"kush" wrote in message
...
Once you've eliminated the impossible...

I'm in...

I'm going to go with a complicated "two cause" diagnosis. CO2 AND trace
element deficiency - I suspect that either there's not enough CO2 being
produced or that too much of your CO2 is being dissipated by the biowheel.

The Nutrafin/Hagen kit pretty clearly states "up to 20G US", maybe I should
have two for a 29G tank?

With pH at 7.6, your dCHº would have to be 15 (somebody check my math,
please!) to be at the low end of optimal. So please test for hardness
again
to verify.

That is in the range I have come to expect, 13-16 is where it has tested
(when I could find the manual).

There is a condition of very basic (high pH) and very soft (low dCH) under
which iron (and other trace elements?) precipitate out of the water
column.
Unfortunately, I don't have the chemistry to speak inteliigently about
this.

No clue here either. however, water here in my part of Sacramento is
generally soft and acidic. By default, it comes out at a bout 7.6 pH and
extremely low kH and gH levels. I have been bolstering kH with baking soda
(good old arm and hammer). That may be of interest.

Recommendation: Get more CO2 into the water. Increasing CO2 will lower
the
pH.

That would mean another kit. Oh well, another $30 won't hurt..

Resume supplementing with trace.

Not an issue. I'll take a stab at twice per week.

DON'T overfeed your fish.

I'm really careful here. If anything, I am slightly underfeeding, if there
is such a thing.

DON'T post back that you have superabundant CO2 because that would make
me look stupid and **** me off.

I promise not to make you look any more stupid than I am. You have my word.

chet

Good luck.

Thanks.

chet