Acid tank!

[katy]

Today I noticed what looked like white fluff on the bottom third of the plants in my tank and got a little worried. I did a pH test on a hunch and this was confirmed - way acidic! This is really weird because it's happened so suddenly, but I guess something could have reached critical level? Anyway, did a 50% water change, sucked up all the waste I could find and removed the plants. I'm going to get some fake plants tomorrow. The axies had been spending more time at the top than usual, I'm also guessing this would be related. Have I covered everything? Anyone got any tips for keeping a level pH?

Additionally, one of my axies has an nibbled toe (yep, just the toe) which is fairly fresh and the same white fluff type stuff was growing/accumulating on it. Is this bad? Should I do something about it? There's no spots or growths anywhere else on either of the axies in there, so I don't think it's fungal.

 

[colin]

what was the pH?

i always add a few handfull sof coral sand to my tanks to buffer the ph

 

[kaysie]

Any nibbled or open area could be suseptable to fungus, even if there are no other spots. I recommend a 'just in case' salt bath.

 

[mik]

I have given up on real plants after months of trying. They never seemrd to root properly in the gravel before they start dying and rotting.

Also find that they seem to accelarate the extent at which algae develops (too much o2 in water?) and new plants always seem to bring snails, no matter how hard you look and clean them!

Found some expensive but very realistic fakes (wish I kept bag with manufacturers name on). These are superior, the axies love sitting in the leaves and fronds. They have a soft material rather than plastic quality to them. Anyway they don't rot, these look great, they don't bring fungus or pestilence with them.

If its white and fluffy it's probably a fungus try the alt baths and try something like protozin fungicide.

 

[colin]

MIkki, one of the problems with plants sold for fish tanks is, belive it or not, that a lot of the specie sold are not aquatic and are marginals at best!

All of my tanks have plants in them and nothing special is done for them. I use species like Indian fern Java fern, Java moss, Bacopa, Elodea, Hygophilia, Hornwort and Crytocorynes... They all seem to do well.

If you are having algae problems try adding some floating plants like Salvinia to block out light below the surface?

 

[katy]

colin the ph was 6.4 or lower, ie. the indicator was bright yellow. i've heard of the coral before - that just keeps the ph balanced?

i've never had to do a salt bath... i suppose all the ingredients are sold at petshops? is there anywhere that would sell the solution straight?

 

[katy]

hm, i've just looked at the holtfreter's solution again. i don't know how i'm going to do that. would some mercurochrome diluted in a tub help much, as that's much easier to obtain.

 

[mik]

Cheers Colin...I'll bear that in mind if i ever decide to put live plants in again.

Tried floating plants too. To be honest they really thrived. I was fishing out handfuls every week and chucking it away it just seemed to keep on rproducing.

 

[colin]

Hi Mikki, yeah they would have been truly aquatic and whata great way to get rid of excess nitrates! Chucking out handfulls every week is getting rid of a lot of nutrients

Katy- the coral adds extra hardness to the tank and it is this hardness that stabalises the pH but i dont think that 6.4 is excessive. Also, it is worth knowing that most test kits only have a shelf life of 6 months after opening, maybe get a new one that does a broader range?

lastly, Protozin shouldnt be used with species sensitive to copper..

Cheers

 

[edward]

If I remember correctly coral and shells are usually a temporary fix as various insoluable calcium salts precipitate out on these items over time preventing further dissolution.
A test kit with a narrow range at the limit of its range does not mean the water was 6.4 it could as easily have been 6.2, 5.8 or 5.0, the kit will not make a distinction.

Unless the tap water is low in pH, low pH is typically an indication of one or more of the following, too high a bioload, overfeeding, insufficient water changes (and not siphoning the gravel if the tank contains gravel). pHs lower than this cause problems with ion regulation in A. tigrinum larva.

Ed

 

[katy]

it may have been a problem with waste, as i was using river stones and too much was getting caught between them. i now have sand between the stones so this shouldn't be a problem again!

his toe is looking a little better today, most of the fuzz seems to have fallen off. i'd like to give them a bath in something anyway but i'm worried i won't be able to replicate holtfreters easily. can anyone give me a suggestion as to alternatives?