Hi All,
I've been cycling my 1st tank for about three weeks now and at the moment I'm having some problems with very dirty/dusty water.
My tank water has always been a little dusty - mostly at the surface but it seems to have rocketed in the last few days.
I've deviated a little from the fishless cycle:
- After week 1 I changed the water because the water wouldn't clear up and I got frustrated looking at a dirty tank.
- I put some Interpret filter aid in the tank - it turned the water brown so I added an API biochem zorb to the filter which I have now removed.
- Last week I did a 100% water change as I wanted to move some of the substrate to a different part of the tank (I have some white substrate that make a little island). After filling up the tank the water was quite dusty (from the substrate I think) but I left it to settle ( it never really settled).
I have two annubias barteri var barteri plants and have to keep the lights on for these plants (10 hours a day)- I am planning on getting more plants (Java fern/Java moss) but don't want them to suffer in the dirty water. These plants have recently starting developing brown dust/algae on the leaves which I rub off daily - I dose with Seachem flourish twice a week.
My ammonia has been stuck at about 3.0ppm since I did the 100% water change. Nitrate has dropped quite a lot recently but seemed to go back up yesterday. What should I do - should I/could I do a water change? I would really like to keep my plants as they were a little expensive... I'm getting a bit tired of waiting for this cycle but I'm hanging in there..
I've been cycling my 1st tank for about three weeks now and at the moment I'm having some problems with very dirty/dusty water.
My tank water has always been a little dusty - mostly at the surface but it seems to have rocketed in the last few days.
I've deviated a little from the fishless cycle:
- After week 1 I changed the water because the water wouldn't clear up and I got frustrated looking at a dirty tank.
- I put some Interpret filter aid in the tank - it turned the water brown so I added an API biochem zorb to the filter which I have now removed.
- Last week I did a 100% water change as I wanted to move some of the substrate to a different part of the tank (I have some white substrate that make a little island). After filling up the tank the water was quite dusty (from the substrate I think) but I left it to settle ( it never really settled).
I have two annubias barteri var barteri plants and have to keep the lights on for these plants (10 hours a day)- I am planning on getting more plants (Java fern/Java moss) but don't want them to suffer in the dirty water. These plants have recently starting developing brown dust/algae on the leaves which I rub off daily - I dose with Seachem flourish twice a week.
My ammonia has been stuck at about 3.0ppm since I did the 100% water change. Nitrate has dropped quite a lot recently but seemed to go back up yesterday. What should I do - should I/could I do a water change? I would really like to keep my plants as they were a little expensive... I'm getting a bit tired of waiting for this cycle but I'm hanging in there..