Nano Nick
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Sorry to be posting needing help in first post
This is an extract from a post in the newcomers section.......
I will try and keep it brief. Its not a cycling prob I have its keeping the ph up.
Its a 65l (15 US gal) tank. Been up and running for 6 months now. Well cycled.
Started with a couple of clownfish (doesn't everybody ) n a dancing shrimp. Then fell in love with a flame hawkfish which wiped out the clownfish and the shrimp in 24 hours. Bad advice from lfs. returned the hawkfish.
Was going along quite nicely for a couple of months. Had a firefish, clown, Banggai cardinal and a lemonpeel angel (all babys btw, I know the tanks is too small really but was going to upgrade v soon). Then one week (within 3 days) they all died. Took and sample of my water to the lfs and they said the ph ws 7.4 (but the API test kit I had been using was telling me 8.0). Sacked that off and now use JBL test kit.....10x better imo. Anyway up to that point I had never even heard of minerals, I had just been mixing TM salt. The lfs said that was the problem and sold me some Tropic Marin re-mineral to bring the ph up and I've had nothing but problems since. Had a Sixline and that lasted a week.
Last few weeks I've been bunging load of minerals in and the ph comes up to approx 8.2 but within 2 days its about 7.8. Bought a clown fish last week and it died 7 days later. Been to another lfs today who said Tropic Marin mineral are a nightmare. They stopped using them and don't even sell them anymore. He said just use salt and a bit of buffer if required. I have now bought some Seachem Marine Buffer (suppose to buffer to 8.3) and am going to do a near full water change tomorrow (to get rid of the TM minerals as best I can and go back to just TM salt with a bit of this new buffer if the ph is low).
Just wondered if the majority of you guys use minerals or not????? or is salt mix enough?????? or are TM minerals and Seachem Marine Buffer one and the same thing?
I'm prety sure its the minerals which are killing my fish. Going back to basics (ie salt mix only). What do you think?
Gonna post this in the Fish only & FOWLR section as well as I don't want to type the same thing twice
Anyway bed time here now in England (for me anyway). Hope someone replies with some advice before my full on (mineral free) water change in the morning. Am I doing the right thing? PS only the firefish left, he's lived through it all (7.4 ph the lot). Call him Nails now cos he is . Cheers Nick.
This is an extract from a post in the newcomers section.......
I will try and keep it brief. Its not a cycling prob I have its keeping the ph up.
Its a 65l (15 US gal) tank. Been up and running for 6 months now. Well cycled.
Started with a couple of clownfish (doesn't everybody ) n a dancing shrimp. Then fell in love with a flame hawkfish which wiped out the clownfish and the shrimp in 24 hours. Bad advice from lfs. returned the hawkfish.
Was going along quite nicely for a couple of months. Had a firefish, clown, Banggai cardinal and a lemonpeel angel (all babys btw, I know the tanks is too small really but was going to upgrade v soon). Then one week (within 3 days) they all died. Took and sample of my water to the lfs and they said the ph ws 7.4 (but the API test kit I had been using was telling me 8.0). Sacked that off and now use JBL test kit.....10x better imo. Anyway up to that point I had never even heard of minerals, I had just been mixing TM salt. The lfs said that was the problem and sold me some Tropic Marin re-mineral to bring the ph up and I've had nothing but problems since. Had a Sixline and that lasted a week.
Last few weeks I've been bunging load of minerals in and the ph comes up to approx 8.2 but within 2 days its about 7.8. Bought a clown fish last week and it died 7 days later. Been to another lfs today who said Tropic Marin mineral are a nightmare. They stopped using them and don't even sell them anymore. He said just use salt and a bit of buffer if required. I have now bought some Seachem Marine Buffer (suppose to buffer to 8.3) and am going to do a near full water change tomorrow (to get rid of the TM minerals as best I can and go back to just TM salt with a bit of this new buffer if the ph is low).
Just wondered if the majority of you guys use minerals or not????? or is salt mix enough?????? or are TM minerals and Seachem Marine Buffer one and the same thing?
I'm prety sure its the minerals which are killing my fish. Going back to basics (ie salt mix only). What do you think?
Gonna post this in the Fish only & FOWLR section as well as I don't want to type the same thing twice
Anyway bed time here now in England (for me anyway). Hope someone replies with some advice before my full on (mineral free) water change in the morning. Am I doing the right thing? PS only the firefish left, he's lived through it all (7.4 ph the lot). Call him Nails now cos he is . Cheers Nick.