Pictus Catfish just dropped dead

srry for the flaming, i had just been mad at a few other things (including this stupid snow) when i read the thread, and i was mad about petsmart and a little argument with the family about reversing the plan to get rid of my 75g...

hope you have good luck, you can get gouramis, bettas, tetras, livebearers, barbs, plenty of fish in that 20g, just some advice, ask us about fish if your not sure how big they get and want to know, we'll steer you in the right direction, srry again for flaming
 
hi magakitty, good luck second time around. i notice that you have carbon in your filter, you need to be aware that carbon will remove any medicines/treatments that are administered. also this carbon will need to be removed/changed at least monthly because otherwise it will start leaking all removed poisons back into the water. most people only use carbon to remove medicines once the treatment is finished.

regards

tim
 
Carbon will not leach back into the aquarium.
 
timrome said:
yes it does
http://www.petsparade.co.uk/aquarium/filter-media/?p=49

this is just one example but there are many more
Click to expand...

They probably just tell people that so they will buy more.:dance2: I think in order to do that it has to be heated to an extremely hot temperature, but don't qoute me on that. :) But, yes, I do agree with carbon being unnecessary for a healthy aquarium. It only lasts for a few weeks at the most. It is only really needed to remove any chemicals, medications, and other pollutants that might have found there way into the water. If you don't have any chemicals you need to remove, though it may be beneficial, carbon is not necessary and is just another way to spend money with no real need.
 
in fairness to mr bishop i have also now found articles that say their products do not leach. but with previous experiences of carbon, i no longer use the stuff. it does need replacing frequently. certainly a lot more frequently than other filter media, so i dont like to disturb my filters, only when the flow slows a lot, which is about every 6 months or so
 
i stoped using it as well, therefor all i need to do is clean the mechanical monthly and dont touch the biological, its all for free. I do keep some carbon on hand just in case.

Have you thought out your final stocking scheme after the cycling is over?
 
Dwarf Puffers said:
hope you have good luck, you can get gouramis, bettas, tetras, livebearers, barbs, plenty of fish in that 20g, just some advice, ask us about fish if your not sure how big they get and want to know, we'll steer you in the right direction, srry again for flaming
Click to expand...

Dwarf Puffers, I'm sorry that you were having a bad day - it happens to all of us at sometime or another. I heartily accept your appology.

I really was afraid that hubby would want to quit after this, but he is even more determined to make it work, and so am I. We definately know more now than we did when we started.

We were told to change the filters, one every 2 weeks, so that ultimately each gets changed once a month, on an alternating basis.

Hubby want to get the danios pretty soon, and I want to let it cycle first, so we will see who wins here. I will make sure that he understands that we need to do at least a 50% change before we even think about it and keep a real close eye on the water. We were testing twice a day, but those dratted strips are so hard to read, and it is easy for me to miss a change on it. I changed to the liquid tests and am far happier with the funtionality of them than with the strips. Now I am testing once a day, although it is probably not necessary since it is fishless (at least until we are ready to think about adding fish.) I am getting some java moss from an established tank to add to this one.

(at least an hour lapsed here because I'm at work)

Hubby just went home for lunch and tested the water. He said that the ammonia is below .50 now and the other parameters (I forget exactly what he said they were) were good.

Thanks again
 
dont need to do water changes during fishless cycle, and its an emperor filter so you can change them both at once since the biowheel should contain all the beneficial bacteria, dont change or clean the bio-wheel at all unless it stops moving. I suggest throw away the filter pad that has the carbon in it and buy some filter floss or sponge at your lfs, then just cut it to fit your filter and put it in there, therefore you dont need to pay money for new pads, just clean it once a month with old tank water.
 
In all honesty, timrome, I could link you to about 100 chemical references that discuss the the bond between carbon and DOCS and other products.

This bond can not be broken unless exposed to tremendous temperatures, in the range of several thousand degrees F.

The link you posted is very similar to the thoughts that existed when folks did not realize the carbon has a limited capability. When it was exhausted, and no longer providing chemical filtration, folks saw the increase in tank parameters and came to the conclusion that the carbon was releasing back into the aquarium.

I use carbon in all my tanks, and have for 30 yrs. It is an added expense, but worth the results for me. Many will say a water change will do the same for you, which I disagree with. If the water you use has what you do not want to begin with, the carbon is the answer.
 
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