Frequent Aquarium Questions

• I have four goldfish in a 20 gallon tank. The largest is 10" and the rest not far behind. The largest fish is losing scales. What is the problem?
  
  
• I have a 55 gallon tank with a very large oscar and some convicts. The problem is that big round black mold is starting to grow all over the tank. I have scrubbed it but it does not want to come off, and when it does it only comes back.
  
  
• We had to move our aquarium for new carpet so I had to remove water to lift the tank and put it back in for the fish. The water is cloudy. Do you think I have messed up my cycling after two years?
  
  
• I have noticed a thin white filmy coating on the top of my aquarium water. A few of my guppies have died. Can this film have caused the deaths?
  
  
• Can I use my tap water if the house has a water softener?
  
  
• The following morning after a 50% water change, I noticed all three goldfish have little white dots on them. I also changed the filter since my other one died. What could be my problem? FYI. I have two three inch and one two inch Goldfish and an algea eater in a 10 gallon tank.
  
  
• When changing or adding water, what's the best way to prepare it?
  
  
• Recently a white mold has appeared on the rock of my tank. I have done a complete water change and cleaned the rocks but the mold has returned. is there a treatment for this mold?
  
  
• I recently used Clout for a flukes issue I thought I had in my 135 gallon freshwater tank. I now have a wicked bacterial bloom. What can I do?
  
  
• I treated my marine tank with kick ich. Now that the carbon is back in my fish keep dying on me and I have about 0.25 ppm Ammonia. Temperature, Nitrite and pH are normal, but my Nitrate level is between 10-20 ppm.I read that with water change tha Ammonia would be reduced but the pH would go up and raise Ammonia %. What should I do?
  
  

• I have four goldfish in a 20 gallon tank. The largest is 10" and the rest not far behind. The largest fish is losing scales. What is the problem?
  
  Your fish have outgrown your tank. The overcrowding and failing water quality, even with multiple water changes, will cause fish to degrade in health.
  
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• I have a 55 gallon tank with a very large oscar and some convicts. The problem is that big round black mold is starting to grow all over the tank. I have scrubbed it but it does not want to come off, and when it does it only comes back.
  
  If the mold is bacteria based or is a form of algae, you'll need to improve your water quality by stronger filtration or more frequent water changes.
  
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• We had to move our aquarium for new carpet so I had to remove water to lift the tank and put it back in for the fish. The water is cloudy. Do you think I have messed up my cycling after two years?
  
  Anytime you remove a good percentage of water, you should expect the water to be cloudy initially. If you left everything intact before draining some water, it's only a matter time before your water clears.
  
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• I have noticed a thin white filmy coating on the top of my aquarium water. A few of my guppies have died. Can this film have caused the deaths?
  
  The thin white filmy coating was probably not a cause of your guppy deaths. You simply need to produce some surface agitation from your filters to break up the filmy coating.
  
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• Can I use my tap water if the house has a water softener?
  
  No. The water softener uses salt which exchanges sodium for the calcium ions in the tap water. The end result is "soft water" with sodium.
  
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• The following morning after a 50% water change, I noticed all three goldfish have little white dots on them. I also changed the filter since my other one died. What could be my problem? FYI. I have two three inch and one two inch Goldfish and an algea eater in a 10 gallon tank.
  
  Those white spots on your goldfish are a common fish disease called "ich". Ich is often caused by a dramatic change in water quality, which would stress out the fish. Ich can be treated fairly easily with some ich cure. I would suggest to buy a product that has malachaite green in it. "Quick Cure" by Aquarium Products is an excellent product, which is carried on our website.
  
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• When changing or adding water, what's the best way to prepare it?
  
  The absolute "best" option is to use reverse osmosis water and a quality conditioner like Stress Coat. Assuming your local tap water is not full with heavy metals and orthophosphates, it should fine for your application.
  
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• Recently a white mold has appeared on the rock of my tank. I have done a complete water change and cleaned the rocks but the mold has returned. is there a treatment for this mold?
  
  The mold you are referring to is actually fungus. Water quality is a major factor here. Left over food partiles or any decaying material in the rock are a likely culprit here. Would be a good idea to brush the rock regularly and do frequent water changes.
  
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• I recently used Clout for a flukes issue I thought I had in my 135 gallon freshwater tank. I now have a wicked bacterial bloom. What can I do?
  
  Anytime you use an antibiotic or medication which will kill some of the nitrifying bacteria in your tank, you will see cloudiness due to the imbalance of the ecology. Let the system reestablish itself and feed lightly.
  
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• I treated my marine tank with kick ich. Now that the carbon is back in my fish keep dying on me and I have about 0.25 ppm Ammonia. Temperature, Nitrite and pH are normal, but my Nitrate level is between 10-20 ppm.I read that with water change tha Ammonia would be reduced but the pH would go up and raise Ammonia %. What should I do?
  
  Water changes will reduce Nitrates, Nitrites, and Ammmonia. Ph has no effect on Ammonia at all.
  
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