harrislee79
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hi everyone, I could really do with some advice on my aquarium. I upgraded my tank to a 200l Fluval Roma, 2 months ago. I had the Fluval U4 filter to start with, then after about a fortnight upgraded to a external Tetra Tech EX700. My tank is medium stocked with around 25 Live plants. I have been doing the cycle with the fish in the tank and doing water changes, whenever levels got high. I use the API Master Liquid test kits. I had the ammonia spike, then the nitrite spike then, nitrite dropped to zero and ammonia has maintained 2ppm with 0 nitrates, my temperature is 26f.
2 days ago I upgraded the filter again; as I didn't think the EX700 was creating enough flow, so upgraded to the Tetra Tech EX1200, I transferred the bio balls, ceramic media from the old EX700 and squeezed all the gunk from the bio sponges into the new filter over the new bio sponges and also the water from the old filter canister. This morning my ammonia was 4ppm so I did a 75% water change and got it down to 1ppm. Am I doing all this right and will I get the nitrite spike again? Also my Hornwort keeps turning dark green and drying up? I have it attached free floating at the back of the tank with suckers, all other plants And Fish doing fine. I have Co2 and use API Leaf Zone once a week. Will this tank ever cycle, my PH was 6.4 but had dropped to 6 since the filter change over. Why won't ammonia drop and why no nitrates?
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I gravel vac once weekly and have lights on 10am till 1pm then off which has killed algae off, then back on 3pm till 9pm.
2 days ago I upgraded the filter again; as I didn't think the EX700 was creating enough flow, so upgraded to the Tetra Tech EX1200, I transferred the bio balls, ceramic media from the old EX700 and squeezed all the gunk from the bio sponges into the new filter over the new bio sponges and also the water from the old filter canister. This morning my ammonia was 4ppm so I did a 75% water change and got it down to 1ppm. Am I doing all this right and will I get the nitrite spike again? Also my Hornwort keeps turning dark green and drying up? I have it attached free floating at the back of the tank with suckers, all other plants And Fish doing fine. I have Co2 and use API Leaf Zone once a week. Will this tank ever cycle, my PH was 6.4 but had dropped to 6 since the filter change over. Why won't ammonia drop and why no nitrates?
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I gravel vac once weekly and have lights on 10am till 1pm then off which has killed algae off, then back on 3pm till 9pm.
