Hi I’ve had this tank for almost 2 months and I had 2 6 inch oscars in it. They really got aggressive towards each other so I did the right thing and brought them back. I ended up getting 2 baby oscars about 1-1.5 inches big 2 fire mouth cichlids (about the same size) and a baby polypterus bichir. I do 50 % water changes 2 times a week and add prime concentrated conditioner and the big als bio support. About 5 days ago I changed the carbon out of my filter for a new one and rinsed my mechanical filtration on the same day as my water change, could this have caused a re cycle? And what’s the fastest way to fix this because I have done 3 water changes on the tank in the past 5 days and the levels haven’t dropped.
Hi my 120 gallon tank has a nitrite spike
- Thread starter Adrianog17
- Start date
Removing the carbon reduced your bacteria population. This means that your biological filtration is not enough without the carbon.
1) Increase your biological media/filtration
2) You need to do larger water changes in a day, and add 1 teaspoon of dissolved salt per 5 gallons to protect against nitrite poisoning everyday.
1) Increase your biological media/filtration
2) You need to do larger water changes in a day, and add 1 teaspoon of dissolved salt per 5 gallons to protect against nitrite poisoning everyday.
To be honest you don't really need carbon in your filter. As those oscars grow you'll have quite a bio load in that tank. It's probably wiser to replace the carbon with bio media in preperation for the bio load onslaught that's just around the corner.
For now though, follow the advice from
Rocksor
. The salt will prevent the nitrite getting into the gills which, if it does, hinders the absorption of oxygen, which tends to end bad for the fish. Your BB levels should be back up to speed reasonably soon and your parameters will settle down again.
For now though, follow the advice from
Rocksor
. The salt will prevent the nitrite getting into the gills which, if it does, hinders the absorption of oxygen, which tends to end bad for the fish. Your BB levels should be back up to speed reasonably soon and your parameters will settle down again.Thanks guys I’m gonna go out and get some salt today! I’m currently using a cascade 1000 with fluval mechanical filter rocks with a course sponge , followed by fluval bio man and filter floss then the carbon sack on top with 2 filter floss sheets.
How should I set it up instead
How should I set it up instead
And any recommendations for a more suitable filter for my tank size it was a upgrade so I am using the cascade canister and a power filter rn
Buy a filter or 2, where the rated total tank size is for 240g. Those oscars will put more strain on that cascade.
Ya I had it set up on a 55 when I had 1 Oscar and didn’t have the funds for a fluval fx4 so I had to use the cascade to save up
You can keep the cascade and the fx4 on the 120g. These filters should be enough biological media space for your current stocking as they reach adulthood.
Just don't use carbon, unless you are removing medication from the tank. That extra space it takes up can be used by biological media.
Just don't use carbon, unless you are removing medication from the tank. That extra space it takes up can be used by biological media.