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hi there
i have a 160 litre tank, which is about 42 gallons. its an aquastyle 850 aquarium. i’ve had the tank for almost 1 and a half years now. i started off with 6 red eye tetras to get the cycle going and then slowly added fish and plants to it. i now have 6 red eye tetras, 4 platies, 2 albino bristtlenose catfish and 2 kribensis (which had offspring about 7 months ago). i haven’t added any fish or plants into the tank since the babies were born (last count at 12 babies). i’ve been cleaning my filter about once a month and have been doing 25% water changes monthly as well. so everything is running like clockwork. however, i’ve recently noticed that one of my albino catfish is really sick. its body has a reddish bruising and its fins are begining to get the red strips on it as well. but all the other fish seem to be doing brilliantly. the other bristtlenose has no signs of this at all. i’ve been reading a few posts and it seems its down to amonia poisoning. but none of my other fish are experiencing any of the symptoms associated with amonia poisoning. my kribensis are looking for a cave to lay eggs again. my test kit has run out so now i’ve bought a new one from amazon but it hasn’t arrived as yet. any advice as to what i should do while i wait for the test kit to arrive?
any help will be much appreciated.
I would do partial water changes every single day, until you are SURE there is no ammonia. You really should change at least 20% of your water every week, I change out 50% of mine once a week, and 2 tanks get a 50% pwc twice a week.
What kind of test kit are you using? Test stips are notoriously inaccurate, so I would recommend a liquid test kit.
The one could be showing signs because it is weaker than the rest of the fish.
Also, you just clean the filter right? Not change it out completely?
okay, thanks. i’ll do the partial water changes every week. i was using test strips, but now that you have mentioned it, i’ll place an order for the liquid test kit. and nope, i just clean the filter. i don’t change it out completey. i followed the instructions that came with the fish tank filter guide.
Ok, no need to change out the media unless it’s falling apart, or you need to remove meds.
If you have ANY ammonia or nitrites, you should change some of the water every day. :)
Good job on the liquid test kit. Next to dechlorinator, that is my #1 priority.
okay. which liqiud test kit would you recomend? for the time being, i’ve got the test strips and the readings were all safe. i’ve got 0 nitrites and my nitrate level is approx 25 mg/l which they say is a safe level. but as you said they can be very inaccurate. so which liquid test kit will you recomend i get?
btw, thanks for the help ;-)
API sells a couple of ammonia test kits that use reagents. You fill a glass tube to the specified level with aquarium water, add a certain number of reagent drops, shake it up, and wait five minutes. If the water remains clear, you have zero ammonia. You compare the water color to a chart to see if/how much ammonia the water has.
Some API test kits are different, it just depends on which one you get. My test will show yellow when there is no ammonia, but the directions will tell you which one you should look for. You can find the kit on www.drsfostersmith.com for a good price, or ebay. Look up API Master Fewshwater test kit.
okay, thanks again. i don’t think that shop that you mentioned will post to the uk. but ebay has it. thanks again. really appreciate it. btw, my fish died. :(
Awww! Sorry about your fish! :(
lol, np. i’ve still got another bristtlenose catfish
oh, btw, the filteration system i have is in the following layers:-
Floss, Charcoal, Sponge mat, Ceramic noodles. i wanted to know how often should i replace the charcoal and floss. and do i need to replace the sponge mat and ceramic noodles?
The beneficial bacteria live in the filter media, so don’t change all of it at once.
ok thanks. so i should change all of it, but at different times? and do i need to replace the ceramic noodles as well?
You do not need carbon unless you are taking out meds. No need to changle the floss unless it’s falling apart, just swish it in old tank water when it gets dirty. Same goes for the ceramic. You should never have to replace the sponge, just swish that in old tank water too.
ok cool. thanks