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Oh jeez. Gutted to hear that.
It is very unlikely to be nitrate poisoning. Nitrate has to be crazy high to cause an issue (for the vast majority of fish species).
Realistically, it's likely to be ammonia poisoning (iirc, red gills are a sign of this) - as ammonia poisoning kicks in at far lower levels. I'd also say it 'could' be oxygen starvation if the filter stopped, or the outlet was knocked lower to stop any surface ripples. I think that's unlikely too as snails will just climb to the surface and breathe air.
Maybe when cleaning the ornaments, you stirred up some s
te from the substrate? Substrates can become fairly toxic soups over time, and disturbance can release some nasties.
It is very unlikely to be nitrate poisoning. Nitrate has to be crazy high to cause an issue (for the vast majority of fish species).
Realistically, it's likely to be ammonia poisoning (iirc, red gills are a sign of this) - as ammonia poisoning kicks in at far lower levels. I'd also say it 'could' be oxygen starvation if the filter stopped, or the outlet was knocked lower to stop any surface ripples. I think that's unlikely too as snails will just climb to the surface and breathe air.
Maybe when cleaning the ornaments, you stirred up some s
te from the substrate? Substrates can become fairly toxic soups over time, and disturbance can release some nasties. Having returned from my work trip the large tank has settled, the algae has almost gone so the water is much clearer and the water tested well, so I threw a few more fish in.
So now has Cardinals, Panda Cory's, a BN pleco, bentosi tetras some lampeyes and some shrimp.. will keep an eye on the water quality over the next week and will probably finish the stocking with a few honey gourami in a couple of weeks.
The little tank however was a cube of candyfloss so I removed half the water, boiled the wood to help remove the sugars, cleaned everything and then topped back up. (Half of the fish didn't make it) I'm going to start the cycle again, I've bought some mesh bags and will add some of the filter medium from the bigger tank to help it on its way. But he lower water volume clearly makes these little nano tanks quite volatile..
So now has Cardinals, Panda Cory's, a BN pleco, bentosi tetras some lampeyes and some shrimp.. will keep an eye on the water quality over the next week and will probably finish the stocking with a few honey gourami in a couple of weeks.
The little tank however was a cube of candyfloss so I removed half the water, boiled the wood to help remove the sugars, cleaned everything and then topped back up. (Half of the fish didn't make it) I'm going to start the cycle again, I've bought some mesh bags and will add some of the filter medium from the bigger tank to help it on its way. But he lower water volume clearly makes these little nano tanks quite volatile..
S11Steve said:
10mm thick, braced all round, and two cross braces.
Mick at MBM did the calculations afterwards and it was at the very top of its structural limit but still within "acceptable" tolerances, although Mick has suggested 12mm at a minimum for a rebuild.
It does look like they're was a tiny burr on the back edge of the glass that may have been a weak spot, but that may also have been caused by the failure, rather than the cause. We're never going to be entirely sure.
The main thing is that all but two small fish survived and were rehomed.
Yeah sounds like it, would have thought more like 19mm actually for that size of tank. Mick at MBM did the calculations afterwards and it was at the very top of its structural limit but still within "acceptable" tolerances, although Mick has suggested 12mm at a minimum for a rebuild.
It does look like they're was a tiny burr on the back edge of the glass that may have been a weak spot, but that may also have been caused by the failure, rather than the cause. We're never going to be entirely sure.
The main thing is that all but two small fish survived and were rehomed.
Good job on the livestock, I remember how much of a pain it was sorting that out when the seal failed on my Reefer.
Sway said:
Oh jeez. Gutted to hear that.
It is very unlikely to be nitrate poisoning. Nitrate has to be crazy high to cause an issue (for the vast majority of fish species).
Realistically, it's likely to be ammonia poisoning (iirc, red gills are a sign of this) - as ammonia poisoning kicks in at far lower levels. I'd also say it 'could' be oxygen starvation if the filter stopped, or the outlet was knocked lower to stop any surface ripples. I think that's unlikely too as snails will just climb to the surface and breathe air.
Maybe when cleaning the ornaments, you stirred up some ste from the substrate? Substrates can become fairly toxic soups over time, and disturbance can release some nasties.
Thanks for the info. No red gills.It is very unlikely to be nitrate poisoning. Nitrate has to be crazy high to cause an issue (for the vast majority of fish species).
Realistically, it's likely to be ammonia poisoning (iirc, red gills are a sign of this) - as ammonia poisoning kicks in at far lower levels. I'd also say it 'could' be oxygen starvation if the filter stopped, or the outlet was knocked lower to stop any surface ripples. I think that's unlikely too as snails will just climb to the surface and breathe air.
Maybe when cleaning the ornaments, you stirred up some s
te from the substrate? Substrates can become fairly toxic soups over time, and disturbance can release some nasties. Filter was cleaned and only turned off for 15mins
The snails have all died too now
There's a white sheen to the moss balls and ornaments.
I've no idea.
Perhaps the water company had added something recently
rider73 said:
here is what the fishtank looks like now - some weird white "dusting" from the water change!
defo all snails dead too, 2 fish remain but are not eating.
That dusting could be a bacterial bloom. The water companies can add chloramine to tap water to kill off bugs and that will not be removed by normal filtration or chlorine removers…..you need one with specific chloramine remover. I would do a 50% water change after a loss like that. Use liquid tests (not sip strips) and check nitrite, nitrate ph and ammonia as basics. Also test the tap water for nitrate as it can sometimes spike if a farmers field has run off.defo all snails dead too, 2 fish remain but are not eating.
Assuming you didn’t “spring clean” any filters in tap water? (Sorry but sometimes it can be basics)
Was checking my tank yesterday, had a very elderly Tetra (cant remember what it was) that was looking a bit demic, noticed there was only one left so though it had likely died.
Made a mental note to locate and scoop it out when I had a minute, didnt need to worry as one of my adult Convict Cichlids appeared, looking like a cross between Predator and a dog with a stick clutching a spinal column in his mouth, he looked quite pleased with himself, waste not want not !
Otherwise, going very well, much prefer the bigger tank (240 vs 120)
Got some Shrimps, paid £18 for two, seen them like twice in a month, found one when moving stuff around and almost had a heart attack, they really are creepy things.
Made a mental note to locate and scoop it out when I had a minute, didnt need to worry as one of my adult Convict Cichlids appeared, looking like a cross between Predator and a dog with a stick clutching a spinal column in his mouth, he looked quite pleased with himself, waste not want not !
Otherwise, going very well, much prefer the bigger tank (240 vs 120)
Got some Shrimps, paid £18 for two, seen them like twice in a month, found one when moving stuff around and almost had a heart attack, they really are creepy things.
Really struggling to get the water levels on the nano tank within tolerance.. , i tested the water (strip rather than full kit) as i was getting ready for work at 6am this morning just to see how things had settled after the water change yesterday. Everything just looked wrong (no stock being lost, but i have added some in the last week), so i did another 30% change this morning. I've added some small ceramic balls to the filter, added some more bacteria start, done a filter change and took some floating plants out of the bigger tank in and attempt to control things but it doesnt seem to be settling. Tank has been up and running for over 4 weeks.. I was kind of hoping the bacterial levels would have been established by now. I don't think I'm over feeding. On the plus side the snails, shrimp and pygmy coradorys I've added seem to have made a big difference in keeping the algae in check. Maybe some faster growing plants rather than the java ferns or anubias might help?
Larger tank seems to have settled nicely, and I've spotted some shrimplets and some eggs being laid. It's quite heavily stocked so need to keep on top of the filter maintenance but so far so good. I'll quite happily sit and watch the tank over turning on the TV..
Larger tank seems to have settled nicely, and I've spotted some shrimplets and some eggs being laid. It's quite heavily stocked so need to keep on top of the filter maintenance but so far so good. I'll quite happily sit and watch the tank over turning on the TV..
I've been using them for a year or so now in my 60 litre's hang-on filter and my group of dwarf red neon rainbowfish, a species known to be fussy about water quality, have thrived.
Since I started adding them to my filter (3 balls a fortnight, each time I clean the filter) I've found I only need to do fortnightly 25% water changes now to maintain excellent water parameters.
Since I started adding them to my filter (3 balls a fortnight, each time I clean the filter) I've found I only need to do fortnightly 25% water changes now to maintain excellent water parameters.
Any advise on a automated feeder that I can use on my tank? I have a Ciano 60 ( https://ciano.pt/en/produto/aqua-60/ ).
well i think i'm on the verge of giving up.
with 3 fish left after "water change gate" it was looking ok, then i go away for a long weekend , come back , and another fish died and there is a massive stringy algae bloom that looks like its just taken over the entire tank in a few days,
filters still working fine, water was changed recently.
i can only assume its the sunlight thats causing this
the thought of moving the tank again fill me with dread and starting all over again.
with 3 fish left after "water change gate" it was looking ok, then i go away for a long weekend , come back , and another fish died and there is a massive stringy algae bloom that looks like its just taken over the entire tank in a few days,
filters still working fine, water was changed recently.
i can only assume its the sunlight thats causing this
the thought of moving the tank again fill me with dread and starting all over again.
rider73 said:
well i think i'm on the verge of giving up.
with 3 fish left after "water change gate" it was looking ok, then i go away for a long weekend , come back , and another fish died and there is a massive stringy algae bloom that looks like its just taken over the entire tank in a few days,
filters still working fine, water was changed recently.
i can only assume its the sunlight thats causing this
the thought of moving the tank again fill me with dread and starting all over again.
Never give up. Maybe cover the back and 2 sides with dark card to block sun light. Test for nitrate and maybe use a phosphate remover too.with 3 fish left after "water change gate" it was looking ok, then i go away for a long weekend , come back , and another fish died and there is a massive stringy algae bloom that looks like its just taken over the entire tank in a few days,
filters still working fine, water was changed recently.
i can only assume its the sunlight thats causing this
the thought of moving the tank again fill me with dread and starting all over again.
Oberheim said:
That’s a good-sized tank, looks nice. Is that a Madagascar Rainbowfish I spy in there? I rarely see those for sale. I had a group of these many moons ago in a 4-foot tank. Gorgeous fish, especially the males when they get the full colours in their finnage.
Agreed - I have a mature male Boesemani Rainbow. He's a bonny lad!That’s a magnificent bosemani rainbow - love it. The Apistogramma dwarf cichlid a few posts before is also stunning. Back in the eighties I used to keep Apistogrammas. Absolutely beautiful fish.
I’m afraid I have no experience of automated feeders. Not sure I’d trust any of them though. Always better to have a (trained) family member or trusted friend to pop in a few times a week to feed the fish. That’s what I’ve always done, with no disasters so far.
I’m afraid I have no experience of automated feeders. Not sure I’d trust any of them though. Always better to have a (trained) family member or trusted friend to pop in a few times a week to feed the fish. That’s what I’ve always done, with no disasters so far.
Rider, both Sway and Caddyshack have helped me with their frankly ridiculous encyclopaedic knowledge on this hobby. Compared to them, what I know can be written on the back of a stamp. Saying that, blackout your tank completely (I normally do this for three days) to kill off algae.
Assuming it’s chlorine or another tap chemical, take a sample from the tank + one from your tap and take it to an LSF to test. If there is one relatively near you, they might have the same water.
If you start again, start now. New filter sponge in an any plastic tub, fill with treated water and get a bottle of bacteria. Then throw one frozen prawn in there (to feed ammonia) and test. Assuming the bacteria on the old sponges in your existing filter were wiped out by treated tap water, this will help boost cycling quickly.
Good luck.
Assuming it’s chlorine or another tap chemical, take a sample from the tank + one from your tap and take it to an LSF to test. If there is one relatively near you, they might have the same water.
If you start again, start now. New filter sponge in an any plastic tub, fill with treated water and get a bottle of bacteria. Then throw one frozen prawn in there (to feed ammonia) and test. Assuming the bacteria on the old sponges in your existing filter were wiped out by treated tap water, this will help boost cycling quickly.
Good luck.
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