Search found 328 matches

by Icewall42
Fri Apr 03, 2009 2:45 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

Not 75ppm, but 0.75ppm. I have been using Prime and Stress Coat to do what I can. Knowing that there is a counter top RO unit available helps, because I don't think we can mess with plumbing in our apartment. I was originally changing out the zeolite bags after a few days when I noticed ammonia leve...
by Icewall42
Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:59 am
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

What concerns me is that I never tested for kH before now, so I don't know what is ever used to be. It must have been present, because there is some kH present in the 30g. I'll look up the baking soda method. I've considered for some time trying to use a water softening pillow. I haven't been too wo...
by Icewall42
Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:38 am
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

We tested the plain tap and it was at .75ppm ammonia. That seems pretty normal to me, so that can't be causing the trouble. I went ahead and changed 25-30% of the water. Continuing to medicate with Furan-2. The Rena is set up thus: 2 coarse sponges and 2 fine sponges in the bottom compartment, biost...
by Icewall42
Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:50 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

These are definitely great suggestions to manage tap ammonia--I have suspected for a long time that our tap has a lot of hazardous runoff, as we get our water out of a river that was once heavily polluted (but supposedly better now). I'll test the tap to see if anything is going on with it. The tank...
by Icewall42
Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:29 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

About 15. A couple are very tiny otos, another is a pretty small golden dojo, and the rest are clown loaches. One is 13 years old at 11", another is 10" and 7-8 years old, and the rest are much smaller at about 3-4". The pH change is another reason I don't like to do many water changes. I can't say ...
by Icewall42
Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:18 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

I'm currently at work, but I'll try and answer what I can now: Whats your tap PH? 7.0 the last time I checked it. Tap ammonia concentration? I'll find out tonight. Tank ammonia concentration? Absurdly high. One test puts it at about 100-140ppm (I think... my memory is pretty lousy). Another doesn't ...
by Icewall42
Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:46 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

I would very much prefer to do that, but changing the wter spikes the ammonia (unless something in the tap is just giving me a falso positive), and I had fish dying left and right before a single chemical ever touched the tank. I feel like no matter what I do, nothing fixes the problem. I feel like ...
by Icewall42
Thu Apr 02, 2009 12:29 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

This is all very good information. I have actually tried much of what you already detailed and it hasn't worked. The tank pH sits at about 6.0-6.5, so ammonia toxicity is low. It's really unfortunate that Cycle didn't have what I needed. I was also using Biozyme powder for a while with no real diffe...
by Icewall42
Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:36 am
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN
Replies: 16
Views: 15701

Clown Loaches sick... AGAIN

This is the umpteenth time my 72 gallon has been sick with SOMETHING. After spending $300+ on a new filter, stuffing that filter full of ammonia absorbing stones and carbon, the ammonia will not budge. The tank is overfiltered with a Rena XP3 and a Magnum 350, the aeration in that tank is massive, a...
by Icewall42
Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:59 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Strange Clown Loach Behavior?
Replies: 8
Views: 7390

Oh okay, both of those sound like great ideas. I'll just need to find a place that sells such things--Philly can be notoriously hard in finding specific items.
by Icewall42
Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:31 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Strange Clown Loach Behavior?
Replies: 8
Views: 7390

I forgot about the plants... I had a couple amazons in there, but the loaches tend to waste them. I've been trying to get something to grow in there for a while. As for the carbon, my biggest loaches never before had a problem with it, but after I stopped using it for a while and restarted using it,...
by Icewall42
Sun Mar 01, 2009 12:01 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Strange Clown Loach Behavior?
Replies: 8
Views: 7390

That sounds like a good idea, and a very likely theory. I was thinking about putting the carbon back in the filter for a day or so, enough time to filter but not enough to really affect the fish. As for the black one, he got all better and regained all of his color almost back to normal. This is the...
by Icewall42
Sat Feb 28, 2009 12:33 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Strange Clown Loach Behavior?
Replies: 8
Views: 7390

Strange Clown Loach Behavior?

So, I think I finally have the tank checmicals under some sort of control. When I last changed out some of the water, the ammonia spiked, leading me to beleive that there really is something wrong with the water in this apartment and perhaps because I didn't see these spikes without the meter, they ...
by Icewall42
Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:37 pm
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loach Turning Black...
Replies: 23
Views: 29648

Thank you, I would have really hated to lose this clown (he's 12 going on 13, and he's about 11"). I am rather glad I have more filter meduia options so I can find what works best for them. But even if you have a smaller filter, you can still run most of them without carbon. The Magnun 350s and simi...
by Icewall42
Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:42 am
Forum: Fish Health & Treatment
Topic: Clown Loach Turning Black...
Replies: 23
Views: 29648

Well, the good news is that the clown is looking MUCH better with more normal coloration, and he's becoming just as fiesty and grumpy as he used to be. I was also getting worried that the alpha status had changed hands between my two largest clowns, but since I've never seen such a thing happen befo...