Common reasons for Fish itching them selves?

[Bee0912]

J you live by me right? I ask because i have never put anything in my water eather just sraight from the tap 9 months with no problems.

 

[golcondorus]

eiham substrat pro, best filter media

 

[SpeshulEd]

What do you have for filter media? you could check there and find something to keep your levels lower. With barebottom there isn't as much area for the bacteria to seed. I would have at least driftwood in the tank, or some kind of bioballs/ceramic filter rings in the filter. I think nitrate is your problem or possibly a new tankmate brought something in. Fish ich themselves for a reason, I would do what your doing waterchange bump the temp, salt and keep the lights off they should recover quickly.

How exactly does adding filter media reduce nitrate levels?

 

[Rockbass6]

How exactly does adding filter media reduce nitrate levels?

Filter media helps beneficial bacteria find a place to grow. Do you not need bacteria to help your fish tank break down ammonia into nitrate and nitrate into nitrite? The easiest thing to do is waterchanges yes, but there are other things you can do to help you..why do people put gravel in their tanks? just for looks? This is why I have tons of driftwood and plants in my tank. You want to control the nitrate and nitrogen cycle the best you can. Live plants help control nitrate levels because they are important to the plants growth. You can also get filter medias that detoxify nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. If he wants he could get a nitrate reductor to break down nitrate, but I don't feel that is necessary. Just more area for bacteria to live and plenty of clean water should do the trick.
Why do you ask? You having a similar issue? Try some driftwood, lower the stock, or use some ceramic filter rings. I'm no chemist though, feel free to educate me on what I am doing wrong with my tanks at home. The simple way is just replacing the water with fresh clean water, but there are plenty of critters to help you in your fishkeeping.

 

[BigJ]

I'm in the process add adding alot of Bio Rings. To my tanks. I've never used them on my tanks. But i think it will help my problem. I'm going to pack the Fx5's full of the stuff. Rather than just run the sponge stuff in there. Time will tell.

 

[Rockbass6]

I'm in the process add adding alot of Bio Rings. To my tanks. I've never used them on my tanks. But i think it will help my problem. I'm going to pack the Fx5's full of the stuff. Rather than just run the sponge stuff in there. Time will tell.

I run those prefilter pads and the big blue bioballs in my Fx5, one pad for each basket and a mess of bio balls in each basket of the 3 layer system, I think the bottom has pourous rocks. If you pack it too much you restrict the flow and your back to square one. Another good thing is you can rinse out those pads and reuse them for quite a while. Malaysian driftwood works good too for benifiting bacteria, but if you like the barebottom look, I would do the filter rings or bioballs in a canister. I have both..rings in an AC100 and balls in the Fx5 for my electric blue dempsey and bichir tank. If your tank smells at all you could add a carbon pad, I think they sell it for the fx5 it is like a pillow but I don't need it.

 

[BigJ]

I run those prefilter pads and the big blue bioballs in my Fx5, one pad for each basket and a mess of bio balls in each basket of the 3 layer system, I think the bottom has pourous rocks. If you pack it too much you restrict the flow and your back to square one. Another good thing is you can rinse out those pads and reuse them for quite a while. Malaysian driftwood works good too for benifiting bacteria, but if you like the barebottom look, I would do the filter rings or bioballs in a canister. I have both..rings in an AC100 and balls in the Fx5 for my electric blue dempsey and bichir tank. If your tank smells at all you could add a carbon pad, I think they sell it for the fx5 it is like a pillow but I don't need it.

I'm running 2 FX5's and a AC110 on the 180. I just got home with a TON of this Fluval Bio Ring's.. $150 worth, I'm done loseing these fish to stupid reasons.

 

[SpeshulEd]

Filter media helps beneficial bacteria find a place to grow. Do you not need bacteria to help your fish tank break down ammonia into nitrate and nitrate into nitrite? The easiest thing to do is waterchanges yes, but there are other things you can do to help you..why do people put gravel in their tanks? just for looks? This is why I have tons of driftwood and plants in my tank. You want to control the nitrate and nitrogen cycle the best you can. Live plants help control nitrate levels because they are important to the plants growth. You can also get filter medias that detoxify nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. If he wants he could get a nitrate reductor to break down nitrate, but I don't feel that is necessary. Just more area for bacteria to live and plenty of clean water should do the trick.
Why do you ask? You having a similar issue? Try some driftwood, lower the stock, or use some ceramic filter rings. I'm no chemist though, feel free to educate me on what I am doing wrong with my tanks at home. The simple way is just replacing the water with fresh clean water, but there are plenty of critters to help you in your fishkeeping.

Adding filter media would help the nitrogen cycle, reducing ammonia and nitrite, however it wouldn't remove nitrate. The only way to remove nitrate is by doing water changes and having live plants in the tank.

You can add 50,000 lbs of ceramic rings to your fx5, you're still going to have nitrate. You'd have a lot of room for bacteria to grow though, which is good for ammonia and nitrite, but the nitrate is going nowhere.

Bacteria grows to counteract your stocking. The more stock you have, the more filter media you'll need to grow bacteria on. However, once the bacteria has grown to compliment the current stock, no more will grow until you add to the stock. The stock only produces so much ammonia which in turn, only feeds so much bacteria.

Technically you don't need gravel, plants or driftwood in a tank - there are many here that don't. Filter media is needed for the nitrogen cycle, but it doesn't remove nitrate. You can buy nitrate reducing filter media and even prime claims to remove it, but the most efficient and fastest way would be doing a water change.

 

[Rockbass6]

The Nitrate was off the charts.. Could this be the isssue? I'm assumeing so.. I'm allready hammering the tank 25 gallon per day water changes.. It's a 90 gallon btw.

Adding filter media would help the nitrogen cycle, reducing ammonia and nitrite, however it wouldn't remove nitrate. The only way to remove nitrate is by doing water changes and having live plants in the tank.

You can add 50,000 lbs of ceramic rings to your fx5, you're still going to have nitrate. You'd have a lot of room for bacteria to grow though, which is good for ammonia and nitrite, but the nitrate is going nowhere.

Bacteria grows to counteract your stocking. The more stock you have, the more filter media you'll need to grow bacteria on. However, once the bacteria has grown to compliment the current stock, no more will grow until you add to the stock. The stock only produces so much ammonia which in turn, only feeds so much bacteria.

Technically you don't need gravel, plants or driftwood in a tank - there are many here that don't. Filter media is needed for the nitrogen cycle, but it doesn't remove nitrate. You can buy nitrate reducing filter media and even prime claims to remove it, but the most efficient and fastest way would be doing a water change.

Technically... waterchanges are not working. I know the importance of a water change speshul but I'm just trying to help. Is your water high in nitrate out of the tap bigj?

What do you suggest he do? I don't care if I had to do 25% waterchanges everyday and my fish were still dieing I would be pretty pissed off. I do not care if I get called out no sweat to me it is a fish forum. lol Just trying to help out. Good luck bigj, I don't know what I would do. Algae is going to set in pretty quick if we don't help this guy. I have well water here, I don't use any of that prime junk.
Anyone able to help this guy out? Sorry if my advise sucked.
Nitrate reactor would tear a whole through the pocket we don't need that.

 

[DRD62]

I like using Prime also and had the same concern before when I was using Amquel. i think Prime is alot better product and have had no issues....