What kind of driftwood should I get? I've seen several different kinds. Also, would a bag of peat moss in my tank accomplish the same thing?
More fins to ya'
Zambize
Help....my fish are dying!?
19 posts • Page 2 of 2
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gumbii - Posts: 1695
- Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:31 am
something is wrong with your driftwood... i have a small piece of old driftwood that's in my 100g south american roktifi tank, and it lowers the PH to 6.9... if i take it out it will go up to 7.8... insanity...
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Tmercier834747 - Posts: 887
- Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm
I guess you could add some peat to your filter but I really don't have a clue what quantity, quality, etc you would need. I've never tried it. Though I'm sure it would be more managable than wood, it may be something that would have to be replaced on a regular basis?
As for the wood, Mopani, Bogwood, and several other varieties are fine. I doubt your LFS will be selling you pine or other softwoods. Just ask, and threaten them with painful, not-so-fun spankings if the wood they sell you causes any harm to your fish. :) ---if you decide to go with it that is . =P If they try to sell you cedar threaten all their firstborns.
I don't think your biggest concern should be the fish you already have in your tank...and I doubt the deaths resulted from your high PH. Chances are these fish were already acclimated and fine with the high PH. It can wear a fish down overtime but I've seen fish survive much worse, and for much longer. My girlfriends tank for example..
What you should be worried about is when you get that apistogramma or cockatoo cichlid for $50 non-refundable and they die that day from PH shock when being kept at the LFS at <7.4. Not saying you feel otherwise I'm just saying...well. Just that. lol
As for the wood, Mopani, Bogwood, and several other varieties are fine. I doubt your LFS will be selling you pine or other softwoods. Just ask, and threaten them with painful, not-so-fun spankings if the wood they sell you causes any harm to your fish. :) ---if you decide to go with it that is . =P If they try to sell you cedar threaten all their firstborns.
I don't think your biggest concern should be the fish you already have in your tank...and I doubt the deaths resulted from your high PH. Chances are these fish were already acclimated and fine with the high PH. It can wear a fish down overtime but I've seen fish survive much worse, and for much longer. My girlfriends tank for example..
What you should be worried about is when you get that apistogramma or cockatoo cichlid for $50 non-refundable and they die that day from PH shock when being kept at the LFS at <7.4. Not saying you feel otherwise I'm just saying...well. Just that. lol
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morbus6373 - Posts: 17
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:16 am
I used peat a while ago at 100g per 100L. It works well. the driftwood would probably work, but not as controlably as the peat (you can take it out when the deed is done).
Might i ask what you use in the line of filters?
Saving you the boring chemistry lesson---high pH would stabilise ammonia, thus the addition of more fish could have caused a spike with feeding--all depending on how good your filtration system is.
but thats just a thought
IMHO-i doubt a danio has the capacity to kill more than an ant-they strugle with flies :)
I have no experience with bettas.
Might i ask what you use in the line of filters?
Saving you the boring chemistry lesson---high pH would stabilise ammonia, thus the addition of more fish could have caused a spike with feeding--all depending on how good your filtration system is.
but thats just a thought
IMHO-i doubt a danio has the capacity to kill more than an ant-they strugle with flies :)
I have no experience with bettas.
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Zambize4899 - Posts: 499
- Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:35 am
I'm leaning toward the Zebras for killing the other fish.....I forgot to mention that after the murderous rampage, the Betta and the Rainbowfish were both hiding and wouldn't come out. They are both very gregarious and always at the front, but they remained hidden and very still until long after the Zebras were gone.
I also neglected to mention that the night before the Zebras had gone schizophrenic. Racing erratically at lighting speed in general and chasing each other. I've had the Betta for a while and she can be a bully, and at the most a fin nipper, but not deadly. And she'd lived with these fish for months, including other fish that really did irritate her. I know they can change though.
And as for filtration. I'm a fanatic about over filtrating and underfeeding. LOL For my 37 gallon in question I have a Penguin 200 and Penguin 150, both with an extra filter and an extra media bag with activated charcoal. I change 10-20% water every 7-10 days. I'm very, very careful with feeding and I feed very slowly and stop at the slightest hint that they are slowing down.
I tried peat in my small Q tank, but I couldn't get the fine peat "dust" to stop coming out of the bag and mucking up my tank. My filter is very small on this tank with no room for a peat bag, so I used a media bag and just hung it in the tank. Messy..... Any suggestions?
Thank you all for your time!
Zambize
I also neglected to mention that the night before the Zebras had gone schizophrenic. Racing erratically at lighting speed in general and chasing each other. I've had the Betta for a while and she can be a bully, and at the most a fin nipper, but not deadly. And she'd lived with these fish for months, including other fish that really did irritate her. I know they can change though.
And as for filtration. I'm a fanatic about over filtrating and underfeeding. LOL For my 37 gallon in question I have a Penguin 200 and Penguin 150, both with an extra filter and an extra media bag with activated charcoal. I change 10-20% water every 7-10 days. I'm very, very careful with feeding and I feed very slowly and stop at the slightest hint that they are slowing down.
I tried peat in my small Q tank, but I couldn't get the fine peat "dust" to stop coming out of the bag and mucking up my tank. My filter is very small on this tank with no room for a peat bag, so I used a media bag and just hung it in the tank. Messy..... Any suggestions?
Thank you all for your time!
Zambize
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ThisFish884484 - Posts: 40
- Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:20 am
Perhaps it was just the stress from the move. Chasing them with a net and moving can shock some fish. Or maybe it was the betta.
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Zambize4899 - Posts: 499
- Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 4:35 am
I thought about the net chasing ORDEAL too. I wound up ripping just about everything out to get some of the fish, but never did get any of the Black Neon Tetras, 1 Guppy, or the Zebras. Damned fast. Maybe someone sensed the weakness of the Tetras (since they are prone to hysterics) and took advantage. Fish are complicated.
Z
Z
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yasherkoach - Posts: 1306
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm
ph is way too high; also your fish count needs to be higher, you need at least 8 zebra danios, 8 tetras, etc. if certain shoal fish are not kept in groups of 8 or more, you will get fin nipping. if the danios and others, but especially the danios and tetras are kept in a group of 8, preferably 10, they tend to chase or play with one another rather than find mischief with other fish. but th eph, anything over 7.4, you are asking for trouble. malaysian driftwood is good. you must soak the wood for several days to get the tannins off. you should avoid chemicals like buffers, go the natural route as best as you can. also, maybe you need to get either a larger tank (the larger the easier to maintain) and/or more water changes; or the worst case scenerio, if a pet shop would take your fish, you can get fish that will tolerate 8.0 ph...hope this helps
