This past week i have done about 150 gallons in water changes.. my Ammonia levels have been at 6 ppm and today i checked its down to 4 i bought a amminoa pad and put it into the fx5 i have running on my 210. i have 2 aro's 2 pbass and a alligator gar i feed about 2-3 times a week recently on market shrimp. i have been putting neutral reg in there no success on raising the ph although i know if that goes up the ammonia in the tank will harm the fish more than now. i also bought turbo start 2 bottles which treats up to 300 gallons no success really. Today i went and the LFS guy told me to wash out the filter with RO/ water with prime in it and i wanted input from you guys before i touched anything. i have bio balls running in each basket.
Ammonia / pH levels
- Thread starter aria
- Start date
Bio balls are near worthless in a canister. I recommend you get some bio max, you need three 500gram boxes to fill one basket of your FX5. Better buy some Bio spira or other bottled bacteria to help get your tank cycled.
When you do water changes do you use a water conditioner?
Ammonia and nitrite levels above .25ppm are very harmful to fish. The toxicity of the ammonia is lower in pH below 7.0 but still is toxic. Better do more W/Cs.
When you do water changes do you use a water conditioner?
Ammonia and nitrite levels above .25ppm are very harmful to fish. The toxicity of the ammonia is lower in pH below 7.0 but still is toxic. Better do more W/Cs.
I get RO from the LFS. i can go grab some of that stuff mentioned above but will it be fine just to remove the bio balls and exhange them? and also i bought bottled bacteria already up to 300 gallons worth i spent $50 
no success. I was told it could possibly be due to something decaying in the filter like food? idk but what do you suggest can i take out the filters and place them in some RO? to kinda rinse it i guess?
no success. I was told it could possibly be due to something decaying in the filter like food? idk but what do you suggest can i take out the filters and place them in some RO? to kinda rinse it i guess?The problem is your biological media. Bioballs work in a wet/dry set up because the expose the bacteria to large amounts of oxygen, even then you need a gallon of bio balls per 50g of tank volume under average stocking. The volume of you FX5 is 5.9 liters which equals a little over a gallon and a half. You bioballs are exposing the BB to very little oxygen and create a lot of bypass.
I would buy at least (3) 500g boxes of bio max and fill one basket of the FX5. The bioballs that you take out, put in the tank. There is BB on them and this will provide help, especially if you have alot of surface aggitation.
I would buy at least (3) 500g boxes of bio max and fill one basket of the FX5. The bioballs that you take out, put in the tank. There is BB on them and this will provide help, especially if you have alot of surface aggitation.
ok awesome man thanks so much im going to go to my LFS in like 10 minutes should i wait and see my water parameters before i spend a good amount of money on turbostart/water changes? ive done a buttload recently gravel vacumed every corner of the tank
Fritz turbo start 700 900 is 4 marine. its the only thing at my LFS http://www.fritzpet.com/turbo-start-700/
Bderick is right...replace the bioballs with a more suitable media, such as Ehfisubstrat Pro or Biomax. You can even use pumice granules from your local nursery if you want to save money.
You said something about getting "RO from the LFS". If you're using RO water, stop. RO water has a KH=0 and will allow your pH to drop like a rock.
Here's what I would do:
1. Replace the biofilter medium as Bderick advised.
2. Get rid of the Turbostart, pH regulator, bottled bacteria, etc.
3. Use tap water for wcs and dechlorinate with Seachem Prime or Amquel+. Use a 50% overage.
4. Get a bottle of Seachem Stability (shake well) and inoculate your tank according to instructions.
Continue to monitor water parameters, but you should be able to relax at this point. Do not perform any wcs for at least one week. Keep adding the Stability every day. Even though you will probably continue to get detectable (albeit low) ammonia and nitrite readings for a few days, the ammonia has been detoxified by binding with the Prime and should have no adverse effect upon your fish. If you wish, you can even spike your tank with additional Prime each day to detoxify the ammonia and nitrite...I'd use about 25% the recommended dose. When you see the emergence of a strong nitrate reading, your cycling is essentially complete. This will probably take 7-8 days. If you want to raise your pH, use sodium bicarbonate (baking SODA) fom the grocery store. Use sparingly....a lttle goes a long way.
You said something about getting "RO from the LFS". If you're using RO water, stop. RO water has a KH=0 and will allow your pH to drop like a rock.
Here's what I would do:
1. Replace the biofilter medium as Bderick advised.
2. Get rid of the Turbostart, pH regulator, bottled bacteria, etc.
3. Use tap water for wcs and dechlorinate with Seachem Prime or Amquel+. Use a 50% overage.
4. Get a bottle of Seachem Stability (shake well) and inoculate your tank according to instructions.
Continue to monitor water parameters, but you should be able to relax at this point. Do not perform any wcs for at least one week. Keep adding the Stability every day. Even though you will probably continue to get detectable (albeit low) ammonia and nitrite readings for a few days, the ammonia has been detoxified by binding with the Prime and should have no adverse effect upon your fish. If you wish, you can even spike your tank with additional Prime each day to detoxify the ammonia and nitrite...I'd use about 25% the recommended dose. When you see the emergence of a strong nitrate reading, your cycling is essentially complete. This will probably take 7-8 days. If you want to raise your pH, use sodium bicarbonate (baking SODA) fom the grocery store. Use sparingly....a lttle goes a long way.