WOOOOHOOOOO Seachem Matrix

[FranM]

Three months later, nearly to the date of starting up a new tank and filter, Seachem Matrix, which I had little faith in, has DONE ITS JOB!

Nitrate reading was LESS than 5 ppm. I performed two tests the day before and one today and the readings are the same! The test kit is new and in date and only five days ago I had a good 20 ppm and I resigned myself to the fact that even though I feel I have an under stocked tank, I was not going to escape twice weekly water changes.

This does not mean I WON’T be doing water changes but rather 25% ones as opposed to 50% each week. At least it will cut the time in half. And, water parameters will remain more stable. I cannot believe the result and now I’m a believer in Matrix.

[Basil]

Thanks for the review!
I have Professional Blue nitrate reducer pads in my Fluval 406. The same as your experience, it took several weeks to see a decrease.
So I’m about to add them to the HOB on my 40g also.

[FranM]

So prior I was using API Nitrazorb packs and they worked pretty well. But because I have the canister filter, LARGE canister filter, it’s too much of a bitch to drain it and unlock it etc, so at least with the Matrix it never gets replaced.

Do you have to replace your Blue pads? Mid December I will take the filter apart and rinse everything since it’s running four months by then.

Thanks for the comment, Basil.

Fran

[Basil]

It is a pain to open those canisters! Mine has only been running since July and I added the pads in September maybe? I need to check my notes. So I don’t know if I need to replace them. I should inquire the next time I’m at my LFS.
I’m having major source water issues right now. I’m thinking my well is possibly contaminated with the rain and horrendous run off we have had this year. It’s a long, long story with dead fish involved (including a quarantine tank of Botia Dario which I am just sick over). However, the quarantine tank of sids was spared. Of course, I’m worried about something happening to the little guys and I have to refrain from checking theirctank every 5 minutes!
So I actually haven’t done a WC on my 75 for 2 weeks and nitrates haven’t gone above 10 ppm.

[FranM]

WOW, you do have some big issues. Makes me feel a little better. LOL. But in all seriousness, well water must be a worry. I have chlorinated city water so we usually don’t have any worries except for dechlorinating the tap.

I’m sorry you lost fish! It’s tough, very tough. We have all been there one way or another. Good luck. Nitrates seem ok. That’s good at least. My concern is that the pads could become saturated and, in turn, release nitrate back into the tank, if possible.

I keep clown and yo-yo loaches. I have posts on the Loach Forum and some video too.

Fran

[Basil]

I love your videos!
What size is your tank again?
I have a 75 that is currently stocked with 3 Tiger barbs and 5 golden diamond barbs.
I need to add to both those schools and was thinking about cherry barbs also.
I was originally looking for Histrionicas for the 75 but my LFS had the Darios and they looked great so I got them. Well, they looked great until they got into my tank. Sigh.
And the sad part is I have one Dario that survived and is in the quarantine tank with the sids.
So I’m thinking I really need to set up my spare 30 cube as a quarantine and use the bottled water as I know that is safe (I can’t bear to use the 29 anymore after what happened). I certainly don’t want to get more fish until I solve my water issues. But I feed bad that the one Dario is alone. And I hope my LFS still has some.
My other display tank is a 40 breeder with s scissortail rasboras. The sids will go in there.
Sorry to hijack your post!!

[FranM]

Hey no worries. No one gives a damn about this post. LOL. I like to hear other people’s stories. Does bottled water have the same minerals and stuff as ground water?

My tank is a 120 but a short, wide 120. 4x2x2. The inhabitants were moved from a 55. I’ve been so happy with it over the last few weeks. It was stressful the first couple months.

Is it possible you can invest in a water filter for the well water? Would that solve the problems? Thanks about the videos.

[Basil]

Well. I warned it is a long story lol!
But I’m procrastinating going out in the pouring rain to feed my horses!
First, my understanding of the bottled purified water is that it is RO water with some minerals added back in. I have been testing everything lately with my API kits and it tests as acidic, and a low GH so soft.
It also has a low KH which is not ideal. But I know it’s hopefully not contaminated with anything toxic to fish.

My well water nitrate levels are all over the place and I was worried about that since I’ve fallen in love with loaches who need clean water.
So my husband found an under the sink system that unlike RO does not waste water. It has 2 filters. One for nitrates and one smart filter that is supposed to do heavy metals, pesticides etc.
I used that water for about a month but the nitrates gradually climbed again. But my tanks were staying at about 10 ppm.
So we purchased a new nitrate cartridge and slowed the flow down through the filter.
But then I had a disastrous WC in my 75 where all my barbs were stressed afterward and I lost one (I shut the filter off too early and my small pump takes forever to pump the filtered water from my holding trash can into the tank) so I thought the culprit was the lack of water movement for close to 3 hours.
Fish were ok the next day.
Then I did a WC right before adding the Darios to my 29 g quarantine and the disaster ensued.

[Basil]

But I still didn’t yet link to the water and thought there was something wrong in the 29 g tank. I had recently moved my rescue Tiger barbs (I got back into fish keeping over a year ago when a friend’s father passed leaving a whole condo full of fish tanks) out of that tank. The last couple of months, they had seemed stressed and were fine once added to my 75. Faulty used heater in the 29? Not enough oxygen? I had no clue!
And the sole surviving Dario is doing ok in my 10 g quarantine with my sids.
So, still not thinking a water issue, I set up another 10 g quarantine with the filtered water. I added some barbs (Yes, I do acclimate by floating bag and slowly exchanging bag water fior tank water than netting fish into tank so not pouring store water in). 2 hours later, one barb was clearly in distress.
At this point I knew it was the water so I grabbed all 4 and put them in the 75. I know not the best plan but I was frantic.
Lost 3 of them in the next 12 hours and the last after a week.
So I suspected the filtered water (something happened after we changed the nitrate canister? Should have changed out the smart canister also???).
So later that week I did a WC on my 40 g that only has scissortail rasboras in it.
I used the well water not through the filter as I didn’t suspect that water. After all, the issues started after the cartridge change.
I was wrong. And lost 2 rasboras. Ughh.

So that’s where I’m at. On my day off today, I’m calling several water testing companies to see about dropping off water samples.

And I really need to do WC in my display tanks but I’m terrified to! Even though the RO from my LFS and the bottled purified should be safe. I’ve been using purified for WC in the sids quarantine tank and it has been fine.
Although I have lost 2 of the 10 sids that I originally purchased. Right now, I have 6 very robust guys who are noticeably growing and 2 who are skinny and not very active.
I just removed the charcoal from the filter and dosed the tank with Prazipro and will do a WC after 5 days, replace the charcoal for a few days and then remove it dose again. Hopefully, I can save the little guys.

So I applaud you if you’ve managed to get through all that!

[FranM]

Hey, Basil.

You sound like me with the stress and steps you’re taking to get though your issues. It is a guessing game and process of elimination.

To bring it back to me selfishly, I expected a low nitrate reading again since my last check seven days ago. Nitrate off the chart! I’m sick!!

[Basil]

Ughh. Do you have nitrates in your tap water? My well water was so variable which is why we purchased the under the sink nitrate filter. It was a losing battle to try to keep nitrates low when I was putting water with 10, 20 or even 30 ppm back into the tank.
I think we are going to install a small RO unit and I’ll continue to add Seachem equilibrium to make my perfect water. I’m doing that now but purchasing the RO water from my LFS.

[FranM]

Best of luck, Basil!

My fiancé gets mad at me because he says my tank is supposed to give me joy yet I’m stressing about it all the time. Like you, if we didn’t care, we would just replace fish as they die off because the aren’t getting optimum care. But we do care. That’s why you’re going crazy and I’m fretting over nitrate.

No, no nitrates in my tap. On another forum people are saying I don’t have enough Matrix in the filter to do the job. I don’t know what to say. It’s frustrating and challenging at the same time. Now I’m in the market for a circulation pump for water agitation at the surface to be sure the fish are getting plenty of oxygen.

So I’ve been rereading your post about the tiger barbs and the Dario’s. Or is it the sids? The ones you have six of but two are skinny and you treated with Prazipro. I love that product but I found a product that works wonders for internal worms. A couple nice women on Loach forum suggested Kusuri wormer. I had a very skinny clown who was healed using this product. I had to get it from eBay or amazon.

I don’t know what to say about the tiger barbs unless the water parameters were drastically different from one tank to the next. Hopefully you have some luck with the water companies. Are you in the US or UK?

[Basil]

It’s 2 sids that are skinny.
And thanks. I should have dosed the quarantine with Prazipro today for a second round of treatment but didn’t get to it.
So maybe I’ll just order the Kusuri and do that instead.
My Tiger barbs are little piggies lol!

[Basil]

Oh and I’m in the US, in Maryland.

[FranM]

I’d finish the round of Prazipro and wait the time period and then clean out the Prazipro. Maybe give the tank a week to run and the fish to recover from one treatment and then begin the Kusuri. Are the skinny ones eating and active at least?