sawcks

So the problem iv been having with my smaller original has been persistant even since i moved into my new house, so im thinking it could be a water hardeness problem or something, because i do test my water PH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite recently and no serious problems occasionally higher ammonia, until 25% water change is done, But even then water quality quickly goes sour again

in the 9 gallon tank i have 3 smaller convicts, which i hear are fairly bulletproof, and if it wasent for that fact then im sure theyd be toast

i cant figure out why my water quality wont clean up, I have never really had any problems with any of my tanks until now, im not sure y this tank is so cloudy green and my other large 55gallon is crystal clean with no problems??

When conditioning water i use:
Cycle
waste control
P clear particulate
and a labelles bottle im sure is my conditioner umm something plus? or prime

here is the pic:

now you can see what im workin with here

NEW TEST SHOWS
PH 7.8
rite 0
rate 0
ammonia 0.25-0.50

i struggle 2 keep PH down it seems, once im givin proper guidance ill do water change later today, is there somehting else i should be adding to my water??

What is Proper PH for convicts??
also temp for convicts??

any help or links to proper thread would be greatly appreciated

NochMan

susitna-flower

Hi, sawcks...

Check out this link.... www.badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile58.html

It states the MINIMUM for a mated pair of convicts is 25 gallons...this might be the start of your problems.

However I notice several things that are also a problem.

The product CYCLE is a major problem....it keeps your tank in a perpetual state of NOT being cycled....

Your readings are not what I would expect from a cycled tank...especially one that is growing green....


IF you were to do a fishless cycle as described in the article here at the top of this page under "ARTICLES" on the nitrogen cycle....in a tank sized correctly for these fish. You could put them over in a tank that doesn't need all those chemicals....and then clean out the green tank....

It is a good size for guppies, or a hospital tank, and if correctly cycled should not regrow that green cloud.

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore

I agree...your tank isnt cycled yet ...its just beginning ....keep on doing 50% at least water change a day...gotta do this until you have 0 amonia, 0 nitrites, & 10-20 nitrates...convicts are VERY territorial..and if u do have a mating pair, (female will have a lil orange on her belly), then the other will surely be killed....they need a bigger tank as sustina said...and in a hurry ....ph shouldnt be an issue for ya, fish adapt to alot of different ph's..its the amonia, and nitrites that should be an issue...can you get a hold of some bio-spira? hope this helps some..and goodluck!

sawcks

hmmm its really crazy cause there are mixxed opinions everywere, i was told when i purchased them that i could buy 5 convicts for this tank, and this tank is fairly old and has in the past held WAY 2 MANY fish at once, even then though i was successfully breeding livebearers, AND the water was visibly cleaner, but i was doing very frequent water changes

honestly im still confused on conditioning water, i know i only condition the water im replacing but what about chemicals like pclear for particlure problems?? and since my chemicals of choice r no good can someone reccomend a better brand??

before i moved out i only had the small tank with much more fish then i do now, but it was visibly clean, and honestly iv had no fish loss due to illness since iv started doin this hobby

this problem popped up as winter ended and hasent left since, probobly a month now, and i dident change my methods except for the conditioner which i went from prime 2 aqua plus i believe but this was way before hand??!?


so i should stop ussing cycle eh?? and getting a nother fishtank isent possible right now, but later i can update say a month, until then what should be done?? what chemicals should be used?? id like 2 be able 2 see them, i actually purchased them to kill off my over populated community tank, i have a bad molly infestation

thx for the feedback u 2

OH and its 2 females and 1 male, and a pair has laid 2 sets of eggs but non hatched---- suprise suprise

Shawnie

5 convicts in a 9 gallon...no way ...a 9 gallon is great for a betta ...or a small schooling fish maybe...but never convicts...im surprised the mating pair didnt kill the other...other than 50% a day water changes, and some bio-spira, there is no immediate solutions...Local pet stores dont always give correct info as they need to make the money ..... http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm read that link and see if that helps you anymore....

sawcks

so iv retested my nitrate very methodically like it says to do and my new reading is 15PPM

i am going to do a larger water change and lose the cycle, also switch up my conditioner from aquaplus back to prime

i did once get the green to completely subside but again it grew back, i havent gottin it that clean since

could other factors maybe having a influence on colour such as hardeness or

sawcks

thats horrible i should know better then 2 trust someone half my age lol

and shawnie then probobly would if they could see eachother eh??! lol
well i dont want my fish 2 suffer
but i also dont wanna waste more money on unsuccesful products??

iv got the teabag thing witch goes in the filter, also the scrubbers which stop algea growht but still no help??

could the convict flakes i feed them may be having a role in this bad colour?
but i will purchase the bio-spera and attemp to recycle my though2be cycled tank uuuugh

i knew i wasent as educated on this stuff as i should be but until now i havent felt an urgency to do anyhitng because i could see my fish, they looked happy and werent sick??but now i relize my tanks r wonked

susitna-flower

OK....your tank has a condition that is being created with things that can be controlled, but NOT necessarily with chemicals.....

I am never in favor of using chemicals in a fish tank.

Control the nutrients that feed the algae...Do water changes...eliminate light.....

There is one "additive" that might help this and you can learn more about barley straw from the following link...it tells all about the different algaes and what to do about them.....

http://www.floridadriftwood.com/alga...ification.html

NOTE: this describes PLANTED aquarium problems...where you can not eliminate light....IF you don't have plants you CAN eliminate light to controll algae.....

Hope this help.

Shawnie

Most everyone has trusted what our LFS have said at one time or another..we just assume they know as they work there..so dont fret...this site will help you so much and its FREE advice...keep up the daily water changes and check out that link susitna sent you...patience is the biggest thing...something I learned the hard way!

sawcks

as a cultivator of plants, iv stuggled with trial and error as its part of any hobby
its when things start dieing that it gets hard

i phoned the local pet store and they seem oblivious to all words im sayin like im talking a forign language

ill do the water change and monitor the amount of light the tank recieves, i think i knew what was happenin but dident do nohting to stop it, and now its turned into a problem but im sure i can stumble my way through this one

thx for all the help girlz

sawcks

so iv spent lots of time going thorugh the already posted information trying to figure out these problems i seem to be having.

one prob im having is that when conditioning my water i use both waste managment and cycle, in a earlier post i was told not too be using the product cycle so i had stoped but the people at the store said not to be using waste managment if your not using cycle??

Should i get rid of these chemicals al toghether when doing 25% water changes, and just use the conditoner??

also i use a particul clumper called Pclear, i began using it to help rid of green water or algea, but now i often am fighting off cloudy water?? could this be the problem??

i found out that the reason why my water could be cloudy is casue i love too fill my tanks to the max, which doesent allow the filters to aeriate??


AND
i have found a larger 25gallon tank for the convicts, But i am going on vacation for a week and havent purchased it because of the work required to get it cycling and properly inplace to be filled

is 3 convicts all you can have in a 25G??

RiffDawg15

Get rid of the pclear, the waste management, and the cycle. All you need to put into your water when doing water changes to condition it is "Prime".

Prime will take out metals and other things not wanted in the new water, while also lowering the ammonia levels. Leaving just enough ammonia for your bacteria to feed off of. If your tank is still cycling or even if its already established "Prime" can still be used. Just remember to use it every time you do a water change. Also keep doing your water changes daily 25% if your tank is going through a cycle. If not then once or twice a week is fine.

As far as using the "pclear", "waste management", and "cycle" they are all chemicals that are probably a big reason why your tank is so messed up. I dont add any chemicals to my tank unless its to cure a disease.

Also yes you need to leave about 1"-1 1/2" of space between the top of your tank and your water line. This gives the water from your filter enough room to create aeration for your water.

Please do not listen to your local pet store employee's as for most of them have no clue what they are talking about. They will tell you anything to sell you a product. It is a very slim chance that you will find someone at a local pet store that has good knowledge in fish keeping.

Any questions or problems you have please direct them to these forums. As you will get the needed and accurate answers from someone here.

RiffDawg15

Also be prepared for your tank to become cloudy if it is going through its cycling stages. This is completely normal and will clear up on its own. All the cloudiness means is that your having a bacteria bloom and shows that your tank is cycling.

From your tank readings of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates I would say your tank is still cycling.

25-30% water changes daily. Using only prime to condition your water, dont need to add anything else.

Make sure your not over feeding your fish. Any uneaten food will feed bacteria and could be another reason for the green cloudiness of your water.

Hope all this helps, keep us up to date. We will do whatever we can to help.

joy613

If you were raising dapinia (water fleas) they could live a long time in your green water. It is a type of algae that sorta is free floating in the water, it is a bugger to get rid of. Water changes will help but be prepared for another round of it with your bio load. You could be running to many watts of light over your tank I don't know if you have tubes or incandescent bulbs. It looks like you have just normal aquarium gravel so that isn't your problem.