I'm a believer !!!!

[megatrev62]

Well made the decision today and all substrate is out of the tank. And that water was dirty !!!, and that's new gravel in the aquarium just over a week. Took an inch hose and sucked all of it out. It stunk and was quite dirty. Did not expect that.No doubt daily water changes are going to be that much better. Have glass containers and such I picked up at the dollar store, so am deciding if I even want to pot some of the plants.Haha..Break time and back at it. I feel I am on the right track for sure with regards to the substrate !! This is about the discus and not the plants, it's as simple as that. Again, thanks to the experts who know what they're talking about !!!

[warblad79]

Yes, you are definitely in the right track but keep your WC up and daily is recommended.

[Akili]

It going to to be interesting, when you get a chance post berfore and after pictures :thumbsup:

[megatrev62]

Thanks, going to be daily 50% or more?

[megatrev62]

See what I can do for pics. Haha

[megatrev62]

Micro bubbles are really upsetting me. I do tap water water changes and filled the tube with sponges and micro fiber before putting water back in the tank. Micron socks is the way to go? The canisters are pumping them out after every change. What if I left the filters off for an hour after the water change?


The discus really hate it !!!

[Akili]

Filters help to get rid of micro bubbles,so do not turn them off.Use of Micron socks will help to eliminate micro bubbles.

[rickztahone]

Whenever you remove gravel, keep in mind you will more than likely get a spike in ammonia

[megatrev62]

Yes thanks, but since the substrate was relatively new I wasn't really concerned about it. There was no spike at all.

[Kyla]

is air getting into ur canister filter? what kind of filter do u have?

[Kyla]

and yes its crazy how much crud collects in the substrate. i miss sand, but i love knowing how clean the tank is

[megatrev62]

is air getting into ur canister filter? what kind of filter do u have?

I have two rena xp2s . Bubbles must be getting in them when I turn them back on. The water level is well below the intakes when doing the water change. Bubbles everywhere.It doesn't seem to harm the fish, but they stress a little because of it.
I stress more than they do probably.haha

[megatrev62]

and yes its crazy how much crud collects in the substrate. i miss sand, but i love knowing how clean the tank is

No doubt about it !!

[ExReefer]

Micro bubbles can only be eliminated by aging your water overnight.

[megatrev62]

Micro bubbles can only be eliminated by aging your water overnight.

Yeah, should go over well with my wife having a 45 gallon drum in the living room. Thinking on how to handle this. Was talking to the fellow I purchase the fish from and he says it doesn't bother his fish. I mean with the daily water changes, I need to come up with something. Don't want those bubbles.

[Kyla]

I have two rena xp2s . Bubbles must be getting in them when I turn them back on. The water level is well below the intakes when doing the water change. Bubbles everywhere.It doesn't seem to harm the fish, but they stress a little because of it.
I stress more than they do probably.haha

i love renas. but when u restart them they can sometimes develop an airpocket. when u first turn the filters back on let them fill up for a minute and then unplug them. then look at the canister - if there is a low water level in the canister u can top it up by carefully unlatching one single latch and letting gravity suck water from the tank into the filter. u will need a little towel - watch as it fills, once it is filled all the way a bit of water will start to leak out from the corner u have unlatched but then quickly latch it back on tight and the canister itself should be filled. then plug it back in and u will hopefully get less microbubbles escaping from the filter.

[Kyla]

http://youtu.be/LSpBSM23YHM

fast-forward to the 6:00 min mark on this video and u can see a demonstration of what i mean :)

[megatrev62]

i love renas. but when u restart them they can sometimes develop an airpocket. when u first turn the filters back on let them fill up for a minute and then unplug them. then look at the canister - if there is a low water level in the canister u can top it up by carefully unlatching one single latch and letting gravity suck water from the tank into the filter. u will need a little towel - watch as it fills, once it is filled all the way a bit of water will start to leak out from the corner u have unlatched but then quickly latch it back on tight and the canister itself should be filled. then plug it back in and u will hopefully get less microbubbles escaping from the filter.

Thanks, know all about it. Do it every time. No help with the micro bubbles at all.

[Kyla]

Thanks, know all about it. Do it every time. No help with the micro bubbles at all.

shoot, was hopeful that would be the ticket...

re: micro bubbles when refilling from the tap, aging the water is ur best bet, but ive used this tube stuffed with sponges and it has worked very well to remove almost all the bubbles

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/kylasfish/Mobile%20Uploads/8638BBCE-87C0-41A4-A53D-6B2E20FE7716_zps9ltu2fyf.jpg (http://s296.photobucket.com/user/kylasfish/media/Mobile%20Uploads/8638BBCE-87C0-41A4-A53D-6B2E20FE7716_zps9ltu2fyf.jpg.html)

any way u could use a container on wheels to store and age water in another room? then wheel it to the tank for wc? e.g. i recently picked up a brute garbage can and they have fitted dollies that clip on the bottom

[megatrev62]

Thank you and appreciate all the help. Aged water is going to be impossible I'm afraid. Bummer

[Kyla]

i've heard using water a few degrees cooler can help reduce micro bubbles?

[djdirte]

I noticed that anything less than 8-12hrs aging, and I tend to get those microbubbles/bubbles form on the inside tank glass. I only have one 44g aging barrel, and have my discus tank to do water changes on(60gal) and our community tank(125gal) as well. I dont worry as much about the community tank, since those fish are less sensitive when it comes to water conditions, so i tend to use 'slightly-less' aged water on the community tank.

for example, i do w/c on both tanks on saturdays, so friday, ill do my discus w/c around noon. saturday, i do the w/c again on the discus tank at noon. then community water change before i leave my shop around 8-9pm. i get a few bubbles on the community tank, but zero on the discus.

sometimes- i just dont have the time to age, or need to do a huge water change on the community tank, and that will require putting a good amount of tap straight into the tank, and treat the whole tank with prime. this causes A LOT of bubbles. my community tank doesnt seem to mind, but i wouldnt dare risk it with my juvie discus.

[Akili]

Yeah, should go over well with my wife having a 45 gallon drum in the living room. Thinking on how to handle this. Was talking to the fellow I purchase the fish from and he says it doesn't bother his fish. I mean with the daily water changes, I need to come up with something. Don't want those bubbles.I have post this before but in any case here we go again ""This is what I do for a 90 gal in my family room where there is no room to age the water. Every day at dinner time I place a 44 gal next to the tank and fill up the barrel with slightly warm water about 88 degrees and add some prime. There is a submersible pump hooked to 10 foot hose. Run the pump recirculating the water in the barrel. After dinner siphon the fish waste and any uneaten food and wipe down. I drain 30 to 40 gallons of water. By this time the temperature in the barrel has dropped to 82/84 degrees and micro bubbles are gone due to recirculation.Pump the new water in and when done roll away the barrel to the garage. On the weekend I have two barrels side by side as I do 100 % water changes.""

[ksuyen]

I love my ADA sand so much I don't think I am going to get rid of them. Yes, they stink and dirty, no matter how much I vacuum daily. As long as I don't disturb them too much, the water stays crystal clear. Kyla, I am interested in those glass boxes you use for the plants. It gives me some idea. I am thinking to buy a few, add some soils, and plant something for a change.

[Kyla]

I love my ADA sand so much I don't think I am going to get rid of them. Yes, they stink and dirty, no matter how much I vacuum daily. As long as I don't disturb them too much, the water stays crystal clear. Kyla, I am interested in those glass boxes you use for the plants. It gives me some idea. I am thinking to buy a few, add some soils, and plant something for a change.

i picked up the glass containers at a local dollar store super cheap. they work great. i capped the sand in them with larger rocks because it kept getting kicked out onto the BB floor in my discus tank and onto the white sand in another tank.

[modealings]

Thank you and appreciate all the help. Aged water is going to be impossible I'm afraid. Bummer

When I wasn't using aged water I noticed that if I filled up buckets from the bathtub spout then I would not get the microbubbles. I think it's bc the water was very agitated coming out of the spout and then again hitting the bucket. Might be something to try.

[chuckiesmalls]

I think the reason why this happens right after a water change is the water agitation from/inside the canister filter is causing the water to 'de-gas" sending out bubbles. This is what you want from my understanding the faster you get them out of there the better. That's why people use the socks, sponges etc. because it helps to agitate the water and release gases immediately.

I also have a minor issue with micro bubbles I believe but it only seems to be a problem when I increase water changes over 50%. I realize the bubbles because once I turn my Powerhead on after WCs they pop up out of nowhere.

It sucks because many say to do bigger than 50% daily but I don't want to jeopardize the health of my fish..I know its kind of backwards since WC=good for your fish supposedly, but I can directly see differences in their behavior after larger than 50% WCs. They get pretty unhappy (clamped fins, hide in corner)

I need to get a water aging system setup soon but if I can get away with doing just 50% daily with frequent detritus siphoning I am happy just staying where I'm at. KISS.

However, things may change when it gets cold because supposedly there is more gas in the water when its cold. Good thing I live in LA and its pretty temperate.

Hope it doesn't become a problem or I have a setup by then.

[FishFanMan]

I think after filling your tank back up, let it alone for maybe 30 minutes without turning anything on that disturbs the water, including air stones. In 30 minutes the bubbles will be gone and then turn your filters and pumps on.

[Kyla]

I think the reason why this happens right after a water change is the water agitation from/inside the canister filter is causing the water to 'de-gas" sending out bubbles. This is what you want from my understanding the faster you get them out of there the better. That's why people use the socks, sponges etc. because it helps to agitate the water and release gases immediately.

I also have a minor issue with micro bubbles I believe but it only seems to be a problem when I increase water changes over 50%. I realize the bubbles because once I turn my Powerhead on after WCs they pop up out of nowhere.

It sucks because many say to do bigger than 50% daily but I don't want to jeopardize the health of my fish..I know its kind of backwards since WC=good for your fish supposedly, but I can directly see differences in their behavior after larger than 50% WCs. They get pretty unhappy (clamped fins, hide in corner)

I need to get a water aging system setup soon but if I can get away with doing just 50% daily with frequent detritus siphoning I am happy just staying where I'm at. KISS.

However, things may change when it gets cold because supposedly there is more gas in the water when its cold. Good thing I live in LA and its pretty temperate.

Hope it doesn't become a problem or I have a setup by then.

maybe i had this backwards? i always noticed more bubbles streaming into the tank from the hose when i used warmer water, but its true cold water holds more gas, so im not sure why that happened...

[DJW]

maybe i had this backwards? i always noticed more bubbles streaming into the tank from the hose when i used warmer water, but its true cold water holds more gas, so im not sure why that happened...

If you were mixing hot and cold water the sudden rise in temperature would cause the gas in the cold water to come out of solution.

[Kyla]

If you were mixing hot and cold water the sudden rise in temperature would cause the gas in the cold water to come out of solution.

i was mixing, so that makes sense, thank u!!

[megatrev62]

Micro bubbles have been reduced to near zero !! The last two water changes have had virtually no bubbles. I placed rolled up tight phosphate removal pad (green one) and some microfiber inside the python tube. At the end I tied a filter mesh bag (10") and when filling just layed the tube in the tank as normal. Virtually no bubbles at all. Very pleased to say the least. That phosphate pad did it.