The Puffer Forum

As many of you will now I lost my Abei last night, I am concerned that I might have done something wrong.

So here is what I had and what I did, I want constructive comments so that this does not happen again. If something would be better please tell me.

Please be brutal I am not easily offended.

I will be changing all of the water as it was medicated.

Do I strip down and change all filters?
Do I change the substrate?
More decoration?
More plants, if so which ones?
Would an external filter be better?
Different food, more or less?
Larger water changes?
Anything else?


Tank is a Jewel Rio 125(125litre, 32us, 26uk), standard pump is 600 lph and it also has a Fluval 4 plus filter that is 1000 lph both have bubble nozzles.

Decoration consists of five pieces of slate, two pieces of bogwood. Plants are dwarf swords and long grasses I cant remember their name, there is six of each.

Substrate is Tetra plant complete as a base with a covering of approximately 25mm with sand on the top ranging from 10 – 30mm.

Lighting is by twin T8 tubes, one is a Jewel Daylight bulb and the other is an Aqua-Glo bulb.

I feed thawed frozen bloodworms, one cube once per week. Thawed frozen uncooked prawn cut in to small pieces to fit the empty holes in the bloodworm tray, so 16mm size approx. once per week. I feed 2-3 live Snails either pond or red ramshorn three times per week.

Tap water has recently increased to 10ppm nitrate, I use API Stress Coat, adding 40ml per 50% change, the recommended on the bottle is 5ml/10us gallons, and I fill directly from the cold tap. Weekly I drain 50% the water then go around with mains powered cleaner to get any rubbish.

My regular water tests are ph 7.8, nitrite/ammonia zero and nitrates up to 30ppm before a change dropping to 10ppm after. Test kit API master.

Part of me wants to say tear it down and start form a fresh but then I think is that necessary. I then think doing a 100% water change and keeping the tank cycled and left without any fish for a few weeks just in case there is something nasty in there that needs a host to live and then try again.

Filtration, decor substarte etc sound fine, I wouldnt put the hollow root back in next time though and make sure that the sand is skept stirred, mine in a week seems to compact down quite a lot.

I was thinking of ditching the sand and replacing with gravel as this may be easier to keep clean and stop nasties, root has been thrown away!

Do you mean keeping it going with ammonia/prawn?

I am also considering a lot more plants and more bogwood to fill the hole the root left.

Gravel would be easier and there isnt the gas pocket risk with it.

If you're gonna ditch the substrate and get new , I think I would start from a fresh, temporarily, rehouse the plants somewhere and then shove em back in when its set up. I did mean keep it going using ammonia/prawn. It depends on how much of a thorough clean you want.

If you're going to get another Abei, I found he rarely used the root but he does like bogwood overhangs, which he will rest under.

Off to LFS now!!

All new filters, gravel and few more pieces of bogwood

Thanks for the advice.

I think a thorough clean of the filters would suffice, no need to get new ones unless you want to of course, new filter media at the most.

I meant to say filter pads, sorry for the confusion. I will strip the tank, jet wash it and start a fish less cycle.

I think thats a good plan. Better safe than sorry

IMO, I'd clean everything that's left w/OxyClean (can you get that?) & start over. Especially if you're changing out the substrate anyway.

Pufferpunk wrote:IMO, I'd clean everything that's left w/OxyClean (can you get that?) & start over. Especially if you're changing out the substrate anyway.

I've been on Google, dumb question but which one?

Oxy Clean Facial Wash Gel
Oxy Clean Medicated Cleanser

ROFL Facial wash??? I'm sorry to laugh but that just struck me as really funny. Those are zit treatments.

Boxermom wrote:ROFL Facial wash??? I'm sorry to laugh but that just struck me as really funny. Those are zit treatments.

To be honest I thought the same, but I'm no expert and I am male!!

Life was simpler before Oxyclean became a whole product line... It was just one product, the original powder.

Don't use ammonia to hold a planted tank cycled - it is the world's best invitation to an algae outbreak - exactly the same for a chunk of shrimp. I use flake fishfood. It is digested by bacteria and infusoria slowwly enough to avoid ammonia spikes. If you keep other tanks and any have snails, snails + flake food are the ideal cycle holders for me.

HTH

RTR, do you think he should keep the tank cycled or clean it out?