Help! 30Gallon Gone Wrong!

[Nina]

My ex boyfriend and I had bought our tank together, he knew about fish, I just picked the pretty accessories.. well we have since broken up and I was (or must have been) blessed! When we bought the tank, he set up the aquarium, and we had 2 white tipped cleaning sharks (catfish breed I was told?) and quite a few others including 2 paradise fish, hatchet, and something called 'Glass Fish' (not the painted version but the clear ones), well shortly after we added 2 albino frogs everything in our tank began to disappear! Our shark ate everything including the other cleaning shark! 8O

Well, its been 9 years! since that horrible incident and he has never lived with another fish since.. well, our tank has remained stable since my ex left until recently, I thought it was old age and he was dying but turns out my ammonia level was so high that my tester kit didn't even have a read out! I changed all the water (wasn't easy in a 30 gal) and the guy at the store suggested that my bio filter may not be running properly as the bio-wheel never actually moved since we bought it.. so he gave me some things and advised me to set it up as if i were setting up a new aquarium..

I bought the following:

- Aqua Plus (water conditioner)
- AmmoLock 2 (ammonia remover)
- Ph Balance System (increaser, decreaser, and stabilizer)
- Cycle (something that is for setting up new aquariums)
- General Treatment Medicine (just incase)
- Parasite Food Supplements (just incase)

----

So, I added the Cycle & Aqua Plus, gave him the parasite food (mixed with his regular meal because I wasn't sure he actually had any parasites, he eats TetraMeal Flakes) and added the general cure in 2 treatments as directed.. well whatever it was, must have worked! He is acting 9yrs younger! However, his ammonia levels still are a little high (not fatal but should be watched my tester says) but the Cycle stuff recommends to add another dose in 2 days..

Any advice would be MUCH appreciated! Moses is 9yrs old and I'd hate to lose him now because I'm a newbie..

 

[rubysoho]

use the tube thing you can buy at walmart (if you dont already have it) to clean the substrate and get the gunk out of there. That might have been a cause, and if you only just took out water when you clean the tank, then that gunk can build up. I wouldn't suggest ammolock, but that is because I'm not a big believer in additives. hopefully someone else will come by with more suggestions.

 

[Nina]

We drained the water out and then used a cloth to wipe up the gunk under the gravel.. I saw today that there are freshwater under gravel filters? Would it help in his case? I have been using an alge scraper that has a shovel at the bottom to help get the gunk under the gravel so the filter and get it out, but it clouds the water.

 

[Menagerie]

[center:48cee35dbc] Welcome to AA, Nina! [/center:48cee35dbc]

I bought the following:

- Aqua Plus (water conditioner)
- AmmoLock 2 (ammonia remover)
- Ph Balance System (increaser, decreaser, and stabilizer)
- Cycle (something that is for setting up new aquariums)
- General Treatment Medicine (just incase)
- Parasite Food Supplements (just incase)

Of all that, you need Aqua Plus--PERIOD!! I'm glad your fish is doing better, but my guess is the ammonia was really hurting him. I never treat for illness, unless I know what I am treating for.

UGFs are not recommended. When you pull the filter media-sponge thing from your filter, is there brownish goo all over it? To get your bio wheel moving, cut down that filter pad that sits behind the wheel (the one that should be covered in goo ).

We drained the water out and then used a cloth to wipe up the gunk under the gravel.. I saw today that there are freshwater under gravel filters? Would it help in his case?

What you really need is a gravel vacuum--pretty cheap and EASY to use! The tube thing rubysoho was taking about

Do you have liquid tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? If so, what are your current readings?

 

[rubysoho]

yes, a gravel vacuum.... you'll have to forgive my poor state of mind. being sick means technical terms (not like gravel vac. is a hard one to remember...sheesh!) don't come easily at the moment. Thanks Menagerie

 

[Menagerie]

That's right, you're ill--go back to bed and stop spreading germs!!!

 

[Nina]

I didn't know they made gravel vaccums!

Yes, there is a thick reddish-brown gunk on the filter cartride, Since we bought a new filter the bio-wheel runs fine now The tank is cloudy but he swims around quite a bit now.

My current readings are
(using the tetra testing system - drops)

Ammonia - 1.5mg/l , much higher today than 2 days ago
PH - 7.5
Nitrite - less than 0.3 mg/l
Water Hardness - GH (general hardness) = 7drops to change from red to green, KH (carbonate hardness) = 3drops to change from blue to yellow

 

[Nina]

I just bought a vacuum, going to clean up the gravel and wash out the filter, should I add any ammonia solvent or should I just wait and test? Change some water again? :?

 

[Guest]

AmmoLock doesn't actually remove ammonia, just makes it unreadable in ammonia tests. "Cycle" is pretty useless too. Did you say you were draining out all of the water or did I misunderstood? Do partial water changes to keep ammonia levels down.

Also be very carefull with gravel vacuums, make sure fish don't come swiming by when you vaccum. I had an AWFULL accident with a curious fish getting sucked in. The best thing to do is get a divider (not at the fish store - too expensive!) & keep all the fish on one side of the tank with the divider when you vaccum & then switch sides. You can get a "needlepoint canvas" at any sewing store for a couple of bucks - they work great as fish deviders.

 

[Nina]

I only actually have one fish, he's about 12" (25cms) long, and the vacuum I got has a tapered head thats MUCH too small for him to get sucked into.. it drained about 25%+ of the water, I added 2cap fulls of the Aqua Plus per 10gal (6 caps total) and a little of the Cycle (before I read this)..

I drained all the water previously, and removed the stuff around the gravel with a rag, and then replaced and treated as I said above.. this time I didn't.. I just vacuumed, cleaned the filter again (yup, a little more brown goo), and replaced and treated the water... when should I test the ammonia levels again?

 

[rubysoho]

when you vacuum the gravel, shove (gently) the nose of the vacuum into the gravel and you'll see all the gunk flow up the tube. This gets the job done much better than just moving the tube above the gravel.

Oh, and Menagerie, I have been in bed, but I am blessed with a laptop and wireless internet

 

[Nina]

you know, I didnt see anything flowing into the tube but water.. :? However the tube did suction the gravel into the larger tube but I didn't see anything dark or even much change in the water.. my water now is cloudy but I guess thats to be expected? The vac I bought was "Ultra Gravel Vac - X-Large 2" - 24"" I don't have really deep gravel, only slightly past the black rim (glass tank).. but it must have suctioned something, right?! 8O


When is it safe to retest?

 

[Nina]

His ammonia levels are still really high but he isnt acting ill, my friend is suggesting that I vacuum every day until the levels decrease, however, isnt it fatal to leave him in their so high? Perhaps I should buy a new test kit? There is nothing in his aquarium but a bubble wall, a faux plant, and a sign.. (which he HATES) so here he is at the moment.. while we are trying to make him healthy..

 

[Nina]

Treating Water Conditions

I've been treating the water for high ammonia (as discussed in this thread http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=32279 ) I have done the vacuuming, changed filter, replaced the entire tank water once and 20% second time, and the water still reads a high level of ammonia in the water, and he hasn't been over fed.. so now the question is this, I don't have a top, and I don't use lights, and he also doesn't have a background or anything like this, sadly he had been mostly neglected until I rescued him he now has a 30 gallon to swim around in all by himself (he attacks any fish we have tried to add, so he's 'doomed' to be alone..) so, how do I improve his water conditions? Someone suggested it might be alge? I scraped the side of his tank with an alge scrubber but nothing came off, and the stuffs inside doesnt look green, I am going to attempt to attach a quick pic to this post to show you how the water looks..

Inside The Tank:
+ Water Temp 75f
+ Aqua Plus Water Treatment
+ Cycle Water Treatment 1/2 dose
+ Bio-Wheel 125 Filter System
+ White Gravel
+ Plastic Plant (he likes to hide)

Attachment is how the aquarium looks now..

 

[Menagerie]

changed filter, replaced the entire tank water once and 20% second time, and the water still reads a high level of ammonia in the water, and he hasn't been over fed

By changing the filter and all the water, you are recycling the tank. Becuase he is so large, the waste he produces will quickly increase the ammonia in the tank. You need to allow the good bacteria to grow up again. I would not vacuum the tank again for awhile. 20% water changes may be necessary to keep the ammonia down, but will prolong the cycle. As for why the water is cloudy, vacuuming will do that. How long has it been since the tank was vacuumed? Is it still cloudy?

I am going to merge the two threads together, to keep everyone together as far as what has happened with the tank. This will save you a lot of explaining.
You can test your water as often as you like. For right now, testing 2x a day maybe necessary.

 

[Menagerie]

His ammonia levels are still really high but he isnt acting ill ... however, isnt it fatal to leave him in their so high?

Some fish can better handle ammonia than others. I am not suggesting to leave the ammonia up past 1, but your tests may be off. The cheapest way to find out is to go to your LFS and have them check your water. Ask for the actual numbers, otherwise, they may just say "fine" or "high."
What are your most current ammonia readings. It also will not hurt to take an ammonia reading, do a partial water change and take another reading.

 

[Nina]

was vacuumed yesterday so its been about 20+ hours but it doesn't seem to be clearing at all.. should I be adding bottled water insted of regular? the carbon tests all seemed pretty good (took very few drops to change colors)..

He seems to be reacting rather well to the harsh enviorment around him.. I guess what worried me the most was how the water was begining to look, it also has a smell, something like.. lake/pool water.. I am not really sure how to describe it really..

 

[Nina]

What do you suggest I buy to use to test the water? I tested a few hours before the vacuuming and water change and tested again this morning, it's not really changed at all.. my chart lists 5 different color levels and he is right at the middle.. 1.5mg/l ammonia, ph is the same as yesterday.

 

[Menagerie]

Hmmm, many people like Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit, it is a liquid test, which is more reliable than strips. This test includes freshwater pH, high range pH, ammonia, and nitrite.
Also, most LFS will test water for free and that will tell you if your tests are accurate.

was vacuumed yesterday so its been about 20+ hours but it doesn't seem to be clearing at all.. should I be adding bottled water insted of regular?

Bottled water will not help the tank clear up any quicker. It looks like your filter is working, give the water time. It may also be a diatom bloom, which happens with new tanks. It will go away on it's own.

He seems to be reacting rather well to the harsh enviorment around him.

We tend to flip out before the fish do

the carbon tests all seemed pretty good (took very few drops to change colors)..

I don't use carbon tests. What exactly are you testing? The carbon in the filter?

 

[Nina]

doing too many things at once I meant water hardness, the GH/KH tests.. sorry for the confusion! Ok then, I'll just sit around and watch.. if the ammonia spikes, I should just do the 20% change again and leave him be?