I thought those who offered advice on my water quality problem might appreciate a little follow up.
I posted a little while ago that I couldn't keep invertebrates alive in my tanks and I suspected the reason was copper (or maybe some other metal) in the water.
I received a lot of good suggestions to cure the problem but since I'll be moving in a matter of months I was hesitant to spend any real money.
I was going to change the water with distilled water but the chance of a ph crash freaked me out. I decided to try and get the cleanest water out of my pipes that I could. I ran the cold water for about 5 minutes and then started filling my 5 gallon bucket. the downside to this is that I HAVE to remember to do this at least a day or two beofe I change the water in order to get the temp of the water up.
I did a 50% change in both tanks with this water and the change in the behavior of the fish and the snails was immediate. the fish were swimming around a lot more and hiding much less. The snails seem to be making a comeback as well.
I've gone through another routine water change running the water the same way and the fish are still looking good. this is my new routine now and as soon as I can find some Ghost Shrimp around here I'll try them again.
Anyone in Mass know of any shops selling Ghost or Amano Shrimp?
Thanks for all your help! My fish and inverts thank you!
I posted a little while ago that I couldn't keep invertebrates alive in my tanks and I suspected the reason was copper (or maybe some other metal) in the water.
I received a lot of good suggestions to cure the problem but since I'll be moving in a matter of months I was hesitant to spend any real money.
I was going to change the water with distilled water but the chance of a ph crash freaked me out. I decided to try and get the cleanest water out of my pipes that I could. I ran the cold water for about 5 minutes and then started filling my 5 gallon bucket. the downside to this is that I HAVE to remember to do this at least a day or two beofe I change the water in order to get the temp of the water up.
I did a 50% change in both tanks with this water and the change in the behavior of the fish and the snails was immediate. the fish were swimming around a lot more and hiding much less. The snails seem to be making a comeback as well.
I've gone through another routine water change running the water the same way and the fish are still looking good. this is my new routine now and as soon as I can find some Ghost Shrimp around here I'll try them again.
Anyone in Mass know of any shops selling Ghost or Amano Shrimp?
Thanks for all your help! My fish and inverts thank you!
