Frustrated

[mattmku]

Just when I thought was starting to get this hobby figured out it throws me for a loop.

After changing my substrate I started feeding my 20 gallon with 30 lbs LR to re-cycle. After 5 days of feeding ammonia and nitrites were 0 and nitrates climbed to 10. I soon added a remora c and lights and then two days ago I added 2 juvenile false percs. This morning I found them hovering on the bottom gasping with fins clamped. My ammonia tested .25 or less but I'm pretty sure that it was enough to effect these tiny fish. I transferred the fish to a QT and now have plans to re-re-cycle my tank.

What method would you recommend to re-obtain a strong bio filtration system? Should I run my protein skimmer during this period? Should I just dump out my water and throw away my tank... :? just joking. I'm just angry that I have a nice tank with hundreds of dollars worth of equipment stocked with only a few measly crabs.

sorry its so long

 

[ASpec]

I wonder if the tank did not fully re-cycle. Did you ever get an ammonia/nitrite spike after the changes?

Running the skimmer won't hurt anything, so I say leave it on. At worst it'll remove some trace elements, but nothing to slow down a cycle.

Sorry to hear about the fish... hope they make it!

 

[mattmku]

i fed the tank to try to get a spike and never did...thats why i assumed that it needed no recycling. If i cycling the tank with shrimp won't the skimmer remove waste before it is broken down into ammonia?

 

[crage34]

the skimmer might slow it down a bit

 

[troutman11111]

you need damsels in there . what were you feeding before? and your substrat what kind? it takes a month to cycle in general.

 

[IfoundNemo]

No need to put any damsels in the tank. Just add a couple of cocktail shrimps in the tank and let it cycle. My tank has an amonia and nitrite spike when i added 45lbs fiji LR. I put a cocktail shrimp in the tank and the next day the amonia, nitrite went back down close to 0 . I got this cycling method from other members on here and believe me. It works!

 

[Hara]

I would shut off the skimmer until after the cycle is complete.

 

[seaham358]

I would run the skimmer after adding new substrate, IMO running the skimmer will not effect the cycle. I ran my skimmer on both my tanks during the cycle and it pulled crap from the water... Use the shrimp method, No damsels unless you want to keep those mean little fish.
If your tank was cycled before there should be bacteria there to get a quick cycle after adding the shrimp.

 

[mattmku]

ok...so i transferred the fish to the QT tank and they're doing fine. We tested ammonia today just to see and it turns out it is .25 ppm! The same if not more as my tank but it doesn't seem to have effected them yet. Also another development: I got a new refractometer today and my specific gravity tested to be 1.030 while my hydrmeter was testing at 1.024. Could the high salinity have attributed to their stress?

 

[clowninround]

I am getting my refractometer via the internet soon. I am really hoping I won't be shocked by what I see either. My tank is always at 1.024, according to my hydrometer.....

 

[mattmku]

are the refractometers more reliable?
Do you know any of the effects if high salinity?

 

[cmor1701d]

are the refractometers more reliable?

YES!

If you really are at 1.03SG you need to slowly bring it down to the 1.022 - 1.025 range. Slowly over several days. I would probably do several very small water changes but use just RO/DI water for the change till the salinity came down.

 

[mattmku]

how will the high SG effect the fish?

 

[clowninround]

You will probabally be alright....my friend had her tank high and then when she tried to correct it it went too low, she slowly adjusted back to NSW and she still has all her original fish. Infact during the hurricane her tank got above 86 or 87 degrees from her usual 76, all the fish survived. If the fish are doing ok now, chances are they will until u get things back to normal.

 

[clowninround]

But don't change things all at once, this could make things worse.

 

[mattmku]

to make sure my tank was cycled i placed a large un-cooked shrimp in the tank about 5 days ago. The shrimp has been decaying steadily and half of it is almost transparent. Yesterday I tested ammonia at .75 ppm. Today I tested it to be 0 or very close to 0. I expected nitrates to be high but they also tested 0. Nitrates are at about 5, close to where they were when i placed the shrimp in the tank. Is it possible the tank re-cycled this fast or should i leave the shrimp in a couple more days.

As I stated earlier I have at least 30 lbs of LR in the tank. The only reason I am cycling is because I replaced my substrate.

 

[mattmku]

I also have the beginning of what seems to be a good sized algae bloom. If ammonia and nitrite are low in the morning I'm pulling the shrimp out.

 

[cmor1701d]

Was teh LR cured when you put it in the tank or did start your original cycle?

It could be taht you are having a short cycle if you already had a bood bacteria population in the tank (on the lr).

Give it a few more days, testing for ZERO ammonia, looking for either a nitrite or nitrate spike.

How's your QT doing?