ok i bumped the temp up and it is almost around 80 or so should i go a little higher? I have added salt to the water but am leary on adding more. I did like one tablespoon per 5 gallons and added about 8-9 depending on how much i could get to acutally go in the bottle i was mixing it up and disolving it in.
HELP! could have a problem need some quick help???
- Thread starter SoDakJeep
- Start date
when i was in NJ, my ammonia levels went up so high at one time, i used ammo-lock as advised by the "petsmart dude"...
it solved the ammonia problem but my nitrites skyrocketed as a result...caused me to lose a number of nice mbunas.
from what i understand, ammonia breaks down into nitrites so you probably need to be careful when using ammo-lock.
try putting some bottled bacteria in your tank/filter. i used SuperBac live nitrifying bacteria. or look into this http://web.archive.org/web/20070513080733/http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ML_biospira.asp
it solved the ammonia problem but my nitrites skyrocketed as a result...caused me to lose a number of nice mbunas.
from what i understand, ammonia breaks down into nitrites so you probably need to be careful when using ammo-lock.
try putting some bottled bacteria in your tank/filter. i used SuperBac live nitrifying bacteria. or look into this http://web.archive.org/web/20070513080733/http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ML_biospira.asp
WOW! just learned about this not to long ago here on this site.
Chloramines - If your tap water has ammonia your water company switched to the use of chloramines and chlorine to sanitize your tapwater. This will put ammonia into your tank everytime you change your water.It's something every aquarist in the US is gonna have to contend with sooner or later.
Your gonna need to call your WaterCo. and confirm the use of cholrimines then switch your tap water conditioner to include a chlorimne remover/bond breaker.
Obviously follow the instructions. Also............thanks Mike for these hot tips.
You have a Tetra water testing kit.............I now this kit well after the chlormines are removed test the water daily and follow the instrutions thru the nitrogen cycling process I believe it calls for no more than 20% water changes if the ammonia or nitrate levels are dangerously high.
Chloramines - If your tap water has ammonia your water company switched to the use of chloramines and chlorine to sanitize your tapwater. This will put ammonia into your tank everytime you change your water.It's something every aquarist in the US is gonna have to contend with sooner or later.
Your gonna need to call your WaterCo. and confirm the use of cholrimines then switch your tap water conditioner to include a chlorimne remover/bond breaker.
Obviously follow the instructions. Also............thanks Mike for these hot tips.
You have a Tetra water testing kit.............I now this kit well after the chlormines are removed test the water daily and follow the instrutions thru the nitrogen cycling process I believe it calls for no more than 20% water changes if the ammonia or nitrate levels are dangerously high.
Otherone;2858212; said:
Is there any form of bottled water that I can use??????? I really dont want to lose any fish. Also currently as it sits I have no carbon in the filters because I was told not to use it with the ick treatment. If I get carbon back will that take out the Nitrite/trates????
You should only have the carbon out for no more than 24 at a time with the ick treatment, bottled spring waters probably more expensive than the tap water conditioner.............carbon does neutralize some but nowhere near the levels tap water conditioners can. You need to get the ammonias out of the tapwater and the tank no way around it no quick fixes.
Hi.
Bottled water should be okay, as long as it isn't distilled. Distilled water doesn't have any minerals and a water change with it is not a good idea.
- More accurately stated... In many cases, tankwater is actually acidic, but the water has enough dissolved minerals, aka buffering capacity, to hold the pH at an acecptable level. A 50% water change with distilled water will significantly reduce the salinity and buffering capacity of the tank water. This can lead to a double-whammy on your fish. First, the salinity change will weaken the fish by disturbing their osmotic balance. Second, the pH shift will further weaken them.
Bottled water should be okay, as long as it isn't distilled. Distilled water doesn't have any minerals and a water change with it is not a good idea.
- More accurately stated... In many cases, tankwater is actually acidic, but the water has enough dissolved minerals, aka buffering capacity, to hold the pH at an acecptable level. A 50% water change with distilled water will significantly reduce the salinity and buffering capacity of the tank water. This can lead to a double-whammy on your fish. First, the salinity change will weaken the fish by disturbing their osmotic balance. Second, the pH shift will further weaken them.
I have been adding some conditionare that takes out or maybe locks the nitrates I will change the water when I get home tonight.
Also, here is a bit on the nitrogen cycle that will help explain what is going on as your tank cycles.
Ammonia (from fish waste and your tapwater) is in two forms, Ionized and UnIonized. Unionized ammonia is toxic (poisonous) to fish. You can keep most of your ammonia in the Ionized state by keeping the tank temperature and pH low, within limits. [1] In a biofilter, Ammonia is eaten by Nitrosomonas bacteria. They turn the ammonia into Nitrite. Nitrite is bad for fish because it makes it harder for the fish's gills to take up oxygen from the water. Adding a little bit of aquarium salt helps with this. [2] Back in the biofilter, a second bacteria called Nitrobacter eat the Nitrite and convert it into Nitrate. Nitrate is generally safe for fish within reasonable limits. Nitrate can be removed by specialized filters, chemically, with plants, or by water changes.
The process of establishing these bacteria in your tank and biofilter is called Cycling. At a pH of 7.5 it takes 10-12 days for Nitrosomonas to fully colonize a biofilter. AFTER the tank has begun producing Nitrite, around day 8 or so, the Nitrobacter start to grow. They can take ~20-30 days or so to fully populate the biofilter. [3]
Does this mean you have to leave your tank empty (or with feeder guppies) for a month? No. You just have to use Chemical filtration (activated carbon or nitro-zorb) while waiting for the bacteria to establish. A temporary Activated carbon or Nitro zorb filter will keep your fish alive while the tank cycles.
In your original post, you mentioned that you were treating for Ich. Depending on what medication you used, you may have killed off the bacteria in the biofilter too. If that is the case then the cycling process starts over.
Good luck,
Ellie
[1] Ammonia Toxicity in freshwater fish.
[2] For Tilapia in Aquaponics, you can go as high as 3ppt. Tilapia are pretty much indestructable, so do some research first.
[3] Recirculating Tank Aquaculture Production Systems PDF the chart showing Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels over time is on page 5.
Ammonia (from fish waste and your tapwater) is in two forms, Ionized and UnIonized. Unionized ammonia is toxic (poisonous) to fish. You can keep most of your ammonia in the Ionized state by keeping the tank temperature and pH low, within limits. [1] In a biofilter, Ammonia is eaten by Nitrosomonas bacteria. They turn the ammonia into Nitrite. Nitrite is bad for fish because it makes it harder for the fish's gills to take up oxygen from the water. Adding a little bit of aquarium salt helps with this. [2] Back in the biofilter, a second bacteria called Nitrobacter eat the Nitrite and convert it into Nitrate. Nitrate is generally safe for fish within reasonable limits. Nitrate can be removed by specialized filters, chemically, with plants, or by water changes.
The process of establishing these bacteria in your tank and biofilter is called Cycling. At a pH of 7.5 it takes 10-12 days for Nitrosomonas to fully colonize a biofilter. AFTER the tank has begun producing Nitrite, around day 8 or so, the Nitrobacter start to grow. They can take ~20-30 days or so to fully populate the biofilter. [3]
Does this mean you have to leave your tank empty (or with feeder guppies) for a month? No. You just have to use Chemical filtration (activated carbon or nitro-zorb) while waiting for the bacteria to establish. A temporary Activated carbon or Nitro zorb filter will keep your fish alive while the tank cycles.
In your original post, you mentioned that you were treating for Ich. Depending on what medication you used, you may have killed off the bacteria in the biofilter too. If that is the case then the cycling process starts over.
Good luck,
Ellie
[1] Ammonia Toxicity in freshwater fish.
[2] For Tilapia in Aquaponics, you can go as high as 3ppt. Tilapia are pretty much indestructable, so do some research first.
[3] Recirculating Tank Aquaculture Production Systems PDF the chart showing Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels over time is on page 5.
