any aquarists here? I need some help...

[deranged chipmunk]

10 is an 'acceptable' number. I try to keep my tanks at 10ppm or below for nitrates, they just never stay that low because of how heavily I dose fertilizers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bolisnide]

Okay, I'm going to be super annoying. I just came home with a real freshwater testing kit, here's what I got: ammonia 2.0, nitrite 10!, nitrate 80!.
im going to do another water change... Is that ok? I did only 25% this morning. Should I do another 25% or do 50%?

[deranged chipmunk]

Another water change is ok. You're going to have a lot in your future until you get those numbers down.

I guess you're learning how bad those strips are now, huh? Inaccurate is an understatement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bolisnide]

yes, no more strips. Surprisingly inaccurate.
Tested again this morning, and ammonia is almost zero, nitrate is going down and I'm at about a 20. Nitrite is still pretty high, but looks like it is going down too.
I've pulled out all of the dissolving plant leaves too.
What is very strange is I've never experienced this white cloudiness, and it's leaving a slime on all of the walls and ornaments, and my plant leaves. It's like a white slime that seems to be getting worse as the water quality seems to be getting slowly better.
Ugh.
My pleco is still hanging in there, but I haven't fed him since this all went down on Sunday. Should I feed him tonight? Or wait until this slime goes away and the water quality is a bit better?

[deranged chipmunk]

Hold off on feeding the pleco. Let the water chemistry come into it's own.

Ammonia dropping and nitrites starting to drop means your mini cycle is coming to an end.

Don't be afraid to change water. I have done as much as 75% water changes on some of my tanks. I would do a 50% change every other day until your parameters get back in line.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bolisnide]

okay, thanks! And I assume the slime will start to go away as things start to balance again...

[deranged chipmunk]

I want to say yes, but since I am not 100% sure what the white slime is, I can't say with much certainty. I would have expected you to develop a brown 'algae'. That would be diatoms from having the bio filter overloaded. But you are saying white, so let's get the chemistry back in line and move forward from there


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bolisnide]

I think this is what's going on... http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?...oms-explained/
I did vacuum the gravel this last water change, and oh boy was there a ton of decaying plant matter and poo in there. I uprooted some of my plants in the process, so I don't know if I killed them but at least I got a lot of gunk out of the gravel.
Basically it seems my husbandry was pretty bad, and it resulted in this explosive problem when I added the two snails (I'm guessing). And because I was using those useless test strips I was unaware I had a problem at all. The snails, as Cris said, were probably the tipping point.
Poor fish, I feel terrible.

[deranged chipmunk]

Yup. I didn't want to confuse you with terms like bacterial bloom or bio bloom. But that's essentially what it is. A mini cycle of the biological filter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Krispy]

Yup. I didn't want to confuse you with terms like bacterial bloom or bio bloom. But that's essentially what it is. A mini cycle of the biological filter.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Check out monsterfishkeepers.com

Been a lurker there for years. Learned most of my viv/building there too.

[deranged chipmunk]

Monster is ok, but when it comes to water chemistry involving live plants, you can't beat plantedtank.net or aquaticplantcentral.com.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bolisnide]

hiya,
So, my water seems to be right on now... 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and nitrates at what appear to be a 10.
My son is itching for something exciting in the tank, and I was kinda thinking maybe a beautiful male betta may be a good choice.
What do y'all think?
Only problem may be that my water is hard, and my PH tends to be on the higher side (today tested at 7.5, I can't figure why, unless water quality can change the pH.)?
Many thanks

[Bolisnide]

or... an African dwarf frog? my kiddo's other choice..

[deranged chipmunk]

7.5 isn't too awful for a betta. If the tetras did well, so should a betta. Maybe a smallish (6) school of something like harlequin rasboras? With the plants in the tank, you can overstock a wee bit without hurting anything.

Of course, the adf isn't a bad idea either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bolisnide]

cool, thanks bill.
IF the water is still testng stable, we may go get an adf this weekend! My kiddo has caught the frog bug .
so, guess I have some homework to do!
I'll try and post a current pic of the aquarium soon.

[Crispy42]

Either a male betta or an ADF would do well. Bettas are pretty hardy to just about any ph and are personable little fish. Just keep in mind that neither should be combined with other fish (with the exception of a bottom feeder like the Pleco). Bettas will have aggression issues with other fish and ADFs will have trouble getting enough food with the competition of faster swimming tank mates.

[Bolisnide]

Hey Cris, thanks! I was only thinking of getting one or the other, and of course just one of what we decide on...
But, on my other thread in aquatic frogs, I was told the gravel is bad for adf's, so we may just go with a male betta. I am not taking all of my gravel out, don't have time, and too much work!
I have been reading up on both adf's and bettas, and do bettas require aquarium salt for health? Would that affect the health of my plants?

[irThumper]

Pardon the brief hijack but I have a question that is sort of aquarist related. I just purchased a 2nd hand 5 gallon tank from Goodwill and noticed the caulking is stained greenish... I soaked the thing in super hot tap water and 10% bleach. Afterwards I dried it with paper towels and this green stuff (malachite green maybe??) is STILL coming off on the paper towels, but is also still in the caulking. Is it safe to use this tank for a hospital enclosure for frogs or should I skip it?