There really shouldn't be any condensation inside of the heater, as it can cause it to blow (the fuse, not the tube). I would replace it, but it's not a huge deal. Heaters can run for a long time with bit of condensation. Just don't shake it up so the water gets onto the heating coils.
Major massacre,what happened!?
- Thread starter fishmaniac
- Start date
The water did get cloudy after we put the water back into the tank.
I am still skeptical of the heater, and am not going to risk it...i will just by a new one.....its not a huge expense, and I would rather be safe than sorry
I am still skeptical of the heater, and am not going to risk it...i will just by a new one.....its not a huge expense, and I would rather be safe than sorry
fishmaniac, now you could do a couple of complete water changes, without hurting your nitrifying bacteria community at all. Draw it right down to the gravel and refill with dechlorinated water at aquarium temperatures.
Don't add cocktail conditioners or anything. Wait a couple of days with the filter running and do some tests. That'll give you a baseline for your specific water in a matured system.
Go from there!
Don't add cocktail conditioners or anything. Wait a couple of days with the filter running and do some tests. That'll give you a baseline for your specific water in a matured system.
Go from there!
Ok, we retested the water today. PH is extremely high, above 8, and figured thats why the fish died. Ammonia level is now at 0. We tested our regular tap water (which we added to the tank) and the low range ph was 7.4 and the high range 8.4. Obviously, this isn't right, and had a major effect on the tank
Tested the nitrate level and that is between .5 and 1.
So is the ph high because the nitrates are high, and what should I do to fix it bc i really want some more fish!
thanks
Tested the nitrate level and that is between .5 and 1.
So is the ph high because the nitrates are high, and what should I do to fix it bc i really want some more fish!
thanks
Your pH and nitrates aren't related. Check your test kit and results. My kit couldn't even detect nitrate of 0.5. Do you mean nitrite? Any nitrite at all is a red flag. Toxic. Your biofilter has been disturbed in the move. That will right itself in a couple of weeks.
Check in with your water utility. They probably have a website now. Do they use chloramines for disinfection? You have to know.
Your high pH may drop after tapwater sits open to the air for twenty-four hours. Try it with a bowl of water and retest. What are your results?
You need a test for "KH"/GH-- "carbonate hardness," better known as alkalinity, and general hardness, the measure of all the dissolved minerals. Expect these to be high-- i.e. "hard" and alkaline water. That is, unless your water board softens it at the plant.
Meanwhile, put a pinch of flakes into the system every other day, to keep the nitrifying bacteria going for the time being.
HTH.
Check in with your water utility. They probably have a website now. Do they use chloramines for disinfection? You have to know.
Your high pH may drop after tapwater sits open to the air for twenty-four hours. Try it with a bowl of water and retest. What are your results?
You need a test for "KH"/GH-- "carbonate hardness," better known as alkalinity, and general hardness, the measure of all the dissolved minerals. Expect these to be high-- i.e. "hard" and alkaline water. That is, unless your water board softens it at the plant.
Meanwhile, put a pinch of flakes into the system every other day, to keep the nitrifying bacteria going for the time being.
HTH.
We have a test kit that tests kh/gh, but they weren't to high. I guess we will let it sit and see if it goes down, but its sat this week, and hasn't lowered in ph at all
I don't see anyone suggesting it could have been an anaerobic spot in the substrate that was disturbed in the move. If there was a large amount of anaerobic bacteria at work, the hydrogen sulfide gas produced would cause a quick kill-off of everything in there. However, this has never happened to me personally, so I can't say for sure if the symptoms match.
Well of course a move is a bacterial catastrophe. Toxic oxygen kills anaerobes and nitrifiers get stifled, when all the gravel gets mixed together. Lower levels of substrates are pretty much anoxic all the time. The oxygen gradient is quite steep.
fishmaniac, would you re-test for KH and for GH with your kit and give us the actual figures you get? They'll be separate figures.
fishmaniac, would you re-test for KH and for GH with your kit and give us the actual figures you get? They'll be separate figures.
BTW, condensation inside the heater can be dangerous but it is not what killed your fish.
If there is condensation inside your heater, that means there is a leak somewhere. Water inside = heater fried. You don't want to be in a situation where water and electricity are mixing, for your own safety.
However this is not likely to be what killed your fish. I think the consensus is there was some poisoning going on. A pH value above 8 is not good for most community fish. It would be a good idea to check the pH of the water coming out of the tap, as well as ammonia and nitrites while you're at it. Some communities use chloramine in their water. (I'm assuming you're on city water, not well water.)
If there is condensation inside your heater, that means there is a leak somewhere. Water inside = heater fried. You don't want to be in a situation where water and electricity are mixing, for your own safety.
However this is not likely to be what killed your fish. I think the consensus is there was some poisoning going on. A pH value above 8 is not good for most community fish. It would be a good idea to check the pH of the water coming out of the tap, as well as ammonia and nitrites while you're at it. Some communities use chloramine in their water. (I'm assuming you're on city water, not well water.)
The high and low tests can only measure to their extremes -- 7.4 is probably the "top" of your low kit (eg. 6 to 7.4). It reads as high as it can go. If the High and Low Kits both said 7.4, the pH would be 7.4. If the Low topped out and the High gave a higher figure within its range, that would be the more accurate figure. So the 8.4 is more likely the accurate figure. This could continue to be an issue unless you can get the chemistry sorted out.
Someone else mentioned thoroughly cleaning out the tank for a short move. The various comments on nitrites and what happens to the biofilter when it gets jumbled up show why this mightn't be the best idea.
