# Weird Fish Behaviour



## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Hey Forum


Sadly, one of my sterbai cory's died =[ I can't exactly say it was an unforseen event but...I wasn't exactly sure what was going on. I can't pin point the date, but it became...a little paler, but it was eating fine. Perhaps it was a little lethargic at the end, but that might be stretching it. Any ideas? My other sterbai is doing just fine.

On an unrelated note (hopefully) I have a sunburst platy that is also behaving strangely, it is one of three that I bought. It...I'm not sure how to explain it. It...only seems to recognize certain food, I guess is the best way to explain it. It's become rather thin because of this odd finicky behaviour.

I have a planted 18 gal Eclipse
pH 7.5
Last water change on Sunday (5 gal)


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Can you post water params for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? What is the water temp? How long has your tank been set up? How long have the fish been in there? What foods are you offering and which ones is the fish eating?
We'll need a lot more info in order to help you sort this out.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Oooh. Okay.
I don't yet have a kit for testing Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate, but I can tell you that 
water temp is ~77F
It has been setup for...5? years.
The sterbai cory that died had been in there for a long time; several months. The sun platies have been in there for maybe a little more than a month
I'm feeding it Tetra Min Tropical Crisps, some arbitrary food that came with my tank, and dried bloodworms.
-The sun platy ate anything in the beginning, only recently has it become picky.


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## Promelas (Feb 5, 2010)

5 years and no test kits?! I could never go that long without testing my water!


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## t3l01v (Apr 2, 2010)

Promelas said:


> 5 years and no test kits?! I could never go that long without testing my water!


 
You know, that's an attitude I'm seeing more and more on these forums.

About ten years ago, I would keep fish with my dad. We never had kits. We set a tank up, filled it with tap water, dropped in two mollies, and let it run for two weeks. Then we added a few new fish every weekend. No problems, ever.

No sick fish, nothing dying. Went that way for at least five years. The only time we had to replace fish was when they got too big for the tank and started picking on others, or we had to move, and took all our fish to the lps.

Maybe test kits are just cheaper these days.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Until recently I didn't know I needed one. I was very naive when I first got the tank, and now I hope to learn as much as I can.
But back to the matter at hand, does my situation sound like anything out there?


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Disconcerting news. The sunburst platy that was behaving strangely died this afternoon. Its spine was bent, and it was looking pretty starved.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

t3l01v said:


> You know, that's an attitude I'm seeing more and more on these forums.
> 
> About ten years ago, I would keep fish with my dad. We never had kits. We set a tank up, filled it with tap water, dropped in two mollies, and let it run for two weeks. Then we added a few new fish every weekend. No problems, ever.
> 
> ...


I seldom test my water but if a problem were to present itself, With my test kit I can Quickly identify whether it is a water quality problem or not. Those who have kept fish for any length of time can many times offer help to those who have problems by asking for test results. They (test results)can help identify or eliminate enviornmental issues that may be contributing to the fishes health.
Others prefer to begin dumping all manner of medications in the tank and hope somethin works.
I know people who have drove their cars until they quit ,never checked the oil.:roll:


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Pretend this specific message isn't here.


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## eileen (Feb 24, 2009)

I posted a thread about QT fish. I tested my water and the Ammonia is at 1.0 today. I had fish dieing in that tank for a week. When I tested with my API test kit the water was fine. I guess I should have tested again once the fish were dieing as this set off the Ammonia spike. I'm doing a big water change now and the ammonia is down to 0 now. If I checked the other day my big Angelfish might have been alive. Water Quality is very important. I will be getting a new UV sterilizer/clarifyer today air mailed. I ordered a new one since it was cheaper then getting new parts and I will know that is is working ok. So it looked like my fish died of Ammonia poisoning from my un QT guppy that I added in a few weeks ago that died of I don't know what as it was a new fish. All my problems happened because I did not QT my new fish.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Test kits are a vital part of maintaining a healthy aquarium. And for those who believe test kits are not needed, I hope they don't ever need to medicate their fish. Many medications, if put into water showing any ammonia or nitrite, or high nitrate levels, can become toxic. Anyone who medicates without first testing the water to be sure its safe is taking a huge risk in wiping out their entire tank. 

Quite often problems arise out of nowhere, especially in mature tanks. With problems such as this, the first place to check for problems is the water quality. Without those test results, anyone can guess at the problem, but there is no way to pinpoint or properly ID the problem. While many fish illnesses would need the required lab work to positively ID them, there are many that can be ID'd closely enough without it, close enough to properly treat the problem. Many of those problems can also be caused or brought on by water quality issues, another reason to check those test results. If we don't know what the problem is there is no way anyone can offer a safe treatment plan.

When buying test kits, be sure to get the liquid kits. Test strips are useless as they don't offer accurate results. Liquid kits are the most reliable after digital meters, and much cheaper than the digital meters. API puts out one of the most accurate kits on the market. It's in the top 3, with Sera brand being the #1 in accuracy, but also the highest in price. Accurate results are important, can mean the difference between life and death.

I will keep watch here for those test results. Without them, unfortunately, there isn't much else anyone can do at this point. Sorry, thats just how it works.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

No problem bettababy. I appreciate your honesty and your help. I'll make sure to try and get results so this problem can be resolved.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Okay...I may try this water test again, because I'm not sure how accurate I got them (liquid test kit):

pH : 8.0 (I recently just ran out of pH down, but my aquarium has been giving me the "basic" color for a long time, and just to check what it was since my test only went up to 7.6, I used a high-range pH indicator and got this result)

Nitrite : 0 ppm
Nitrate: ~0 ppm
Ammonia: 0 ppm
kH: 5

My aquarium is planted, if that's pertinent.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

When did you do your last water change vs when you did the testing? Also, how many fish are still in this tank? Can you list them (species and how many of each) please?

The alarm bells start to go off that something isn't "right" when the tank is 5 yrs old/established and there is 0 nitrate. Also, can you test pH of the tap water (or whatever water supply you are using for the tank) please? I need to know if the tank water is testing the same for pH as the tap water that you put into it during water changes.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

My last water change (as of writing this) was last Sunday (April 11th), I got my aquarium water tested yesterday (the 16th). I do my water changes on Sundays.

I unfortunately can't tell you the pH of my tap water, other than it is probably equal to, or 7.6. I do treat it during water changes though, and bring it down to 7.0-7.4 or around there when I add water. During water changes, since I don't have a high-range pH indicator, all I get is 7.6 for my aquarium water.

As of today, these are the animals in aquarium:
4 Amano Shrimp
2 Female Sword Platies
2 (M/F) Sunburst Platies
1 Dalmation Balloon Molly
1 Sterbai Cory
Various really small brown snails.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

How are the other fish looking and acting now? This, honestly, is a tough one because the 2 "sick" fish are now dead and I haven't heard of any other fish showing any symptoms. I am still stumped on the test results showing 0 nitrate. By this time the tank should be cycled and showing "something" for nitrate, even if it is low, just because there are fish living in the tank and there is food going in. 

The bent spine you mentioned could have been caused by a number of different things, and again... with everything you have posted, I can find no solid explanation to offer you at this point. I took the opportunity to look at your aquarium photo, and I don't see enough plants in there that I would expect them to consume the entire nitrate content in such a set up. It takes a lot of plants to use just a small amount of nitrate... so honestly, at this point, I am sorry but I can't offer you any solid answers. At best I could take a few guess's based on the given info.

If I were to guess, I would say it is possible there could be a bacterial infection or a protozoan infection that hit the fish... either of those could produce the symptoms that you described in those species of fish. I see no solid evidence either way which of the 2 it could have been, and without current fish showing any symptoms, I'm going to advise you to just keep a close watch on the tank for a while. 

If you notice any changes in the fish, however subtle and trivial they may seem, please post them. Please don't add any type of medication at this time. If you were to put the wrong med in there now, it would very likely do more harm than good.

Also, if any of the other fish begins to show any problems, try to get a clear pic, as close up as possible, of the sick fish. Pictures often make all the difference in the world, especially when trying to diagnose an unknown illness via internet. (working online as I do gets very frustrating because without the ability to run the proper lab work.. all anyone can do is make an educated guess) While some of us have enough experience to recognize many common illnesses, and to properly identify a problem enough to treat it safely and effectively, situations such as yours can be quite frustrating.

Your water test results... I have to admit that I am a little baffled at the straight line of 0's. Even in my own tanks there is at least a 5 - 10 reading for nitrate, which is to be expected. Do you have carbon in your filter? How often do you change the carbon? Also, I'm wondering, when you do water changes, how much water do you change each time? And one last question... how old are your test kits? If you have the ability to take your water in to a lfs and have them test it, just to compare the results, that could be a big help. If they confirm what yours read, then I would feel more confident that those numbers are accurate. It's very rare to find a system that is so completely and perfectly balanced. 

I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you at this time. I can't always get here every day, but I will keep a watch over this thread and continue to help in any way I can. Oh, and before I go I want to mention... after rereading this thread from the beginning again tonight, having a cory for a few months is not something I would consider "a long time". When we are dealing with a fish that has an average life span of 7+ yrs, a few months is a very short time. 

I still consider a fish "new" to the system for the first 6 - 8 months, as that is how long it can take for some problems to present themselves and for a fish to really settle in and adjust to everything new in its changed environment. Even people take that much time to fully settle into a new lifestyle/living arrangement. I am not trying to be rude or insulting, so please don't feel offended by my comment. This is just something I felt important for you to know. If you should run into a problem in the future, be sure to again list a time span that you've had your fish so that we are able to identify how "new" a fish is to the situation. That can help eliminate or identify certain problems. I was so glad you listed a time span this time, thats something many people don't think about when posting.

I hope from this point on things clear up and go well for you. I think you have a great tank going and hope you'll post pictures as it changes/grows. I love to see how things progress in other people's tanks as much as in my own.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

First, thank you so much for spending the time to help me. I appreciate having the help of someone so educated and experienced in this hobby assiting me, and it's hard to be insulted or offended by someone who is trying hard to help. =] I can only hope that my answers are clear and accurately convey my situation and they portray the information you need.

To address your question about the other fish (and shrimp) - as far I can tell - they're doing great. Feeding well, swimming, bright coloring.

About your question concerning the carbon, I use a SeaClear 18 gallon Tall Eclipse I aquarium, and it uses a carbon pad, which I assume uses carbon? Recently I started using two; I place one on top of the other so I have extra space for bacteria and I change one (the oldest) once a month. I plan on eventually taking out the bio-wheel, because it's very noisy.

Every time I do a water change, I take out and replace 5 gallons. I treat the water before I add it with conditioner and pH down.

The age of the test kits: I used a friend's of mine, and he told me it's "old" - that's the freshwater one - but the saltwater one; which I used to find the kH, was bought within one year. He's a chemist, and still uses it himself, so I thought it's okay. It's the API brand.
I personally own a API pH indicator/adjuster kit.

In the next couple of days I will go to the LFS and double check my water parameters; I checked them again today - or yesterday, rather (the 17th) and got the same results.

I apologize for the misconception. Several months felt like a long time for me, so that's how I expressed it. I will keep in mind what you said about the time range.

I actually got a new vallisnera plant and did some redecorating, so I'll try and update my pics. 

Thanks again!


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Today I got my water checked. Here are the results:

Nitrate: 0 
Nitrite: 0
Total Hardness: 150 ppm
Chlorine: 0
Alkalinity: 180 ppm
pH: 7.8


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Ok, it actually sounds at this point like you are in good shape. I would leave things alone and keep close watch for any symptoms in the remaining animals.

Seeing that you have inverts in the tank, all the more reason not to add any medications. Most meds are highly toxic to inverts, fresh or saltwater. If you don't have quarantine set up at this time, this would be a good time to consider it. Then, if something shows up again suddenly, you have the option of either moving the inverts out to keep them safe during a treatment in the main tank, or to move the sick fish out to treat them safely away from the main tank. That choice will depend on what type of illness situation you are dealing with and the type of meds needed to treat it.

I look forward to seeing your pictures and wish you the best of luck!


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Awesome. Thank you so much bettababy!


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

There is one thing that jumped out at me and hasn't been questioned, and that is your use of "pH down." You mentioned in post #13 that you ran out of this, so I'm assuming that you were previously using it. I would not recommend using these chemicals.

The pH is largely determined by the hardness of the tap water going into the aquarium at water changes and the biological processes at work in the aquarium. The degree of carbonate hardness determines the amount of "buffering" effect on the pH, and depending upon what this is, the pH may remain stable or lower. If it is rising above your tap water, and a tank pH of 8 compared to tap water of 7.6 [I know, you said probably, not definitely] suggests something is raising it, or alternatively the test is not accurate.

Corydoras are very highly sensitive to chemicals in the water; and while not meaning to suggest that this is the cause of the loss of two corys, I would suggest that the stress probably resulting from the use of such chemicals may well have added to the problem by weakening the fish further. If I may provide a suggestion, it would be to never add un-necessary substances like pH adjusters to an aquarium with fish. 

A second suggestion would be to test your tap water (let it stand 24 hours before testing) for pH. Then you (and we) will know how much the pH in the tank varies from the source water, and if it does vary we can probably help you find the reason. Also, I have noticed both myself and from other members' comments that "high pH' and "normal pH" and "low pH" kits seem to read differently for the same water. Perhaps Dawn can explain why, I lack the chemistry and knowledge of these kits to determine this; and I would expect one should always use the same kit to ensure consistency.

I fully concur with Dawn's advice, and only wanted to offer the above in addition.

Byron.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Thank you Byron. Although I just want to clarify that I lost one cory, not both. The other cory is still going strong.

I have a query about you advice on pH adjusters. If I can't adjust my pH, doesn't that ensure the decline of my fish?

And is it suggested I still treat my tap water pH before I add it to the aquarium?


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Ok, sorry it took me so long to get back here, it has been a busy week here. 

First let me respond to Byron's post about the pH adjusters and test kits. I want to say thanks to Byron for picking up on that, I missed the part about the adjusters. (sorry, sometimes the longer threads are harder to keep up with all the details) Byron is correct in his info about them being bad news, and in all my yrs of fish keeping, I can count on 1 hand the number of situations that really required the use of those types of chemicals. There are easier, safer ways to adjust pH if really needed.

While corys are indeed sensitive to the chemicals, as Byron pointed out, the corys and all of the other fish are going to be even more sensitive to the changes in water chemistry happening in the tank where those chemicals are used. 

If you were to run some experiments on your tanks/take water, testing them multiple times each day and track that for a few weeks, you would see there are fluctuations. There is no such thing as a perfectly stable aquarium, water chemistry is ever changing. When we add chemicals that mess with the buffering capabilities in the water, then begin to remove and add new water regularly, there are always going to be some fluctuations. Those alone are enough to harm the fish. 

Tap water chemistry changes also, not just the "quality" of it, but the amounts of chemicals that are put into municipal water supplies to make water safe for human consumption, and weather changes causing the amount of minerals, heavy metals, and even fertilizers to change with the rainy/dry seasons. When you add to that with the pH buffering chemicals, essentially, long term, what you end up with in your tank is a mess that makes no sense to most people, and can be quite difficult to fix.

As for the test kits... thats another complicated thing to explain, but I will do my best. Each manufacturer of aquarium test kits holds a patent on their specific formulas for these kits, so no 2 are identical. Some are known to be more accurate than others based on testing I have done personally using digital meters, which are the most accurate results available at this point in time. I've had a great many yrs to do this testing with the majority of the most popular test kits found in the US. Some brand names read high, some read low, most are off to some degree. 

The chemicals used in test kits also vary, even within a specific company/manufacturer. Test kits are produced in batches, so when you have a kit such as nitrate, where more than 1 chemical is used, each kit differs slightly from the one before it and the one after it from same manufacturer. Most of the cards used for reading them are also very difficult to determine an exact number, so it often depends on who is reading the results, under what lighting each time, etc. Even the time of day you do the testing will have an effect on results, so to track something you should always do the tests at the same time of day each time. 

One common mistake made with test kits is that people mix the chemicals from old and new kits of the same kind, thinking they are saving money because 1 of the chemicals runs out faster than the other. This will usually result in erroneous results. The test kits, when they are made in batches, this applies also to the combination of chemicals that are in each kit. When they are formulated, it is done together at the same time, and then they are packaged together to ensure accurate concentrations stay together. So if you have ever done this, or considered it... remember to always throw out the entire kit and buy a new one when 1 of the chemicals is used up.

Now, as if this wasn't all complicated enough, when you begin adding pH buffering chemicals to the water and then run it through your test kits... you have to expect some margin for error as the chemicals react to each other. Some chemicals will show false positive results on test kits, while other chemicals may mask a problem by showing a false negative result (such as the test shows low nitrate but the actual amount is quite high). 

In trying to keep this as easy to understand without going into a text book chemistry lesson, lets just say that to get completely accurate results you would have to use digital meters... liquid kits are 2nd best and a few of the specific manufacturers offer better quality kits than others. Top of the list for liquid kits is Sera, but their price tag is also the most expensive. Next to Sera, API comes in 2nd for accuracy while still being affordable.

Byron had a good idea with testing your tap water, so we know the difference between the 2. IF we find that your water does indeed need to be buffered, the safer, easier, and cheaper way to do this would be to mix it with RO or DI water until you have your desired range. You may find that just 1 gallon of RO water to 15 gallons of your tap water is just enough to put it in the right range, and its much easier to keep it stable and each bucket of clean water in the right range, without the need for any chemicals. This also avoids any bad reactions that the buffering chemicals may have to something else that is in the tap water, such as a specific heavy metal, and it avoids pH swings in between water changes, as happens with chemicals when they are used up/altered/broken down between changes. The RO/DI water will help to keep your water chemistry stable because it doesn't affect just the pH, but also GH, KH, and everything else you can think to test for. It helps to keep balance that a pH targeted chemical cannot. 

As for whether or not to treat your tap water with anything before it goes into the aquarium, aside from water conditioner, we can't say until we know the difference between tap water and tank water.

Sorry if this sounds confusing, and even sorrier if I forgot anything. I wasn't prepared for a chemistry lesson tonight, lol, and have a lot of other things going on at once. I'm sure Byron can step in and help clarify anything you may need. I will get back to this thread as soon as I can, but will be away for at least part of this weekend, so please be patient.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

shootingstar26 said:


> Thank you Byron. Although I just want to clarify that I lost one cory, not both. The other cory is still going strong.
> 
> I have a query about you advice on pH adjusters. If I can't adjust my pH, doesn't that ensure the decline of my fish?
> 
> And is it suggested I still treat my tap water pH before I add it to the aquarium?


Dawn (bettababy) has responded and explained things [thanks Dawn], so this is just a follow-up. As she mentioned and I earlier said, we need to know your tap water pH and hardness would help if there is going to be any need to adjust [more on this in a moment]. You may find this info from your water supply board, some have websites with water testing results, some will respond directly. Or you can take a sample to your fish store--if you do this, leave it sit out overnight as explained previously. Ask them to test the pH, the general hardness (GH) and the carbonate hardness (KH), and make sure they give you the actual numbers. "It is fine" or "it is slightly hard" tells us nothing, and again, if there is to be any adjusting up or down, we need to know these numbers to be able to offer the safest method.

As for adjusting, from the list of your present fish there is no need to be adjusting the pH if the tap water is in the mid-7's for pH. This is ideal for livebearers and shrimp. If your cory is tank raised it will probably manage; if wild that may be a bit troublesome, but as the cory is there now it is best to leave things alone until we know more.

If the tank pH is actually much higher than the tap, then something in the tank is causing this. However, the last test results have the tank pH at 7.8, so I still think we need to know the tap water numbers. But while waiting for those, we can explore this avenue. What type of gravel do you have? And is there any rock in the tank? Both of these can, if calcareous, work to raise hardness and pH.

Byron.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Thank you both so much for you help. I appreciate the time you are taking to help me. 

bettababy, thank you for your explanation on the dynamics of water testing. I am certainly enlightened by your information - I am currently going through organic chemistry classes, so you're fine with the chemistry. =P

Byron - I have what I believe is called "pea gravel." I actually recently added an extra 5lbs (recent = past 5 months; probably early january) The rocks was actually a point I was going to bring up. I also got two rocks, but I'm not sure if they're calcareous. Is there anyway I can tell, or somewhere with pictures? If it helps, I have posted pictures of my aquarium.

I will get my tap water tested and post results.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

On the gravel, was it aquarium gravel from a fish store, andif so, do you have the bag still? It will usually say on the bag somewhere that it will not affect pH/hardness or that it will, whichever. It is only the white gravel that concerns me a bit, sometimes this can be calcareous.

On the rocks, the white ones again might be. A test is to take them out of the tank, and put a drop of two of acid on the rock. If it fizzes at all, it is calcareous. Some people use vinegar but it is a weak acid that may not always be accurate. A better one is the acid in the Regent #2 of a nitrate test kit; this is a stronger acid, and a couple drops would probably be accurate.

Another thought is to remove the three rocks when you next do a partial water change, change 50-60% of the water then, and leave the rocks out for a week and monitor the pH daily. If it does not rise at all, or even drops a bit, then the rocks are the answer.

In my experience, rock works very slowly so the rise in pH would be small say during a week, unlike gravel which usually works faster so the rise is greater. When we have the tap water and tank water results we'll have a better grasp of things.

Byron.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

I would like to add something, in case it is of any importance; today one (maybe two) of my amano shrimp died. The one I saw was really white in the aquarium, when I brought it out of the aquarium, it turned its normal shade. The reason why I say "maybe two" is because I swear I saw a shrimp tail that was fleshy - but I never saw a dead body, and there are pieces of shed, so I wasn't sure if it was a shed piece or a body eaten to the tail.

And sadly, after I posted my pictures, I had added a little buffer - but there were no directions on how to slowly rise pH - so I added a quarter of the recommended amount, and yet my molly died. I'm fairly certain I added too much and the pH shock killed it.

I will have results after a couple of days.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Just a quick note on the rocks in your tank... the one with the stripes in it... that appears to be rainbow rock, and should not affect pH or calcium levels in a freshwater tank.

In regards to the pea gravel... if it is standard pea gravel such as is found at Menards, that also is not anything I would worry about. I have pea gravel in most of my freshwater tanks and have been using it for years. That also should not affect pH or calcium.

Hard to say about the shrimp... pH shock will kill shrimp even faster/easier than it will kill fish. Sorry to hear of your losses.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Thank you bettababy.

So I got my tap water tested...but I realized that the guy at PetCo used the paper tests. Not sure if I have to re-test the water (I'm guessing probably so.) 

Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
Hardness: 0 (The label says "Very soft" for the color it turned)
Chlorine: 0 (Wait. 0 chlorine in my tap water? Is this significant?)
Alkalinity: 180 ppm
pH: 8.4


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Assuming the test results are reasonably accurate, we now know your tap water is pH 8.4 with little hardness (hardness 0 with alkalinity 180) and the tank test was 7.8 so this to me seems normal. The pH in an aquarium will naturally slowly lower unless something (like calcareous rock) is countering this. Regular water changes work to keep this change minimal.

I would do the weekly partial water change using just the water conditioner, no pH adjusters whatsoever, and monitor pH. Test the tank before the water change, and each day following for the week, at approximately the same time every day; pH fluctuates each 24 hours, moreso in planted tanks, so testing the same time each day will give a more accurate indication for the week.

Let us know the results. We can decide if any adjustment is needed for the fish you intend to maintain.

Byron.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

So I already do ~28% water change (5 gallons/18 gallons) every week. 

I should maintain this, and record pH before, and every day after for a week? Am I understanding you correctly?

Also, I think my shrimp died from an un-successful shed. =[

Thank you Byron for your help.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

shootingstar26 said:


> So I already do ~28% water change (5 gallons/18 gallons) every week.
> 
> I should maintain this, and record pH before, and every day after for a week? Am I understanding you correctly?
> 
> ...


You're welcome. Yes on the water change/pH testing; this will tell us the stability of the water. Keep us posted.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

If I may also add... if the difference between tank water and tap water increases you will want to do smaller changes at a time and more frequently to avoid pH shock with the animals.


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## shootingstar26 (Feb 24, 2010)

Alright here are the results:

Monday 5/10 : 7.6 (or higher)
Tuesday 5/11: 7.6 (or higher)
Wednesday 5/12: 7.6 (or higher)
Thursday 5/13: 7.6 (or higher)
Friday 5/14: 7.6 (or higher)
Saturday 5/15: 7.6 (or higher)
Sunday 5/16: 7.6 (or higher)
Monday 5/17: 7.6 (or higher)


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

These results indicate a fairly stable aquarium water wise.


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