DonnaR

Hi all, I have a 55 gal with 13 african cichlids in. Periodically one or two of them will rub across the bottom, usually when I do the water changes. I see no obvious signs of anything wrong - not seeing any white spots - any ideas how I could be sure if there could be an early ich problem that isn't too obvious yet? Don't want to treat unnecessarily as the ich treatment I bought suggests it isn't healthy for catfish, I do have 1 pleco and 1 synodontis in there also! I just did a water change this morning and am now going to do all the water tests - will post results back when I am done. Any info greatly appreciated? PS - after this mornings change I have 2 guys occasionally skipping over the stones!

DonnaR

ok, so, just got some insight! Any time I test, my levels are always spot on - until today! Ph is too low, ammonia and nitartes have appeared! Also, right now, all fish appear to be hanging around my lil orange peacock who dos not look healthy. Think this is going to be a sad day.

High range ph = 7.4
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 80!
Ammonia = 0.5

More water change or no best option?

Jay

IMO a 50% water change will help get those nitrates down. Nitrates that high also indicate the possibility of a high level of other polutants that you cannot measure, but could be causing osmotic problems for your fish.

I would like to see a complete set of tank paramaters and conditions including any chemicals you add. Look at the "how to get help" sticky post at the top of the forum.

Not sure what the .5 ammonia is...at a pH of 7 - 7.4 the measuremnt of Total Ammonia (which most test kits measure- Ammonia + Ammonium) the amount of Ammonia in the ratio is very small and not much of a worry.

Jay

DonnaR

Thanks for the reply!
water levels are as follows

Ph - 7.4
Nitrate - Down to 5
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0.5 (Treated with 20 mls AmQuel this morning)
GH = 8
KH = 2
So, when I did the water change this morning I treated with 20mls Cycle and 20 mls Stress coat. That is the lot!

I tested my straight tap water which had an ammonia level of 1.0

DonnaR

What size is the tank? 55 gal
How long has the tank been set up and running for? 6 months -ish
How many fish do you have, and what are they? 13 Africa cichlids & 1 pleco
What is your Ammonia level? 0.5
What is your Nitrite level? 0.0
What is your Nitrate level? 5
What is your pH? 7.4
What is your KH? 2
What is your GH? 8
What is the temperature? around 74-76
What type of filtration do you use? 2 Bio-wheel filters
How often do you change the filtration media? Changed half of it 3 weeks ago
How often do you perform water changes? Usually weekly
How often and how much do you feed your tank? Twice a day - apparently too much!
What chemicals do you dose in your tank? As few as possible
Where do you gather your water from, and what conditioners do you use on it? Tap water - cycle and stress coat

Jay

1ppm ammonia in your drinking water is not of enormous concern to you...your body produces a whole lot more than that.
It is of concern to your fish. Is this well water in an agricultural area?

The other parameters are good. IMO stress coat is not the best thing for your fish. The ammonia remover is just binding up ammonia into the less toxic ammonium. Cycle is a controversial product with experienced hobbyists, I don't use it as it's advertised miracle qualities are somewhat suspect. A well maintained tank is sufficient.

IMO your GH and KH need to come up a bit. I would use a GH booster like Seachem Equilibrium to be sure the mineral salts content of your GH is sufficient. A KH of 2 is a little risky, inviting pH swings...the GH booster will fix that also.

Well I'm sure that's more than you wanted to know

Jay

DonnaR

thanks again for the reply. I am waiting to go with the african salt and buffer but totally unsure of what quantity would be required? Thanks for the info on cycle, I shall not be buying that again. Actually, on any normal water change i don't add anything, just did on this one as my levels went up which is unusual, but, the water ppl have been doing some work around this area lately - not well water btw - its "city water"

Any info whatsoever is greatly appreciated, I hate to see my fishies in any discomfort