Cannot get Ammonia to ZERO!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
CrystaliZed;5136303; said:
^ Ok... that makes sense... I guess I don't understand why you would have to pay a ton for chemicals to make RO water safe if its in its purest form?! I do understand tho how regular tap water would have minerals 'n' such in it needed for fish... I guess I've always used tap water in the past, but then again, I've never really gone a long stretch w/o a fish dying... :(

Are you suggesting maybe we just do 1/2 RO in the 180?

Anyway of getting the BB growing quicker for this 180 so I can get my remaining fish moved as soon as possible? Like I said before, I really don't have enuf BB from the 55 yet to put into the 180 since I'm still having issues w/ the 55... :(
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You have to pay because it too pure, and you have to add buffering and trace minerals back to the water.


edit: Doning my Flame suit for this.

I would not put any fish in the 180 until its cycled, I would also not put any of the fish you think have an infection in there until they are healthy. IMHO its better to let it run its course in the 55 Gallon, and do all you can do to make that tank work. I feel it would be better for them to all Die in the 55 gallon then to move them to the 180 and have the same problem there but this time on a bigger tank.
As far as getting the 180 going as fast as possible. You can do fishless cycling which is the fastest way to do a traditonal cycle, and add what ever you can spare from the other tank into this one to help seed the bio media.

Other people will tell you to use those instant cycling products, I have not had good luck with them so I wont recommend them. However that is not to say they don't work, only that I have not had good success rate, where as others say they have.
 
CrystaliZed;5136265; said:
Hmmm... interesting... this is odd... I have everyone swearing up & down that RO water is the best... I have people at the fish stores telling me that's all they use, then I have people telling me tap is the best... I have no idea what to do... tomorrow we were gonna get RO water for the 180 but now I'm not sure what to do...

I guess I don't have even enuf biomedia in my current 55 to even start putting into the 180... just not sure what to do from here...
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Osmosis is simple really. Water will seek out minerals (salt) and travel through a fishes body, plant, anything with a permeable membrane. A salt water fish, the water it swims in is saltier than the fishes body so water is always leaving the fish and it needs to intake (drink) water to keep from dehydrating. Fresh water fish the water is always entering the fishes body and it needs to expel the extra water. Pure RO water has no minerals and slams into the fishes body. Soak a wilted celery stick in RO water and then drop it into some salt water. You will see what I mean. Sometimes after mowing the lawn here in Phoenix my body is asking for an ice cold beer with a little salt not a glass of RO water…….. Maybe that’s a bad example :D Pure water just like pure oxygen can be bad for you in large quantities. Can you tell I work in a chemical plant :D

Saltwater guys sometimes do start out with RO water and then they add the salt, and it's ocean salt, with all kinds of other stuff in it. That might be where the information got messed up.

Osmosis.jpg
 
Ok, thanks guys, I really appreciate it...

I have had good luck w/ the Tetra SafeStart in past tanks so we did get some of that but have yet to use it as it was for the 180 but then we got back tracked w/ this problem in the 55...

Maybe since I have the BB pulled from the 55 now while it's medicating, I can put it in the filter of the 180 to get that one going?
 
Hello; This may be a way to start a culture of beneficial bacteria. I have for a number of years tossed some floating plants and a handfull of ramshorn snails from an established tank. I do this the first day that a new tank is set up with filter and light working. A week or so later I add one or two small fish and let them stay a few days before adding more fish a few at a time.

I have come to suspect that the plants and snails from an established tank have beneficial bacteria (bb) on them and that the live snails produce metabolic waste which will feed the bacteria and get the colony of bb going in the new tank.
 
Yes... were still having issues with the 180 so their will be no fish going in it anytime soon...

skj - is their any plants you suggest that are good for this that won't mess w/ putting fish in eventually?
 
How good is your chemistry? :D

Chloramines, or NH2Cl, is prepared by the chemical reaction between ammonia and hypochlorous acid under mildly alkaline conditions:
NH3 + HOCl → NH2Cl + H2O

Since both Nessler and salicylate tests are run at a pH of greater than 12, they measure as ammonia any substance which can generate ammonia or primary amine groups at high pH, including ammonia complexed to ammonia removing conditioners. The salicylate tests rely on the reaction of ammonia with hypochlorite or chlorine, and, consequently, any aquarium product capable of removing chlorine (dechlorinators and bisulfite based ammonia condition- ers) can be expected to interfere with color development, even when ammonia is present.
 
Aclockworkorange - wow... I have no idea... You just threw some 'rocket science' at me - lol! Anyway to easily find this out and what are we lookin for?
 
Hello; I happen to have been able to keep a stock of hornwort going for a number of years. It does well as a free floating plant and is easily removed. The long strands can be broken off to create new bunches. I keep some in all my tanks.

I am not trying to indicate that hornwort is the only or best non-rooted plant you can use. I have kept a number of plants over the years. Perhaps the best way to say it is that the hornwort has endured for me.

It can be removed by hand for cleaning a tank or catching fish.

If you do not like the ramshorn snails, there are some varities that are reported not to reproduce in freshwater. Probably will miss spell, but niterite is as close as I can get. I will repost with the correct spelling when i have it. I have not used them myself.

I also keep the malaysian trumpet snails in my planted tanks. They are live bearers. They plow thru the gravel at some depth. They are prolific breeders and will produce large numbers if you overfeed. I feel that they are beneficial for my rooted plants. They also take care of excess food that finds its way into the spaces in the gravel. They are likely almost impossible to get rid of. I have taken down a tank and put the gravel in a bucket to find live snails still in the gravel weeks or months later.

I did have a bucket of mixed gravel that dried out completely over ten years or so and all the snails were dead. I cleaned the gravel and it is in use today.
 
I appreciate everyones input.

My last Bala died around 6 am this morning.

I'm down to just my Catfish and Cichlid now.
Still medicating to make sure I get rid of whatever was in there killing them.
The cat seems to be a bit bothered by the medication as he likes to itch himself a lot and lay in the aeration. The cichlid tho, is completely unphased by all of this. Just 2 fish in this 55 now.

We're still workin on the 180 but at a slower pace b/c as of now we have no stock for it which I guess is a good thing...
 
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