Tank water/water quality

Question
Hi Chris.
I have a few questions for you, and I apologize, because it's difficult to organize all of them!  
First, our aquarium details:
10 gallon aquarium, 2 years running
filter: Aquaclear Mini; with carbon, foam & ammonia filters
1 air pump(use it, although not sure if it's necessary)
1 plecostomus, 1 gourami, 4 bleeding hearts, 7 neons, 1 "pink" tetra & I just removed a very sick "upside down" catfish today (I think I did it in by trying to lower the pH since the bleeding hearts' fins were in such bad shape -- my pH tester indicated the tank was beyond pH 7.6 and I tried to get it closer to 7.0!)
So I'm wondering if my water chemistry is all screwed up!!!!!

We live out in the country and have a well. What is best to use for our aquarium? well water or town chlorinated tap water?  I thought perhaps that the well water would be far too hard.  Should both water types be "conditioned"?  I have been using Aquasafe when doing water changes with town water.  When using such a conditioner, when it says "5 ml per 10 gallons" is that what you use even though you're only changing 1/4 of the aquarium water, or should it be proportioned accordingly?  Since using this Aquasafe product, we don't seem to have nice clear water --- it's slightly cloudy.  I tried using a cheap "Crystal Clear" product to clear the water but to no avail.  Are these trustworthy?  Lastly, atleast for now(!), is it necessary to test the water hardness?  I've looked around for such test kits and have had no luck.
Thanking you in advance, for not only answering my queries, but the countless others you've taken the time and effort to respond to.
Kind regards, Keith

Answer
Hi Keith;

The best thing to do for all of your fish right now is not to alter the pH at all. They are used to the pH they are in and changing it only causes them stress. The recommended pH levels seen on fish profiles are what was found to be in their natural wild environment. Most of the fish we buy in stores have been captive bred for many generations now and have never known the pH they are "supposed to be in". A pH of 7.6 isn't bad at all. Sometimes water testing can actually be just a distraction and isn't really needed, as you now know. Maintaining good water chemistry with good water quality is what is really important. This means water changes. Make weekly water changes of 25%. Vacuum the gravel every couple of weeks with one of your water changes. When adding water conditioner I usually use a whole tank dose even when making just a partial water change. The stress prevention benefits aren't effective if we put in too little. The concentration isn't high enough. Oh, and use your tap water. I'm sure it's just fine. Transporting water is a big giant pain-in-the-neck and just the thought of it can keep us from doing the necessary water changes sometimes. (yuck!)

I think your main problem is that the tank is way overstocked. Some of the fish you have in there get quite large. The maximum safe number of fish for any tank is one inch per gallon. Right now you probably have that while the fish are still small. Yikes! This is probably why the tank is cloudy. Just too many fish in there. The plecostomus will get to be 6 to 12 inches depending on the type. The tetras all get to be 1.5 inches, the gourami gets 2 to 6 inches depending on the type, and the upside down cat will get 3 to 4 inches depending on the type. Water clearing products are really not going to help at this point. Your fish simply need a bigger tank. I would say a 20 gallon at least. Keep the air going too. It will help the fish get more oxygen while they are overcrowded. It also helps the beneficial bacteria grow better too.

Avoid cleaning the filter any more often than every month or so. Rinse the media in a container of tank water to clear it out if needed. Do not actually replace the foam insert unless it is literally falling apart. Every time it gets replaced you lose the most important part of your filter. The foam is where beneficial bacteria grows that consumes fish waste. A gentle rinse once in awhile is all that is needed. You can change the carbon insert if you want to, but since the tank is overcrowded you might need the extra bacteria colonies. It can be rinsed as well. Just keep in mind not to rinse the filter media at the same time you clean the tank. Wait a few days for the system to stabilize first.

The bleeding hearts may be getting picked on or ammonia and nitrite levels from overcrowding are burning their fins. Make frequent 25% water changes to keep these toxins down. Even two or three times a week until the crisis is over is fine to do.

Keep the fish food to a minimum too. Make sure you only give them what can be totally consumed in 5 minutes from everywhere in the tank. If the filter sucks it up, turn the filter off for a few minutes until they finish eating. It will really help keep the filter clean too.

Let me know if you need clarification or more info on anything. Followups are always welcome....

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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