Queries etc.

[Sam_Ashton]

Hi again guys,

Just got a few questions please as I got spare few mins on the net!!

I have recently had 3 fish die in the space of about a week for no apparent reason (2 Bala sharks and a clown loach).

I took a water sample to be tested and everything is absolutly perfect and so these are the only things I see that might have caused the problem because all the fish have been happy for years previouslly...

I replaced my light bulb for a more powerful one when it blew which seems to have caused an increase in growth of algae, it is now a 30W power-glo.

I had a plant that seemed to be decaying quite rapidly and leaving dead leaves floating in the tank (I have now removed this but no idea if it was the problem). Another thing to mention here is that all my plants have seemed to develop a brown tinge recently and I do not know why, is this a sigh of something unhealthy?

This is the biggy!!! - In seems that on the opposite side of the tank from the filter outlet (where the bubbles pop) there is a cloudy opaque skin that develops every few days from scum on the surface which I have no idea how to stop (today I also spotted little black balls on it. I have tried filterpaper to skim off the scum but it doesn't work. At the moment a take of the skin as it forms with my net but this is really worrying me.

I am worried that my fish maybe ingesting some of this skin when they feed from the surface.

Thanks for you time, any ideas are greatly appriecated!!

Sam

 

[jen0910]

Well, the decaying plant matter as well as increased light can cause algae outbreaks. The stuff on the surface may also be algae related.

How big is your tank and what do you have it stocked with?

 

[TabMorte]

Sam, how big is your tank and how big were the bala and loaches?
Also who are their tank mates?

 

[Sam_Ashton]

Erm according to my calculations its about 25 US gallons (30 x 35 x 90 cm).

Is this correct because my tank does look bigger than photos of 25 gallon tanks I see online?

I now have 4 Neon Tetras and 1 Clown Loach left.

I think my Clown is abit lonely but the people at my local store said I should wait a week to get him a new friend so things can settle.

Thanks

 

[TabMorte]

Your loach is probably lonely... BUT I'm not sure if you're aware, clown loaches can grow up to 12 inches long (albeit slowly, about an inch a year iirc). So be aware he and any buddies may require a larger home.

 

[jediinthedark]

I'll let other people tell you about the size requirements for loaches...
Do you have a lot of plants, and do you know what kind, or can you post pictures?
The brown tinge is probably just surface algae. Of all the different kinds I'll take brown algae any day.
Still, if you're getting more of it then you used to then it shows that something has changed in the environment.
You increased your lighting. You also may want to add a CO2 system (sugar & yeast kits are not too expensive). Nutrients would be the third item. These three things need to be kept in balance for the plants to really out compete the algae.

How long do you leave the lights on?

Here are a couple of Algae links for your:
PG: Algae - An Overview - PlantGeek.net
Nuisance Algae in Aquariums
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/algae_types.php

 

[Sam_Ashton]

Ermm.... well what am I to do then? I can't get rid of him, and I can't leave him lonely and I definatly can't afford a bigger home (well maybe in 5 years when he needs it).

The skin on the surface isn't brown, its milky white!!!

I'll post some pictures in a sec....


Oh yeah... I leave the lights on from when I leave for college at about 8am until about 11pm at night.

 

[Sam_Ashton]

These are old photos because my camera seems to have issues at the moment. But I hope you can establish what plants I have from then...

The tall one with large leaves (second from left) was the that was decaying so that has gone now. Oh and one more thing to re-iterate is that they are nothing like as green as this now....

Thanks

 

[TabMorte]

For now I would just take care of him and get him a friend but know that about 4 or 5 years from now you'll be up grading to a 50G . (Hey great excuse for a new tank!)

You should DEFINITELY limit your light to 8 - 10 hours a day (a timer that you pick up at any department store for fairly cheap will control this for you).

The white slime on the surface... have you tried cleaning this up with maybe one of your fish nets? If you do does it come back? That sounds odd to me but then it could be the result of the rotting plant matter.

I noticed when I upgraded my lighting I got a HUGE amount of algae and plant related growth(and associated decay). I wound up trying to get an otto to clean it up but he wasn't intrested either and in the end I had to give the whole tank a deep cleaning and invest in an algae magnet to clean the glass better with. Hopefully it will stay at bay.

 

[jediinthedark]

Tab's got it. That's way too much light.

 

[TabMorte]

Also I would dig out all the dying plants. The rot contributes to the algae, ammonia and fungi in the tank.

You can replace them with real ones for fairly cheap (I get my potted plants for 3.99 each at the LFS and often each pot has more then one actual plant in it) or go with (strangely more expensive) fake silk or plastic ones.

 

[Sam_Ashton]

Ok thanks for all the help, light will not be on for such prolonged periods from now on.

Just to make you hate me just a little bit more though... How bad is it to have cleaned your filter with warm/hot water? How long until my tank stabilises again? Hate my loach to be lonely but I don't want to inflict unnessacarily high ammonia levels on a new one if I can wait! :'(

 

[TabMorte]

You should only clean your filter in old tank water / dechlorinized water because tap water straight out of tap will kill the good bacteria in it (I did this once and it sucked! I had a mini cycle all over again)

 

[iapetus]

You should only clean your filter in old tank water / dechlorinized water because tap water straight out of tap will kill the good bacteria in it (I did this once and it sucked! I had a mini cycle all over again)

Yeah, I've done this without thinking about what I was doing. I didn't notice any adverse affects (it was a very quick rinse). But, I wouldn't recommend it and don't plan on doing it in the future.

I think it's more the chlorine in your tap water than the heat that kills the bacteria.

 

[Sam_Ashton]

I don't know if this makes me sound like even more of a tosser because I obviouslly was thinking at the time but even thought the water was warm/hot, I chlorine-treated it first!!

 

[TabMorte]

The heat shouldn't an issue. Yeah it's the chlorine.
What I usually do is rinse my filter in the water I've syphoned out of the tank. That seems the safest thing to me. I only do it about once a month personally.

 

[Sam_Ashton]

Sorry with all the questions if it's trouble, but whilst I have filters on the brain I was wondering...

Where can I find information on biological filter media (the pellet type things I have in my nylon bag)? Do they need replacing and if so what shall I replace it with and how often?

Also how often am I required to replace the corse sponge?

I ask this because I replaced the fibre on top yesterday and tried to find information on the other two filtration medium but was unable to find any!!

Thanks

 

[jediinthedark]

The coarse sponge only needs to be replaced when it is worn. You'll know when.
I've never found a reason to replace the pellets, but if you decide to replace them only replace about 20-30% at a time. You don't want to completely remove your bio filtration.
The Fine Filter Pad will usually need replacing every time your do maintenance.