Water current due to strong water filter

sunilkk · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

Hi,
I have a water filter which i feel is creating too strong a water
current when i switch it on.
The last time i left it on for a long time, my two Angel fish passed
away and i suspected something else might be wrong. But, I got a pair
of mollies (which, i heard, are "Hard fish" and are not very prone to
diseases and can withstand variations in a new tank.). I left the
filter running for over 3 hours and i saw that the White mollies were
lying on the floor, dead.
I also have a pair of Iridescent sharks for over a month and they enjoy
the water currents. I also got a pair of small Red fishes with the
white mollies, which i havent figured out the name yet. These four
fishes have been having a nice time with the water current.
Three days ago, A pleco passed away and i heard, plecos usually
never die !!
I have no clue whats goin' wrong.

I have a 20Gallon tank, with live plants, I use Borewell water, which i
think might be "hard water". Can this be an issue ?!

Please help !!

Regards,
Sunil

Archived from group: alt>aquaria>tropical>fish>hobbist

Billy · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 210

wrote in message @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi,
> I have a water filter which i feel is creating too strong a
> water
> current when i switch it on.

What is most likely, leaving the filter off killed the fish. If you
leave a filter turned off, the nitrifying bacteria in the filter have
no oxygen, and they die, creating a condition called "anaerobic
filter". When you turn the filter back on, you dump poison into the
tank.
Always leave filters on 24/7, turn them off for no more than a
few minutes if there is too much current for feeding or something.
Your fish will probably adjust to the flow, if you're dubious of
this, acquire a more suitable filter.

billy

Chris Ehlbeck · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

Billy wrote:

> wrote in message
> @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
>>Hi,
>> I have a water filter which i feel is creating too strong a
>>water
>>current when i switch it on.
>
>
>
> What is most likely, leaving the filter off killed the fish. If you
> leave a filter turned off, the nitrifying bacteria in the filter have
> no oxygen, and they die, creating a condition called "anaerobic
> filter". When you turn the filter back on, you dump poison into the
> tank.
> Always leave filters on 24/7, turn them off for no more than a
> few minutes if there is too much current for feeding or something.
> Your fish will probably adjust to the flow, if you're dubious of
> this, acquire a more suitable filter.
>
> billy
>
>
Billy,

What about an external power filter? When doing a vacuum and water
change the water level reaches a point where the downtube will no longer
draw water into the filter to keep it running.

Chris

NetMax · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 614

wrote in message @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi,
> I have a water filter which i feel is creating too strong a water
> current when i switch it on.
> The last time i left it on for a long time, my two Angel fish passed
> away and i suspected something else might be wrong. But, I got a pair
> of mollies (which, i heard, are "Hard fish" and are not very prone to
> diseases and can withstand variations in a new tank.). I left the
> filter running for over 3 hours and i saw that the White mollies were
> lying on the floor, dead.
> I also have a pair of Iridescent sharks for over a month and they enjoy
> the water currents. I also got a pair of small Red fishes with the
> white mollies, which i havent figured out the name yet. These four
> fishes have been having a nice time with the water current.
> Three days ago, A pleco passed away and i heard, plecos usually
> never die !!
> I have no clue whats goin' wrong.
>
> I have a 20Gallon tank, with live plants, I use Borewell water, which i
> think might be "hard water". Can this be an issue ?!
>
> Please help !!
>
> Regards,
> Sunil

I found this to be a very helpful site.
http://faq.thekrib.com/begin.html

Well water does have some unique characteristics which can be harmful to
fish, but usually mostly to softwater fishes (as well water is usually
vary hard and alkaline). There other possibility is that the fish were
poisoned by their own waste if the biological component had not yet
matured in the filter system. This happens frequently in new aquariums,
or when the filters are changed or left off too long and the nitrifying
bacteria die off and the filter goes anaerobic (you can even smell it).
This is covered in that site as well, cycling a tank. Water turbulence
is ordinarily a long term stressor, which is harmful but not immediately
so, unless the fish was extremely weak already, or being stressed by
other factors. Your starting point is a few water tests.

From your tank, test the NH3/4 (ammonia) and NO2 (nitrites). These are
poisonous to fish.

Also measure the NO3 (nitrates), pH, gH and kH. This will tell us about
their living conditions.

From your well, pour a water sample and measure the pH, gH and kH. This
will tell us what your source water consists of. If you have farmland
nearby, also measure your well water's NO3.

Let this sample age for a day or two and repeat the pH test. The
difference between the initial pH and the 2nd pH tells us how much
dissolved gases their are in the well, which influences how big your
water changes can be. Dissolved gases get into the fish's bloodstream,
and when they fluctuate, it can be toxic, just like when divers come up
too fast. Narcosis I think it's called? Well water is notorious for
being under higher gas pressures, especially CO2 (which makes your pH
lower until it outgases).

Isn't this fun? ;~) If it's any comfort, I never took chemistry in
school. It doesn't get too much more complicated, though at first, it
can sound a little overwhelming.
--
www.NetMax.tk

Miss Anne Thrope · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 13

Someone told you plecos were immortal?

sunilkk · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

Not "immortal" as such, but, really hard to Kill them with imbalances
in the "new" aquarium. Some one suggested that, the pleco might have
died of "starvation" as there was no "Driftwood" or any such "food
suppliments" for the pleco to feed on.

Coming back to my "filter problem", i think i have got a very powerful
filter that reads "Output of 700 litres/hour" and i have a mere 70
litre tank !! At this rate, the fishes Have to put a constant effort to
move around. And, having this filter On for about 8 hours at a stretch
was too much to ask for !!!

The little red fishes are Swordtails. Doin' a 20% water change every
three days, they are happily swimming around. I make sure I don't
switch on the filters for too long.

swarvegorilla · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 235

Put a spray bar on your filter
don't turn it off
clean the filter sponges in water from the aquarium
after a month or so you will be able to do water changes once every 2 weeks
or so (30%) in theory anyway.
Check nitrates to see if thats enuf for your feeding regime
put ornaments in the tank to create zones with little current, for fish to
chill in if they get tired.

wrote in message @j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Not "immortal" as such, but, really hard to Kill them with imbalances
> in the "new" aquarium. Some one suggested that, the pleco might have
> died of "starvation" as there was no "Driftwood" or any such "food
> suppliments" for the pleco to feed on.
>
> Coming back to my "filter problem", i think i have got a very powerful
> filter that reads "Output of 700 litres/hour" and i have a mere 70
> litre tank !! At this rate, the fishes Have to put a constant effort to
> move around. And, having this filter On for about 8 hours at a stretch
> was too much to ask for !!!
>
> The little red fishes are Swordtails. Doin' a 20% water change every
> three days, they are happily swimming around. I make sure I don't
> switch on the filters for too long.
>

Eve Giidiion · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

On Sat, 25 Feb 2006 09:51:04 -0500, "NetMax"

NetMax,
Pardon the intrusion into the thread, but I think what you termed
narcosis might be "The Bends". I think that Narcosis refers to
condition caused by a build up of a gas in the blood stream due to
an increase in the partial pressures of a gas a depth. In divers I
believe it may be caused by Nitrogen - Nitrogen Narcosis.

When gases are dissolved in the blood stream and then bubble out due
to a pressure change, this is called bends. It is due to a change in
pressure - like when you open a hot soda and it fizzes over.

(Just trying to elucidate, not trying to be derisive, so forgive me if
my writing comes across as such.)

As far as it being fun, I had more then my share of chemistry, so it
is even worse for me when I have problems with pH, pOH, hardness and
all the other stuff I've long since forgotten.

Thanks
eVe

>Let this sample age for a day or two and repeat the pH test. The
>difference between the initial pH and the 2nd pH tells us how much
>dissolved gases their are in the well, which influences how big your
>water changes can be. Dissolved gases get into the fish's bloodstream,
>and when they fluctuate, it can be toxic, just like when divers come up
>too fast. Narcosis I think it's called? Well water is notorious for
>being under higher gas pressures, especially CO2 (which makes your pH
>lower until it outgases).
>
>Isn't this fun? ;~) If it's any comfort, I never took chemistry in
>school. It doesn't get too much more complicated, though at first, it
>can sound a little overwhelming.