Why are my fish dying?

[Brhino]

how big is the common pleco? When I had a 29g I was having trouble keeping cories alive - I think my pleco was harassing them. And that was just a little bristlenose... if your common has any size to it at all it may already be too much for that tank to handle.

[cj5_dude]

The pleco is about 2.5-3 inches total length and was added after some cory death's so I don't think he's at all involved.

[Goes to 11!]

It may not be chlorinated, but if he rinsed it with water too hot or too cold, it could have killed some bacteria.

So what? He could have killed the entire sponges worth and it would have made no difference. The bacteria living in the sponge [Which is the MECH part of the filter] is a tiny outlying village compared to the BB colony in the ceramic media that he specifically stated was not touched. This is provided it's a cycled filter of course.

I know this btw because I do rinse my AC sponges under a HOT tap of chlorinated water every week to clean them. It's hard to get them decently clean otherwise IME. [I dunk them in dechlor water before putting them back]

This is undoubtedly beneficial bacteria-cide to any BB residing on my sponges but it makes no difference whatsoever because the again. The BB live in the ceramic media and the sponge is the mech filter.

I am not worried about the sponge rinsing cj5, You shouldn't be either.

Thanks for the info: You def have enough filtration IMO are you sure your test kit is not expired and that you are testing according to the letter of the directions [We have had people doing it very wrong before lol]. Your WC schedule surprises me considering the test results you are getting, Is it a heavily planted tank?

I agree that the common could be an issue but a grumpy dwarf gourami could be also - I don't keep gourami though so I cannot speak from experience.

Brhino - Your BN was messing with your corys? I have a pair in my 90 with 10 or 12 Schwartz corys and have never even seen them interact

EDIT: When you added the pleco did you see any kind of bump in your test results at all? And other than at the end of the fishless cycle have you had TrAtes registering at all ever?

[KevinVA]

It takes temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 120 degrees Fahrenheit to kill nitrifying bacteria. I doubt he used water that cold or hot. Optimal range is 77-86 degrees Fahrenheit, and anything below or above will slow down growth, but unless he used ice, or water too hot for comfort he didn't kill any off.
http://onedersave.com/blog/497/take-...-the-aquarium/

Good to know. Thanks mommy1.

[KevinVA]

So what? He could have killed the entire sponges worth and it would have made no difference. The bacteria living in the sponge [Which is the MECH part of the filter] is a tiny outlying village compared to the BB colony in the ceramic media that he specifically stated was not touched. This is provided it's a cycled filter of course.

Then why the hell do people use sponge filters alone, for biological filtration? Whether it's the mech portion of the filter or not, is a moot point... since bacteria grows on it regardless.

[Goes to 11!]

Do you really not understand that we are not talking about a sponge filter here? . . . No. We are talking about an AC110.

Which in case you didn't know or weren't aware of the differences between mech and bio filtration. It has elements dedicated to both

The AC people are kind enough to specify in the directions that the sponge is the mech and the biomax/ceramic media just to clarify their purposes for people who require that clarification. [Runs and looks] It's actually on panel 3 of the 4 panel fold out when you open the instructions.


All that aside - The point IS that the Ceramic media holds the BB colony and him rinsing the sponge - Even to the point of killing some or all of the BB on it as you alluded to in post 8 is not a factor.

The rest was a tip that would help keep his sponges cleaner.

[KevinVA]

Do you really not understand that we are not talking about a sponge filter here? . . . No. We are talking about an AC110.

You missed my point, but I missed the part where he said he was using an AC110. It's my understanding that a sponge is capable of housing quite the load of bacteria. That is my point. And the destruction of said bacteria could result in a mini cycle if adding more fish - regardless of how much bio bacteria is living in his bio media. The tank is only producing enough nutrients to sustain however much biological bacteria is in the sponge and bio media.

Which in case you didn't know or weren't aware of the differences between mech and bio filtration. It has elements dedicated to both

I'm well aware. And when you're cleaning any filter media, you should rinse it in tank water (due to chlorine - obviously not in question here). Or has everything I've been told crap?

The AC people are kind enough to specify in the directions that the sponge is the mech and the biomax/ceramic media just to clarify their purposes for people who require that clarification. [Runs and looks] It's actually on panel 3 of the 4 panel fold out when you open the instructions.

They sure are... <insert here>

All that aside - The point IS that the Ceramic media holds the BB colony and him rinsing the sponge - Even to the point of killing some or all of the BB on it as you alluded to in post 8 is not a factor.

Very well...

[cj5_dude]

Back on topic...

I don't hardly test at all. My cycle ended on 10/16/12 and at that time I had a nitrate reading of 10. I did a nearly 100% water change at that time and when I tested again on 10/25/12 I had 0 nitrates. I haven't tested again since until today. I am following the instructions of the test to a T and they are not expired. I test much more frequently on my saltwater tank but don't worry as much with the freshwater. There are no live plants in the tank, just tons of plastic ones.

It's very possible my nitrates were higher between 10/25/12 and yesterday or two days ago whenever I did the water change (can't quite remember) which would have been around 12/06/12. I tested again today and those are my numbers. I feed every other day to keep rotting food to a minimum and only feed what they'll eat in 30 seconds or less. The cardinal tetra's have grown a ton since I've put them in two months ago and the gourami may have grown I just haven't really noticed.

If there was a bump in the numbers after adding the pleco I wouldn't have a clue since I didn't test.

[talldutchie]

OK..

If you're only losing cories..

1. what's the gravel/sand/substrate?
2. what do you feed the cories?

[Goes to 11!]

I'm well aware. And when you're cleaning any filter media, you should rinse it in tank water (due to chlorine - obviously not in question here).

The sponge is not your bio-media in this case, The biomax is. You are correct that sponges can hold BB, This is not in dispute.
What you are missing is the fact that this is not the primary role the sponge plays in an AC filter and since it is mech filtration is needs to be kept clean so it can continue to do its job. The bio max will do its job and maintain a colony sizable enough to do the job [To address the paragraph I didn't quote.]

Or has everything I've been told crap?

Your case falls down at 'any filter media' & I can't speak to if 'everything you have been told' is crap.
It do notice that you are admittedly repeating things 'you have been told' & I am relating effective things I have done for years, How does that smell to you?

Back on topic..
CJ Do you shake your nitrate testing bottles HARD before you use them [Especially the second one - I mean shake it like it owes your daughter money]. If your kit is expired is another issue to consider, [IMG]Click here to see how to tell.[/IMG]

We have seen issues where the second bottle wasn't mixed well enough and inaccurate results happened. Just something to consider. The 0 TrAtes just doesn't sit well with me because they don't just go away and you have a fairly light WC schedule as well.