when i had damsels in the tank cycling it, none of them died until 1 month later ending the cycle. 2 died. Water params were all 0 except nitrate was b/w 5 and 10 ppms. I do use tap water and condition it for top off. I am just wondering of the cause of death was more than likely chronic stress over time. They looked healthy as ever and just got lazy one night and died. I notice they all seems to stay near the heater at night and thats where most of the detritus builds up. Theres enough water movement everywhere alse. Is it possible dead spots, especially if popular to sleep near can break down the fishes immune system even though the readings are saying everything is safe in the tank overall? I noticed when removing the fish, one eye was bulged out. Not sure if this is an indication of one problem or another......Opinions
build your rocks up so the fish have a place to hide..if there is not a lot of circulation in one area. you should try to increase or move powerheads to get to thoses area's..is it possable to overdose water conditioner?what is your ph at?
ph looks like its at 8 on the dot..if i am a MJ 400 in that corner im afraid it will blow sand everywhere, but i ordered it yesterday..and there havent really been any acute changes in any params over the month time frame and no disputes occurred b/w fishes...I have not heard of damage caused by conditioner....
and 1 had ich and i feel thats what had done him in(downfalls of a fish cycle)...but the other had no signs of bacterial infection or white spot...could dinoflagellated floating around have caused death even with no signs of white spot...
not a criticle issue but i would raise your PH to 8.2 - -- 8 is ok but you don't have much room if you do have a drop for it to be dangerous . . I had a PH drop after my first cycle and lost 2 damsels {not saying that was it but mistieriously died one night exactly the way you explained it, so who knows - - -thats why I did a fishless cycle the second time and things seem to be fine - - i boosted my PH with a product called Marine buffer 8.2 {MADE BY SEACHEM} one table spoon a day disolved in a cup of water for a week and it was right back to 8.2 - -there are all kinds of buffers out there - - up.....down....8.2, 8.0,8.3 etc etc . .Boss
I realized pimp my temp was 82.. I guess because of the power head because i set the heater to 80. Also boss i think your right. Maybe a ph of 8 on the dot is bad because im looking at the range for dams and its 8.1 and up. And considering i read ph drops at night naturally, I can see something happening overnight. Am i on to something here?...
could very well be - -im not familure with that drastic a fluctuation just over night {but I have been known to be wrong, lol} only reason i say that is ...when you use a buffer to raise PH it takes like a week or more to get from 8.0 to 8.2 so i wouldn't think it would swing to crazy over night - - but also like i said....i have been known to be wrong before [ssshhhhhhhhhh, you guys are the only ones that know that though..LMAO]
a thought on the powerhead - -i wouldn't think one power head would caause that much heat .....UNLESS.... it's dirty, clogged or failing....that would cause the motor to "drag" and make heat - - -any of these simptoms are bad....one, over power consumption, two, over heating, three - - - in a bad failure the possability of electrcution is possable = bad for you and bad for fishies....be careful ...Boss
looks like the overnight "ph"enomenon may be the culprit. So just curious, how will surface agitation(i have a few more powerheads coming in the mail by the way) affect ph. Is it the co2 decreasing thats doing it? Ill check the ph after the phs are added and if a buffer is necessary ill start using that. I think even if i bring another 20lb of arag live in there, i think it will not bring ph any higher becuase we discussed before that there is a ceiling as to how far substrate and rock can bring the ph. I love these little brainstorm sessions, because it really helps break down issues. Thanks dudes!
excess of carbon dioxide from the lack of air.... perhaps there isn't enough surface agitation for good gas exchange.also what kind of buffer do you add?i think it has to do with the water movement.
no buffers yet...u know, i did not connect the venturi aerator to the MJ 1200 in my tank and only have one airstone in the tank becuase i dont like all the bubbles. But i read unless the surface is broken it will not increase the gas exchange rate. Should i connect the aerator? to prevent the excess co2
Actually that's what it is. More oxygen means bigger and faster gas exchange ( specially at the surface) So yes, More watermovement creates more ohygen, creates higer ph. With low O2 levels and slow gas exchange oyur ph will stay low. You can buffer it up, but it won't solve oyur O2 problems. And yes, you have to lower your heater, because you are about to adding new powerheads into your tank.. In my opinion if you have a daytime 8.0-8.1 PH level it pretty good for a FO tank, even for a FOWLR.If the Ph won't drop below 7.8 ( at night)you are good to go. The main reason the Ph drops at night is the photosynthesis( sunlight, in this case your light system). I wouldn't say that Ph was the reason you fises died.
Have you noticed any appetite problems, any spots or fungus problems?
Otherwise I have know idea what a f**ks caused the death..:-)
