What is in your cup?

[VydorScope]

just a reminder...

September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

[Stitchawl]

Goodbye Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have good fun on the bayou

Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a file gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

Thibodeaux, Fontainbleau, the place is buzzin'
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6WD1yzQscE )

Morning, all. Another weekend to enjoy. I wonder what it will bring? It starts with a breakfast of course. Can't start the day without some great tea (the food part isn't nearly as important, is it?) Today's tea will be East India Company's "Assam" tea. Can't go wrong there!

Originally Posted by maianhvk

Stitchawl, I've been wondering for a very long, long time...
Do you type your signature for every single post?

Originally Posted by astra

A good question... And the answer is; Yes!
It's a holdover from the days of 'bulletin board' forums. We took the view that 'if I said it, I should put my name on it.' It gave us an extra few seconds to 'think' about what we've said, and decide if we were satisfied that the world might associate what we said with what we wrote. That, of course, was back before everyone was using alias or avatars. We used our real names and it was important that what we said would be backed up by our own philosophies.

I still feel it important enough that I continue the practice. If I said it, I stand behind what I said, and I'm willing to put my name on it!

... and thinking about making Jambalaya for dinner tonight!

Next cup...

Stitchawl

[Stitchawl]

Some Taylors of Harrogate's "Yorkshire Tea" in a large mug. Good stuff!


Stitchawl

[astra]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I still feel it important enough that I continue the practice. If I said it, I stand behind what I said, and I'm willing to put my name on it!

I suspected something like that, but without such a long history behind, dated back to bulletin boards

Second cup of Assam Doomur Dulling TGFOP Fortnum and Mason.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Back to my chemistry... what is wrong with this tank water?!? :chinscratch

How big is the tank? How many fish?

The bacteria in the filter need time to build up to clean up the ammonia from the fish. And then another bacterial population needs time to build to process the nitrite produced from the ammonia by the first lot.

I'd suggest (if you still have some living fish) that you shouldn't add any more fish for a few weeks.

Have you tested for Ammonia and Nitrite?

[pdurrant]

Coke Zero #2 in my cup.

[maianhvk]

Phew, niece has gone home! What a long, exhausting day! This morning no adults were home, so niece and aunt were on their own, we had some crying and screaming and shouting and laughing. At least we didn't practice hitting each other. The girl has "martial art" lesson at kindergarten

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Have you tested for Ammonia and Nitrite?

Yes he has.

(He has tested for Nitrate and Nitrite, but I'm not sure about Ammonia. But given that S is quite careful I think he has tested for that already.)

Coca-Cola.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

How big is the tank? How many fish?

New tank, well cleaned and rinsed before use. Rather small shelf top tank, 12 liter, new washed gravel and plants from a very healthy tank. Water was aged for several days before adding fish. All chemical test results normal.

I began with 5 Vailtailed guppies; 2 males and 3 females to occupy the upper levels of the tank. Replaced, but am now down to one male and three females that seem quite healthy
One Siamese Fighting Fish (male) to roam the mid-level. Replaced but died.
5 small Neon Tetra for the lower strata. Died, replaced and died again, and not yet replaced.
1 small bottom cleaning catfish. Apparently healthy though out the whole affair!

There should be enough room for double the number of fish this size and still not crowd the tank.

The bacteria in the filter need time to build up to clean up the ammonia from the fish.

The fish began dying after 6 hours. There wasn't enough time for ANY ammonia buildup.

And then another bacterial population needs time to build to process the nitrite produced from the ammonia by the first lot.

I've tested for nitrates, nitrites, pH, ammonia, Cl, and water hardness. ALL are perfectly well within normal levels, and have been so since the beginning. This is why it's so puzzling to me! It simply shouldn't be happening. I began raising fish when I was a boy, made money setting up tanks, made smaller money selling Fancy Guppies and Betas to a few local pet shops. But this is my first tank since I was a teen. Should be easier as most of the water quality tests weren't available for home use back then. These days the pet shops here have entire shelves full of various testing and adjusting materials!

I'd suggest (if you still have some living fish) that you shouldn't add any more fish for a few weeks.

Certainly my plan! I do wonder though, what is causing all this mayhem!


Stitchawl

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

New tank, well cleaned and rinsed before use. Rather small shelf top tank, 12 liter, new washed gravel and plants from a very healthy tank. Water was aged for several days before adding fish. All chemical test results normal.

12 liter!? About 15cm by 20cm by 40cm (or similar?) That's a small tank. I'd suspect too many fish at once as the root cause.

The tests might have been normal before the fish were added, but did you test a few days after the fish were added, or when they started dying?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

12 liter!? About 15cm by 20cm by 40cm (or similar?) That's a small tank. I'd suspect too many fish at once as the root cause.

It is a small tank, but it wasn't at all crowded. In fact, because these were all rather small fish, and all inhabiting their own level of the tank, I really could have increased the number. I kept tanks with a much high fish-to-size ratio before.

If the fish were Mollys, Swordtails, Cichlids, Angles, Gouramis, etc., I'd agree. Those are all larger bodied fish. But with the exception of the Beta, these were all very small bodied fish, and don't usually encroach in different strata. Only the Beta could be found cruising all over the tank. The guppies stayed high and the Neons stayed low.

The tests might have been normal before the fish were added, but did you test a few days after the fish were added, or when they started dying?

They weren't in the water a few days. They died off within 12 hours... Each time I added more, they died within hours. And I removed them immediately. No chance for toxin buildup from rotting bodies.

I've been testing twice a day since I added the fish. The Chlorine level (only) was high when I first added the water, but that neutralized within two days, and it was several days after that that I added the fish.

All levels have been absolutely normal though out this entire event! THAT is what is driving me crazy! There has to be SOMETHING wrong!

I washed and rinsed the new tank, washed and rinsed the new gravel, washed and rinsed the plants, let the water 'age,' transferred the fish properly following methods I had used for years without problems, let the fish acclimate without the light on, but within 12 hours most (but not all) were dead. I added new fish to replace the dead, but most of them died too. There are four guppies and one small catfish that seem to have lived and thrived though this entire affair. And I can't figure out why?


Stitchawl

[VydorScope]

I do not know much about fish, but I thought I have heard that you could not put a beta with other fish cause it would kill them?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I do not know much about fish, but I thought I have heard that you could not put a beta with other fish cause it would kill them?

Male Betas, which are the only ones that fight, ONLY fight with other male Betas, and during the breeding process, beat the hell out of females by literally squeezing her eggs out of her, gathering them up with his mouth, and spitting them into a nest he's previously made out of bubbles of saliva. Quite often the female dies in the process. You can have a whole tank full of female Beta with no problems.

Betas don't fight with other species of fish, and quite often are bullied by much smaller fish in a tank. Their beautiful long flowing fins are frequently ripped and torn by aggressive guppies!

Betas are VERY easy to keep, and don't require very much room at all. My father kept one for two years in a large Brandy snifter! I've always kept one in every 'mixed' tank I've had. I especially like the scarlet colored ones like the link above, or the silvery blue like this.



Stitchawl

[VydorScope]

Cool Stitchawl, did not know that. But how do you know if you have female or male fish?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

Cool Stitchawl, did not know that. But how do you know if you have female or male fish?

The male is the one who's hogging the TV remote...


The term 'plain Jane' best describes a female betta. They don't have the long flowing fins of the males, and are usually much less colored.

Compare


with



A single Betta makes a really easy to care for pet! It will rise to meet you when you come over to it's tank, if you put your finger into the tank it will often rub against you like a kitten, (no, it doesn't have big teeth) and can live in a small tank on the corner of your desk!

Do a Google 'Image Search' for Siamese Fighting Fish or Betta and you'll see some really amazing color and fin designs!

Time for some Bombay Sapphire!


Stitchawl

[astra]

Cuppa #4

Bai Hao Yin Zheng (Silver Needle), white tea.
A freebie from The Chinese Tea Company.
Very pleasant tea. It has got a distinctive flavour, that I usually miss in white teas.