My Water Parameters are Bad

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yourockit

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 9, 2007
347
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Los Angeles
My ammonia is 1.0. or 2.0. and seems to be getting higher.
Nitrite is 0. Yes, zero!
My nitrates are 40.
water temp is 82.
ph is 6.8 or 7.0.
tank size 240 gallons.
clear bottom tank.
filtration: two fluvals with two baskets are half-filled with biorings and pre-fiter rings.
maybe I don't have enough bio-rings for bio-filtration to grow on?
it is strange that there is no nitrites but high ammonia and high nitrates. i guess the bacteria that changes ammonia to nitrites is no prolific enough, or htere is nto enough of the bacteria but enough of the bacteria that changes nirite to nitrate.

I have ordered some fluval nitrate remover. i am looking to buy some fluval ammonia remover. shoudl i buy more bio-rings? please help! my 12 caribas seem to be breathing very heavily. but i don't really know how heavily a fish is supposed to breath.

thanks.
 
i don't think that is possible. i just cannot change water that often. i'm too busy. what is the next solution?
 
How long have you had this tank running?
 
yourockit;1203492; said:
i don't think that is possible. i just cannot change water that often. i'm too busy. what is the next solution?
Click to expand...
You dont have time to look after them.. give them away :confused:

Seriously, your nitrates are fairly high, that says you need to do more water changes. That will help the ammonia problem in the short term. More filtration and less food will help in the long term.
Go and buy one of those Python water changer gadgets, if water changes are easier then you can do them more often.
If you get the basics right then you wont have these problems.

Cheers

Ian
 
I noticed it doesn't say anywhere what size tank your 12 caribas are in...I'm guessing you have a 360+ gallon aquarium? (going by 30 gallons per fish)

If not, that's part of your problem, that tank doesn't have enough space for all of those fish....it's being overloaded. Also, I agree with Ianab, if you don't have time to do water changes then you don't have time to have fish. Sorry. Not to sound mean or anything.

You can't just get a pet, and let it sit in it's yuck and filth because you don't have the time or energy to care for it properly. You do realize that'd be like you living in the sewers?

We've had to do waterchanges with 5 gallon buckets on a 75 gallon tank. And were on a pretty strict schedule between that and our other resposibilities.

There's no advice I can give you, that hasn't already been said. Except this, if you keep adding chemicals to your water, instead of keeping it clean, you're gonna end up losing your fish.

Hopefully you figure it out, and get it back down!!
 
My ammonia is 1.0. or 2.0. and seems to be getting higher.
Nitrite is 0. Yes, zero!
My nitrates are 40.
water temp is 82.
ph is 6.8 or 7.0.
Click to expand...

What kind of testing equipment and what PH did you start with? :(
 
If you can't do water change that often...do about 60% of water change once you do it. VEry important to do some vacuum gravel.

your temp are find
your ph are find

just keep doing water change. 12 caibe are a lot of wates and poop in the tank. a hug water change every week wold help.
 
Ianab;1203527; said:
You dont have time to look after them.. give them away :confused:

Seriously, your nitrates are fairly high, that says you need to do more water changes. That will help the ammonia problem in the short term. More filtration and less food will help in the long term.
Go and buy one of those Python water changer gadgets, if water changes are easier then you can do them more often.
If you get the basics right then you wont have these problems.

Cheers

Ian
Click to expand...

I am having ahell of time with water changes because I cannot find the adapter i need to hook up my python to my sink. So i have to awake at 4Am, when the apt. manager is asleep, to do a water change out my window. it freaking sucks.
 
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