Ammonia is really no good for fish! I'd like to say that they'll all make it, but some of them may not be as strong as the others, and may succumb to illness, or die. However, getting that water quality fixed will ensure that if someone does get sick, they can be treated and have a better chance of making it. This is a big ordeal for them, but hopefully they'll pull through if you keep that ammonia level low, and later, when it gets to nitrite, keep that level low. Cycling a tank with fish inside of it that you care about is one of the hardest and most labor-intensive aspects of fishkeeping, and is best avoided, but it's a little late now, unfortunately. Just read, read, read, and understand the nitrogen cycle in and out, and give the same care and attention to your biological bacteria as you do your fish -- that bacteria is essential.
cichlids rubbing on stuff
- Thread starter csa dad
- Start date
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
do you have an ammonia test kit what did it read the levels as? if your nitrates are that high then it may not be ammonia as normally once nitrates register ammonia doesnt anymore unless you dont have enough biomedia to handle the high bioload of your tank, how big is your tank and how stocked is it, also if it is ammonia then using a product called CYCLE will help, its frikin expensive if you have a big tank but works wonders and will cycle quickly without having to expose your fish to dangerous ammonia, if it is not ammonia another cause could be the starting of ICH, this is an organism in the water that attaches to fish and makes them itchy and you will see some white cysts aoppear on your fish in a couple days, if it is ich then you need to make sure there is salt in the water and raise the temp to like 86 for a week or at least 3 days after you see the last white cyst
as far as taking care of bb just make sure to never rinse your biomedia in tap water, siphon out some tank water and rinse it in this, i do this every 2 weeks or whenever my water flow from my canister starts to slow
as far as taking care of bb just make sure to never rinse your biomedia in tap water, siphon out some tank water and rinse it in this, i do this every 2 weeks or whenever my water flow from my canister starts to slow
For reference, here's his prior thread:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295217
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=295217
Yep, Nitrite at zero, and Nitrate under 20, IMO. Some say they allow their Nitrate to stay higher than that; I tend to try and shoot for under 20 in most of my tanks.
<Stands up on soapbox.>
Since water quality is the most important aspect in keeping fish healthy, keeping Nitrate (which is still toxic, though not nearly as toxic as Ammonia or Nitrite) at low concentrations will lessen the chances for illness/disease significantly. Poor water quality affects the fish's immune system, and in less-than-optimal conditions, the immune system is weakened, allowing problems which would normally be handled by the immune system and fought off to show signs and symptoms, leading to sick fish.
<Steps down.>
Yay, clean water!
<Stands up on soapbox.>
Since water quality is the most important aspect in keeping fish healthy, keeping Nitrate (which is still toxic, though not nearly as toxic as Ammonia or Nitrite) at low concentrations will lessen the chances for illness/disease significantly. Poor water quality affects the fish's immune system, and in less-than-optimal conditions, the immune system is weakened, allowing problems which would normally be handled by the immune system and fought off to show signs and symptoms, leading to sick fish.
<Steps down.>
Yay, clean water!
my nitrate is 5 an my nitrite is 0 anmy amonnia is 1 so its a lot better. but the fish are fighters i willl give them that i hope the pull threw.
i got a 55 last nite for 50 bucks with filters an deco an a set of marineland 500 power heads i think is what they are called ,but the thing is they run but are not pushing any water ya got any ideas
i got a 55 last nite for 50 bucks with filters an deco an a set of marineland 500 power heads i think is what they are called ,but the thing is they run but are not pushing any water ya got any ideas
Oh I just saw your other post. Hmm I have no idea what could be going on with them. Do you want to take the casing apart and look at the little impellers to see if maybe they've got gravel or something stuck in them?
