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Thread: Grow Out Challenge Redux

  1. #31
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    Hi Bill, had some time to reflect a bit and I am wondering if the filter on the side of the foam without fry may pulled some BBS into the foam perhaps causing your current issues? Food for thought perhaps.
    Pat
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  2. #32
    Registered Member Tshethar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    Thanks Pat and Kev--I appreciate the information and encouragement! Things had been going so well I had probably gotten a little complacent and had failed to remember how sensitive they can be.

    I'm pretty sure my problem has been bacterial, though flukes are also a possibility. It's possible that there was a day before I moved the main filtration to the fish side of the divider that I was having water issues related to ammonia or nitrite due to insufficient flow from one side of the foam to the other. (Otherwise, I do age and aerate my water and the fish haven't been stressed by the WCs.)

    I added 1-2 tablespoons/gallon of salt to the tank when I saw the increased respiration and some darkening in case there were nitrite issues and to help with osmotic pressure since they seemed oxygen starved. Have plenty of aeration. Didn't think I was too heavy handed with beefheart flake food and bbs, but in hindsight I'm sure quite a bit ended up in the foam and filter sponge and floss, which I'm now squeezing out a lot more intensively.

    Seeing all this, I, too, decided to treat with PP and found that my water was turning brownish very quickly--evidently lots to oxidize despite wipedowns and a generally good appearance. Have done this twice over the past three days and may try (again) cleaning all remaining filter material in tank water and lightly dosing again.

    There are a core group of fish that are light in color and energetic, with a few other survivors still in-between. I can definitely appreciate why we started the last challenge in the 10 gallon tank (which I still have in the shed), and if space weren't such an issue I would more seriously consider moving them, though I might then feel as though I had to get 2x/day WCs in, which may be too much for me to keep up with.

    Anyway, we'll see if I still have fry to work with--that's the first step--but I'm still hoping things might stabilize today.

  3. #33
    Registered Member Tshethar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Hi Bill, had some time to reflect a bit and I am wondering if the filter on the side of the foam without fry may pulled some BBS into the foam perhaps causing your current issues? Food for thought perhaps.
    Pat
    Pat, I think this is it. Even now I worry about bbs getting pulled into the filter material. Do you generally turn off filtration (and risk forgetting it) or find ways to clean filter material daily? I have found that using floss in the filter and as a weir helps collect particulate matter I can squeeze out in a bucket of tank water, but basically want to keep the media from becoming a source for bacterial/pathogen growth. (I do think the divider had become that, as for most of the time I was using one of the jet lifters, albeit on low flow.)

  4. #34
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    If you are cleaning the sponge filter once a week you should be fine. On the foam if BBS was getting pulled into it that is a way larger surface area. Are you considering adding it back in Bill? If so place it in a bathtub, fill with a couple inches of water and (ok, didn't laugh) but get into the bath water with bare feet and step all over the foam to push out any junk then raise under the faucet. I would allow it to partly dry so chlorine etc is not introduced into the tank.
    Pat
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  5. #35
    Administrator jeep's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    If you do it the "clean feet" method, I would squirt in some Prime for the final rinse

  6. #36
    Registered Member Tshethar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    All I can think of is that if I decide to clean my foam this way, I'm definitely doing it when my wife is out of the house! There are some things related to my hobby it's better she doesn't know. (Tanks in the master closet, homemade fish food in the cuisinart, and now this...)

    To be honest, I went right to the bathtub with this piece of foam and have tried banging it on the side of the tub and spraying it with a hand-held sprayer, but have not been totally convinced it's squeaky clean before, so I may well try your technique. That said, I'm disinclined to add it back right now given what just happened. For now I'm going to watch and see if the survivors seem okay with the larger footprint as far as finding food and feeling comfortable enough is concerned. So far the ones that have come through alright don't seem bothered.

  7. #37
    Registered Member two utes's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    Quote Originally Posted by Tshethar View Post
    All I can think of is that if I decide to clean my foam this way, I'm definitely doing it when my wife is out of the house! There are some things related to my hobby it's better she doesn't know. (Tanks in the master closet, homemade fish food in the cuisinart, and now this...)

    To be honest, I went right to the bathtub with this piece of foam and have tried banging it on the side of the tub and spraying it with a hand-held sprayer, but have not been totally convinced it's squeaky clean before, so I may well try your technique. That said, I'm disinclined to add it back right now given what just happened. For now I'm going to watch and see if the survivors seem okay with the larger footprint as far as finding food and feeling comfortable enough is concerned. So far the ones that have come through alright don't seem bothered.
    Sorry to hear about this little set back Bill.....I havn't read trough all the posts but when it comes to clean my sponges or filters, i only do it during water changes and use the water i am emptying out of my tank.
    Hopefully you will be able to continue with whats left, but im sure it wont be too long before you start on another batch. Good on you for getting this far.
    We're here for a good time...not a long time

  8. #38
    Registered Member Tshethar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Grow Out Challenge Redux

    Thanks, Joe. It's a bummer to have any fish go down and honestly I'm not entirely sure what sent the tank into a tailspin. If nothing thing else I'm glad I posted for the sake of a little commiseration, and I do take some comfort in knowing that lots of experienced people before me have had this happen.

    Re. the sponges, I usually do the same--use tank water in a 5 gallon bucket, usually about once a week or so, but now with these guys I'm doing it a lot more. I have a mesh bag with some extra media as well, so I'm confident I didn't overclean and lose the biofilter.

    I'll definitely need a break if I lose the whole batch, but knowing me I imagine that your prediction is correct. (For better or worse!)

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