Hello Kae,


Hope all is well. I thought I ask you in regard to the comment you made in a previous email; Do you think I should turn of one of the filters at night? Because the current issue is quite possible... I have the bubbles thing in the tank to (airator) . The aqua clear I can adjust the speed to low which is recommended when feeding the fish.
what do you recommend? Keeping both filter on during the day and turning off one of them (aqu clear) at night. The biowheel I don't think I should turn off and the wheel could dry out?

I look forward to hearing from you .


with best regards,

Imran
[
COLOR="blue"]Big round bellied goldfish are not physically able to swim in strong currents. I'm sure that the (2) 55 gallon filters you have on your tank is finally taking it's tole. They will soon be out of strength and give up the fight to swim.

Koi are aggressive fish that get huge in size. They will pick on weaker fish until the weaker fish die.

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Originally Posted by Boss

Hi again,



i just wanted to thank you for taking the time and writing to me all that detail, it is very kind of you.

If that is your house in the picture ...then WOW!! that is amazing. i would like to follow what you have done, but i know that is some serious responsibilty not to mention costly... but simply amazing.

I bought my fish from Big Als and the 2 pond fish i bought from walmart died becasue i think they were already sick.

but the fish in my tank look healthy over all. I would like to see my fish grow as they are very little...not full grown. i think i got very lucky with my Koi as i havent seen one like it yet. it is one of my favoritesVery different.

R u in Toronto? Would it be possible to email you directly?

Many thanks,

Imran

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Hi Imran,

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the biowheel I don't think I should turn off and the wheel could dry out?

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You are correct:D .
The bio-wheel would dry out and all the good bacteria would die.

There may be good bacteria living in the aqua clear filter too.
So, it's not a good idea to turn off the filter completely at night - putting it on the lowest setting at night would be better.

Kae

I am having the same problem with my tank. I am going to buy the nutrafin CYCLE but what are the directions for use? Do I have to be patient and only do 20% water changes during this cycle process??

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Originally Posted by AKaeTrue

Hi Imran,

Glad to have you back:D

One of my biggest challenges with helping people with their aquariums over the Internet is trying to help them understand the water chemistry inside aquariums.
You've done great by getting a test kit. It really helps me out, and will help you out too as you learn more about the water chemistry inside your tank.

Your water tests indicate that you have 2 causes for cloudy water:

1) bacterial blooms : natures way of purifying itself from pollution is called the nitrogen cycle and your aquarium environment is trying to develop this. This rapid bacterial growth clouds the water.

2) you have a lot of fish in an environment that has not yet established the nitrogen cycle, therefor the waste the fish are producing causes pollution and clouds the water.

From your water readings, I can tell that your filters bio-wheels have not yet established the beneficial bacterial colonies (the nitrogen cycle) that keep your water clean and clear. This process takes a lot of time and patience.

Since you have so many fish that will be producing ammonia (their waste) and the environment is going to be producing bacterial blooms to complete the nitrogen cycle, both are going to cloud the water.
I suggest for you buy a product by Nutrafin called Cycle.
This is an excellent product and it will help stabilize your water in about a 3 week period.
If you choose to let nature take it's course, you are looking at 8 weeks before you begin seeing a progress in your waters condition.

Your PH:
You have a fresh water environment, so you will only need to use the low range Ph test for an accurate reading.

The high range Ph test is for marine environments, using this test will give inaccurate readings.

particle removers:
After using a particle remover, it is very important to clean the filter cartridges. If the muck is not removed, it will break back down and return to the water in the tank making it dirty again.

Water conditioners:
only use the recommended amount. Too much can overdose and harm the fish.
Never go over the highest dose the bottle suggests.

Because you have a lot of fish and an incomplete nitrogen cycle, I strongly recommend the product Cycle by Nutrafin.
Clean filter cartridges only when dirty.
And never clean the bio-wheels...

Or,

If buying this product is not an option for you.
You can do 20% water changes daily.
Clean filter cartridges only when dirty.
And never clean the bio-wheels (this is where the beneficial bacteria live and you do not want to wash them away)


Are you ready to cycle your aquarium (the nitrogen cycle process)?
Do you know which method you'd like to use? (I suggest the product Nutrafin Cycle) because the amount of fish you have.

I am here to answer any questions you have, so feel free to ask.

Kae

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