Help w/ what's producing amonia in old tank I'm trying to get running again?
- Thread starter GolemGolem
- Start date
If you're worried it's the wood, take it out and see what happens. If it's old, there could be tons of old, dead bacteria on it that is leeching in and decaying. Boiling, vinegar, HO, etc. won't necessarily do anything to get them off, just kill them. The old sponges and such could be contributing to this as well (and would be my first guess for a culprit as they're getting pumped into the water rather than leeched). Good news is it will improve if that's what is happening.
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Been another week. Took the wood out a couple days ago. Still have persistently high ammonia levels, an occasional hit for nitrites that goes away inside 12hrs, but happily nitrates are climbing pretty steadily.
Zebra danios are loving life, even some spawning behaviors. Java fern is growing a new plantlet, the other plants are showing root growth...
Still googling and reading and thought maybe PH was the issue, thought it was weird I had a high PH at start, water has always been a little acidic and soft in years past, but I did put in a fair bit of limestone rocks. Got a sub 6 reading today and thought I'd double check so I shook the bottle an got a 7.6, broke out the high range and got a 8.8, and I've been able to get readings in the middle depending on how much I shake the test bottles and the angles I hold the bottles.
is that normal?
Zebra danios are loving life, even some spawning behaviors. Java fern is growing a new plantlet, the other plants are showing root growth...
Still googling and reading and thought maybe PH was the issue, thought it was weird I had a high PH at start, water has always been a little acidic and soft in years past, but I did put in a fair bit of limestone rocks. Got a sub 6 reading today and thought I'd double check so I shook the bottle an got a 7.6, broke out the high range and got a 8.8, and I've been able to get readings in the middle depending on how much I shake the test bottles and the angles I hold the bottles.
is that normal?
Great to hear that the Nitrate level is increasing. Keep doing what you're doing and don't overfeed. Also recommend using distilled water to rinse out test vials because regents can stain the vials resulting false readings of test.
RIght, I kept reading that, and do, shaking also seems to dramatically effect the PH tests as well. Residues from the ammonia tests would also be a reason for some of the stupid high readings I got. Thanks!
And done! All over but getting the off the charts nitrates down over the week, and then starting to stock this weekend.
Ph is staying around 6.2, taking a liking to the danios and I don't wanna catch em' all either. . .Thinking about a mess of rams, and maybe ordering a pair of apistos too now.
Ph is staying around 6.2, taking a liking to the danios and I don't wanna catch em' all either. . .Thinking about a mess of rams, and maybe ordering a pair of apistos too now.
I personally would do either the Rams or the Apistogramma but not both unless you're aquarium is large enough like in the video below.
https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...stock-a-72x18x16-aquarium.732060/post-8256168
That's a nice tank, mine is just a standard issue 75 that in a previous life did alright with a colony of smaller hybrid geophageous and a pair of angels, till an equipment malfunction. Thought it might still work, lots of plants and caves.
Pretty sure I'm getting 4-6 Bolivian rams, want to give the danios and plants a fighting chance, any suggestions for better 2-4" tank mates?
Pretty sure I'm getting 4-6 Bolivian rams, want to give the danios and plants a fighting chance, any suggestions for better 2-4" tank mates?
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