texaspepper
Aquarium Advice Regular
Furshure.. I was willing to try any reasonable treatment since I was thinking about nuking the tank as a last resort... now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... or the gravel under the green.... lol...
Sudden Algae Bloom
- Thread starter texaspepper
- Start date
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texaspepper
Aquarium Advice Regular
Ok... the green carpet is dead!!! I vacuumed out much of the dead and floating stuff today and did a 25% water change.... tested the water and it was 1.0 for ammonia!!!!! So I ran a check on other chemistries and got GH-120; KH-40; ph-7.5; no2-0; no3-20.. It had not been so screwed up before... I've limited the lighting, the food, changed the filter.. I have API Proper pH7.0 so I can buffer the pH, but what do I counteract the ammonia with??? I've already done the water change... argh... if it isn't one thing it is another!!!
Dale_I
Aquarium Advice Freak
Do a 50% water change right away. More if you can. You will reduce the ammonia content in direct proportion to the amount of water you change. I wouldn't worry much about the pH. Stability of the number is more important than what the number is. Fish will easily adapt to a pH.
texaspepper
Aquarium Advice Regular
ugh... I just tested the tap water and it is registering 1.0. I had used tap water because everyone was saying that the R/O water had no minerals in it... another good reason not to drink the tap water.... and I think I have killed my betta cuz he is floating around the top of the water and can't seem to swim against the filtration current... omg, if he dies I'm gonna sterilize that entire tank... I can't bear to lose any more fish.... this is awfully.. I cured the cyanobacteria but I may have just lost the entire tank....
Dale_I
Aquarium Advice Freak
Use the RO and just add the minerals. Especially with ammonia at 1.0 ppm in the tap.
texaspepper
Aquarium Advice Regular
I did.. but it may be too late for Chavo... he really looks bad.... I am just sick about it.....
texaspepper
Aquarium Advice Regular
Yes, I lost Chavo... he was floating tail up this morning... He must have been compromised.. He has survived a bout of popeye several months ago, so maybe he was just not strong enough for all the nonsense. But I can't bring myself to sterilize the tank, as the snail, algae eater and ghost shrimp are doing well.I guess I will attempt to cycle the tank and when it is stable again, try to introduce another betta, Chavo Nuevo....although I may have to start naming them like kings... Chavo I, Chavo II, Chavo III...
Another question... I have a brand new 29 gal glass tank with penguin biowheel, etc. etc.... So far I just have large gravel, silk plants and a fake "cave". I am using a tank stabilizer to seed the bio-wheel and have tested for all the good (and bad) chemicals. I want to introduce some wildlife after a week to start the process, like ghost shrimp, a snail or two and an algae eater. The final residents are expected to be a couple of fancy crowned goldfish, so would it be safe to put some simple goldfish in there to start the animal part of cycling??? or what other small hardy, non combative fish would like to be tank-mates with the fancy goldfish? Thanks!!
Another question... I have a brand new 29 gal glass tank with penguin biowheel, etc. etc.... So far I just have large gravel, silk plants and a fake "cave". I am using a tank stabilizer to seed the bio-wheel and have tested for all the good (and bad) chemicals. I want to introduce some wildlife after a week to start the process, like ghost shrimp, a snail or two and an algae eater. The final residents are expected to be a couple of fancy crowned goldfish, so would it be safe to put some simple goldfish in there to start the animal part of cycling??? or what other small hardy, non combative fish would like to be tank-mates with the fancy goldfish? Thanks!!
Dale_I
Aquarium Advice Freak
I would suggest thinking through whether you want to do "fish in" cycleing or fishless cycleing. I'm not a fan of running chemicals for seeding bio material and then introducing fish early. Either way, expect to go a month or two before a truly stable tank results.
Personally, I'm not a fan of stabilizing chemicals or quick start concoctions. There is a lot of good material (look at the sticky posted in Freshwater and Brackish - Getting Started called Before Gettings Started, check out these resources. Link:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html
Only you can make the choice of how you want to start the cycle. I choose to go with fish, but I am checking the chemical balances twice a day, sometimes three times, and doing water changes whenever required. It takes a lot more time and energy, so make sure you are up to the task. The last cycle I started took 9 weeks and I kept a daily log on an Excel Spreadsheet to track all of the chemical readings, as well as document items such as algae or bacteria blooms.
I know some may say, "I used xyz treatement and my tank cycled in 10 days and I've never had problems".... but I just don't buy it. I've been doing this for 30+ years on/off. NOTHING shortcuts water parameter testing and patience.
Even with sick fish, I always try natural paths to treatment and only use medication as a last resort. That's my feeling anyway...
Personally, I'm not a fan of stabilizing chemicals or quick start concoctions. There is a lot of good material (look at the sticky posted in Freshwater and Brackish - Getting Started called Before Gettings Started, check out these resources. Link:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...started-check-out-these-resources-154837.html
Only you can make the choice of how you want to start the cycle. I choose to go with fish, but I am checking the chemical balances twice a day, sometimes three times, and doing water changes whenever required. It takes a lot more time and energy, so make sure you are up to the task. The last cycle I started took 9 weeks and I kept a daily log on an Excel Spreadsheet to track all of the chemical readings, as well as document items such as algae or bacteria blooms.
I know some may say, "I used xyz treatement and my tank cycled in 10 days and I've never had problems".... but I just don't buy it. I've been doing this for 30+ years on/off. NOTHING shortcuts water parameter testing and patience.
Even with sick fish, I always try natural paths to treatment and only use medication as a last resort. That's my feeling anyway...
texaspepper
Aquarium Advice Regular
Thank you Dale for your input... the choice was "taken away" from me.. lol... my daughter showed up on my doorstep with two gold fish in a bag and said she wanted to be part of the process... lol... she also brought some ghost shrimp so now I am going with the cycling WITH fish... I may have to invest in the chemical testing kit company, I may be their biggest buyer at this point... lol.. so I am locked into fish-in... keep your fingers crossed!!!
The other tank with the cyanobacteria now seems to be clear/clean... but I am going to wait several weeks before I look for another betta... lol... if I can resist their little eyes... lol....
Thanks so much!!!
The other tank with the cyanobacteria now seems to be clear/clean... but I am going to wait several weeks before I look for another betta... lol... if I can resist their little eyes... lol....
Thanks so much!!!
