need help with some test results.

[r]

dont know what im doing wrong
but tank conditions are less than optimal
cuasing the gf to sometimes appear sluggish.
so far no deaths since last christmas when i lost the two gf at the
start of the hobby.

55 galon tank
three plants: 1onion, 1anubias bartarai, anubias nana.
1.5" of florite instead of gravel.
heater 200wts set to 81 deg.
tank temp is 81 deg.
two air defusers/ rena 400 air pump.
two aquaclear 110(500)

8 goldfish (temporarily overstocked).
feed combination of medicarp,progold,& sho_koi impact
{very little every 24 hrs soaked in tank water until completely
saturated then mashed} also green peas
amonia is at 0
nitrate is [40] right be low unsafe
nitrite is .5 ppm
GH: 25 (very soft)
KH: 40 (low)
ph 6.2 (acidic)

For some reason ph level is very low. 6.2 (acidic)
from the tap its ph 7.2
total alkalinity is 0
GH (i guess this means total hardnes) is 25 which indicates very soft.
help help help!!!
advise

[MattO]

"r" > wrote in message
...
> dont know what im doing wrong
> but tank conditions are less than optimal
> cuasing the gf to sometimes appear sluggish.
.... <snip>
> 55 galon tank
.... <snip>
> 8 goldfish (temporarily overstocked).
.... <snip>
> amonia is at 0
> nitrate is [40] right be low unsafe
> nitrite is .5 ppm
.... <snip>
> For some reason ph level is very low. 6.2 (acidic)
> from the tap its ph 7.2
> total alkalinity is 0
> GH (i guess this means total hardnes) is 25 which indicates very soft.
> help help help!!!
> advise

r,
Any nitrite is really bad for gf & IMHO even "safe" levels recommended on
test kits are too high.
Presence of nitrite in 1 year-old tank means biofilter is not keeping up
with fish load.
There may have been a recent ammonia spike too, indicated by current
presence of nitrite.
Tank has never cycled or is re-cycling now... was it cycled? Low pH may have
killed biofilter?

Either way, your fish are in danger now - from here it's all about water
quality.
The first day I'd do multiple water changes, till nitrite zero or just
detectable on test strip.
Then use Amquel-plus or equivalent water conditioner to neutralize ammonia &
nitrite
(almost all water conditioners treat ammonia but not all treat for nitrite -
treat for both).
Then keep up daily tests & WC until tanks cycles = no ammonia or nitrite are
indicated for several days.
Then test & continue large/frequent WCs "as indicated" by test kits.
("as indicated" = change enough water to keep nitrate < 20ppm).

Low pH may be overload of crud in substrate. Planted tanks really accumulate
stuff.
Substrate not regularly cleaned may load up with toxic stuff.
Cleaning will stir it all up & harm fish, so be sure to remove fish during
big gravel clean.
If substrate is cruddy, remove plants ornaments & fish, stir & vacuum till
only clear water comes up.

Avoid temptation to add any other meds, pH conditioners, etc. for now. Just
clean, clean water!

Sorry but that'll be a lot of buckets. As you indicate, 8 gf in a 55gal tank
is over recommended limit.
Thus the min. 10gal/gf rule of thumb, for an "easily" maintained tank.

Good luck,
~MattO

[[email protected]]

this tank was completely cycled, right?
something is toxic killing the biobugs. start doing 50% per day water changes for 5
- 7 days until water parameters are back where they should be.
quite feeding for a couple days. it could be the 1.5" of florite accumulating
rotting debris.
you have a bell siphon?
http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/care/care1.htm#cleaning%20techniques
Ingrid

r > wrote:
>1.5" of florite instead of gravel.
>8 goldfish (temporarily overstocked).
>nitrate is [40] right be low unsafe
>nitrite is .5 ppm
>GH: 25 (very soft)
>KH: 40 (low)
>ph 6.2 (acidic)
>
>For some reason ph level is very low. 6.2 (acidic)
>from the tap its ph 7.2
>total alkalinity is 0
>GH (i guess this means total hardnes) is 25 which indicates very soft.
>help help help!!!
>advise



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

[r]

On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 12:47:53 GMT, wrote:

>this tank was completely cycled, right?
yes
>something is toxic killing the biobugs. start doing 50% per day water changes for 5
>- 7 days until water parameters are back where they should be.
> quite feeding for a couple days. it could be the 1.5" of florite accumulating
>rotting debris.
>you have a bell siphon?
Is a bell siphon a trade mark No Spill Gravel vacum? if so then yes.
I use it for every water change.
will do 50% wc and keep monitoring.
thanks.
>http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/care/care1.htm#cleaning%20techniques
>Ingrid
>
>r > wrote:
>>1.5" of florite instead of gravel.
>>8 goldfish (temporarily overstocked).
>>nitrate is [40] right be low unsafe
>>nitrite is .5 ppm
>>GH: 25 (very soft)
>>KH: 40 (low)
>>ph 6.2 (acidic)
>>
>>For some reason ph level is very low. 6.2 (acidic)
>>from the tap its ph 7.2
>>total alkalinity is 0
>>GH (i guess this means total hardnes) is 25 which indicates very soft.
>>help help help!!!
>>advise
>
>
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>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.


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