1) As for me... I don't currently test for phosphates. So do you
think phosphate testing my water before I make my weekly water changes
might add value?
2) If phosphates are high, what remedy do I then take?
I, personally, being so "A.R." already test & add bicarbonate to my
water for my tank with my Pseudomugils. And, I believe that helps
since my P furcatus and signifers seem rather colorful, gregarious and
active. I'd like to check-out and try whatever is your phosphate
remedy before I recommend it as well to my friend. That brings me
back to his situation.
HOWEVER... Please help me out. I am not seeing the connection that
you are making between water / environmentals and the waning (or is
that also wanning) estate of his male P signifer.
1) If I understand both of you, the fact that his female P signifers
in the same water / tank show no symptoms means nothing. Correct?
Are you not also in essence then saying that distaff P signifers are
(or may be) inherently more hardy than males? They were all of the
shorter-fin var.. NOTE: BTW, I think (but cannot be sure) that 1 of
his 2 female P signifers has been in his tank for months since one of
his previous males died.
2) Additionally, what do you make of the fact that his P gertrudes
(male & female) also show no signs / symptoms?
I suspect they may be more tolerant of something in his tank / tank
water. What, specifically, I don't yet know. Is it just a matter of
basic water chemistry (even less-obvious ones like copper or
phosphates)? ...or are there plant chemicals, ferts/CO2, etc.
involved?
NOTE: I already know P gertrudae are natually found in "densely
planted marsh, creeks, lagoons, billabongs, marginal waters" with what
is generally described as "softer more acidic" waters. So I assume
that the specifics of pH, KH, GH ranges and overlap with P signifers
would thus be part of the answer. I am looking more for an answer
from an experienced P signifer and gertrudae aquarist's perspective.
Thanks,
--TommyBoy
--- In r_m_l at yahoogroups.com, "Kevin Sheller" <kevmo at a...> wrote:
> Tom Barr often talks about a high phosphate level in SF water.
> Unfortunately, that's about all I know. :/
> -----Original Message-----
> From: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com [r_m_l at yahoogroups.com]On
Behalf Of
> Gary Lange
> Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 8:18 AM
> To: r_m_l at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [RML] P signifer male paling & losing appetite
>
>
> Maybe one of the members of the SF "plant mafia" are on line here
and can
> answer a few questions about SF water. What is the actual carbonate
> hardness of the SF area? I thought it was extremely soft water that
really
> have very little GH and also not very much KH (carbonate hardness)
of only
> 2-3 degrees (36-48 ppm). When you don't change water in a system
like that
> then you're just begging for sick fish. I also can't understand why
your
> friend EVER had an ammonia problem. Unless you have several fish
die off in
> an established tank or if you crash your bacterial bed by
medication, you
> really should NEVER have an ammonia problem. That is usually the
sign of
> really sloppy maintenance. You need to get on your friend to
perform
> regular 50% weekly water changes. If he happens to have the larger
"Ross
> river/townesville" signifers then they are also going to react more
> adversely to acid/low pH water. They come from brackish water and
do a lot
> better in that environment. To help a messed up tank get back he
might be
> better off performing 50% water changes every other day for a week
until
> things turn around. You might also suggest that he gets some fresh
> chemicals for carbonate hardness as most test kits will be more
accurate
> than 75-200 ppm KH.
>
> Gary Lange
>
> Tom Ray <t_a_ray_cissp at y...> wrote:
>
> Situation:
> My friend, the one who told me about the Pseudomogils
(signifers,
> tenellus, & furcatus) that were available 2 weeks ago in our
area /
> the East Bay (of San Francisco area), told me that his P.
signifer
> male has lost its colors and is swimming at the top of his
tank, not
> eating much of anything.
>
> He has 2 P. signifer females as well as 7 P. gertrudes (M&F),
and 3 M.
> praecox (2 M / 1 F) also in that tank BUT which do not seem to
be
> having any problems. He also told me this happend previously.
And, he
> lost 2 other male P. signifers in that tank when it did happen.
For
> somewhere between 2-6 weeks everything is A-O-K, followed by a
couple
> weeks of "paling," surface skimming and loss of appetitie, and
then
> fianlly death.
>
> Remediations to date:
> I suggested he check his ammonia levels (which proved to be
"just a
> little high") in case this was a symptom of chronic high
ammonia. I
> also suggested he check his carbonate/alkalinity which he
claimed was
> A-O-K (between 75-200 ppm). After changing the water (less
than 40%
> he said) to bring the ammonia down, he reported his P signifer
perked
> up (returning to the middle of the water column) for about 4
days, but
> his coloration did not revive. He called me again on Sunday and
told
> me that his male has returned to the top and re-lost his
appetite.
>
> 1) Does anyone have any idea what is causing this?
>
> 2) Is it common?
>
> Do P signifers commonly have a habit of "tank sour" (what I
call it
> when a fish just pales and may die for no apparent reason)?
I've seen
> Butterfly Rams do that a lot after 2 months of A-O-K, and even
> wondered if that isn't what happens to some Agazzi's and
Checkerboard
> Cichlids (although I've also suspected an unknown garbage of
some sort
> in the bottom mulm may be the cause).
>
> 3) Does anyone have more suggestions for possible remediations?
>
>
> Again, TIA.
>
> --TommyBoy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>