210 gallon Frontosa build
- Thread starter Caperguy99
- Start date
Thanks! That’s sort of where I landed -
Watching the fish, two of them are definitely shocked and have been since the Sunday water change. Guessing it was the PH difference, although that’s rectifying itself. It’s my largest and smallest - both are hiding, dark, and generally lethargic and not eating. At this point, I just hope they both survive.
These seem to be the symptoms you get when you Google things like “water change shock” or “PH shock.”
Moving forward, I’ll probably skip a water change this Sunday just to give them more of a break, then monitor levels and maybe not do any more than 25% at a time again - at least for awhile.
Absolutely, it affected them. I’m hoping now that they survive and I can avoid such large swings in the future.
Another bad day -
My boy Homer died last night. He was my largest and one of the two that seemed affected by the water change last Sunday. Clearly something with that change messed them up, I’m guessing PH shock. The smallest one is still hiding and black and it eating, so he might also die. The other 3 seem no worse for wear. Bizarre.
I took some photos of Homer when I took him out of the tank. No obvious trauma or anything. No red gills, as far as I can tell.
Damn.
In any case, I’m now trying to source 4-5 more Moba Frontosa from somewhere. And no more 40% water changes for me.
My boy Homer died last night. He was my largest and one of the two that seemed affected by the water change last Sunday. Clearly something with that change messed them up, I’m guessing PH shock. The smallest one is still hiding and black and it eating, so he might also die. The other 3 seem no worse for wear. Bizarre.
I took some photos of Homer when I took him out of the tank. No obvious trauma or anything. No red gills, as far as I can tell.
Damn.
In any case, I’m now trying to source 4-5 more Moba Frontosa from somewhere. And no more 40% water changes for me.
40% changes and larger are good, just match the parameters.
IME a fish that is going to die from pH shock is dead in the morning and those that survive overnight recover. Could there be something else going on?
IME a fish that is going to die from pH shock is dead in the morning and those that survive overnight recover. Could there be something else going on?
I’ve said it already, and I’ll say it one more time, 0.4 difference in source and tank pH is not the issue. By the time you do a 40% change the difference is no longer 0.4. It’s more like 0.1 if that. Even if the final difference is 0.4 after a water change this is not gonna cause pH shock. There is something else going on.
Chasing pH using chemicals is a lot more risky than the difference you are working with.
I’m sorry that you lost Homer. But he did not die from pH shock a week after your water change.
My suggestion was to put your water change water through a carbon block to mitigate other chemical possibilities.
Chasing pH using chemicals is a lot more risky than the difference you are working with.
I’m sorry that you lost Homer. But he did not die from pH shock a week after your water change.
My suggestion was to put your water change water through a carbon block to mitigate other chemical possibilities.
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That’s what my wife and I were wondering also - something I can’t test for. Maybe a chemical or something in the well water?
So for water changes, run the water through carbon somehow? I usually use a python water change hose - I suppose I could hang a carbon block or something? I’m just not sure if the mechanics of doing it, like how it would work.
If you can get your hands on a cheap canister filter, fill it with carbon, cut and connect the python to the intake and outlets and fill slowly to give as much contact time with the carbon as you can.
Alternatively, use a barrel, fill it with the amount of water you want to change and recirculate using a canister or internal power filter filled with carbon only.
Depending on the volume of carbon, change it every 4-6 months worth of weekly exchanges.
Alternatively, use a barrel, fill it with the amount of water you want to change and recirculate using a canister or internal power filter filled with carbon only.
Depending on the volume of carbon, change it every 4-6 months worth of weekly exchanges.
Thanks for the tip - in the meanwhile, I’ll start running carbon in my canister to take anything else out of the water that might be in there.
Last night I picked up and installed an under-sink carbon filter for my water change station. Hopefully this takes care of any un-testable contaminants that could be in the well water.
I also grabbed some Cichlid Lake Salt and some Tanganyika Buffer. I haven’t used them yet, but some have suggested my GH and KH might be an issue - KH was reading at 8 degrees, GH was reading at 11 degrees. I always resisted having to buffer, but maybe this is a bit too low?
I’ve also messaged a few Canadian Moba suppliers to see if I can’t bring in another 4-5 fish to maybe reduce the overall stress.
Nowhere to go but through!
I also grabbed some Cichlid Lake Salt and some Tanganyika Buffer. I haven’t used them yet, but some have suggested my GH and KH might be an issue - KH was reading at 8 degrees, GH was reading at 11 degrees. I always resisted having to buffer, but maybe this is a bit too low?
I’ve also messaged a few Canadian Moba suppliers to see if I can’t bring in another 4-5 fish to maybe reduce the overall stress.
Nowhere to go but through!
