African Cichlid Water Temp and Tap Water

[BassTank]

In my 125 my water temp seems pretty low. Enin pointed out to me that there is bacteria that my fish will get if it's not high enough. I have a 200w heater but I'm not to sure if its working. I don't see any light that comes on when I plug it in. It's an aqueon heater set at 84 degrees but water still seems cool. How can I check to see if it works?

I just ran out of aquarium salt that I will pick up tomorro. I usually add alittle bit after water changes. My fish have all been scratching since friday. Do they have some bad bacteria already? They're still doing it now even though I did my 50% water change without adding salt.

What are those black flakes in my tap water straight from the hose? How do I get rid of it? Will it hurt my fish?

Help.....

[armthehomeless]

Hmm . . . the "black flakes" are probably something from the hose itself. What type of hose are you using? Has it been used to anything else?

If the heater is in the water and is turned to 84, the water should not feel that cool. Put you hand in the water directly and move it close to the heater. It should feel warmer. If not, you may need a new one. I like Stealth heaters. That have a green LED display that shows that they are on and it turns red when heating. With that said, I know quite a few people that don't use heaters at all.

Enin does have a point - at a high enough temperature, certain bacteria and parasites cannot survive. I've never kept my cichlid tanks very warm though. I generally keep mine 74-78 degrees.

As far as the scratching, do you see anything physically on the fish? It sounds like you may have some sort of issue with your fish . . . but I'll defer to others with more knowledge in that area. Usually fish scratch (or flash) when they have ich or parasites, but somtimes it has to do with metal content in the water. This sounds like a possibility since 1) Houston water is crap and 2) you just did a water change.

[BassTank]

i need to check out my hose then. its a black hose thats been sitting around a while.

i did a water change 50% change on labor day but they where scratching since friday. i dont see anything on the fish.

[jarrodaden]

A digital thermometer is a relatively cheap $8 investment that eliminates the guess work. Don't really on the setting scale on the side of the heater. They are generally not that close. As I understand it, the "heater rule" is 3 to 5 watts per gallon. We aren't exactly in a cold area though and you might be ok with that heater if you are indoors. I would definitely get rid of that hose.

[Enin]

You need to look at your fish very close. If you see tiny tiny white dots on your fish that will exsplain why they are scratching. There is alot of info here on ICH that will help you trough it. The one product that i know works for sure is called QuickCure. ICH will kill all of your fish if thats what you have. About the water Temp. I keep mine between 79-81. If you have ICH you will want to turn the temp up closer to 84-86. I have had people tell me that ICH is always present in the water and can only take ahold when your fish are stressed and ive also had people tell me that once its dead its gone. After dealing with it myself i tend to believe that it is never gone. GL man.

[Zebvance]

I keep my tanks at 75-78. I have a 100 watt on my 46 gallon and a 300 watt on my 240. I have yet to have to turn them both on but Im sure I will once it starts getting a little colder. I would not keep the tank Higher than 82 unless you are treating them for something. From what I have read the cichlids are most comfortable in the high 70's. If you want to test the heater fill a 5 gallon bucket up with water, take the temp, and the put the heater in the bucket and crank it all the way up. Come back in 20 or 30 mins and it should have raised the temp of the water in the bucket a good bit. It is easier to heat a smaller amount of water a lot faster then trying to fig it out on your tank.