Loaded Bio Media?

[Kodiak]

Have a 33gal with three orandas about 3" each
Water gets changed 30% once a week, temp
matched dechlorinated. Filter is a Aquaclear300
with sponge and two bags of Lava Rock.

Does the lavarock and/or sponge eventually get
loaded with organics and harm the fish? I just
rinsed the filter media with used aquarium water.
The sponge is 4 years old but flows well, the media
is about 2 years old and dosen't appear to be clogged.

I'm asking all this because one of my orandas started
swimming upside down. Is this indicative of bad water
or some kind of damage to the fish? Can overeating/
constipation cause this?

....Kodiak

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Kodiak wrote:
>
> Have a 33gal with three orandas about 3" each
> Water gets changed 30% once a week, temp
> matched dechlorinated. Filter is a Aquaclear300
> with sponge and two bags of Lava Rock.
>
> Does the lavarock and/or sponge eventually get
> loaded with organics and harm the fish? I just
> rinsed the filter media with used aquarium water.
> The sponge is 4 years old but flows well, the media
> is about 2 years old and dosen't appear to be clogged.
>
> I'm asking all this because one of my orandas started
> swimming upside down. Is this indicative of bad water
> or some kind of damage to the fish? Can overeating/
> constipation cause this?
>
> ...Kodiak

Kodiak,

Whats are your water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH?

[Kodiak]

Ammo 0.1ppm
Nitrite 0.1ppm
Nitrate <5ppm
Salt 0.05%
temp 75degF

Did the hospital tank for one day, cranked up temp,
to 82 for 5 hours, fish seems to be doing much better now, but
I'm doing daily water changes.

I've had fish die before with no bad register on my reagent kits.
Am I missing an Ammo spike? ie: Does it occur so fast that I by the
time I check the water, the water has already come off the spike?

....Kodiak

"Geezer From The Freezer" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Kodiak wrote:
>>
>> Have a 33gal with three orandas about 3" each
>> Water gets changed 30% once a week, temp
>> matched dechlorinated. Filter is a Aquaclear300
>> with sponge and two bags of Lava Rock.
>>
>> Does the lavarock and/or sponge eventually get
>> loaded with organics and harm the fish? I just
>> rinsed the filter media with used aquarium water.
>> The sponge is 4 years old but flows well, the media
>> is about 2 years old and dosen't appear to be clogged.
>>
>> I'm asking all this because one of my orandas started
>> swimming upside down. Is this indicative of bad water
>> or some kind of damage to the fish? Can overeating/
>> constipation cause this?
>>
>> ...Kodiak
>
> Kodiak,
>
> Whats are your water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH?

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Kodiak wrote:
>
> Ammo 0.1ppm
> Nitrite 0.1ppm
> Nitrate <5ppm
> Salt 0.05%
> temp 75degF
>
> Did the hospital tank for one day, cranked up temp,
> to 82 for 5 hours, fish seems to be doing much better now, but
> I'm doing daily water changes.
>
> I've had fish die before with no bad register on my reagent kits.
> Am I missing an Ammo spike? ie: Does it occur so fast that I by the
> time I check the water, the water has already come off the spike?

Its possible (considering you've been doing water changes). Try water changes
every 2 days instead and see what your parameters are then...if they are
creeping
up then your cycle is still going or you are feeding too much.

[[email protected]]

yes. overfeeding may be the leading cause. Ingrid

"Kodiak" > wrote:
>I'm asking all this because one of my orandas started
>swimming upside down. Is this indicative of bad water
>or some kind of damage to the fish? Can overeating/
>constipation cause this?
>
>...Kodiak
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

water can be bad with no indication by tests. watch for fish to "roll" or wobble in
the water, head down or head up in the water. Jo Ann would have fish (usually whole
tank full) act in trouble would move them to different tank of fresh water they would
be fine. all she could find was high CO2 level. She didnt bother trying to
determine possible cause, just move the fish and clean out the tank and refill.
Ingrid

"Kodiak" > wrote:

>Ammo 0.1ppm
>Nitrite 0.1ppm
>Nitrate <5ppm
>Salt 0.05%
>temp 75degF
>
>Did the hospital tank for one day, cranked up temp,
>to 82 for 5 hours, fish seems to be doing much better now, but
>I'm doing daily water changes.
>
>I've had fish die before with no bad register on my reagent kits.
>Am I missing an Ammo spike? ie: Does it occur so fast that I by the
>time I check the water, the water has already come off the spike?
>
>...Kodiak
>
>"Geezer From The Freezer" > wrote in message
...
>>
>>
>> Kodiak wrote:
>>>
>>> Have a 33gal with three orandas about 3" each
>>> Water gets changed 30% once a week, temp
>>> matched dechlorinated. Filter is a Aquaclear300
>>> with sponge and two bags of Lava Rock.
>>>
>>> Does the lavarock and/or sponge eventually get
>>> loaded with organics and harm the fish? I just
>>> rinsed the filter media with used aquarium water.
>>> The sponge is 4 years old but flows well, the media
>>> is about 2 years old and dosen't appear to be clogged.
>>>
>>> I'm asking all this because one of my orandas started
>>> swimming upside down. Is this indicative of bad water
>>> or some kind of damage to the fish? Can overeating/
>>> constipation cause this?
>>>
>>> ...Kodiak
>>
>> Kodiak,
>>
>> Whats are your water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH?
>



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Kodiak]

The Oranda responded very well to the
hospital tank treatment. He seemed to
be a goner for sure, and now less than
a day later he seems fully recovered.
All I can say is water change water change
water change, although I think my media
has something to do with it. One of the other
fish has slight blood streaks in his tail fin and the fin
seems slightly crimped/crinkled. I think this is an obvious sign
of Ammo spike? That tank use to run alot longer with no
maintenance before.

1. How long after an Ammo spike will blood streaks appear
in fins?
2. How long will the streaks last after good water conditions
are restored?
3. What else besides an Ammo spike can cause blood streaks?
4. The sponge I use in my AQ300 is 3 years old but seems to flow well.
Do I need to replace the sponge eventually?
....Kodiak

> wrote in message
...
> water can be bad with no indication by tests. watch for fish to "roll" or
> wobble in
> the water, head down or head up in the water. Jo Ann would have fish
> (usually whole
> tank full) act in trouble would move them to different tank of fresh water
> they would
> be fine. all she could find was high CO2 level. She didnt bother trying
> to
> determine possible cause, just move the fish and clean out the tank and
> refill.
> Ingrid
>
> "Kodiak" > wrote:
>
>>Ammo 0.1ppm
>>Nitrite 0.1ppm
>>Nitrate <5ppm
>>Salt 0.05%
>>temp 75degF
>>
>>Did the hospital tank for one day, cranked up temp,
>>to 82 for 5 hours, fish seems to be doing much better now, but
>>I'm doing daily water changes.
>>
>>I've had fish die before with no bad register on my reagent kits.
>>Am I missing an Ammo spike? ie: Does it occur so fast that I by the
>>time I check the water, the water has already come off the spike?
>>
>>...Kodiak
>>
>>"Geezer From The Freezer" > wrote in message
...
>>>
>>>
>>> Kodiak wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Have a 33gal with three orandas about 3" each
>>>> Water gets changed 30% once a week, temp
>>>> matched dechlorinated. Filter is a Aquaclear300
>>>> with sponge and two bags of Lava Rock.
>>>>
>>>> Does the lavarock and/or sponge eventually get
>>>> loaded with organics and harm the fish? I just
>>>> rinsed the filter media with used aquarium water.
>>>> The sponge is 4 years old but flows well, the media
>>>> is about 2 years old and dosen't appear to be clogged.
>>>>
>>>> I'm asking all this because one of my orandas started
>>>> swimming upside down. Is this indicative of bad water
>>>> or some kind of damage to the fish? Can overeating/
>>>> constipation cause this?
>>>>
>>>> ...Kodiak
>>>
>>> Kodiak,
>>>
>>> Whats are your water parameters? Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and PH?
>>
>
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> www.drsolo.com
> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> endorsements or recommendations I make.

[[email protected]]

dont know
a couple days, altho sometimes blood "smudges" last forever
high nitrites, high nitrates, other toxins in the water
not until it stops flowing, unless you have some reason to believe there is something
toxic growing in the sponge.
Ingrid

"Kodiak" > wrote:
>1. How long after an Ammo spike will blood streaks appear
> in fins?
>2. How long will the streaks last after good water conditions
> are restored?
>3. What else besides an Ammo spike can cause blood streaks?
>4. The sponge I use in my AQ300 is 3 years old but seems to flow well.
> Do I need to replace the sponge eventually?
>...Kodiak


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Kodiak]

Thanks for feedback Ingrid....
Much appreciated by Kodiak.
....Kodiak

> wrote in message
...
> dont know
> a couple days, altho sometimes blood "smudges" last forever
> high nitrites, high nitrates, other toxins in the water
> not until it stops flowing, unless you have some reason to believe there
> is something
> toxic growing in the sponge.
> Ingrid
>
> "Kodiak" > wrote:
>>1. How long after an Ammo spike will blood streaks appear
>> in fins?
>>2. How long will the streaks last after good water conditions
>> are restored?
>>3. What else besides an Ammo spike can cause blood streaks?
>>4. The sponge I use in my AQ300 is 3 years old but seems to flow well.
>> Do I need to replace the sponge eventually?
>>...Kodiak
>
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
> http://puregold.aquaria.net/
> www.drsolo.com
> Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
> compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
> endorsements or recommendations I make.