Hello all, been a while...

[papa_bear_21]

So, it's been a while since I've posted, and quite a bit has happened.

We have since lost all but one of our plecos, the survivng one being our spotted sailfin. We have had a few sets of fry from our guppies and mollies, unfortunately, none of the mollies survived. The mollies and guppies were housed in the same tank, so we are thinking the mollies were sick to begin with. We have sold most of our semi aggressive fish, rainbow sharks, tiger barb, and giant danios. The tank is now home to a dragon goby (kept from the semi aggressive crew), a peacock eel, a betta, and a needlefish. The needlefish is the newest addition to the family, having arrived only a week ago. We feed him 1 to 2 rosy red minnows a day, but will likely cut back to one a day if needed. So far the betta and the needle have gotten along well, tho I dont expect that to last. We try to keep him well fed so he leaves the betta alone. Our dwarf puffers are doing good, tho we had what appeared to be an ich outbreak in their tank. We've had a few other casualties in the 55 gallon tank, a mollie, a bleeding heart tetra, and a couple others...

I will try to get some pictures of the needlefish.

Also, how can I control green algae? The 55 is becoming overloaded with the stuff, and I am not sure how to control it.

Thank you in advance,

Bear

 

[Purrbox]

I think that this is a situation where it is best to remember that nothing good happens fast in an aquarium.

Based on your post it sounds like you haven't taken the time to fix the existing problems before charging ahead and making more changes, additions, etc. It also sounds as if you aren't bothering to QT your fish, which considering that you've reported illness and death with your existing fish would be highly advisable for you. Finally it sounds like you aren't planning out your stocking very well, as you acknowledge that some of your fish are not compatible.

Based on all of this, my main recommendation is to slow down and take things step by step. Start with the most important issue and work from there. This will make the issues you are dealling with much easier to handle.

As to the Green Water, the most common cause is a spike in Ammonia. Green Water usually fixes the problem that caused it, so it wouldn't be unusual if you didn't find anything with testing. I suspect that your bioload may be too high which would contribute to the situation. More frequent and/or larger water changes would help, as could a 3-5 day blackout.

 

[papa_bear_21]

I have not changed anything on the tank with the green water situation, no new fish have been added. I dont know that it is a bio load issue, as again, no new fish have been added, and the filtration is quite adequate. I do know that the needlefish and the betta will eventually need to be seperated, but at the moment, there is no reason to do so. I believe the needle will need a larger tank before the betta becomes lunch.

The fry that died, there was no QTing them, they were moved to a new tank as soon as we felt they were able to be moved, as we do with all our other fry. The mollie that died in the big tank was the momma to the babies, so we were not that surprised that she died. The bleeding heart that died looked as if it had been nipped at, by who, we are not sure. The tank they are in is a tropical community tank, and all fish are researched for compatibility prior to purchase. The fish that have been sick, got sick when no new fish were added for long periods of time, the puffers have never had anyone added to their tank.

I do take things pretty slow, knowing that there is an issue with the big tank, we are working to solve the problem before adding new fish.

 

[Purrbox]

How many aquariums are we dealing with? If it's more than one, you might want to post a separate thread for each aquarium to avoid confusing issues. Giving as precise and detailed a description of the situation, parameters, care and maintenance of the aquarium will help greatly with troubleshooting your issues.

It is possible to exceed the bioload of an aquarium as fish grow, and not just from new additions. I'm having a hard time figuring out how many and which fish are in your large aquarium with the Green Water. Another common cause of Green Water is if a fish dies unnoticed and causes an Ammonia spike. Would this be possible in your situation?

 

[p3purr]

Also, how can I control green algae? The 55 is becoming overloaded with the stuff, and I am not sure how to control it.

Here's a thread on http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/green-water-101964.html

 

[papa_bear_21]

we have 4 tanks, the needle is in the 29 gallon currently, as he is still young and small. The tank with the green water issue is the 55 gallon tank, which got a large volume water change today, near 75%. We are cleaning all the decor, to get all the algae off of them.