Yesterday I was doing water changes and tinkering around in my 10gal. I had gotten some plain kitchen sponges to use in my powered co2 diffuser. I had read somewhere about people using kitchen sponges for this application. The cellulose sponge turned out to hold too much water back, so I scrapped the plan and just hooked the co2 up to a wooden airstone until I could get some better sponge for the application.
Today I got up; and my beautiful yellow betta, Ishkur, along with 3 of my 4 bronze cories were dead. All the dead ones and the one still alive have red irritation on their gill covers. The betta was dead in a 'parked', resting position under some plants, the cories were just 'belly-up' in various areas.
I had also done a water change yesterday on my other 10gal w/ the same setup, and they were all fine.
So, I realized that the sponge was my only variable, I had already ruled out sickness. I put the surviving, although clearly affected, cory in my other 10gal w/betta & cories, I'll see if he makes it.
Then I started looking online, and after about 3 or 4 searches I found someplace that after combing through, I learned that those sponges have anti-bacteria/anti-mold additives.
I had no idea. Now my oldest betta & cories are dead. I'd had Ishkur for over a year, he'd moved from Oklahoma to Indiana, right up front (packed into a cooler)with me driving the U-haul.
I posted for everyone else unaware of this. Don't use kitchen sponges!
Today I got up; and my beautiful yellow betta, Ishkur, along with 3 of my 4 bronze cories were dead. All the dead ones and the one still alive have red irritation on their gill covers. The betta was dead in a 'parked', resting position under some plants, the cories were just 'belly-up' in various areas.
I had also done a water change yesterday on my other 10gal w/ the same setup, and they were all fine.
So, I realized that the sponge was my only variable, I had already ruled out sickness. I put the surviving, although clearly affected, cory in my other 10gal w/betta & cories, I'll see if he makes it.
Then I started looking online, and after about 3 or 4 searches I found someplace that after combing through, I learned that those sponges have anti-bacteria/anti-mold additives.
I had no idea. Now my oldest betta & cories are dead. I'd had Ishkur for over a year, he'd moved from Oklahoma to Indiana, right up front (packed into a cooler)with me driving the U-haul.
I posted for everyone else unaware of this. Don't use kitchen sponges!
