Plant Water Tempture Problem HELP

[dsilvers]

we have a 55 gal with a temp issue...the plant light from Coralife that we have makes the temp go up a bit. Then it cools when it goes down. We have the light on about 8-10 hours a day. the plants look great, we managed to tackle our initial green algae bloom...but is there anyway to combat this? I THINK I saw a slight shadow of white on a Pleco this morning and I'm worried that it's due to the mild fluctuation in temp!
Should I put him in the 20 gallon we have. The fish in there are being treated with Quick Cure. I admit we were suffering from old tank syndrome...we were so busy getting the 55 up and running we didn't do enough for the 20. We always keep a schedule and do regular water changes, but somehow we got ourselves thinking one bucket=20% water change. Then I suddenly realized when I checked pH that this can't be right...we never had a pH drop...we figured it out and I feel majorly guilty. The only two who seem upset are the mollies, but theya re comingback...so...should I throw the 55 gal Pleco in there?? HELP

 

[Guest]

How much fluctuation are you talking about? I run my lights 11 hours. The temp fluctuates 3-4 degrees daily. It doesn't bother my fish or plants. They are subject to temp. fluctuations in the wild, like after a rainstorm and such. In Europe, they think slight temp fluctuations are healthy for the fish. I wouldn't worry about it.

Keep an eye on the Pleco, move him to the Q tank and medicate there if he really has a disease.

 

[dsilvers]

Yes, that's it....from like...72-76 or 73-77...no more than four degrees. The plants look great and the fish are so active and happy. i am just worried about that Pleco. I feel so bad that we were not doing the math right on the 20 gallon. We keep a calendar for both tanks and we are so careful to quarantine any new fish and to watch for signs of illness. That's how I saw the one spot on the black female molly...and I started treating right away. Will it take longer b/c we have to do a 1/2 treatment due to the Tetras?? And how can I really tell if the Pleco has it? I did notice that some fish, sometimes...shed a little...Then they just get bigger. Is that weird or am I wrong on that...see, on the Pleco it looks more like...faint shade of white write by his fin and up his side. On the Molly in the 20 it's obviously white dots. That's how I knew.
I saw this schedule for Quick Cure, what do you think?? I found it on a general search:

• Day One
Remove all charcoal/activated carbon from the filtration system. Add one drop of Quick Cure per gallon of tank water, this will discolor the water, don't fear, it will go away within 48-72 hours.
• Day Two
Add one drop of Quick Cure per gallon of tank water.
• Day three
Treat tank as you normally would, you will begin to notice the white spots disappearing.
• Day four
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day five
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day six
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day seven
Add One drop of Quick Cure per gallon of tank water.
• Day eight
Add One drop of Quick Cure per gallon of tank water.
• Day nine
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day ten
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day eleven
Treat tank as you normally would, you should not see any visible spots.
• Day twelve
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day thirteen
Treat tank as you normally would.
• Day fourteen
Add NEW charcoal/activated charcoal to your filtration system treat tank as you normally would. Wait one additional week to see if there is a flare-up, if so, restart from the beginning. The good news is that the product "Quick-Cure" is extremely inexpensive, a 4 oz bottle runs around 5 dollars, give or take a couple. It will last the average hobbyist about 5 years...not bad?

 

[Guest]

Ahh, I have run out of help for you, don't keep plecos, never used quick cure! However, I'm not sure any medicine has a shelf life of 5 years, might want to get more every 2 years or so, if needed.

Don't beat yourself up about less than perfect water changes, it happens.

 

[tkos]

I here to throw out meds after a year. People are supposed to get rid of their pills after a year (if the container is opened and exposed to air), so fish meds should as well. I wouldn't move the pleco unless I was absoluelty sure. No sense infecting him with the other tank if he isn't already. And those temp changes are fine. You aren't having the same summer time problems that a lot of us are with temps hitting the mid 80's F in the day.

 

[Guest]

Most smaller streams in the wild will have more than a 3-4 degree fluctuation during the day night cycle.