I've made a couple of posts about issues I have been having with my tank. Here is the background:
I, not knowing any better, changed my filter media. This caused my tank (which is well established at over a year old, and has always been healthy) to start cycling. I realized I had an issue because of my pleco's behavior, and from some searching, I found you guys. I was advised to do a 50% water change immediately and one the next day, and to get a good test kit (liquid reagents, not strips).
I did a 50% water change immediately (Tuesday night), bought a test kit on my lunch break Wednesday, and tested when I got home from work. I found that ammonia was off the charts high (nitrate and nitrite were also high, but not as crazy as the ammonia) and the pH was a little low at 6.4.
I took a water sample to my LFS on Wednesday evening and they tested the ammonia too, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke or a bad test or something. They got the same crazy-high reading that I did. I bought some cycle from them. Went home and did another 50% water change and added the cycle.
Thursday (yesterday evening) ammonia was still very high. I did another 50% water change and added more cycle. I tested the ammonia again a couple of hours later. It was still high!
What the heck is going ON? Is there anything else I can do to get the level down, or do I need to just keep on keepin' on? I am going to move to a 29 gallon tank this weekend - I guess that's the equivilent of a 65% water change, basically, with all of the new water I will add, and hopefully it will help to cut down on the waste factor.
Any advice on other things I should be doing? I am trying to avoid using Ammo-lock, but I am starting to think I might have to.
I, not knowing any better, changed my filter media. This caused my tank (which is well established at over a year old, and has always been healthy) to start cycling. I realized I had an issue because of my pleco's behavior, and from some searching, I found you guys. I was advised to do a 50% water change immediately and one the next day, and to get a good test kit (liquid reagents, not strips).
I did a 50% water change immediately (Tuesday night), bought a test kit on my lunch break Wednesday, and tested when I got home from work. I found that ammonia was off the charts high (nitrate and nitrite were also high, but not as crazy as the ammonia) and the pH was a little low at 6.4.
I took a water sample to my LFS on Wednesday evening and they tested the ammonia too, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke or a bad test or something. They got the same crazy-high reading that I did. I bought some cycle from them. Went home and did another 50% water change and added the cycle.
Thursday (yesterday evening) ammonia was still very high. I did another 50% water change and added more cycle. I tested the ammonia again a couple of hours later. It was still high!
What the heck is going ON? Is there anything else I can do to get the level down, or do I need to just keep on keepin' on? I am going to move to a 29 gallon tank this weekend - I guess that's the equivilent of a 65% water change, basically, with all of the new water I will add, and hopefully it will help to cut down on the waste factor.
Any advice on other things I should be doing? I am trying to avoid using Ammo-lock, but I am starting to think I might have to.
