HELP!!

[Jwt1984]

I have had my tank for just over 6 months and all has been going well till recently, I first noticed that I could no longer find my frog which has now vanished out of my tank I also found white spot on one of my fish which I am now treating, I also done a 50% water change after finding white fluff all over my plants and now all my fish are just staying at the top of my tank. I have looked on line and followed steps with what to do and it's seems to just be making things worse! Any help will do

 

[severum mama]

Hello and welcome to AA.

Can you tell us a little more about your tank? It would be helpful to know the size of your tank, how long it has been set up, and what fish you have, for starters.

Also, if you have a test kit, please test your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and post the results here. A description of your treatment routine would be great too.

 

[Jwt1984]

I have 4 tetras, 3 barbs and 3 mollies. 3 shrimp and until it decided to escape 1 frog! I also have 4 live plants in the tank and the tank is a 70 litre tank. I do a water change once a week treating the water before I put it in. I need to pick up water testing kit tomorrow as the shop was closed today. Tank has been set up for a while but also just noticed someone had turned my heater up in the tank so it was far to hot so turned it down so that explains why all the fish were at the top

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Keep doing what you are doing, except increase the water changes to daily. Sounds like you have some sort of bacterial infection going on. I would try using a mild salt solution for 24 hours and then do a 50% water change, and then another 50% the next day. Keep up the water changes. By the way, where are you getting your water from? Are you filtering it through carbon first, and allowing it to stand for 24-48 hours? Are you washing your hands before maintenance on your tank? Have you introduced anything new to your tank recently? Finally...keep a journal of what actions tou are taking (W/C, vaccuming, new plants, new fish, medicaltions and ammounts). Metro may work in your case. And finally, if you are using carbon....how old is it? Carbon is only good in filters for about 3-4 weeks. It can not be re-used. Good luck....Dwayne

 

[Jwt1984]

Cheers dwayne changed water again cooled tank down and fish and shrimp are ok unfortunately lost a barb just using my Brita filter to change the water as I needed to do it ASAP so hopefully will be all good will keep the water changes up and keep an eye on bacteria doesn't seem to be affecting the fish. Does anyone have any idea why the frog would jump out of the tank? He was eating well and was very active looked happy

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Brita will reduce chlorine and chloramines...it will not remove all of them. The best remedy is aged water. Get a volume of water (tap) and put it in a large container, like a plastic trash can ot plastic barrel. Let it stand for a few days. Be sure to keep it covered. Next you will need to raise it to the temp of your tank, adding a heater to your trash can or barrel will do the trick. During this time, any gasses will dissapate. It is now ready to use...ne need for water conditioners or chlorine removers. The result will be lower TDS and conductivity, leading to healthier fish and higher water quality. I raise Discus (27) and do this religiously. I use no chemicals. By the way, you can add a vitamin C tablet to your aged water. Just toss in a tablet every now and then...vitamon C scavenges chlorine, ammonia and chloramines, as well as some sterilization benefits.....Dwayne

 

[severum mama]

I was under the impression that this only worked with chlorine in the water supply, not chloramine. I know a few folks that raise discus as well, and in addition to aging their water (not necessary for a standard sort of community setup as long as it is dechlorinated), they use a dechlorinator to make the chloramine safe for their discus.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I would suggest the use of a water conditioner such as Prime. Aging the water works fine if it contains just chlorine. Chlorine will evaporate but chloramine will not. Neither will heavy metals. A water conditioner should take care of all those things.

(Ninja'd!)

 

[dwayne.aycock]

I use a 65 gallon drum that is connected to both a 5 stage carbon scrubber as well as a 6 stage R/O filtering system. My water goes into this drum and is circulated by a power head at 350 Gph, a 36Watt UV sterilizer, a heater to raise temp to 82 degrees and aeration the whole time. This water is circulated, sterilized, heated and aerated 24 hours per day. I use a vitamin C tablet to scavenge any remaining chemicals, and every 2 days it goes into my Discus tank....no other additions (conditioners, dechlorinators....nothing), and my fish and plants are thriving. Check out the PICs on my Discus project album. Different things work for different people, so I am NOT saying that I have all the answers, but since i adopted Joe's methods, I have had nothing but success, even with baby Discus. Also go to this website for where I get this information:
aquaresearchcenter.com
(Joe Gargas is a leading authority on water quality as well as the holder of several patents on water purification).

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Oh yeah......you frog jumped out because it could. No rocket science here, just desire and opportunity......(LOL)....dwayne