Test Kits and loach problems

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:45 pm

I have a fairly large group of clowns of varying age, over the last couple months I keep losing random clown loaches but no other fish.

So, What type of test kits do you find in the US that I should buy to help pinpoint the issue, providing there is an issue.

Thanks.

mistergreen · Post by **mistergreen** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:25 am

get a Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate test kit... Those are the 3 main ones.

It would help diagnose the situation if you list what and how many fish you have and what size tank you have.. And how often do you change your water.

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:36 am

The real question is what brand of test kits do people seem to like, there seems to be a few so it's hard to decide which is the best.

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:21 am

I have a fairly complicated setup.

I have two 265 gallon tanks and one 220 gallon tank, all connected to a central system. The sump is a 150 gallon horse trough with at least another 50-100 gallons of water in the plumbing of the tanks.

So, all in all I probably have 1,000 gallons of water total.

Water changes, I have a continous drip system, that runs through two chlorine guzzler carbon blocks and I think a 5 micron sediment filter. I typically run around 8-10 gph with system 24 hours a day... so between 192 and 240 gallons go in and go out of my system... which in a simplified view means I have roughly a 100 gallon water change a day on a 1,000 gallon system.

In the near future I will be adding another 220 gallon tank to the system but for now it is off the system.

Tank temp is 79F held constant with a temp controller and hydronic heating (hot water heat run through stainless steel pipe in the house trough).

As for fish...

265 gallon tank
roughly 30 previously 36 clown loaches
10 tiger barbs
5 long nosed loaches
1 horse faced loach
9 red line torpedo barbs
1 common pleco
1 vampire pleco
2 bushynose pleco's
2 Sultan King Pleco's
10 Botia Striata
8 Red tailed Zebra loach

Another 265 gallon tank
22 Yoyo's
4 bala sharks
1 common pleco
1 bushynosed pleco

220 gallon tank
1 Tiger Oscar
8 Jack Dempsey's
1 Common pleco

Filtration
6 eheim canister filters
1 large central drip filter consisting of 50 gallons of bio balls also has mechanical filtration and a carbon chamber.

Each of the 265 gallon tanks have somewhere around 6500+ gph turnover, with the 220 having around 2200GPH or so.

I think that about covers it, TDS hovers around 150 or so, Tap water is around 140.

I haven't bothered with test kits in a long time.

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:24 am

All of the fish in my tanks are acting fine with no visible problems. Over the last 6 weeks or so, I've lost 7 clown loaches that I've had for probably 6 months or more. They all we around the 3 to 3.5 inch mark with no visible issues noticable on the body's. So I thought it might be smart to get some test kits to see if anything is wrong. I was just wondering what brand to buy.

Have a good day.

Diana · Post by **Diana** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:33 am

Test kits are available in many price ranges and you do get what you pay for.
Cheap strips are more expensive per test, but you are paying for the Convenience of not having to mess with test tubes. The tests are not always accurate. I have noticed that the nitrate in particular seems to read too high.

The next level up is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals and similar priced brands. They have a test tube and liquid reagent. Accuracy is adequate.

Beyond this are the much more expensive, and more accurate test kits.

Are the Clowns showing any symptoms before they die? Too skinny? too fat? bulges somewhere? Red marks? Other? Different behavior ?

I see you have a lot of Plecos. Some Plecos have been caught in the act of sucking the slime coat off certain fish (Usually flat sided fish like Angels). Are your Clowns showing anything that might be this? It would look like a round patch where the Pleco has rasped at the fish, followed by a sore and perhaps infection.

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:51 am

Absolutely no visible signs on the fish can be observed, plus the fish seem to act fine prior to death.

So in your opinion Aquarium Pharmaceuticals should be good enough.

Thanks.

chefkeith · Post by **chefkeith** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:53 am

I seriously doubt there would be a water quality issue here.

What was the quarantine procedure for all the fish? Could you of possibly cross contaminated?

chefkeith · Post by **chefkeith** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:57 am

Aquarium pharmacuticals has good test kits.

Could anything be leaching in the tanks, such has metals? From old plumbing or rocks?

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 11:09 am

Last fish was added roughly 6 months ago, deaths started around month and a half ago. I highly doubt anything is leaching into the tanks since it's all standard schedule 40 pvc and all aqarium purchased ornaments and so on that I've had for well over a year in some cases many years.

I'm just wondering if it's just natural causes that killed these fish. Who knows what conditions they were in prior to my purchase. I do struggle with that answer since they have grown about 1.5-2 inches in the last 6 months and have been supposedly healthy.

J-Rod · Post by **J-Rod** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:38 pm

I dont know if it relates to your problem. But I've been dealing witha similar problem myself. My clown loaches have been dying one at a time for the last 3 weeks. I finally had the water and stool from the fish tested by my vet after several failed meds. All my other fish and asymptomatic loaches were thriving. turns out i have a tetrahymena infestation. Now i'm deciding how to go about treating it.

If you hit that point like I did i just went to a vet.

chefkeith · Post by **chefkeith** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:28 pm

What have you been feeding them? It's sounds like they've grown alot in very little time.

I have blamed some past deaths on over-eating of certain types of foods, such as freeze dried foods. Intestinal blockage can cause some serious damage. Live worm type foods are also known to harbor some diseases that may cause some deaths.

Tinman · Post by **Tinman** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:04 pm

I have 1200 gallons or so in a similar set-up. I also lost fish for no reason and was changing about the same. I slowed my water changes down from 10% a day as you are to about 3 to 5 % a day with excellent results. At that exchange rate the fish are living in tap water as opposed to tank water . 1/2 your water change and watch your TDS meter,your fishes color will improve almost immediatly. Clowns were affected much more than any of my other Botia and relation by to frequent a water change. 100% every ten days is way too much.You should be at half that or so at the most IMO.

The vet is an excellent idea to protect your investment also but I suffered this thinking more was better but at some point it is damaging. I also added a small peat pillow in my return fall but my TDS is higher than yours from the tap.

Tinman · Post by **Tinman** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:18 pm

Are you letting any cannisters go more than 15-20 days without cleaning them, as your fish grow your cleaning schedule must happen a bit faster also btw. How big is the Oscar? They are like having a Holstien in your tank.....That filter should be changed lots as they are Huge waste producers.If your Dempseys and Oscar are thriving your water may be too hard for the loaches also. I no longer keep these type fish because of the difference in water requirements

Curtis · Post by **Curtis** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 2:25 pm

Is TDS a decent way to monitor water quality?

I will turn down the drip rate as you suggested and see if things improve.

Meanwhile I am ordering a master test kit and we will see what my results are.

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