loaches dying again!!

**KevinVA** · 02-13-2013, 07:56 PM

lol, forgot about the pleco in there (and Danios). It's a tough situation you're in. I hope you figure out the water heater issue and get that nailed down.

**Vreugy** · 02-13-2013, 11:16 PM

I am not to sure, but I think I see hard water scale on the faucets. I battle this constantly. My water is so hard, we nearly need to use a chisel to get off a chunk to drink it.

**Rocksor** · 02-14-2013, 03:52 PM

Do you flush your hot water heater every 6 months to get rid of the mineral build up at the bottom? How old is this water heater?

Common and Sailfin plecos, as well as giant danios can withstand a temperature swing of around 5 degrees.

**Brhino** · 02-14-2013, 07:02 PM

I don't flush it every 6 months but when I have done it in the past it was unproductive - no noticeable sediment and no improvement afterward. The water heater is 17 years old so it's nearing the end of its lifespan. I believe the problem is a cracked dip tube - the tube that makes sure the new cold water entering the heater does not mix with the hot water at the top - and I'm going to attempt to repair that on Saturday.

**Brhino** · 02-22-2013, 01:32 PM

The water heater repair was a great success... roughly tripled the hot water capacity by replacing a single part. I did a water change with the basement faucet on the loach tank, and the water temperature was stable over the entire fill, with no fish loss. I would say the problem has been identified and solved. Unfortunate that it cost me 5 loaches though.