question about tank?

steve086

hey everyone i joined this forum back when i started my tank and now i have some more questions

i have a 50g tank
penguin biowheel 350



idk if u need to kno all fish? i know im slightly overstocked but i do water changes every weekend.
all fish are babies only few months old so as they get bigger i have plans on getting another tank going.
nothing is over 3 inch

but the problems im seeing. cloudy water, not overly cloudy but def a tint to it.
fish seem to rub against rocks and plants as if scratching. no signs of ick tho? not even on the clown loaches. or other fish.. idk why theyre always scratching?

water parameters over the past month or so have remained the same as followed
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 20
ph 6.8-6.2
kh 80
gh 75
temp 78*f

now the kh is the one im not positive about my test strip shows 0 a yellowish and gets greener and greener as you go.. but mine comes out a neon greenish not listed on the chart so it could b 0-40 0-80? idk would that even affect the cloudyness or the fish rubbing? are they interconnected? please any insight would b hellpful.. any questions you have to better help ill b happy to respond.

Byron

Your numbers are OK. To briefly explain the KH: both GH and KH refer to hardness which is the level of minerals in the water. Neither on their own will cause cloudiness. KH refers to the level of carbonate hardness and this has absolutely no effect on fish. GH refers to general hardness, basically the amount of calcium and magnesium, though other minerals may be involved; this does have an effect on fish, but not related to what you have described. GH, KH and pH are related. Fish are affected by GH and pH if they fluctuate.

The cloudiness may be a bacterial bloom as it is called, since it is white. This is best left alone as water changes will make it worse. However, it could also be other issues. At this point I am going to ask that you list the fish in the tank (species and number of each), as this might be the issue.

On the flashing (as the rubbing is termed), this can be due to several things, but most likely a parasite such as ich (white spot). Ich first attacks the fish's gills, and they "flash" against plant leaves, wood or rock in an attempt to rid themselves of the parasite in the gills. If the tank is healthy, fish not stressed by something, good water conditions, etc., fish are often able to fight off ich and you will never see spots on the fish externally. However, if the fish are weakened or under stress from anything, the ich may increase and you will then see spots. At that point, treatment should be considered. So monitor things carefully. Hopefully the flashing will decrease to the point it is no longer seen.

Let us know the fish and we'll continue.

Byron.

steve086

my fish include
7 tiger barbs
4 Clown Loach
1 red tail Black Shark
2 albino corys
1 Common Pleco
1 eclipse catfish

all fish look healthy, very active and everyone eats fine
as i stated before i know im slightly overstocked but nothing is more than 3 inches and i plan on another tank later on

steve086

o and idk if it matters but i also have a few live plants, just Java Fern and anibius.. both seem to be growning great.

Byron

"Slightly overstocked" is an understatement. I'll get to that momentarily.

Clown loaches are notorious for carrying ich, and when they get it, it is bad. Being "naked" (= scaleless), loaches are highly sensitive to all medications. Salt should never be used with loaches. This is just a heads up in case the ich worsens, which unfortunately it might well do with the loaches. At this stage just keep a close eye on things as I mentioned previously.

On the cause of the cloudiness I cannot be certain. It may well be a bacterial bloom. I used to get a slight cloudiness in one of my tanks, only the one, and it would last for weeks then suddenly disappear for months. I never found the reason. Assuming you are not overfeeding (only once a day, and missing a day or two will do no harm). The plants will help in this, though those mentioned are slow growers which means assimilating less nutrients than fast growers would, but still a help.

OK, to the fish assortment. There are clear signs of stress here, and as I noted earlier, this is the major cause of ich and a lot of other heath issues too, since stress weakens the immune system. Has the Red Tailed Shark shown any aggression toward the loaches? This could be as small a thing as just darting at them even if no contact is made. This shark species is best in a tank with no other bottom fish, especially those with stripes which seem to set them off even worse than normal. Have a read of our profile for more info, click on the shaded name.

The loaches are probably under stress from just having the shark in the tank. Fish send out signals, chemically, called pheromones, that other fish can pick up on. They sense the aggressor even if no physical action occurs.

Common Pleco attain 12-18 inches, and produce a lot of waste, both solid and chemical (ammonia). This could be a contributor to the cloudiness.

The eclipse catfish is not in our profiles. It is very aggressive, attains 18-22 inches, and is a real predator. It will eat anything that it can fit in its mouth. It may be small now, but here again it is sending out signals and the other fish are getting them--more stress. On its own it needs at least a 125g tank.

The group of clowns is good, but they need more space and soon, and away from the shark and eclipse. I really would consider removing the shark and eclipse soon, they are all but guaranteed to be real trouble.

Byron.

steve086

all my fish seem to get along great.. if anything the red tail chases the tiger barbs and thats only for a second or 2 when they get near her cave.. i think its a female because of the grey stomach. and they are apparently less agressive too???

but no the red tail and clown loaches couldnt get along any better.. they swing with and next to each other and the red tail even shares his cave with the loaches.. as for the eclipse.. he mainly comes out at night, and he doesnt seem to bother any other fish when he is out in daytime. even when the albino corys were less than 3/4 in he swam up to them and swam away..

none of the fish seem to disagree with each other.. the tiger barbs chase each other. mainly the males but thats normal..

idk..

Byron

It was just a heads up. As fish mature, they change personality, much like some of us humans. You can find posts by other members here who went through much the same, everything was fine for months, then suddenly, dead fish from a nasty red tail shark.

The info in the profiles is compiled from highly-knowledgeable biologists and aquarists and represents the majority opinion of those scientists. While a particular fish can be better or worse than "the norm," the behaviour is programmed into the fish by nature and we can't change it. Sometimes different environmental stimuli cause the fish to be somewhat different from the norm, but the inherent risk is still there.

My aim on this forum is to help when I can, as I want others to enjoy success. A big part of achieving success is to ensure the community of fish species is truly compatible.

LasColinasCichlids

I agree with Byron 100% on the eclipse and Red Tailed Shark, and people who thought all was well, and then practically overnight the shark showed its true colors.

I had an albino Rainbow Shark that seemed sweet, even tried to mother the young albino cories. Then, she started to charge at the tetras, and just as it was time to rehome her, one of my brilliant rasboras was missing her tail. Thankfully the ARS was already rehomed, I was able to heal the rasbora, and rehomed her and her shoal with my best friend in her tank.

That is one fish I wish I would have done more research on before getting!

Without proper research regarding compatability in fish (as well as tank size and water needs) we waste not only time and money, but we put fish through a lot of un-needed stress that leaves them vulnerable to illnesses.