Have you got the ceramics from the bottom of biorb? If so these are part of the flltration too so if you can fit them in the bit of the new filter which has the ceramic media that would be good too

Hi Suey

We do have the ceramic media still and are planning on using it in the move, Violet's instructions said to put this media into popsocks and dangle in the water, near to where the filter inlet will be, then to leave for 4 to 6 weeks.

Given the filter we have now bought would we be better trying to cram this in there, or still go with the pop sock idea? We have the pop socks at the ready..

Planning on filling the tank tonight (we underestimated the gravel requirement so will be buying more and washing out tonight before filling the tnak) - then tomorrow evening will be move day for the fishes

Thanks

Susi

Put it inside the filter with the ceramic noodles or bioballs.

Hello All

The fish made their tank move today, starting around 9pm and finally getting into their new home around 11:30 - they are currently swimming around happily, if a little confused by the amount of space!

Do I start testing the water daily from tomorrow evening?
Anything in particular I should be looking for? (We moved the sponge from the biorb filter and the ceramic media from the bottom into the new filter).

Does the biorb stuff stay in the filter indefinately, or should we be moving it out at any point?

Now the fish are in their much bigger home should I be feeding them more - it seems they may be swimming much more than before!! I was feeding them once a day, is this enough now.. Really trying to look after them properly now I know we weren't before!

Fingers crossed they survive their first night in their new home

Thank you for all your help..

Susi

Hi

Yes, start testing daily now for ammonia and nitrite. If none shows up for a week then you're OK and can switch to testing weekly just before your water change.

Feed twice daily unless any ammonia or nitrite appear in which case switch back to once a day until they've settled back to 0.

You can leave the media from the Biorb in the filter permanently if you want to; it will do no harm. If you want to remove it, wait 6 weeks or so and remove part at each water change over a few weeks, replacing with more Eheim media.

Hello

On day 3 now, and just done my daily readings.

Day 1 read:
pH - 8
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - somewhere between 10 and 20 ppm

Day 2 read:
pH - 8
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - somewhere betweeen 20 and 40 ppm

Day 3 read:
pH - 8
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
Nitrate - somewhere between 20 and 40 ppm

From day 2 the fish have been fed 2 times daily, so as fishlady suggested I will go back to once a day given the increase in Nitrite. Is there anything else I should be doing?

The fish are currently swimming around v happily, and since moving I haven't seen Tina on her back (the first time since I first posted on here about 3 weeks ago).. Fingers crossed that is a good sign!

Thanks again for all your help!

Susi

Hello

Just done water test on day 4 and again have a Nitrite reading of 0.25ppm (using API testing kit) - other results as day 3 as well. I haven't fed the fish for a day now, was planning to feed them tonight. Given the 2 days of Nitrite above 0 do I need to prepare for a water change? How much? 30%? Or do I give it another day of not feeding them twice a day to see whether it improves?

Also, can such a small change in water quality affect fish? Tina was upside down again today, only for a short while, but definitely back upside down!

Thanks for your help.

Susi

Hi Susi

Yes do another water change 25-30%. Though the nitrite reading is low it may be having an effect. The other thing to bear in min is that as you couldn't tell for sure what the nitrAte reading was the other ay (between 20 an 40) it will have gone up since then, probably nearer to 40 now. Some Fancy Goldies are sensitive to nitrate levels around 30 to 40ppm and one of the symptoms is floatiness and difficulty staying upright. A water change will help hopefully.

Hello,

Back again with yet more questions.. I have some ideas, but don't want to go with them - would rather ask than do something wrong!

Anyway, water looking a little better yesterday:
pH - 8
Nitrite - between 0 and 0.25 (probably nearer 0)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 20 to 40 still (but we think it looked a little less red than before).

Still only feeding once a day.

Do I continue with daily 30% change until Nitrite is definately 0 and Nitrate down to 20 at most? How long is this likely to take - or is that like asking how long is a piece of string?

Any suggestions on food for my little stunted fishes? At the moment we have some flake food, which I haven't been using since advised against it, some Love Fish Goldfish pellets, which I have been soaking in tank water and then feeding as our main food, some frozen blood worm, which I am feeding maybe once or twice a week, and peas. Is there anything better, and should we be giving variety?

We bought some decorations for our tank and since I have read that we shouldn't have hollow ones, is this true, if so any suggestions where to buy non-hollow ones? My little boy really likes them, and chose them, so thought I'd ask before we replaced them with something else - we only just got them!

Final question, I think our oranda has white cottonwool like stuff on her wen, it doesn't look like any of the oranda pictures I have seen - she has had this as long as I remember. It is only now that I'd started reading more than this doesn't seem normal to me. Any ideas what it could be and if I should be doing anything to treat it? Or given all her other problems should we just concentrate on getting the tank up and water stable for now?

Sorry for all these questions, it seems the more I research the more I realise I don't know!

Thanks

Susi