trotty
Aquarium Advice Freak
Phosphates are only one part of the equasion.... plants need more than that to survive, and like us need a good balance of nutrients for great health.
Maybe Bill is a superfish!
I think you mentioned that you had a place to put Bill if you had to tear it down and start over.
Does this mean that you have another tank that has no problems?
Also, did you test your pH after letting your tap water sit? My pH from the tap is 6.5 but after sitting for a couple of hours it goes up to 8.0 and stays there. (But my KH at 7 degrees keeps it buffered)
My fish thrive in this water. Just as an example of how a high pH can be fine as long as it is stable.
Another thought (maybe it's way out there but I'll throw it out here just incase) do you have any small children around that could be putting something in the tank that they shouldn't? (My little girl can't stay away from our tanks and I had to put a heavy lid on one so she couldn't open it and put things in it.
I've read the revised post on page 3 with the tap water test results. What is your tank's current pH & KH (and when was your last water change & how much). A comparision of tank & tap should be useful.
2. There is no appreciable change in KH/GH after the water had equlilbrate with air. <Did the pH change much? that was a TBA on page 3.> This would rule out problems with dissolved gases.
1. Why is the pH increasing?
Although the water has little or no buffering capacity, so is prone to pH shifts, pH normally DECREASES in a tank. <Metabolic processes, the nitrogen cycle, all create acids .... we normally have to guard against pH crash.>
The tank only has one fish, a small tetra (I think)
It's a [FONT=Arial, Helvetica][FONT=arial,verdana,helvetica]Scissortail[/FONT][/FONT]. http://www.popular-freshwater-tropical-fish.com/fish/rasbora_trilineata.htm
I personally suspect that washing your hands with soap prior to working in the aquarium could easily be at least part of the problem. Generally I don't get near my aquairums until at least an hour after using soap or anything else on my hands that might harm the inhabitants. This includes lotions, creams, etc.
I'd stop using the windex on the glass top. If accidentally sprayed in the aquarium it could cause problems. Plain old vinegar is the best for cleaning aquarium glass as it won't harm the inhabitants if a small amount gets in the aquarium.
A final thought. How have you been acclimating your new fish purchases? If the water the fish are being kept in at the LFS is significantly different than your water, slower acclimation methods are a must..
I'd definately check for stray electrical currents as another member mentioned. Could be a simple fix of grounding your aquarium. Also would be good to check the Conductivity (TDS) of both your water and the LFS water.
I thought you meant that you sprayed the glass table that the tank was on with Windex and not the tank's glass top.
Okay.... Anyone got any pointers on how this would be done?