Blood Parrot Cichlid
7+ inches super thick
40 gallon
2 50 percent water changes per week
Never had this happen before. I have another 40 tank with Patch (same size, blood parrot) no issues with ph crash. I don't get it.
Crazy and unexplained ph crash
- Thread starter FINWIN
- Start date
Blood Parrot Cichlid
7+ inches super thick
40 gallon
2 50 percent water changes per week
Never had this happen before. I have another 40 tank with Patch (same size, blood parrot) no issues with ph crash. I don't get it.
Just guessing, but if you got it when young, and its now 7" in a 40 gal, where 2 x 50% water changes was once adequate, as its grown they are not enough now. As any freshwater fish grows it puts out more and more urine (acidic, which at at some point overwhelms the alkalinity (buffering capacity) of the tank and you get pH crash). Maybe in that size tank, with that size fish, you now need a 30% water change every other day to keep replenishing alkalinity eaten up by fish urine, and to keep pH from crashing.
It's possible. He was 6" in December when i got him so maybe it's at the tipping point. I'll monitor closely. Strangely enough he puts out less waste than the other big parrot (Patch) and she had no ph crash. I may do a fin level tomorrow instead of the usual 50%. Never saw such a crazy ph reading before!
After reading your old nugget, catfish problem post, I'm wondering if its something else?
DC tap water has an average alkalinity of 61, which is a pretty good buffering capacity, and should be enough to maintain pH under normal conditions with your water change schedule.
What kind of filter(s) is/are on the tank?
and how often do you clean them?
DC tap water has an average alkalinity of 61, which is a pretty good buffering capacity, and should be enough to maintain pH under normal conditions with your water change schedule.
What kind of filter(s) is/are on the tank?
and how often do you clean them?
40 gallon POWKOO sponge filter and 40 gallon HOB aqueon with 1lb ceramic media and a piece of marineland bio filter pad. HOB has sponge pre filter. This is on each tank for Patch and Kong. Pretty much pad gets cleaned each time, prefilter cleaned once a week in tank water. W/C on Tuesday and Saturday 30 percent. I may top off during the week due to evaporation from water agitation.
One of the things I suspect is happening is the covers on the pots are holding lots of unseen detrius. When I add water over the top stuff blasts everywhere...I'll be changing their hutches out today for ceramic canisters.
Sometimes an idea doesn't work out the way you think...I put the grass and vines over the pots for a more natural look but the covers just hold too much particle stuff which may have contributed to Kong's situation.
