I am at a loss with my readings! Not good.

[Noviceafter2yea]

This is getting ridiculous. I can't get it right.

Today's readings:

Ammonia. .75 (still in .05 according to my free ammonia detector)
N2. 5?
N3. 30?
Ph. 7.4

I am attaching pictures. Maybe I can't distinguish color well.
I have a history of high ammonia (city adds chemicals, I use prime)
A history of elevated N2.
A history of low to no N3 (glad,there is positive movement there).

Ph has been constant.

20 gallon.
10 fish total: 3'bleeding heart tetra; 3 platy; 2 Cory; 1 guppy; 1 dalmation molly

1 snail

Only 1 fish shows sign of stress. A platy sometimes spends a lot of time at the top and has red gills. Still swims around, but not as much as the others. Possible she is getting bullied. Put in quarantine tank, but still hung out at top despite better ammonia and N2 readings. Returned her to main tank.

I know guppies and Cory's are schooling. I can't get more until water is correct and probably need a second tank or a larger one.

Waiting for my Aqueon 50 filter to add to filter that came with tank. Heard it is too powerful, but I can reduce the flow by MacGuyvering since there is no flow adjustment.

Please advise!

 

[BBradbury]

Your Tank

Hello Nov...

Don't fret over the chemistry of the tank water. It's not essential for a healthy tank. All you need is an aggressive water change routine and some floating plants like Hornwort and Common water weed. Change half the tank water in your 20 G every week and keep the feedings to a minimum. The fish will adjust to the tap water. Treat it to remove chlorine and chloramine and the fish and plants will take care of themselves.

B

 

[Mebbid]

Hello Nov...

Don't fret over the chemistry of the tank water. It's not essential for a healthy tank. All you need is an aggressive water change routine and some floating plants like Hornwort and Common water weed. Change half the tank water in your 20 G every week and keep the feedings to a minimum. The fish will adjust to the tap water. Treat it to remove chlorine and chloramine and the fish and plants will take care of themselves.

B

I'm sure you meant to mention the fact that ammonia and nitrite need to be controlled correct?

How often and how much are you feeding your fish?

 

[OhNeil1969]

Hello novice.

I'm afraid that I would have to disagree with bbradbury. Water chemistry is essential for the health of your fish. Without knowing your complete story, it sounds as though your tank has not fully cycled. Ultimately, ammonia and nitrItes should read zero and you should be performing water changes to control nitrAtes. In an emergency, you may find it necessary to perform PWC's to deal with high ammonia and nitrIte readings, but that should be the exception, not the norm. Can you give us some more information about your tanks?

 

[BBradbury]

More Help for Your Tank

Hello Nov...

If you're cycling your tank with fish, then you test the tank water daily for traces of ammonia or nitrite. If you have a positive test, you change a quarter of the water and replace that with pure, treated tap water. Just test every day and replace the water when needed. In roughly a month, the tank is cycled. From that point, you change half the water every week to ensure safe water conditions.

B

 

[jglover]

Your high nitrite level indicates the tank is not yet cycled. You will always see ammonium in your tank due to the water treatment but it should be in the neighborhood of .25 to .5. The high nitrite is the concern now, as it is much more toxic to aquatic life than ammonia. I'd be doing water changes to get that nitrite level down....10-20 ppm nitrite is often lethal and you are halfway there. I'd suggest a 50% water change, followed by another one about an hour later then recheck your nitrite level. Ideally you will want to keep it under 1ppm, 0.5 is even better.

Adding some hornwort or anacharis is also a good idea as it will help use up the nitrogen in the tank. Also, dose the tank with 3-5x the normal dose of prime and that will help lock up some of the nitrite. you might also want to consider adding something like Stability or Safe Start, couldn't hurt and may just help your cycle along somewhat.

 

[schoeplein]

When I cycled my current tank, I changed 20% daily until nitrite showed up, unless it spiked, then I changed about 40%. Once nitrites 0'd out, I changed 20% every weekend to refresh the water for my plants (nitrates stay pretty low in my tank due to the quantity of plants). Ammonia will also eventually bottom out once the tank has successfully cycled (0 nitrites).

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[Noviceafter2yea]

Hello novice.

I'm afraid that I would have to disagree with bbradbury. Water chemistry is essential for the health of your fish. Without knowing your complete story, it sounds as though your tank has not fully cycled. Ultimately, ammonia and nitrItes should read zero and you should be performing water changes to control nitrAtes. In an emergency, you may find it necessary to perform PWC's to deal with high ammonia and nitrIte readings, but that should be the exception, not the norm. Can you give us some more information about your tanks?

What other information can I provide?

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Hello Nov...

If you're cycling your tank with fish, then you test the tank water daily for traces of ammonia or nitrite. If you have a positive test, you change a quarter of the water and replace that with pure, treated tap water. Just test every day and replace the water when needed. In roughly a month, the tank is cycled. From that point, you change half the water every week to ensure safe water conditions.

B

The tank has been running since late February. The water readings were really good for a while and suddenly they got really bad. Someone suggested I may have disrupted a cycle. I test the water daily, sometimes twice. I gradually added fish.

If I add some quick start, do you think it will help? I don't have much right now, but can use what I have and get more tomorrow.

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Should I vacuum

So far, water changes are the common suggestion along with lots of other helpful feedback.

I haven't vacuumed the gravel in about 10 days, maybe a bit longer. I've been afraid to kick up more noxious gases.

Should I do a vacuum with a 50% water change tomorrow?

 

[OhNeil1969]

Some of the information that could help you have already given. The biggest missing piece of the puzzle was just added when you stated that the tank has been running since February. What is your water change procedure.? Are you adding a dechlorinator? You mentioned that you slowly added the fish, but have you made any recent changes?

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[Noviceafter2yea]

Some of the information that could help you have already given. The biggest missing piece of the puzzle was just added when you stated that the tank has been running since February. What is your water change procedure.? Are you adding a dechlorinator? You mentioned that you slowly added the fish, but have you made any recent changes?

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No recent changes to tank inhabitants. When I change the water, and am not vacuuming, I take buckets that have never seen soap and are used exclusively for fish and I extract the water by the bucketful. At this time, the filter and light are off. Sometimes I take the ornaments and soak them in the extracted water. Same with the filter.

I then take pretreated water that is room temperature (same as tank) and slowly add to tank so as not to kick up stuff. I replace the ornaments and filter and add additional prime along with some stress coat stuff. I turn the filter back on and leave the light off for about 20 minutes. Sometimes I throw in a pinch of aquarium salt.

 

[OhNeil1969]

Your spike in parameters is a little bit of a mystery. I am assuming that when you say pretreated water that you mean water that has already been dechlorinated. Have you checked your source waters parameters. My local water treatment plant switched from chlorine to chloramine. My water reads 1.0 ppm of ammonia from the tap.

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[Noviceafter2yea]

Your spike in parameters is a little bit of a mystery. I am assuming that when you say pretreated water that you mean water that has already been dechlorinated. Have you checked your source waters parameters. My local water treatment plant switched from chlorine to chloramine. My water reads 1.0 ppm of ammonia from the tap.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Yes, when I say pretreated I mean it has been pre-primed. My city adds chemicals so I have to. I think they use both chlorine and chloramine. That is why I added an ammonia detector. That says I am between the safe Zone and alert zone.

I just did a 50% water change and took out all decor and soaked them in extracted water. I did not,vacuum. Likewise I removed the filter,and soaked it in another bucket of extracted water. I added a new filter bag which I soaked in the same water and returned both filter bags to the filter. The original one is up front and the new one behind it. I added a tiny bit of quick start because I need to buy more.

I will test again in a bit I have to research how long to wait. As advised, I will do another 50% change later if the readings haven't decreased significantly. Refilled my replacement jugs with treated water. I won't remove all the decor this time.

This morning,reading prior to the change shows high N2 and a decreased ammonia. As I understand it, this is phase 2 of the 3 phase nitrogen cycle.

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Per and post 50% change

Pre change

Ammonia .25-.5 closer tom.5
N2 - between 2 and 5 ( could be high I,can't tell anymore)
N3 -15-20
Ph 7.4


Post 50% change after 45 minutes
Am .25-.5 a little less closer to .5
N2 2-5 still can't tell anymore
N3 between 15-20
Ph 7.4

I will try to post pics but it usually only lets me post one.
Pre change

 

[OhNeil1969]

At this point I would focus on just water changes. It shouldn't be necessary to repeatedly clean your ornaments. I would treat this situation as a cycle with fish. Just keep testing your water and perform the necessary water changes.

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Post 50% change

Pre change

Ammonia .25-.5 closer tom.5
N2 - between 2 and 5 ( could be high I,can't tell anymore)
N3 -15-20
Ph 7.4


Post 50% change after 45 minutes
Am .25-.5 a little less closer to .5
N2 2-5 still can't tell anymore
N3 between 15-20
Ph 7.4

I will try to post pics but it usually only lets me post one.
Pre change

Post change

 

[OhNeil1969]

Pre change

Ammonia .25-.5 closer tom.5
N2 - between 2 and 5 ( could be high I,can't tell anymore)
N3 -15-20
Ph 7.4


Post 50% change after 45 minutes
Am .25-.5 a little less closer to .5
N2 2-5 still can't tell anymore
N3 between 15-20
Ph 7.4

I will try to post pics but it usually only lets me post one.
Pre change

Just saw this post. How old is your test kit? You should have seen some changes after a 50% water change.

 

[Noviceafter2yea]

Just saw this post. How old is your test kit? You should have seen some changes after a 50% water change.

It is fairly new. At the most 1 month. Expires 11-2018

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Post change

Definitely a change. I'd say from 4 to 2. Can you do another change?

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