# Mayaca for pickup in Euless-2 bunches



## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

I made some changes today to make use of the plants Mike gave me yesterday. I have 2 bunches of Mayaca I will not be using if anyone wants to come by and pick it up. See info below on species:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=255&category=genus&spec=Mayaca










I live in Euless, just off of 183 and 360, maybe 2 minutes from the highway.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I'm interested josh. pretty sure I didn't get any of that at the meeting.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

No, I didn't bring any to the meeting. Just let me know when you want to pick it up.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

when ever a good time would be.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

Anytime tomorrow is good for me. Just give me some notice regarding a time.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

Ekrindul said:


> Anytime tomorrow is good for me. Just give me some notice regarding a time.


lunch time to afternoon? <-- depends on when I wake up. pm your number as I've missed placed it.

also what would cause my tank to have alkalinty problems. it's not even on the chart and my ph is 6.4.
no c02 so that's not the problem.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

Define problem. What is your concern? Maybe the test is faulty, poorly calibrated, etc. I wouldn't lose any sleep worrying about alkalinity.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

Ekrindul said:


> Define problem. What is your concern? Maybe the test is faulty, poorly calibrated, etc. I wouldn't lose any sleep worrying about alkalinity.


well time to get yeild at. petsmart had there one dollar sell on fish. I took had them died. they use the quick dip test strips. they said everything was fine but the alkalinity and ph. the alkalinity didn't even show up on the chart saying it was to to low and they said my ph was 6.2  should I go test my water with my liquid test kit? only then is I don't have alkalinity,gh/kh test kits.
oh and I just woke up. I woke up this morning to my brothers blood surgar being supper low so it's been a crazy day. will you be around tonight, or tomorrow for me to pick up the plants?


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

I'll be around. I'm still unemployed. Other than look for work, I have nothing to do but goof off.

I'm not sure what you're testing for though. Alkalinity doesn't kill fish. Ammonia does, improper temperature range will, relatively high nitrites will with prolonged exposure, super high nitrates will with prolonged exposure, disease will certainly.

Knowing why fish die though is very difficult. There can be so many factors involved that you can drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out.

My advice: Simplify the issue. Do you have ammonia readings? If so, daily water changes of 50% to 70% until resolved. You can treat with Amquel Plus as well *after* the water change. If no, do you have nitrite readings? If so, same course, except every few days instead of daily. You can treat with Amquel Plus as well *after* the water change. If no, do you have excessive nitrate readings, like more than 30 ppm? If so, do a big water change. If no, then let's do some simple things that will rule out more uncommon causes.

Stabilize the temperature with a heater to 77 degrees. All but the most sensitive fish can survive this temperature. Fish like neons and cardinals can be shocked to death by sudden temperature changes if they are weak individuals (remember I talked to you about this last time you were over). If they are weak, their death may be a blessing in disguise, as these will be the fish that later spread disease in your tank. Cardinals seem to do best with higher temps, say 78 to 80 degrees. Neons do better at 75 to 77 degrees. If the fish are of good stock (not inbreeds) however, this won't be that important. Good hardy fish can survive temperature fluctuations easily.

Monitor the fish during feeding. Are all fish eating? If not, why? Are they just not good competitors? or are they not trying? If a fish isn't attempting to compete for food, it is likely sick. If it is trying but failing, try to alter your feeding method--different types of food, sinking pellets, micro wafers, floating pellets, or simply crush flakes between your fingers and release them under water in front of a strong source of water flow to circulate the food. This gives smaller fish a better chance at it, as smaller fish get chased off from the surface feeding sites.

If you suspect disease, observe the symptoms and post a message on the board. Someone will probably recognize it and have a solution.

Lastly, I doubt too many Petsmart employees have the expertise to understand the results of a water test. In the natural environments our fish come from, they encounter fluctuations in basic water parameters daily and aren't killed by them. Toxins and disease are the usual killers.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

Joey,

Here's a link to last year's water quality report for Plano:

http://www.planotx.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/2009%20Water%20Quality%20Report.pdf

Overall, if this test is accurate, and they don't always correspond to what might actually come out of *your* tap, you should have somewhat hard water with a high pH, and a decent level of trace nutrients. Looks like decent water to me. Nothing that would kill a fish so long as you treat with dechlorinator.

I have tests for GH/KH if you want to bring me a sample, though.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

ph - 7.4
no-3 nitrate 5.0
n0-2 nitrite .25
nh3/nh+4 ammonia .25

wth? I guess I'm going throw a mini cycle.
I did have a bad wall plug and the filter was pluged to that wall it would slip loose, and i would have to keep on ajusting the plug.
I've replaced the wall plug, and the filter is staying on now.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

Nitrates are fine. You want to maintain a level of nitrate for the plants. Anything over 40ppm gets to be bad for fish though. 

Nitrite and ammonia need to be at zero. Do a big water change each day until the ammonia is gone. It doesn't take alot of ammonia to kill fish, and worst of all, it can leak for a short period and tests will not show it ever was present. Always do a large water change after a rescape as well for this reason. So, always best to stay on top of water changes until you are certain the tank is cycled; use some Amquel Plus for extra security for a few weeks.


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## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

If your tank water is starts to eat metal, then you might have a problem.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

cool, thanks, how big of a water change should I go do?


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

At least 50%, maybe 70%. You want to make sure you purge any ammonia. If the tank is going through a mini-cycle, the fish will appreciate a big batch of new water.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

Thanks, I'll call you tomorrow for the plants, if you haven't already gave them away.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

Nope, I still have them.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

cool, still trying to figure out how to build a double 55 gallon stand, and those lights out.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

I'm still interested. sorry josh, my brother had some low blood sugar attacks(diabetic), and me and my brother took are grand mother to are grandfathers grave so I've been busy. if you still have them cool, if you don't that is still cool.


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## Ekrindul (Jul 3, 2010)

I had to throw it out. It's not the hardiest plant. I couldn't keep it sitting in the tank unrooted any longer. Was shading the red ruben, too.


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## fishyjoe24 (May 18, 2010)

it's cool, I understand.


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