Celticwraiths Aquarium Forum

Subject: fins Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:37 pm

The local water company (I live in town) was very consistant with a ph range of 7.5 in summer to 8.5 in winter for years. Last spring SOMEBODY stopped wiping off their pH meter and started putting caustics in the water up to pH 9.5. I had stopped testing at each water change. The african cichlids loved it, the gouramii were dying (saved the rest w/ spring water), the goldfish fins were all burnt bad. I treated for fin rot like it was fungal including water changes with pH6.5 spring water. 10 months later the young red cap fan tails have not come back and the shubunkins still show some deterioration that comes and goes. The water source is back to a pH7.5 now.
I do 30% changes each week and change filter media every 3 weeks, ph6.5, nitrates 25ppm before the water change. I have test strips but don't trust to read or talk about them. The catfish are all more soft water sp. and good. Goldfish are not as happy yet. I can't be stressing them more.
I'm thinking 2wk filter change, and a monthly 75%water change. but this is as far as I am getting. Food is all grazed off.
I will be getting test kits for more parameters as well.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

Subject: Re: fins Sun Feb 17, 2008 1:59 pm

What type of filter is it? I don't change my filter media at all I just give it a good rinse in a bucket of tank water. The filter media houses a lot of beneficial bacteria. All my filters also have an area in them for bacteria to grow that never gets replaced even if you did change the filter media. The reason for this, is if you don't have an area for bacteria to grow, then every time you change the filter media you are removing the bacteria from the filter, causing the tank to go through a small cycle period. If this happens you end up with an ammonia spike. An ammonia spike can cause burns and damage that you mentioned.

I don't change my filter media for a couple reasons, I have a large bacteria colony and it saves you a lot of money.
I would get a test kit that doesn't use stripes they are not as accurate as liquid tests.
I hope all this makes sense
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Subject: filter Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:26 pm

What you say makes perfect sense here. Re-cycle changes stressing fish. These are "Whisper filters" a 60 w/ one inlet and two pads 3"x5" partial filled w/charcoal and a 40 w/ one of the same. each pad has a heavy plastic gauze in front for bacteria.
I have had to rinse them, but try to keep it a quick minimal rinse under the tap (which is clorinated water). I may be killing it all right there.

Subject: Re: fins Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:31 pm

Yes, rinsing the filter pad in tap water is not good, that would kill a lot of the bacteria.
Best to rinse in a bucket with tank water or dechlorinated water, but tank water is the best.
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Subject: broader scope on filtering Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:40 pm

My other tanks each have UG filter w/ jets. Goldfish (and catfish) have thin layer of gravel that they all graze through daily. This tank relys on that part of the filter more, must be a lot more than I realized.
I really do need a fresh test kit. I will see which one I find out there API or Tetra.

Subject: fin damage Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:38 pm

Fin damage on dorsal and caudal fins on a shubunkin and red cap.

Subject: Re: fins Sat Mar 01, 2008 8:08 pm

Are you still having a problem with your fish?
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Subject: fins Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:17 pm

Slowly healing, growing. My vendor has suggested I stimulate that fin repair growth with some salt (as an irritant) but there are these South American Corydoras and Up-side Down catfish in there. With water changes I have been heavy with the water conditioner (slime). It is a "TetraAqua Aquasafe" brand stuff.

I ordered a Hagen brand water test kit. In the mean time I can still test pH and ammonia.
With water changes and slime I still think I'm looking at 6 weeks on healing.
Neutral

It ain't happanin' in two weeks Neutral

Subject: Re: fins Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:41 pm

Glad that things are looking better and slowly healing, they are great looking fish. I had never consider Gold fish in the past, but in the last year or so I have seen some great looking Gold fish and have considerer more. Maybe some day when I have a larger tank that can be devoted to them I'll get a couple.
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Subject: fins/goldfish Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:33 am

The goldfish Carasius auratus is a tetraploid. (They got 4 sets of 25 chromosomes =100) That's why there are all these odd varigates and cultivares, from thousands of years of people breeding out F2 generations. The fan tails that grew big adult size in my 20 and 29gal tank will survive in the fish bowl with some plants for O2 and reg. water changes, but they won't get much bigger than when you put them in that small space. They move slow and wiggle when they want to move fast. The comets and shubunkins move around non-stop in daylight, are slower growing and seem to need a lot more space. They are also more sensitive to all the types of stress one could put to them (or let them live in without proper attention)
These fish are not Koi. Different Genus. No barbs. These are the "poor man's koi". More like the guy living in an apartment with a 75gal tank version of koi. (That really wants to see what kind of magnificent goldfish tank he could set up and keep nice for himself.)

Subject: got new water test kit Tue Mar 11, 2008 4:52 pm

I got myself (literally just openned the box) a Hagen brand "MINI master test kit"" although they put "Nutrafin" on the box and their real brand name on the bottom of the box.

It looks simple enough to use. One dropper bottle for each test except NO2 has 2 bottles.
Tests for GH/KH hardness seperately (2 tests), NO2 nitrite, NH3 nitrate, but it says divide number by 1.22 to get ammonia rate NO4 on a chart comparing test results by pH to get either one of these. and pH high and pH low tests.

Considering I have no real idea of what the local water company use for chemicals to maintain their pipes , what runs off the hills and town that ends up in water supply, etc... this kit ought to give me some fair warning. Let me balance out water conditions for the fish better. Haul water from the spring if I have to.

Subject: Re: fins Tue Mar 11, 2008 5:43 pm

Well that will help you at least make sure your aquarium water is ok. Yuo can test you local water for ph and hardness that will be of some help.
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