Kordon Questions and Answers - Updated January 28, 2000
Question #1: What causes cloudy water in an aquarium
and how can I get rid of it?
Answer: Cloudy water can be from many causes -- but
usually it is from particles floating in the water requiring mechanical
filtration. Or, it is from free-swimming white bacteria that come
in to the aquarium through air contact or from living or dead
organic materials in the aquarium. These bacteria are eating organic
matter in the aquarium and rapidly reproduce.The bacteria population
makes the water cloudy white. The bacteria can be killed by using
an antibiotic that kills gram positive bacteria, such as erythromycin
and can be removed by effective filtration. But you will still
need to find the cause for having the bacteria and getting rid
of it. The mechanical filtration can be aided by good quality
activated carbon in the filter and from surface charged ceramic
filter materials, such as Kordon's Bio Mech®. Cloudy water often happens in new
aquarium and pond start ups, because excess organics may be present
in the water. A good practice is to be sure there is plenty of
aeration from the start so that the fish receive ample oxygen.
Bacterial blooms in the water consume a lot of oxygen and can
deprive other aquatic life including fishes of the oxygen they
need to survive.
Question #2: I hear about using test kits to check the water in aquariums and ponds when they are started but am confused about which ones are needed and what the results mean when I make the tests.
Answer: The essential water tests for the aquarium or pond when it is first set up are pH/acidity/alkalinity (for fresh water preferably the range of 6.5-7.5 pH, for salt water 7.5-8.5 pH) and Ammonia (preferably the Salycilate Ammonia test kit measuring about 0-1.0 mgL [ppm]). After one week -- testing should be started for Nitrite (0-1.0 mgL), and after three weeks -- testing should be started for Nitrate (preferably 0-50 mgL ,Nitrate LR, for salt water and delicate freshwater life, and 50-175 mgL ,Nitrate HR, for typical fresh water conditions), and again it becomes essential to test for pH. All of these tests are vital for monitoring the "nitrogen cycle" in new aquarium and pond start ups. Regular testing of pH is important because it is the one test that gives information about a number of factors happening in the water. For examples, if the pH is going down it means the water is becoming more acidic, which can kill aquatic life. If the pH is going up, it is becoming more alkaline which may be too harsh for freshwater aquatic life that only tolerates a median ( 7) pH. If the pH drops below 3-4 the beneficial bacteria in the water will go dormant or die, stopping the consumption of toxic nitrogen compounds by the bacteria. For more information on what the test results mean for all the tests see the sections on water quality and test kits in the Kordon product information section.
Question #3: Your Kordon AmQuel product says that a test kit using nessler reagents will register false ammonia test-kit readings when AmQuel is used to condition the water. And that instead a salycilate test kit should be used. How do I tell whether my test kit is nessler or salicylate when it doesn't say which it is on the box or in the instructions?
Answer: If the color chart for the ammonia test kit is in shades of amber it is a nessler test kit. If the color chart reads shades of yellow to green and may also read into shades of blue, then it is a salicylate test kit which is the one to use with Kordon's AmQuel.
For your information the salicylate test kit is the preferred kit for aquarium and pond keeping because it reads the low end of the range 0-1.0 approx. ppm (mgL). Even a small amount of ammonia less than 1.0 is toxic to aquarium and pond fishes. It is very important to read this low range. The nesslers kit reads in a range up to 9 or 10 ppm (mgL). It was originally developed for live sea food, such as lobsters, crab and shrimp, and mollusks, for which readings of several and more ppm (mgL) of ammonia are important in their survival. If you want further information about test kits and water quality, in our web site www.novalek.com, click on Kordon, Product Data Sheets, and in the section on aquarium test kits you have lots of information, including about nessler and salicylate test kits.
Question #4: Why do some manufacturers put expiration dates for the reagents in the Water Quality Test Kits, when others do not? Isn't it that those reagents with no dates are longer lasting?
Answer: All reagents for any water quality test kit start to degrade after time, the reagents for some tests starting sooner and degrading faster than others. There is also a wide spread difference between the qualities of reagents between manufacturers, ranging from the inexpensive cheapest quality to the expensive scientific grade meeting high international standards. The degradation of reagents can be slowed by keeping the reagents cool, and in the case of powdered or dry tablet reagents to keep them dry in a low humidity environment. Those manufacturers not putting expiration dates on their reagents are ignoring this problem, which we believe is a disservice to the user. Another problem is the time between manufacture and placement in the market. Several leading brands are imported from Europe, resulting in a longer time for their products between manufacture and marketer... and are not dated. Kordon's reagents are all dated with "Best Used Before" dating. All Kordon Reagents that are out of date can be returned to Kordon to be replaced free with fresh reagents. Kordon Reagents are all made in scientific laboratories in the U.S.and meet the high international standards of quality. For further information see the Kordon product data sheets on Aquarium Test Kits.
Question #5: I have trouble understanding how to treat aquarium (or pond) fishes for fish diseases. What books should I use to help me on this?
Answer: The Aquatic Remedies Committee of APPMA (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association) recommends the following excellent books: The Science of Fish Health Management (Aquariology Master Volume), by Dr. John B. Gratzek, Tetra Press item No. 16855, Morris Plains, NJ 07950, publ. 1992. Fish Medicine, by Dr. Michael K. Stoskopf, W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, PA 19106, publ. 1993. Fish Disease Diagnosis and Treatment, by Dr. Edward J. Noga, Mosby-Year Book, Inc., St. Louis, MO, publ. 1996. Textbook of Fish Health, by Dr. George Post, TFH Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ 07753, publ. 1987. Handbook of Fish Diseases by Dieter Untergasser, TFH Publications, Neptune City, NJ 07753, publ. 1989. Aquaculture for Veterinarians: Fish Husbandry and Medicine, edited by Lydia Brown, Pergamon Press, Tarrytown, NY 10591, publ. 1993.
Question #6: Does Kordon's NovAqua contain bacteria that remove nitrate from the water ?
Answer: NovAqua does not contain any bacteria and does not remove nitrogen compounds such as nitrate. See the NovAqua product data sheet for further information. It is a common misunderstanding in aquaristics that nitrate is harmful to fishes. In fact it is mostly harmless. However, it is a good indicator of other nitrogen compounds being present that are harmful. The higher the nitrate level in the aquarium water, the more there are other compounds present that are harmful to fishes. The only way to measure these compounds is by using a nitrate test kit and getting the answer second hand. See the sections on water test kits and the nitrogen cycle for further information.
Question #7: Does NovAqua remove chloramines from the water?
Answer: First, an explanation about chloramines. Municipal and other water suppliers need to kill bacteria and viruses in their water supplies. This is especially so in municipal waters systems that are older and have corroded piping systems.These older systems provide many nooks and crannies in which harmful bacteria and viruses congregate. One way to kill these potential pathogens is by adding toxic chemicals to the water that kill bacteria and viruses but are safe for humans to drink. One group of chemicals used is the chloramines, which are made up of chlorine and ammonia. These combine together to provide a compound more toxic than if used separately. Chloramines are lethal to fishes and other aquatic life. Now for the answer to the question: NovAqua breaks the bond between chlorine and ammonia, keeping them separate in the water and thereby much less toxic to fishes and aquatic life than when the chemicals were joined together. NovAqua then removes the chlorine instantly, leaving the ammonia as a less toxic chemical in the water. Ammonia needs to be removed from the water by Kordon's AmQuel, which eradicates it within several minutes, or it needs to be removed by aquatic bacteria over days or longer, consuming the ammonia as part of the nitrogen cycle .
Question #8: I have an old Kordon Mod-Four canister filter. It still works great, but it is starting to get noisy. Where do I oil it and what maintenance is recommended? The manual is long gone.
Answer: Kordon has not made the Mod-Four for over 20 years. It was ahead of its time and was not kept in production. Nevertheless, information on the Mod-Four, including its manual and parts list is available on this website (Mod-Four Filters), and repairs and some parts are available directly from Kordon. A note of warning: The Mod-Four uses a special synthetic oil that does not mix with the usual machine oils (Kordon has the oil available).
Question #9: How toxic is Kordon's RidIch+ medication to fishes and aquatic invertebrates? Is there a difference in its action in fresh and salt water?
There is a great difference in strength and efficacy between the various treatments for aquarium fish on the market. All Kordon treatments are full strength and professional grade. Therefore, they should not be overdosed unless you know what you are doing. There are two general groups of treatments for diseases of aquarium fish - the antibiotics (see AquaVet) for bacterial infections for which it is essential to reach a threshold of treatment, and the chemicals for treating protozoans and multicellular organisms. The chemicals themselves can be toxic to some fishes and many aquatic invertebrates, particularly if over treated or the fishes to be treated are in poor physical shape. Therefore, care needs to be taken in using RidIch+, and it is recommended to read the product data sheets for RidIch+ and the Ich Life Cycle. RidIch+ works equally well in fresh and salt water and does not require differences in the way it is used.
Question #10: How do I get rid of an infection of black spots on fishes?
Answer: The medication of choice is Kordon's Trifon, containing trichlorfon. Many kinds of fishes may be found to have tiny black spots the size of a pinhead up to 1 mm in diameter on various parts of their body, such as in their skin on the head and body, inside their mouth, on their gill arches, and on their fins. The black spots are caused by the adult cercaria life stage of parasitic flukes, which are digenetic trematode worms, occurring when the mature female penetrates the skin of the host fish and lays or secretes thin flexible egg sacs called cysts. These cysts become surrounded by the fish's skin tissue. The black spots are caused by the development of the metacercaria life stage of the flukes in the cysts which accumulate black pigment cells (melanophores) around them. The metacercaria hatch out into free-swimming young. In those trematodes with the simplest life history, the young mature, the sexes copulate, and the female lays her eggs in the fish's skin. In most of the marine aquarium fishes with black spot disease, there has to be an intermediary host, such as a particular species of mollusk. Most cases of marine aquarium fishes having black spot disease have been wild caught within the previous month or two and are bringing the infection into the aquarium. Crowded aquarium conditions with resultant stress in the fishes aid in the transmission of the parasite. For treatment procedures see the Kordon Product Data Sheet for Trifon.
Question #11: What is the difference between Kordon's AmQuel and NovAqua, or are they the same?
Answer: The only function that the two products share is their ability remove chlorine from the water. Otherwise they are quite different, and each performs a different set of tasks very important in setting up and maintaining aquariums and ponds. See the product data sheets for NovAqua and AmQuel for further information.
Question #12: Is it all right to use two or more medications at the same time in treating an aquarium or pond?
Answer: No. The use of two or more medications at the same time is extremely stressful or potentially lethal to many fishes. It is often true that when fish are ill, they can have several different kinds of infections. For example, a primary infection of one pathogen can weaken the resistance of the fish to other pathogens. Even so, it is best to determine what is the primary infection and treat it first. It is possible that the fish, after overcoming the first infection, has also built up a resistance to other infections, and returns to being healthy. If not, after the first infection is resolved, then use a medication for the next most important infection, and so on until the fish is healthy again. The quality of water conditions and environment is an essential factor in the fish overcoming diseases. Be sure that all has been done to maintain optimum conditions in this regard. When fish become sick, they often refuse to feed. Therefore, be sure not to overfeed, which will rapidly degrade water conditions. Special effort should be made to ensure that the food offered is appropriate to the fishes diet and of the best quality available. . Whenever possible, use a "hospital tank" to treat sick fishes until they are fully recovered and will not pass on pathogens to other fish. This recommendation is all too often ignored, causing serious problems in community aquariums and ponds.
Question #13: How do I order Kordon and Oasis products when I can't find them in the local stores and can't get the dealer to order the products for me?
Answer: You can contact Kordon and Oasis (tel 800 877-7387
toll free, or 510 782-4058, or fax 510 784-0945, or e-mail: info@novalek.com
) and we will try to help you, including providing products at
regular retail prices, plus shipping charges. Kordon and Oasis
have seasonal Special Offers on this web site which are worth
checking out. Many Kordon and Oasis products are provided by stores
on the Internet, such as:
www.petplanet.com
www.petopia.com
www.pets.com
www.petsupplies.com
Also, you can contact the mail-order pet supplies catalogers,
such as:
for Kordon--
Pet Warehouse
www.petwhse.com, tel (800) 443-1160, e-mail
service@petwhse.com
for Oasis
Doctors Foster & Smith
www.drsfostersmith.com, tel (800) 826-7206
Pet Warehouse
www.petwhse.com, tel (800) 443-1160, e-mail
service@petwhse.com
R.C. Steele
1989 Transit Way, Box 910, Brockport, NY 14420-0910
tel (800) 872-3773
For Dealers wanting a mail-order wholesale distributor for
Kordon and Oasis products:
Direct To You Wholesale Pet Supplies
tel (877) 389-9475
[The compete list of products is at Kordon Product List and Oasis product List. Those with appropriate Internet sites, and Dealers and Catalogers who are handling mail orders including Kordon and Oasis products should contact Novalek at info@novalek.com to be listed here on the Novalek website.]
Question #14: Does Kordon's NovAqua contain aloe vera?
Answer: Aloe vera is a popular hand lotion for humans. There is no published scientific evidence that we can find that it has any effect in water on fishes and other aquatic life. It is not recommended in any of the technical books on aquaculture that we have seen, and we follow the scientific/technical literature in this field extensively and world wide.
Question #15: I heard that there is a Kordon product that is used by some federal and state government agencies for handling and shipping fishes. What is it?
It is Kordon's PolyAqua water conditioner. For further information about this product see the PolyAqua product data sheet.
Robert Rofen, PhD,
Ed Huff, R&D,
Novalek, Inc., 2242 Davis Ct.,
Hayward, CA 94545 U.S.A.
tel 510-782-4058 - fax 510 784-0945
e-mail: info@novalek.com