Oh no! Dead fish after PWC

[tabbycat0282]

Update:
Nitrate-20, Nitrite-0, Ammonia-0, pH-7.0

Here is a pic of the tank soo many have helped save!
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t294/tabbycat0282/tank009.jpg

 

[happygirl65]

Very nice! Looking good!

 

[tabbycat0282]

Time passes pretty darn easily without realizing it sometimes...
nitrate-40, nitrite-0, Ammonia-0, pH-6
did 20% PWC and gravel vac'd

wonder what went wrong....can dead java moss cause a tank to turn acidic?

 

[Purrbox]

Decaying plant matter and/or a build up of excess mulm can easily cause a drop in pH. Another possibility is a change in the parameters of your tap water.

 

[tabbycat0282]

That is all I needed to hear....taking out my moss wall idea. I think it resulted in a lot of dead moss, but not sure because all I can see is that it isn't growing through the wholes in the plastic sheets. Can I put the moss wall in a bowl in front of a window and let the sunlight hit it. Would that help the moss grow through the plastic screen it is in? I think it wasn't getting enough light in the back of my tank (shaded by the filter).

 

[TheChards]

Speaking as a complete beginner, it sounds like you've done a great job of turning your tank around and fixing the water chemistry. Well done! I guess this shows how important it is to test the water regularly and carry out a PWC as required. Thanks also for contributing to this thread so consistently as reading this from beginning to end has really helped my understanding and answered some of the questions I've had regarding cycling new tanks.

I do still have a couple of questions regarding filters though. If I wanted to set up a new tank and wanted to use decorations/ gravel from an already cycled tank to help get things off to a good start – would it also be a good idea to take the foam pad from the filter of the cycled tank and put this in the filter of the new tank? This would then mean putting a brand new foam pad in the filter of the cycled tank which I guess would be detrimental to the health of any fish in it. But since most of the decorations/ gravel which hadn't been moved to the new tank would be covered in bacteria, presumably the new pad in the filter should be working properly quite quickly?

I don't plan to attempt to set up another tank anytime in the near future but I'm interested to know how would be best to go about it. Thanks in advance for any tips or advice!

 

[Lager]

If the established tank has been up a long time it wont even notice the missing sponge. You can also cut it in half or just squeeze the goo into the new tank. If you move the sponge all the other additions ie gravel etc, will not be needed.

 

[happygirl65]

I have an idea on your moss wall....it might take a little longer but bear with me.....
Instead of sanwichng it between layers, try sewing it to the main top layer.

Lay down 1 layer of plastic mesh.
Lay the moss on top of it
Using clear nylon thread...thread a regular needle (or plastic canvas needle)
Tie off the end to the plastic mesh
sew in and out of the grid, strapping the moss down all on top of the grid.

You could try it this way...all of the moss would get some light and it would all be getting water circulation.....just a thought.

 

[Alaris]

Can I put the moss wall in a bowl in front of a window and let the sunlight hit it. Would that help the moss grow through the plastic screen it is in?

Yeah I was about to suggest that you move it out of the tank and let it grow out a bit.

Get a rubbermaid container that would allow the wall to lay down in. Fill it with water and buy one of those desk lamps that take a regular screw-in bulb, but replace it with a CF Daylight bulb (my husband did this as a spot-light for painting miniatures). Put the lamp over the rubbermaid container so the moss can get lots of direct light. You could even fill it with tank water when you do your pwc's so it gets some nitrAtes. And add an air stone to agitate the water to acheive ambient CO2 levels.

(No exp with this, but it's what I would do.)

 

[tabbycat0282]

I have the wall (somewhat bent) in my QT sitting in front of a window with the crappy bulb on all the time. Should get some growth from that. If I need to do the spotlight thing....I will. I just want to see if good old fashioned sunlight will do the trick for now. Thanks for the idea though!
My tunnel is growing....slowly....but still growing. It is smack in the middle of my tank and unobstructed from the light.

Will check the water in a few hours and post parameters.

 

[tabbycat0282]

happygirl.....that was my next plan if I can't get the wall to work as is. I am not worried about the water circulation as much as the light getting to everything enough to keep it alive. I must say though....I am happy I have a very small back wall because sewing moss onto a plastic canvas portion for a 55 gal tank would totally be a weekend affair! lol Little tanks have their good points! Thanks for the idea...I will keep you posted if I do such a thing in the future.