Recent content by vonkster

Hello Everyone, I own a 75 gallon tank that could use a few more fish. Right now, I have six silver dollars in there and I would like to get a couple of fish that eat algae - there are diatoms in my tank I am too lazy to clean up myself :) I would get a Plecostomus but I hear they can attack...

Crushed coral is a problem waiting to happen Here is a link that explains the negative effects of crushed coral. The ph of my tap water is about 7.4; however, this parameter is subject to change.

Ok, so I have a new idea as to what is causing the high nitrates in my 3 tanks. I use crushed coral to help keep the ph in my tanks at a reasonable level. I suspect the ph of my tap water changes and therefore, I appreciate knowing that my ph will be ok whenever I do a water change. However -...

So I put both bichirs in a breeding trap and placed half a cube of spirulina brine shrimp in the breeding trap with the bichars. They still are not eating after trying this for two days. Any other ideas or suggestions?

I have tested my tap water and it is around 5 ppm for the nitrate level. In addition, I own a couple of other tanks that are having this problem (high nitrate levels)- they do not have undergravel filters.

I currently have a 75 gallon established tank with two gouramis, 4 silver dollars, and two Bichirs. The gouramis and bichirs are maybe 2-4 inches long and the silver dollars in my tank are about 3 inches long. I have an undergravel filter and a magnum 350 canister filter for filtration. I feed...

Hello everyone, I recently purchased an old 75 gallon tank from a friend of mine. I cleaned the side glass panels with vinegar and rinsed the tank 2-3 times. Currently, I have an opaline gourami (3.5 in long), a gold gourami (3 in), and 5 small silver dollars that range from a 1-2.5 inches...

Hey Kevin, Thanks for your advice. Are you sure this is a problem caused by the bacteria cycle? My nitrite and ammonia levels are pretty much normal; and, if my bacteria cycle was creating the problem, I would expect these levels to be high as well. In addition, my fish were only in my tank...

Hello everyone, I recently purchased an old 75 gallon tank from a friend of mine. I cleaned the side glass panels with vinegar and rinsed the tank several times with water until the water was pretty clear. I decided I would start things off buying a couple of rope fish (5-6 inches) and two...

Jlk, it is difficult to predict what they are exactly. My ph level always seems too high for my "low ph test kit" to get an accurate reading. Therefore, I use my "high ph test kit" and the resulting color suggests a ph that is to low for that scale to read...go figure. I would say that my ph is...

First, I wanted to thank everyone for their advice. I think my fish have improved due to the frequent water changes. Unfortunately, my fish are sulking again. I think this is due to a brown algae that is growing in my tank. I have briefly tested ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph levels and...

How often do you recommend I do a gravel vacuum?

I am using an emperor 400 filter. I was happy to get an 'over matched' filter for this tank since goldfish are supposed to be messy.

About the water changes - When my ammonia levels spiked the first time, I was told I was removing too much water and therefore, too much bacteria out of the tank. This caused the nitrogen cycle to stop which lead to an increase in ammonia levels. If I do 50 percent water changes 2 times a week...

Both are about 1.5-2 in long fantail goldfish.