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Hi FP gang.
It's been quite a while since I've been on, as I moved into a new home last Fall and have been remodeling non-stop.
Sunday night I noticed that the tail fin on one of my Columbian Tetras was split in the center, and it also was missing a chunk of another fin (with white on edge). I did a 20% wc, and tested water perams. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20, ph 7.6, all the norm for my aquarium. Kept an eye on things every day, and noticed on Wednesday morning that my largest CL was breathing very quickly, and had a small chunk missing from the tail fin, as well as cloudy eyes, and white on edges of fins. His behavior was very strange (sticking himself upside down in a plant, swimming to the surface, not responding to my movements or sounds). I did another 25-30% wc, and decided to use meds after work that day. I went ahead and dosed Melafix and Pimafix together, following instructions carefully, said a prayer before going to bed, and hoped for the best. This morning he was gone. Upon examination, he appeared to be slimer than I thought was normal, as well as having the fin damage I mentioned. The aquarium is a 55 gal planted with crypts, swords, and anubias. No CO2, 2.5 wpg, 80 degrees. Substrate is Eco Complete, and I dose Flourish Excel and Cycle. I use tap water from my home, which is softened with potassium. I treat with API water conditioner and let sit for a few days before putting into aquarium. Since moving to the new home I have seen more algae, as well as the dreaded BG slime, which I try to keep in check with 15% weekly water changes. The aquarium is understocked. Some of you may remember that I lost nearly all of my Tetras last summer, and I have not been able to add new fish yet. There are three Tetras, 4 Otos, and were 2 CL's, but now one.
I know that my aquarium is not ideal for CL's, and I know that I did not have the ideal amount either. I was sold the CL's by a Petco guy who recommended them, even knowing that at the time I was operating a 20 gal. When I learned of their needs, I upgraded to a 55, which was as large as I could go at the time. I've had the CL's for about 2 yrs.
I need some advice as to where to go from here. Hope you can help.
1. Since two Tetras still have fin damage, should I continue the Pimafix/Melafix treatments?
2. What to do about my lone CL? Before I upgraded to the 55 gal, I had tried to find a new home for the CL's, but couldn't. I don't know if I will have luck this time either, but will certainly try. I know this guy needs to be with other CL's, so I either need to find it a new home, or add more CL's and upgrade to a larger aquarium soon. I love keeping these fish, but need your advice on this dilemma.
3. What are your ideas for stocking this aquarium, as it is currently, or if I were to upgrade to a 125 gal this summer? How to prepare for that, etc....
4. I do deal with a fair amount of algae in my aquarium. Also the slime. Any suggestions?
5. Anything else you think I need to know is greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the novel guys....just trying to learn. Thanks, as always!
Kari

Kari,

Sorry for your loss. How big are your CL?
They are typically very sensitive to water param changes. Has there been a dramatical change in PH since you moved (7.6 is on the high end for CL but it should be OK). How often do you perform water change? CL requires frequent water changes - I change the water of my 75G 25-30% weekly. What have you been feeding them lately? Expired fish food could also be a possible cause of the problem.

If your other fishes are Ok, I'd suggest to move your two tetra to a QT for the treatment. As we all know that CL are very sensitive to medications. I once treated my tank for camallanus (of the angelfish), my 4 CL were noticeably stressed for 2 weeks.

The CL that is left is about 3 inches. The one who passed was about 4. I do one 15-20% wc weekly, by way of vacuuming. I feed a variety of Omega One flakes and pellets, some fruits and veggies, frozen bloodworks and brine shrimp for a treat.
I haven't been able to find my QT tank or any of the components since the move, so I can't use one. I've continued to dose the Melafix and Pimafix. All fish look good, and are active and eating.
I need to know what I should do with my aquarium now, and would appreciate some advice. After med treatment, and time to let things get back to normal, I need to either get more CL's, maybe two, or I need to find a new home for the one that I still have, and go for a smaller Loach instead. Please see my questions addressed in the first post. Also, I need to learn more about ferts, and would appreciate any advice, or reference to a good article. I deal with moderate algae or various types, as well as BG slime. My plants are not nearly as pretty as they could be, and I'd like to learn how to make the most of what I have. Please see my first post for the types of plants in the tank.
Thanks everyone.

No advice or suggestions???

Hi,
I was not sure where to respond as you have now posted
twice in an effort to get some help.

As far as that specific fish is concerned, I don't have
any experience with them. I have read, however, that they
are very sensitive to poor water conditions. Additionally,
your comment that you are fighting the BGA algae is a
further indicator of poor water quality and also, over
fertilization.

From reading your posts, I gather that you are experienced
and have done quite a bit of exploring on the subject on
your own.

I'm thinking that you are overdosing with the fertilizers,
and perhaps over vacuuming the substrate as well,
and maybe over treating the water as a whole.
I also think the temperature is just a bit too high
and would be better between 76-78 degrees.
Remodeling also throws in a whole mix of other things...
Paint, construction dust, solvents, can all combine to
provide a toxic environment to sensitive fish.

With the plants that you have the 2.5 wpg is good. You
don't mention the type of lighting you are using. If you
are using straight fluorescent bulbs, then please be sure
that you are using bulbs that say DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT on
them and that they are around 6700K. I don't know how
your tank is arranged, but generally speaking the Swords
will thrive and send out runners which have buds that will
turn into new, baby swords, that will grow. With the right
conditions, the swords will grow into huge plants that will
then provide the shade for the anubias and the crypts.
Swords are generally considered to be mainly root feeders
and draw alot of their nutrients from the substrate.
Assuming that the substrate is new, it should be fine.
There are reports of that specific substrate loosing its
"punch" over a period of years. It may be time to renew it
or supplement it by adding plant sticks or plant tablets
to it around the sword plants. Tetra min and others make
these and you simply push the tablet or ball, or stick,
into the gravel about two inches out from the center
of the plant. Stick them about an inch or two into
the gravel.
With swords, as massive as their root system can be, you
would want 3-4 inches of substrate for them to thrive.
Many varieties of Swords can easily grow to take over
a 240G tank! Feed them and they will grow.
The anubis while it can be planted, generally does best
when attached to attached to some driftwood. The crypts
will grow best in shaded areas or not directly under the
aquarium bulbs. Remember that the low light plants, the
crypts and anubis, are very slow growing plants so it will
take a while for them to adapt to the new tank, water, and
conditions.

When you change the water and vacuum, don't vacuum the
entire tank at a time. Mentally divide the non-planted
tank into four sections and each week during the water
change vacuum "A" section. Then the next week a different
section, and so on. That way, over a month, you have
vacuumed the entire tank leaving each section three weeks
to "recover" before doing it again. The main source of
the bacteria that runs the Nitrogen Cycle is in the gravel
followed next by the filter medium. When changing the
the water to clean the planted sections, simply wave your
hand or the end of your siphon over the plants and stir up
any detritus that is laying between them an on the leaves
where it can be sucked up by the siphon.

Over dosing with the fertilizers will cause an outbreak
of the BGA. Since the plants don't seem to be doing too
well right now, clean off the leaves of any BGA and snip,
with a SHARP pair of scissors, off the yellowed or dead
leaves. I would also add some fast growing stem plants
to the tank. Everything you have is considered to be a
"slow grower" and will not consume the nutrients as fast
as the stem plants will. Generally you would add a large
amount of stem plants, to stabilize the tank and then
slowly replace them with slow growers or mix them while
maintaining the stability of the tank.

The fish that you have, the Tetras, are generally
considered to be a shoaling fish and are best kept in
groups. Three is a few too small. I'd add at at least
4 or 5 more, and expect the three that are in there to
consider the tank "theirs" and a pecking order will evolve.
You can lessen the ferocity of the pecking order by
remodeling the tank (move the decorations/plants around)
to present a new landscape and then add the fish back in.

Lastly, in my experience the ottos seem to be
sensitive fish and if they are thriving, then you
should be OK. I am not a big fan of conditioners, or
regular medications. I firmly believe in water changes
and aquarium maintenance. I would back off using the
stuff and then see how things go. Your problem could have
been as simple as an aged fish, or some aggressive ones
or it could have been water conditions.

Frank

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

Thank you Frank for being so helpful. It's most appreciated.
I don't consider myself as being nearly as knowledgable as I should be, but I try to keep reading up on the things I wish to learn.
I haven't experimented much with ferts because, even though I have read about them, the macro, micro, and trace elements stuff is still a bit confusing to me. Does anyone recommend a particular article or reference which might be helpful to me? I have 4 inches of Eco Complete in the aquarium, and it's been in there since April of last year. Flourish Excel is all I add for the plants, so I would hope that over fertilization was not an issue.
I'll take a look at the temp in my aquarium and lower it slowly if need be.
I'd love to know how to take care of my plants (better than I do), so that they can be as healthy as possible. I did have Bacopa and Ambulia in the aquarium for quite a long time, but both plants did not grow well on the bottom half, and the lost leaves were messy. That was why I gravitated toward the plants now in the tank. Do you recommend a particular fast-growing plant that would do well in the conditions of my aquarium?
The light that I have is a Coralife Aqualight with two 65 watt fluorescent bulbs, 6700K. I'm using the bulbs that came with the lamp.
I'll try vacuuming the aquarium using the method you suggested.
I've had some ideas about types of fish that I'd like to see in the aquarium, and see that I should begin adding...not putting it off, as I had been doing. I'm still not sure what to do about my CL, but know there are a few serious CL experts here that I can ask.
If anyone has any other comments or suggestions, please let me know.
Thanks!

Hi,
First, here are some sites that will help you understand
your plants' needs:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm

http://www.algone.com/fertilizer.php

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_dosage_calc.htm

The first and third references are more "scientific"
than the second, and the third is a companion to the first.

Bacopa and Ambulia particularly the former, requires very
bright light (3+ wpg) to thrive. I suspect that the depth
of the tank and the wpg of your light was too much for the
plants to thrive. The Bacopa must be thinned constantly or
it will grow over itself and smother what is below it.

These are some "Low light" plants, that should thrive at
your "medium" light wpg value:

http://www.aquariumplants.com/Low_Light_Plants_s/25.htm

Remember that the light is scattered and absorbed by
the water column as it passes through it, so the light
at the substrate will be weaker than that at the surface.
That means that "ground cover" or very small plants, will
need more intense (wpg) lighting than the plants that
grow toward the surface. Many of those will actually
change color from one shade of green to a more intense
shade, or from green or brown to a lavender or pink, or
purple as they reach the surface.

Those bulbs should be perfect. Just remember that you
should replace fluorescent bulbs annually as they can loose
a huge percentage of their light over a year.

Frank


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