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Hi all, names Dan & I'm new to the forum part of this site, though I refer to it often for info. I've got quite a dilemma, I'll just list my actions & the results of water tests & you'll see what I mean.

Date: 5/9/2009 6:28:04 PM
Comments/Observations:
Initial Setup
Added 71.6 lbs substrate (61.6 lbs. Flourite 50/50 reg./red) (10 lbs pond potting soil)
Added plants : 1 Cryptocoryne wendtii ''green'' (separated into 5), 2 Echinodorus 'Ozelot Green' 7 Egeria densa (Anachris) (6 planted & 1 floating) 1 Taxiphyllum barbieri (Java Moss) (quarter size) 1 ?? Echinodorus quadricostatus ?? (2 pcs. 3"
Added Hardscape : 2 REAL pcs. driftwood 1 FAKE tree stump 1 REAL rock (found near river) (type ???)
Temperature 82F
pH 7.6
Alkalinity ??? KH/ppm
General Hardness ??? GH/ppm
Ammonia .25 ppm
Nitrite ??? ppm
Nitrate ??? ppm
Maintenance:

Date: 5/10/2009 5:11:26 PM
Comments/Observations:
Added API STRESS-ZYME - 1.8333 oz (11 tsp)
Added Fish : 6 Platy (3 males/3 females) 6 Guppies (2 males/4 females)
Temperature 26/78.8 C/F
pH 7.8
Alkalinity 300 KH/ppm
General Hardness 300 GH/ppm
Ammonia .25 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Maintenance:

Date: 5/11/2009 6:35:01 PM
Comments/Observations:
THREE PLATY'S MISSING !!!!
Temperature 26/78.8 C/F
pH 7.8
Alkalinity 180 KH/ppm
General Hardness 150 GH/ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Maintenance:

See what I mean? The "missing" Platy's is strange enough, though I'm not real worried about them yet, since I have already found one's incredibly small hiding??? spot. But what has me baffled is the drop in Alkalinity of 120 ppm & 150 ppm GH in roughly 25 hrs. I mean, I fully understand the addition of the STRESS-ZYME annihilating the .25 ppm Ammonia, but would it also affect the Alkalinity/GH in such a significant way????
Also, what are your opinions on whether or not I should rearrange the piece of driftwood that the one Platy has somehow managed to get under into a pretty tiny cavity???
Before ya'll answer that, you should know that,there is absolutely NO danger of the driftwood falling as it is pretty much flat.
Thanks in advance for any & all input.

who long has this tank been set up????? has the nitrite spiked yet? i dont think ur tank has been done cycling.....

Stab in the dark, but could the drop be caused by the "unknown" rock? And are or have you noticed if the driftwood pieces leaching tannins?

TTFN --->Ta-Ta-For-Now
Kelly ;o}

Welcome Dreamweaver to FP

With all that information there are several basics items missing.
Size of tank
When it was set up and how was it cycled and for how long
Filtration type, brand & size
Water change when was it done last and what percentage was changed.
Filtration when and how was it cleaned.

To start of with there are several things that could concern me.
The missing platy's if dead where are they as it is possible this could also cause a water problem
The Pond potting soil, is it suitable for an aquarium.
That rock I would remove it immediatly and test to see if it is OK to be in a tank its the old story here its looks OK but is it.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do.
I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT?
VOTE NOW VOTE NOW

Hi,
Welcome to FP!

As far as your water chemistry is concerned, things are
pretty much normal. One day your KH and GH are in the
11-22 degree range and 24 hours later the values are
nearly halved and down around the 6-11 degree range.

We can't say specifically what happened, as we don't know
where you live or where your water comes from (a well,
city water, etc).
Normally speaking, if you turn your cold water faucet on
and run it for a few minutes, then catch a glass full and
test it, you will find a value for pH, GH and KH. If you
leave it sit out for 24 hours (with no kitty or dog spit)
and test it again, the values will have changed as the
water degases and "settles down."

Additionally, you don't say anything about the pond soil
that you used. Assuming it is a commercial product, it
probably contains Zeolite. Zeolite is a general term for
a series of hydrous aluminosilicates somewhat similar to
feldspars and are used in the base-exchange method of
water softening (again, a change in water chemistry values).

We have no idea of your experience in the hobby. Using
just SeaChem's Flourite (100%) would have made a perfect
substrate. By either using the soil as a base layer under
the fluorite, or mixing it you are venturing out into the
realm of a "natural aquarium" and I hope you have read
Dana Walstad's books - THE ECOLOGY OF THE PLANTED AQUARIUM
first. If you don't follow her lead, you could easily
wind up with something that looks, and smells like a septic
tank.

Generally speaking, rocks may, or may not, affect
the water's chemistry.
Igneous (Granite, Basalt, etc.) and Sedimentary
(Sandstone) rocks are normally safe for a tank provided
the "glue" that holds the grains together is a silicate
and not a carbonate.
Sedimentary rocks whose "glue" is a carbonate will affect
the pH, KH, and GH of a tank over a period of time.
The way to "home test" the rock is to clean (scrub) it
and then scrape the surface with a knife or file to obtain
a fresh, unweathered surface. Then drip a few drops of a
mild acid, such as vinegar, or a drop of battery acid,
onto the newly exposed surface. If it bubbles (fizzes)
then it is a carbonate, and will affect the tank. If it
just sits there wetting the surface then it is inert and
will not affect the tank.

Stress-Zyme is primarily used to ease fish into their new
environment. It promotes the production of the mucus that
the fish secrete and helps prevent the Ich parasite from
attaching itself to the fish's body. It also contains
bacteria that is used to "jump start" the nitrogen cycle.
Some say that continued use of this product replenishes
established bacterial colonies with new bacteria helping to
keep the existent colonies strong.

Water Conditioners - are used to adapt the water to the
fish primarely by eliminating Chlorine and Chloramine.
Some also include aloe to help repair the mucus coating
on the fish that may have been brushed off during the
netting and shipping processes.

The missing fish could be anything from a normal passing
due to stress, or just finding a "perfect" hiding place.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Hey folks thanks for the welcome, & the responses.

Tank Info :
Dimensions - 48"L x 19"H x 12"W
Volume - 55 Gal.
Filtration - AQUA-Tech 30-60 Power Filter (2xBio-wheel)
Lighting - DIY 4x 26w 6500k twist CFL's
Heater - NONE (The tank stays between 75F-82F

Potting Soil in question - PondCare® Aquatic Planting Media Potting Soil (10 lbs.)
While I cannot post an image as yet here is a link :
http://pondcare.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=20

As far as how long the tank has been running/cycling and all :
Initial Setup - Date: 5/9/2009 6:28:04 PM
Added Fish - Date: 5/10/2009 5:11:26 PM
As you can see, I'm cycling with fish, (the reason for the addition of API STRESS-ZYME)
I know alot of folks frown upon the practice of cycling with fish, but David E. Boruchowitz's book "The simple guide to Freshwater Aquariums" seems to "ok" it & that's good enough for me, since it worked for me before.
As far as my experience in the hobby, I had successfully kept fish (only, no plants) in this tank when I lived in FL(2yrs ago), for about a year. I hope that this additional info is sufficient to more accurately diagnose the situation. Thanks again for ya'lls concern & comments.
Lastly, today's water test results :
Date: 5/12/2009 11:28:01 AM
Comments/Observations:
Still 2 Platy's "missing"
Temperature 24/75.2 C/F
pH 7.8
Alkalinity 180 KH/ppm
General Hardness 150 GH/ppm
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Maintenance:

yea theres nothing wrong with cycleing wit fish thats how i always do it but platys imo arnt the best cyclers more like zebra dainos are much better cyclers much harder i have had one survive for like 5 years gone threw like 5 diff tanks and convict cichlids breeding......

Hi,
I think the water chemistry shifting values have
pretty much been already explained. The values
would seem to indicate a cycled tank.
But, those few fish in a 55G tank are not supplying
enough waste products to create large enough bacterial
colonies to handle a sudden increase in fish population.

By that I mean the system has adapted to the few fish
you have. If you were to go out and buy several much
larger fish and put them in the tank, their waste products
would probably cause a "mini cycle event" and the ammonia
and nitrite might reappear until the system (bacterial
colonies) grew to handle the increased fish population.

What are you planning on for the final "fish" setup of the
tank? Depending upon the species, you might want to adapt
the quantities purchased.

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--