Feeding a community...

[fastfly48]

Hi all. I have soem feeding questions...hope you can help.

Not long ago a lost a pleco.
He was just skin and bone and wouldn't eat anything, even zuccini! My Ph was swinging everywhere so I though that killed him but he was soooooo skiny. With out my pleco I've noticed more algae building up around the tank. I really wan't another but I'm afraid that the same might happen. I would think that there is enough algae for one pleco in my tank at the moment...What can do?

Also, it seems that my danios (3) always get fat...and stay fat. I guess this is just an over-feeding problem. However they are so fast, and eat all the food before anyone else can get any. So I end up feeding more so that the others (7 neons, dwarf blue ram, 3 corys) get a feed. What do you do when this happens?

Many thanks in advance.
Ryland.

 

[TankGirl]

Sorry to hear about your pleco - it is hard to say what happened, but maybe an internal bacterial illness or parasitic infection.

As for feeding, when I feed flake I will sprinkle them on top and then take some and push them underwater so there are some floating and some midwater, so topfeeders get some and slower midwater feeders get some. You have to be very careful not to overfeed in this case. The cory cats will benefit from a sinking pellet or wafer.

If this is your 20gal tank, I'd try to stay with a small pleco, like a bristlenose or rubberlip, or even a crew of Parotocinclus jumbo (pitbull pleco) that stay very small and are excellent algae eaters. Your tank is not big enough for many pleco species.

 

[workfortheman]

As for feeding, when I feed flake I will sprinkle them on top and then take some and push them underwater so there are some floating and some midwater, so topfeeders get some and slower midwater feeders get some. You have to be very careful not to overfeed in this case.

Agreed. I also push some underwater, and sometimes I'll feed both sides of the tank, to spread out aggression during feeding. Also try turning off you filter, to keep the flakes suspended longer

 

[talloulou]

Why was your pH swinging all over? Is that problem solved now?

 

[fastfly48]

Thanks guys.

Um...sorry I forgot to say that I feed with pellets. They float for a bit then slowly fall to the bottom...but the danios seem to get most of it while it's on top! I'll try pushing some under the water. Oh, and yes I turn my filter off (well, down to the "low" setting anyways) while feeding.

I'm still not sure about my crazy Ph issues. I tested this morning and it was at 7.2. By the end of tday I bet it will be down to around 6.
All I can figure is that a hell of a lot of CO2 is being dissolved into the water.
I have a pressurized CO2 set-up. I've turned the bubble count down super low but it doesn't seem to help. It'd be great if I could leave the CO2 on all the time but If I did that I fear my Ph would just keep dropping...though it shouldn't with a Kh of 50ppm....
Any ideas?

Cheers.
Ry.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Another idea for the plecos is algae wafers and other sinking wafers.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Is there any way you can only run your CO2 when the lights are on? I don't think it does any good at night with the lights off other than CO2 build-up if there's no surface agitation.

 

[fastfly48]

Yes. I can manualy turn the flow on (when I turn the lights on in the morning) and off (when I turn the lights off at night. Which is what I've been doing.

I have surface agitationwith my over the back filter. I just tested my Ph, after 11 hrs with it running, and it's still about 7.2. Making a CO2 level of only 5.3
So I'm thinknig that I might leave the CO2 on over night since the Ph hasen't fallen during the day....and with the slight water agitation with the filter I'm hoping I won't awake to any nasty surprises! Wish me, and my fish, luck!

Ry.

 

[greenfish]

Do you have really low KH? That could account for your PH swings.

 

[LAGlocker]

I was about to ask that greenfish. sounds like you really need to test your kh and perhaps adjust it. this will help stabilize your ph. i try to keep my ph at 6.6 with a kh of 3.5, or roughly 60ppm. this usually gives me around 30ppm of co2, and the ph hasnt moved since i started adding co2.

 

[Zezmo]

If your CO2 doesnt have a solenoid to shut it off. You can run an air pump/air stone at night to keep CO2 in check.

As for feeding, as already mentioned, feeding both ends of the tank can help. I don't push food under water, but instead usually feed two types of food at once so everyone gets something. I like to have the most variety I can; flake (currently have 4 types I vary between), pellet (soft, hard, sinking, floating), frozen (bloodworms, daphnia, brine srimp, emerald delight), and freeze dried (mostly daphnia). I also occasionally buy pinhead crickets or flightless fruitflies. One nice thing is I get a ton of free food samples at the SVAS meetings. This makes it a lot easier to mix things up. Pretty much every feeding I try to grab something different.
A week of Omega 1 color enhancing flakes, and frozen daphnia will make your red fish glow The live insects really bring out the colors in my Rainbows and the Gouramis. As for plecos, it is important to know exacly what kind he was to know what food he wants. Many need driftwood to keep them healthy.

 

[TankGirl]

50ppm KH is pretty low, at around 2 dKH. If you can get that up it will likely help the swings. 4 dKH would be much better.

 

[fastfly48]

Thaks alot for all that guys...
Seems this post has deviated from it's original intention a little...
I can't complain though! Thanks for helping me out with this C02 stuff!

My Kh from the tap is 80ppm (4.5) and in my tank it's 50ppm (2.8). So I'm not sure what's happening there...
It'd be great if I could have my tank water Kh at 80ppm. But how do you raise Kh? Baking soda...Or should I leave it and wait for it to rise naturally?...with all the water being added to the tank (with water changes, 50% weekly) being at 80ppm shouldn't my tank water be 80ppm as well?....All in all, I don't know why my tank Ph is lower than my tap water...and I don't really want to have to keep adding buffers...

I left my C02 on last night. Woke up and my Ph was 7.2. (C02 = 5.3ppm)
I had the bubble count super low, and with my otb filter going I was far from a Ph crash, thankfully. I try leaving it on again tonight with a slightly higher bubble rate atound a bubble a second...
I just did a water change so I'm not sure how accurate any tests done now will be..

I'm going on holiday soon for a couple of weeks. I'm trying to figure out what to do with the C02. I'm hoping that I'll have sorted it out for the C02 to be on all the time so that no one has to keep turning it on and off while I'm away...Bit risky though. Oh well. I figure it out. What do you think would happen if I stopped the C02 for a few weeks? Would it be really bad?

Thanks again for all your help!...and keep it coming!
Cheers.
Ry.

 

[TankGirl]

While you are away leave the CO2 on, and set up a bubble wand that turns on at night while the lights are off, turns off in the AM. Be sure and get a check valve for the airline tubing so your tank does not syphon down the tube when the air pump is not running.

I am not sure why your KH would be lower in your tank. Adding crushed coral to your filter will boost it, but it will also raise pH just a bit. That is somewhat easier than adding buffers to the water directly, as you just leave it alone and replace it every 3-4 months or so.

 

[fastfly48]

Thanks tank girl.
I have a check valve.
Not sure how I'm going to manage the C02, light AND feeding while I'm away.....
Tricky stuff. I THINK I can put a timer on the light and I'll get a good trusted friend to feed a bit....and hopfully I'll be able to keep the C02 on really low.....the timed bubbler sounds v. tricky. I'd have to buy a bubbler AND a timer....
Perhaps If I lower the water level a bit the extra water aggitation from the otb filter would be enough...

Ry.