knightnurse14
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I've really screwed up and need some help. Already lost my clown loach and want to protect the rest of my guys.
6 days ago I moved a 75 gallon tank to a 125 gallon tank. Previous readings were PH 7.4, nitrite 0, nitrate 40, temp 76F.
After carefully moving my livestock to buckets with siphoned off water I vacuumed and moved all of my gravel to the new tank, dumped onto the undergravel filter with two penguin 660's running reverse flow. I did rinse the sponges in old tank water while moving them. Also broke the power heads down and cleaned them well.
I moved my marineland 350 hang on filter over after cleaning it up well and rinsing the two filter pads in old tank water so as not to lose their good bacteria.
In addition I added a Rena Filstar 3 external filter with sponges, biomedia, and about a 16 oz sock of carbon and a couple of rena water polishing pads.
Two days ago I noticed my Kuhli loaches looked agitated but was working a long weekend and didn't check the water. It looked fine and the fish were eating.
Yesterday I checked my ammonia and it was 0.5 ppm. I freaked and didn't check anything else just did a 40% water change, checked it again in a couple of hours still had 0.25 ammonia and did a second 40% water change. Afterwards ammonia was 0.
Now is where it really goes to crap.
This morning my water was very cloudy, my clown loach was dead and when I checked my parameters with my API kit this is what I have.
PH less than 6. 6 is a low as it registers and my test sample stayed almost completely clear not yellow.
Ammonia maybe a trace
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0.
I am pulling out the carbon sock from the external filter as I just realized it probably caused drastic PH drop but what else can I do to protect my fish.
Should I add a PH buffer or will that just cause more problems.
My fish are acting subdued not not in any acute distress at the moment.
fish are 20 platys, 2 bettas, 2 green corey cats, 1 big old plecostamus, 3 oto's
6 days ago I moved a 75 gallon tank to a 125 gallon tank. Previous readings were PH 7.4, nitrite 0, nitrate 40, temp 76F.
After carefully moving my livestock to buckets with siphoned off water I vacuumed and moved all of my gravel to the new tank, dumped onto the undergravel filter with two penguin 660's running reverse flow. I did rinse the sponges in old tank water while moving them. Also broke the power heads down and cleaned them well.
I moved my marineland 350 hang on filter over after cleaning it up well and rinsing the two filter pads in old tank water so as not to lose their good bacteria.
In addition I added a Rena Filstar 3 external filter with sponges, biomedia, and about a 16 oz sock of carbon and a couple of rena water polishing pads.
Two days ago I noticed my Kuhli loaches looked agitated but was working a long weekend and didn't check the water. It looked fine and the fish were eating.
Yesterday I checked my ammonia and it was 0.5 ppm. I freaked and didn't check anything else just did a 40% water change, checked it again in a couple of hours still had 0.25 ammonia and did a second 40% water change. Afterwards ammonia was 0.
Now is where it really goes to crap.
This morning my water was very cloudy, my clown loach was dead and when I checked my parameters with my API kit this is what I have.
PH less than 6. 6 is a low as it registers and my test sample stayed almost completely clear not yellow.
Ammonia maybe a trace
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0.
I am pulling out the carbon sock from the external filter as I just realized it probably caused drastic PH drop but what else can I do to protect my fish.
Should I add a PH buffer or will that just cause more problems.
My fish are acting subdued not not in any acute distress at the moment.
fish are 20 platys, 2 bettas, 2 green corey cats, 1 big old plecostamus, 3 oto's