there were just empty baskets I put in ceramic media. Floss is the kind of whispy white filter media. And you should be rinsing out the filter, gently, every time you do a water change, or at least every other time, to get rid of the mulm buildup.

I don't like to add more than 6 fish at a time, no matter how many are already in there. Even in a 55g that's increasing the bioload by a LOT all of a sudden, so I'm sure there's always at least a small ammonia spike. It's whether your filter(s) can handle the spike with a well-matured batch of media, and that would also determine how quickly it bounces back. If your tank is completely cycled, there shouldn't be much of a wait, but it's possible the damage was done with the number you added. It also depends on the stamina of the fish. And about a bunch of other factors nobody knows about.

There's also the matter of your really high pH. Do a bit of research on the types of fish you have to see what their ideal pH should be.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Over the course of being a fishkeeper, I've lost some fish without any physical symptoms to give me an idea of what happened, which I do wonder if Southampton's hard alkaline water (ph 8.2; kH 11; gH 13/14) was a contributing factor...

Not only because of the deaths, but also because of finding out more about fish that come from similar water, I do wish that I had chosen Central American (eg. Nicaraguan Cichlids; Blind Cave Tetra; Ilyodon and Ameca Goodeids); Tanganyikan; Australasia (most Rainbowfish; Gudgeons); Malawi... Instead of having some soft water fish.

 

[Athena]

thanks athena! so many great points to take in (all of which make sense when thought about)

few questions then... What would be the advise on tank mates then? faster swimmers (like danios) or something like a semi aggressive cichlid? (I know nothing about them... but ive had people suggest them to me in the past) I think my problem has been just that... I like so many different species of fish, I cant really decide on which direction to go in.. so I guess i give it a go with everybody and hope for the best... which isnt fair to them.

I'm quite fond of platies, guppies, and neons... (i know neons are weak, generally and i know now that guppies dont live long) but how many of either one of these could i fit in a 10 gal? Should i follow the 1" per gallon rule seeing as how its a small space and is easier polluted?


I'm just looking for people to start throwing ideas up! maybe i should start another stocking idea thread? lol

thanks for the help all!

Hello again!

Yes, I know, there are so many gorgeous fish out there that it can be overwhelming at times and not knowing which to choose. I made some terrible choices when I first began keeping fish, as do most of us!

Now, with your 55g aquarium I think you need to decide on whether you want a very peaceful, slow-paced community tank or continue along the road to a semi-aggressive, action-packed tank...

I think we've established that your Tiger Barbs are not really the best tankmates for the likes of guppies or any other slower moving fish as these will possibly become targets of harrassment/chasing/nipping etc.

So, do you want to return the tiger barbs to your LFS and re-stock with peaceful fish? Or do you want to keep the tiger barbs, rehome any remaining fish that are unsuitable into your 10g and then continue stocking with similar fast swimmers in your 55g? You could have another shoal of different tiger barbs, so that although they are different colouring, they will have the same mentality as the others. Or, as you mentioned, zebra danios are fast swimmers and should be able to keep out of harms way.

If you're going to stick with your barbs, make sure you have the correct tank set-up for them, too. Provide plenty of plants and ensure there is room for swimming at fast pace (i.e. don't crowd the tank with huge pieces of bogwood or ornaments that reach mid-tank height as that will restrict the barbs natural swimming tendencies).

Going down the route of cichlids, again, this is something you'd have to put great thought into as they can be just as difficult to find good tankmates for. As you probably know, cichlids are territorial and spend a lot of time chasing other tankmates away from their "patch", so any other fish you put in there would need to be of a similar species. Smaller varieties of cichlids probably would not be a good idea to put with the barbs (e.g. German Blue Rams) as they are quite delicate and stress easily. Sometimes people add a shoal of tiger barbs to a mixed cichlid community to calm territorial issues down but this doesn't mean the barbs won't ever fin nip the cichlids at times, especially as the larger growing cichlids don't move that fast.

As for the 10g tank and stock levels - I think it does depend on the type of filter you have on the tank and what your maintenance regime is like. You can push the boundary of 1" of fish per gallon to even 2" per gallon if the tank is well filtered, with regular water changes etc and also don't choose fish that all swim at the same level. If you have livebearers in there, I'd avoid mixing sexes, too, otherwise you will end up with fry and you could fall into the trap of wanting to save them and rear them...and needing another tank lol

LOL... I can see what's going to happen... you'll end up with half a dozen tanks! Been down that route myself. Fishkeeping can become so addictive. I'd rather spend my spare cash on aquatic supplies than new clothes or shoes LOL.

I've recently had to give up various of my tanks/fish due to moving house and having less space - oh the pain!!

Regards, Athena

 

[thisguyek]

Tell me exactly which filter you have and then I'll look it up. Sounds like it uses the same kind of filter media mine does. What I did with those was cut a slit in the bottom and took all the carbon out. It only really does a little bit of good for a few days, like when you're trying to remove the last traces of medication. Otherwise it's pretty useless. Then in the back of the filter where there were just empty baskets I put in ceramic media. Floss is the kind of whispy white filter media. And you should be rinsing out the filter, gently, every time you do a water change, or at least every other time, to get rid of the mulm buildup.

It's from aqua-tech. The ones that are available at walmart. so the replacement cartridges are nothing more than a gimmick.. makes sense! lmao So does it really pay to cut the carbon out then? If its not doing anything anyway, should be fine to just leave in, correct?

As far as the floss mediea, i think were talking about the same thing... (bio/floss) mines black

As far as rinsing out the filter... are you talking about the WHOLE unit... or just the carbon cartridge or the floss filter?

What does ceramic media do?

To Athena:

once again you come though with some good things to think about! Tiger barbs are the one fish responsible for where i am today! When i started it was my fist fish and i fell in love with them! So i think for my 55 i will be sticking with them. I think i will be building a stock of green and albino barbs too just to bring in some color. I should be able to bring the total barb number up to 20ish and still have room for 10 or so danios right? but maybe once i build the barb population up ill find that its enough to have the three variations and only stick with them.

I will be bleaching my 10gal sometime in the near future and setting it up for the guppies and platies that i have left in my 55 gal.


Does anyone recommend anything for getting rid of that crusty deposit gunk that usually build around the top of the tank?

 

[fluttermoth]

Either vinegar or a mix of salt and lemon juice will get rid of calcium depoits and liemscale; you may have to soak a cloth in the vinegar and let it soak it for a while.

I've mentioned in your other thread about having just tigers of different colours (though I like mine to be all the same) I do think that would look good. I've never had a problem keeping tigers with danios (or tetras for that matter, but I guess your water's too hard and alkaline for them) or loach.

 

[Athena]

It's me again

"Does anyone recommend anything for getting rid of that crusty deposit gunk that usually build around the top of the tank?"


When I closed down several of my tanks and cleaned them up, I used a variety of things to remove those stubborn water marks at the top (limescale deposits). I used an algae scourer pad (cost is minimal), a stiff toothbrush and then a soft microfibre cloth to buff it up after the limescale was removed. If you use an algae scourer, make sure it's one suitable for glass or it might not do the job properly. A washing up sponge with the scourer on the back will do just as good a job, I guess.

Sounds like you're on the right track with your stock decisions. I think it's for the best to set up that 10g. Let us know if you have any further issues or help needed!

All the best - Athena

 

[This Old Spouse]

Tell me exactly which filter you have and then I'll look it up. Sounds like it uses the same kind of filter media mine does. What I did with those was cut a slit in the bottom and took all the carbon out. It only really does a little bit of good for a few days, like when you're trying to remove the last traces of medication. Otherwise it's pretty useless. Then in the back of the filter where there were just empty baskets I put in ceramic media. Floss is the kind of whispy white filter media. And you should be rinsing out the filter, gently, every time you do a water change, or at least every other time, to get rid of the mulm buildup.

It's from aqua-tech. The ones that are available at walmart. so the replacement cartridges are nothing more than a gimmick.. makes sense! lmao So does it really pay to cut the carbon out then? If its not doing anything anyway, should be fine to just leave in, correct?

As far as the floss mediea, i think were talking about the same thing... (bio/floss) mines black

As far as rinsing out the filter... are you talking about the WHOLE unit... or just the carbon cartridge or the floss filter?

What does ceramic media do?

Does anyone recommend anything for getting rid of that crusty deposit gunk that usually build around the top of the tank?

You can leave the carbon if you wish. It's just that it stops working after a few days, and then if you need it to take out any medication residue, you'll have to put in a brand new cartridge.

The black part is the sponge media. That's a good thing, because it should last just about forever. Just swish it around the tank water you take out of the tank for water changes. Same with the cartridge. But that will break down eventually.

Ceramic media is a good way to build up the good bacteria colony. You could rig a way to replace the cartridge with ceramic media, but it would take some clever planning to keep the bacteria going while the transition is going on. It's what I did/am doing with all my filters. It's a bit expensive at first, but once all those pricey cartridges are replaced then you're pretty much good to go forever.

I'd use a razor blade for the gunky stuff. If the tank is empty, you can use a paste made of vinegar and baking soda as a cleanser, then scrub, scrub, scrub. Those water deposits are evil!

 

[thisguyek]

Those water deposits are evil!

THEY SURE ARE!!!


Thank you to all who have been replying! It has been much appreciated

one final question. Since my last guppy died in the QT, i havent had my filter running. I'm sure by now most of the bacteria is dead...? I was planning to give it a mild bleach bath with the rest of the tank and then somehow sneak it into one of my other filters in the 55.

is this a good idea? is there any bacteria left, such that i wouldnt have to even worry about it? and how long (if needed) should i leave it in the 55gal filter?

 

[fluttermoth]

I wouldn't bother with bleahc; really hot water would do the job just fine; and yes, as you had fish die in there, you might as well start from scratch with that filter.

Leave it in the large filter until you need it; it will take a good month/six weeks to be colonised.

 

[thisguyek]

Leave it in the large filter until you need it; it will take a good month/six weeks to be colonised.

bummer... i was hoping to clean that tank up and get those guys in there ASAP. perhaps i could cut one of the filters (from the 55. having 2 HOBs, each has two of the 'bio fibers') to fit and just replace it with the smaller one once its clean...

should work, right?

 

[This Old Spouse]

That should work fine, as long as the ones on the 55g are nicely cycled.

 

[Rynofasho]

Do NOT NOT NOT NOT NOTTTTT bleach your filter. You can make SUPER diluted bleach solutions for your tank if you want and then rinse the all holy heII out of it when youre done and then when you think you're done, rinse it a bit more. Then rinse it again the next day and probably the day after. But to NOT get bleach in the filter. Some chemicals are always going to leave a bit of a residue, and besides the fact that bleach is toxic to fish, if it gets in any of your biomedia or sponges or anything that is slightly absorbent, you might as well throw it in the trash.

 

[This Old Spouse]

Just don't use bleach at all. It's not necessary.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yeah; I'm of the opinion that you should never use anything apart from hot water and a strong salt sloution on anything that goes in your tank.

Those two things will deal with very nearly every pathogen you're likely to run across.

 

[thisguyek]

ok, thats good to know and makes sense! will not use bleach!