Dialariel
New member
Hello so, for some reason my lotl, Juniper, has recurring fungus. Everytime I think I've nipped it in the bud for good, it comes back.
I clean the tank daily, and immediately if I see any lotl dirt.
The tank is cycled. My tap water has a .25 ammonia count, which is the only thing. I do have a little trouble keeping the nitrates down, so instead of once weekly, I do a water change twice a week. I am in the process of procuring more live plants to help, as I've at current only five moss balls and three nanas mixed with several silk plants. There is zero nitrites, and I use Prime to de-chlorinate. There is not a lot of flow in the tank; I have a fluval canister with a spray bar and the filter turned low, the plants do not move.
Juniper eats earthworms daily, as my lotl is still young, at most 5-6 months. I soak them for a bit before my lotl gets them. I have IAL also in the tank.
The tank is bare bottom; there used to be sand but I removed it at the first sign of the fungus returning in the chance it was living in the sand. It is 3 foot, and there is no other lotls with Juniper.
Does anyone have any idea? Could it possibly be the nitrates? Should I start doing three water changes a week? I'm a paranoid lotl mama that just wants her baby to be okay. As a note there was an injury to the gill(s) a month or so back before it took off. I rearranged the tank to avoid a repeat. The fungal patches are small and on the gills.
I do use liquid test to test the water.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40 ? - Hard to tell because the API 40 and 80 look almost the same
PH: 8.0 - 8.2 - I have mopani wood in the tank to naturally lower this because my tap water has high PH
Tested just before posting as I'm doing a water change.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Edit: Forgotten to add that the tank temperature stays between 64º and 66ºF.
I clean the tank daily, and immediately if I see any lotl dirt.
The tank is cycled. My tap water has a .25 ammonia count, which is the only thing. I do have a little trouble keeping the nitrates down, so instead of once weekly, I do a water change twice a week. I am in the process of procuring more live plants to help, as I've at current only five moss balls and three nanas mixed with several silk plants. There is zero nitrites, and I use Prime to de-chlorinate. There is not a lot of flow in the tank; I have a fluval canister with a spray bar and the filter turned low, the plants do not move.
Juniper eats earthworms daily, as my lotl is still young, at most 5-6 months. I soak them for a bit before my lotl gets them. I have IAL also in the tank.
The tank is bare bottom; there used to be sand but I removed it at the first sign of the fungus returning in the chance it was living in the sand. It is 3 foot, and there is no other lotls with Juniper.
Does anyone have any idea? Could it possibly be the nitrates? Should I start doing three water changes a week? I'm a paranoid lotl mama that just wants her baby to be okay. As a note there was an injury to the gill(s) a month or so back before it took off. I rearranged the tank to avoid a repeat. The fungal patches are small and on the gills.
I do use liquid test to test the water.
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40 ? - Hard to tell because the API 40 and 80 look almost the same
PH: 8.0 - 8.2 - I have mopani wood in the tank to naturally lower this because my tap water has high PH
Tested just before posting as I'm doing a water change.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Edit: Forgotten to add that the tank temperature stays between 64º and 66ºF.
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