HELP!!!! MY WATER PARAMS ARE CRAZY!

[12 Volt Man]

Detectable levels of nitrite and ammonia up to .25 ppm is common on many tanks

but only on tanks with a problem.

on an established, cycled tank, these levels should be undetectable with normal test kits.

the ammonia and nitrite should be oxidized virtually as quickly as its being produced..

We know there is a problem, and the imediate short term solution is water changes and salt.

we will work out what happened after we save the fish

right now, time is of the up most importance!



Can we get an update on the tank and water parameters?

How are the fish doing?

 

[hurricane_redbone]

3ok so today i did another param test and this is what ive got

pH 6.5 (i usuLLY Hve it at 7)
Nh3/Nh4 = .25 milligrams per liter
NO3 = 100 milligrams/ per liter
NO2 = 8mg/liter

i thinkt hose r the measurements...
i know those r the numbers
either way.. the Nh3 and Nh4 should be 0
NO3 should be below 50
and No2 should be 3 mg/l or lower

I think the reason for the spike might be because i removed a lot of my plants to free up more space as my fish are growing fast.

the fish in there are oscars and polypteruses
3 oscars r 7-8 inches
2 endlis are 8-9 inches
senegal is 8 inches

 

[12 Volt Man]

the NO2 level should be zero, not below 3mg/L.

you have a lot of big fish.

now that you are on a water change schedule to bring things back around, we need to know the answers to some of the questions posted earlier.

eg what size tank?

what filtration

how often do you water changes etc?

how often do yo feed etc.

you have a lot of big messy fish and tanks like this require constant and regular maintenence.

trust me. my fish are all way too big too! LOL

 

[hurricane_redbone]

the NO2 level should be zero, not below 3mg/L.

you have a lot of big fish.

now that you are on a water change schedule to bring things back around, we need to know the answers to some of the questions posted earlier.

eg what size tank?

what filtration

how often do you water changes etc?

how often do yo feed etc.

you have a lot of big messy fish and tanks like this require constant and regular maintenence.

trust me. my fish are all way too big too! LOL

ok well right now the tank is over stocked... its a 55... but in a month n a half the 310 gal will be done
i have eheim canister that pumps 1200l an hour so that like 6 turnovetrs
i do like25-30% water change 2 times a week
i feed the oscars small amounts of pellets every day
and the others get smelt every other day
but the oscars usually get a hold of one or two that they can swallow so they spit it out n eat it again leaving quite a mess

the fish r fine.. they dont seem to be too bothered by the params but thats also cuz they r pretty resilient fish

 

[WyldFya]

but only on tanks with a problem.

on an established, cycled tank, these levels should be undetectable with normal test kits.

the ammonia and nitrite should be oxidized virtually as quickly as its being produced..

We know there is a problem, and the imediate short term solution is water changes and salt.

we will work out what happened after we save the fish

right now, time is of the up most importance!



Can we get an update on the tank and water parameters?

How are the fish doing?

.25 is commonly seen in tanks that are established and cycled.

I would highly recommend against several large water changes. That will be too extreme. For the next 7 days do 15-20% water changes.

These questions are extremely important. Based on the data you gave us, I'd say it is safe to say, either you haven't gravel vac'd the tank in the last couple months, or your filters haven't been cleaned in several months. Removing the plants is a large portion of why the nitrites are high, which will work itself out. If you want to speed the process, add a bottle of bio-spira. The low pH is either a sign of excessive detritus build up, or excessive amounts of wood.

The first question asked by everyone should be... What are your exact parameters?

A few questions beyond that, that I have, are:

1) What type of filtration are you running?
2) How many gallons is the tank?
3) How often do you rinse your filter medias?
4) What types of fish are in the tank?
5) How big are they?
6) What is your monthly water change regime?
7) Do you gravel vac during your water changes?

 

[12 Volt Man]

.25 is commonly seen in tanks that are established and cycled.

no it isn't.

if your tank has readable levels of ammonia or nitrite it is not stable or not fully cycled.

it means your bacteria are not keeping up with the bioload for whatever reason.

Readable nitrite is NOT normal in established tanks, and is cause for concern.

I don't want to start a war, but the facts are that saying that readable nitrite is normal and common in 'established" aquariums is sending the wrong message.

you have no idea how many water tests I did looking after 240 tanks a a large LFS where I used to work for 8 years. Also of course, with testing customers tanks too.

trust me. Its not normal

It should be undetectable with our common test kits.

 

[hurricane_redbone]

I gravel vac daily...
i havent cleaned my filter media in a while but ive always been told not to clean it much because then u get rid of the bacteria...

 

[WyldFya]

Cleaning the filter involves rinsing the bio media in the tank, and the mechanical media in water that is not in your tank. Don't wash your media's with chlorinated water.

 

[WyldFya]

no it isn't.

if your tank has readable levels of ammonia or nitrite it is not stable or not fully cycled.

it means your bacteria are not keeping up with the bioload for whatever reason.

Readable nitrite is NOT normal in established tanks, and is cause for concern.

I don't want to start a war, but the facts are that saying that readable nitrite is normal and common in 'established" aquariums is sending the wrong message.

you have no idea how many water tests I did looking after 240 tanks a a large LFS where I used to work for 8 years. Also of course, with testing customers tanks too.

trust me. Its not normal

It should be undetectable with our common test kits.

Detectable levels of nitrite and ammonia are commonly seen. I have worked at several aquarium shops ranging from small private to corporate. I have worked with 1000s of customer tanks, hundreds of friends tanks, and all of my tanks. With the standard filtration provided from most fish stores, it is not enough filtration. .25 or less is often seen, and is only a sign that the filtration media can't keep up. In tanks with proper filtration, that is where you need to worry when ammonia and nitrite start to show up. But it is by no mean uncommon.

 

[12 Volt Man]

try cleaning your filter more often.

with big messy fish, you may have to service your filters bi-weekly, or even weekly.

even with a big canister. I have a rena XP3 and an AquaClear 110 on my 90 with giant (18 inch) barbs (see my pics thread on the photo lounge) and I service my rena every other week and the aquaclear weekly (it gets clogged by that point)

don't worry - you won't take out the bacteria by cleaning the filter unless you let your media soak in chlorinated water for a long time. A quick rinse in tank water or tap water is fine. Chlorine takes a long time to disinfect, so a quick rinse in even tap water will not hurt your biofilter.

remember that with fiilters, the fish waste is still in the system. With big messy fish, not servicing your filter regularly can create a a lot of nitrate in the tank as the wastes sitting in the filter are being broken down.

regular maintenance is important.