almarktool
Member
set heater at 79 leave air on
E
eipappas
Guest
i have a power head but it is now in the other tank... i can buy an airpump and stone during my lunch break (a petland is on my block) - just tell me what to do with it cuz i don't listen to what petland says
and even though the heater's set to 79 and the tank is at 82 now the heater light goes on when i plug it in... why???
and even though the heater's set to 79 and the tank is at 82 now the heater light goes on when i plug it in... why???
eng50
Member
the heater may not be acurate, I know you dont have a lot of time, but the heater needs to be set so that the water temp is stable at what you want measured by a thermometer not what it reads on the heater. Is there any circulation in this tank? How are you measuring the temp? another thought, do you have an air intake on the powerhead, so it blows bubbles?
I have a small powerhead, $12, for my small tank that can add air as well..actually cheaper than a pump and more effective at circulkation as well...
I have a small powerhead, $12, for my small tank that can add air as well..actually cheaper than a pump and more effective at circulkation as well...
E
eipappas
Guest
I have a tetra thermometer that sticks on the side of the tank... i have the same one on my large tank. the heater turns on though even when the thermometer says 83 or 84 and the heater is set for 79 or 80... The light shouldn't be going on, right?
How do I use an air stone? Is this advisable? I'll go pick one up now and check on the fish.
How do I use an air stone? Is this advisable? I'll go pick one up now and check on the fish.
E
eipappas
Guest
I just set up an airstone in the tank to help with the airflow... the temperature reading is finally down... its 80.5 right now. the fish is not doing well. he won't get up and he's breathing extremely fast. i don't know if i can do anything else at this point except blame myself for my stupidity. i'll test the pH but even then there's not much I can do.
E
eipappas
Guest
will live rock die in 1.018... after what happened with the gravel and the fish freaked out i didn't want to remove his live rock "home" so i didn't... is it dying in there? is that the problem? should i remove it now? the fish is really really really not doing well
E
eipappas
Guest
he's also not eating anymore... hasn't been since this morning... this is the first time he won't eat...
E
eipappas
Guest
ammonia is still reading 0.1 or 0.15 regardless of how much i've changed the water. i've been changing a little water two or three times a day... i did make the mistake of using ammolock 4 or 5 days ago so i'm hoping the test results are just skewed as a result of the product still in the water. what do you think, beth?
Using ammolock is not a bad thing, but it will mess up with the results of some test kits. You have to get a test kit that is compatible.
That live rock will die off if left in hyposaline conditions, thus adding to the waste load in the tank. I'd take it out and replace it with some fake rock. Just leave the tank alone right now. Adding an airstone was a waste of time [and money]. Perhaps a small powerhead at bottom to stir up any wastes accumulating there so that it can be sucked up in to the filter. Also, you should have water movement across the entire surface. Surface water movement is what makes for good gas exchange in a system, not airstones. You want to make sure there is not any dead zones within the tank [no circulation] but not to the extent that powerhead water movement is problematic to a sick fish. Do you have a cheap skimmer by chance that you’re not using?
I would continue to do 1-2 water changes a day maintaining the current specific gravity that you now have. Then, if the fish shows signs of recovery, begin the hyposalinity again and continue dropping til you get to 1.009. You might want to add a cup or 2 of sand from your main tank into this tank to kick start the compromised bio-filter.
That live rock will die off if left in hyposaline conditions, thus adding to the waste load in the tank. I'd take it out and replace it with some fake rock. Just leave the tank alone right now. Adding an airstone was a waste of time [and money]. Perhaps a small powerhead at bottom to stir up any wastes accumulating there so that it can be sucked up in to the filter. Also, you should have water movement across the entire surface. Surface water movement is what makes for good gas exchange in a system, not airstones. You want to make sure there is not any dead zones within the tank [no circulation] but not to the extent that powerhead water movement is problematic to a sick fish. Do you have a cheap skimmer by chance that you’re not using?
I would continue to do 1-2 water changes a day maintaining the current specific gravity that you now have. Then, if the fish shows signs of recovery, begin the hyposalinity again and continue dropping til you get to 1.009. You might want to add a cup or 2 of sand from your main tank into this tank to kick start the compromised bio-filter.
E
eipappas
Guest
I have fastTest ammonia kits... Should I use the same test as made by the makers of Ammolock? Anyway, when I get home in a couple of hours I will see how he's doing. I hope he's still alive but when I left him things looked bad - The first step if he's still hanging in there will be to replace the live rock with fake rock... By fake rock, do you mean regular rock that is just not live? or some sort of plastic?
Yes, if you have dead coral heads, as long as they are tank safe, then you could use that, or you can use pvc or plastic rocks. The dead coral, you can only use if you're not going to medicate the tank. If you have them on hand, you can use it. They are also very porous and will provide additional space for bacteria colonies which you need due to the uncycled tank.
Let me know what your LR looks like when you get home before you take it out.
As for the ammonia, you will have to read the back of the product to see what compatible test kit you need.
Let me know what your LR looks like when you get home before you take it out.
As for the ammonia, you will have to read the back of the product to see what compatible test kit you need.
E
eipappas
Guest
The fish is still alive. He is breathing more normal but he won't move from the bottom corner of the tank. I will try feeding him and let you know how he reacts. He's alert though and is looking around and keeping himself afloat (rather than staring up at the top of the tank and laying on the bottom as he was doing earlier...)
The live rock has a redish brown growth on it, similar to what it looked like when it was in the other tank, but the growth seems more slimy and stringy now than before... Emphasis on the stringy. The color may have darkened but it's still reddish purple and not just brown. I bought a decoration from petland - one of those plastic looking stones with a few plants growing out of it. I will wait for you to tell me its ok to put it in. Also - I still have a regular rock in the tank - It's just a brown (not live) rock. He likes it to hide behind. Is it ok to leave that one in?
The live rock has a redish brown growth on it, similar to what it looked like when it was in the other tank, but the growth seems more slimy and stringy now than before... Emphasis on the stringy. The color may have darkened but it's still reddish purple and not just brown. I bought a decoration from petland - one of those plastic looking stones with a few plants growing out of it. I will wait for you to tell me its ok to put it in. Also - I still have a regular rock in the tank - It's just a brown (not live) rock. He likes it to hide behind. Is it ok to leave that one in?
E
eipappas
Guest
Nitrates = 5 to 10
Nitrites = 0.05 or less
Salinity = 1.0185
Temp = 81 degrees (there is definitely something wrong with this heater - I plugged it in when I got home and set it at 76 even and it still raised the water temp 1 degree - I've unplugged it since)
I don't have a test for phosphates.
When you said leave the rocks in for now - does that include the live rock?
The water does not smell like anything really. Smells fresh.
The fish won't eat. He looks really stressed out.
- Elena
Nitrites = 0.05 or less
Salinity = 1.0185
Temp = 81 degrees (there is definitely something wrong with this heater - I plugged it in when I got home and set it at 76 even and it still raised the water temp 1 degree - I've unplugged it since)
I don't have a test for phosphates.
When you said leave the rocks in for now - does that include the live rock?
The water does not smell like anything really. Smells fresh.
The fish won't eat. He looks really stressed out.
- Elena
E
eipappas
Guest
the airstone is pretty powerful and might be adding to his stress - It's in the middle of the tank now - should i move it to the side?
That's the only circulation I have in my tank by the way. All I had before was the whisper power filter.
That's the only circulation I have in my tank by the way. All I had before was the whisper power filter.
Airstone is useless, ditch it. Sorry. The noise and bubbles may be irritating to the clown.
Those water readings are not good. As I said, unless your room gets cold, then turn off the heater. Better to have the temp at 75 then jumping from 75 to 85 every day. Just turn off the heater.
I'm going to suggest to take that rock out, hopefully that is causing some of your cycle problem and it will stabilize. Take it out a smell it. If it is smelly, then remove it, if not, then its your call.
Now, do you have water for a water change? Did you get the glass hydrometer? Can you do a water change and maintain current salinity levels, not dropping it or raising it? Did you add a cup or 2 of sand from your main tank?
Those water readings are not good. As I said, unless your room gets cold, then turn off the heater. Better to have the temp at 75 then jumping from 75 to 85 every day. Just turn off the heater.
I'm going to suggest to take that rock out, hopefully that is causing some of your cycle problem and it will stabilize. Take it out a smell it. If it is smelly, then remove it, if not, then its your call.
Now, do you have water for a water change? Did you get the glass hydrometer? Can you do a water change and maintain current salinity levels, not dropping it or raising it? Did you add a cup or 2 of sand from your main tank?
E
eipappas
Guest
I don't have a glass hydrometer - since I thought I was going to stabilize him first I didn't buy one yet. I will turn off the airstone now that the air flow is better. I will smell the regular rock and most likely take it out - and I will take out the live rock. As far as mixed water goes - I used the last of it this morning. I will mix another bucket and try to get it as close to 1.0185 as possible. (How accurate does it need to be?) I have crushed coral gravel in both my tanks - so no sand. should i add another cup from the main tank (even if there might be ick there) to the QT?
If i use the airstone to mix my new water I should probably be able to do a water change at the same salinity level... How much should I change?
If i use the airstone to mix my new water I should probably be able to do a water change at the same salinity level... How much should I change?