Yeo Mahder Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Hi all, was wondering if anyone had any insight into my small dilemma... can the condition of the water in an aquarium be upset by disturbing the gravel/substrate? After introducing some new fish into my tank, i rearranged the rocks etc, and shifted about some gravel also. This did uncover lots of debris (which i did my best to scoop out). It had been a while since the gravel was shaken up like that. The fish do eat, no where near as enthusiastically as they should. Feed them three types of pellets (will try some live food tmrw). The fish: d.comprecisseps x1 c.moori x3 red empress x1 dragon blood x2 clown loach x1 plecostomus x1 pictus x1 All cichlids are male, the comprecisseps is definitely the most dominant tank is 200l approx any input would be much appreciated. cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dave Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Can the condition of the water in an aquarium be upset by disturbing the gravel/substrate? Absolutely. ...This did uncover lots of debris (which i did my best to scoop out). It had been a while since the gravel was shaken up like that. The fish do eat, no where near as enthusiastically as they should. Feed them three types of pellets (will try some live food tmrw). Gravel clean is in order. do you have a gravel vac? Partial water change (pwc) is essential, unless you have turned your heater off. Don't shock the fish with big differences in temperature or quality. Adding more aeration might make your fish more comfortable. A few days without food won't hurt, overloading the filter will! The first thing you should check if you suspect anything is not normal in the tank is water quality & temp. Have you checked the pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels of your water? Your stirring up the waste from the bottom of the tank will increase the load on your filter, as will adding extra fish. My guess is that you have raised the ammonia or nitrite to levels which make the fish uncomfortable. These need to be reduced, and the best way is the pwc. Once again, don't shock the fish with big differences in temperature or quality but 25-30% changes, say every other day for 3 changes, is a start. Make sure you use water ager, and let it stand overnight if possible. I use large plastic tubs from Supercheap Auto. Take your time and don't create more stress to your fish in the cleanup. When the fish and tank have settled you might need to give the filter a bit of a clean, but only with tank water. HTH, Old Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renjarben Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 i clean my substrate twice a week but in saying that i keep tropheus so the water must be kept at its cleanest but all cichlids well all fish should b kept in the same manner realistically. clean the bottom at least once a week at least 25%water change a week (i do between 35-40%a week) ph gh kh nitrate ammonia etc should b checked once a week. by stirring up all that waste it has prob caused an ammonia spike in the tank. by the way i keep a water change barrel which is a great idea as u can mimic the water in ur tank that way u wont shock fish at all when doing a water change. The first thing i would do in ur situation is part water change CLEAN the bottom of tank and check ph etc(make slow adjustments if nescasary)check the fish over the next few days I would ad a bit of salt to ur water even if u have already about a tea spoon per 10l but ad this slowly over the next few weeks. If fish havent improved over the next 2 days u may have to get some meds from your local lfs. I hope this helps water changes etc can be made easy but should become a weekly thing if u wont your fish to live a long happy life just remember those fish depend on u for the type of life they live. ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeo Mahder Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share Posted June 13, 2009 Thanks for the input guys, have taken on board your advice and will attend to matters promptly. oh, in answer to the questions: yep got a gravel vac, have been putting it to work since the 'stir'. yeah water tested fine pre-new additions. got it tested today, and yes,, too much ammonia, shop assistant recommended some PWC's ,, as did both of you. So that's great, thanks very much for the insight. regards Yeo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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