!@#$%^&*(*)_+

[cyberjoe]

For a week already all my fish died one by one! [] Last week i try to add seachem posguard to my filter and notice fishes all going up for air. manage to save some but did not survive [] i dont know what causing them to die then I notice that everytime i add some fish or shrimp for a few hours they will die. everytime fish comes to surface I always changed water 50%.

Today I bought a UV light for my tank and for a few hours all my fish died! [] does anybody have ex this?

what must i check?

my set up

fully planted
ph 6.5-7
temp 28-30
water changed everytime fish surface for air 50%
co2 bps 3-4

pls help

[Allen_1971]

Joe,

to start of, I can understand you are frustrated, and thus your subject title... However it would be more constructive if your title meant something more than "frustrations".

I would give you 2 simple suggestions to try... 1 cut down your CO2... 3-4 bubbles can be quite high... I use about 2 bps in my 5ft, and I consider my tank heavily planted. Also, invest a few bucks in an air pump and air stone... next time they come to the surface gasping for air, throw in the air stone and turn on the pump... as a further step try shutting off your CO2.

Pls also provide tank volume and KH

[cyberjoe]

Ok sorry for the title realy heart pain and pocket pain leh 4 discuss just like that![] now i want to know the source of the problem before i buy another fish or shrimp . uv light got nothing to do with it right?

ok I will cut down on the bps to 2 bps i think it might be the prob. mine is also fully planted and i also try pumpping air but did not save any of them. but the guy from pet safari told me no need to pum if you have a fully planted tank. and all of my plants are giving bubbles.

Tank volume 4x1x1 100 liters its cust made thats why its a bit odd. its designed for my wall! [] []

[David]

hi cyberjoe

besides the CO2, how long has your tank been running? and how much have you been feeding your fish?....have you checked your water parameter especially for NO2? two tell tale sign has pointed to the dirction of excessive NO2 levels.

fish hang around water surface...are they very brightly colored?

yamatoes are dying quickly.

please check your water parameter.

second UV filter is not going to work anything for you especially if you are adding chemicals. In fact it may do more harm as UVC rays may breakdown the chemical structure and may turn more toxic.....please turn it off.

[cyberjoe]

Just setup my tank last nov only. the enitial stage was ok . i even feed them only twice a week so that i can control the algae but unfortunetly its not working so the guy from pet safari suggested to buy a UV light to save money. bec come to think of it of you keep on buying chem to control algae well its more costly. and they are using uV light on there planted tanks.

sorry what is NO2 and what else is the imp thing that i must check tomorow i will go and buy! im just a newbie

[]

[David]

no problem cyberjoe

the purpose of having a UV is primary for preventive & control measures certain kinds of algae and fish dieases. I dont understand the recommendation to your current situation that is happening in your tank. Perhaps there could be a miscommunication.

Your tank could be in the 2nd stage of nitrogen cycle..this means that your biological filter has only one type of bacteria that is processing the NH4(ammonium)to nitrite. High levels of NO2(nitrite) is present in your water and is very toxic to fish and especially yamatoes as now your biological filter has not cultured the second kind of bacteria needed to process NO2 (nitrite) to NO3 (nitrate).

the remedy to this is to purchase a NO2 test kit and monitor the water conditions. Exercise 20 to 30% water change, daily if neccessary to bring NO2 to acceptable levels. Once NO2 levels is at near zero levels, that marks the completion of the nitrogen cycle.

The following are secondary causes to high NO2 levels

excessive feeding,
high tank population,
insufficient bio-media to cultivate sufficient biological bacteria
placing too many new fishes in a single go.

test kits that is needed: CO2 test kit (if possible get those that is fixed into the tank water itself...some brands call them long-term CO2 test kits), PH test kit, NO2 test kit.

Test kits that is good to have: KH (carbonate hardness) test kit, NO3 (nitrate) test kits

try not to purchase those all in one test kits as i find them inaccurate.
try the JBL, AZOO, Aquamedic, Bio-Science.....

[vinz]

CyberJoe,

Go to TheKrib.com and read up more about the nitrogen cycle. Lots of other info there too. It's a good idea to take some time to read thru some of it.

Visit Chuck Gadd's Aquatic Website has some good articles too. There's one there about setting up a new planted tank that you should read too.

In the Aquatic FAQ forum is a post that has lists some aquatic sites to visit.

[zac08]

Get some Nutrafin Cycle and dose it in to help the filter mature faster. This aids in the multiplication of the beneficial bacteria which is required to help break-down the ammonia and nitrites.

Did you place the UV light directly over the tank?? The fishes may not take kindly to this as you now know.... Most would advocate that it's placed near the filter outflow to help remove the harmful organisms as it's being passed back into the fish tank.

And please, do allow the tank to cycle about 2 months before you add any fishes in..... Make sure that the ammonia and nitrite level is about zero before you consider adding fishes, and please add in a few at a time to allow for the bio-load to get adjusted within the tank.... Overloading tends to force the balace to go haywire......

[CK Yeo]

I don't suppose you did anything to adjust your KH?

Bubbles per seconds (BPS) is not a really good way to determine how much CO2 is in the water, cos it is affected by the efficiency of the CO2 dissolving and the rate which it is escaping.

Go measure your KH and pH... it is likely that your fish died due to CO2 poisoning, while aggrevated by a unstable nitrogen cycle.

oh, and 4 discus in a 100L (4X1X1)??? are you sure it is going to work? A 2X1.5X1.3 is about 100l also. The actual volume is going to be smaller cos the footprint is larger that the 2feet of the same volume, so more gravel will displace more water. So, although you have a 4 feet tank, you may really have the water volume of a standard 2 feet tank (2X1X1.5, 80l). And what? You are going to add more fish/algae eaters/critters rite? Your bioload is going way over the hill![]

You might want to think through this again...

ck

[vinz]

Zac08,

He's probably using a UV clarifier or UV steriliser (Roy, right?) if it's recommended by Pet Safari. If he is using a UV Light then his fishes are the last things he should worry about.

[cyberjoe]

Thanks for the advice guys! right now i dont have any fish in my tank bec scared they may die again soon. i try and lower my bps already and tested NO2 which is now zero. then i try putting some cheap tiger barb see they will survive until tomorow bec last time the moment i put them in the tank they just shoot out here and there like they cant bread or what! tested again my ph is 6.5 to 7. shold be ok then i added some zeolite to my filter that should takecare the amonia problem.

Hey but what type of algae does UV light control? and how long must on it. the instructions no guide at all just some specs. Model UV-C 1.250 pls need advice on this. I've got hair algae, brown algae and starting to have some green. im really sick of them

[budak]

I wouldn't go for adding zeolite as it's not a long term solution, and your problem doesn't look it's due to NH4 anyway. The zeolite will only interrupt the biological filter.

Just keep the fish level to the bare minimum for now, and check whether there's anything that's causing toxicity (some rotting thing hidden in the tank/filter, household chemicals etc). The CO2 BPS is no indication of CO2 level. You need to check the KH vis-a-vis the pH to know the CO2 concentration. If plants are thriving while fish are gasping, it's likely to be this, since you said NO2 is nil.

I believe UV systems only take care of green water and free-swimming pathogens. Not hair/brown/spot/green algae that grows in the tank itself. Algae growth is an indication of excess or inbalanced nutrients. Getting this right is a better solution than UV.

Also, what on earth is this Seachem Posguard you were adding (can't find it on the Seachem website)?

[vinz]

It's PhosGuard.

[cyberjoe]

sorry for the wrong spelling my typing really bad its "Phosguard" thanks vinzs

[David]

hi cyberjoe

what is your UVC wattage?...it should be a 11watt minimum...the brand you got is a pretty good brand. like what budak mentioned, it remedies only green water and certain kinds of nasties provided if it is left on 24/7.....just like to know if your tank is exposed to direct sunlight? ...if not what is your light wattage and duration?

UV sterilizers are used for preventive measures and it aids the aquarist in certain ways...however much is still left to your understanding of fertilisation and lighting, and water chemistry to complete the equation.

beside nutrients imbalance, i think its either your wattage is too high or duration is too long.