blairan
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hey everyone!
So I've had my 65 gallon freshwater set up for about 2 years now, and I haven't had any trouble with ammonia or nitrite levels until very recently. Here's the story: I noticed the beginnings of black beard algae a few months ago for the first time. When I tested my phosphate and nitrate levels, the nitrate was around 40ppm while the phosphates were off the chart (10+ on the API test). More regular water changes and some aggressive algae scraping seems to have gotten the outbreak under control, however, phosphates have remained 10+ despite all of my best efforts at removing any biological matter that was decomposing, pwc's 2 times a week, and even after I added a Fosters and Smith Phospur pad to my Aquaclear HOB filter.
I finally decided that what I needed to do was dig REALLY deep into the substrate with my vacuum and try to suck up whatever I could. During my last water change, I did this, only to discover today (about 4 days later) that my Nitrites were inching up. I also discovered this morning that one of my zebra danios is dead and my pearl gourami is acting much more sluggish and timid than usual.
So my question is... did I cause this spike in nitrites with my vacuuming?
Also, does anyone have any other thoughts about what is keeping my phosphate levels so high?
Any help is greatly appreciated!!
So I've had my 65 gallon freshwater set up for about 2 years now, and I haven't had any trouble with ammonia or nitrite levels until very recently. Here's the story: I noticed the beginnings of black beard algae a few months ago for the first time. When I tested my phosphate and nitrate levels, the nitrate was around 40ppm while the phosphates were off the chart (10+ on the API test). More regular water changes and some aggressive algae scraping seems to have gotten the outbreak under control, however, phosphates have remained 10+ despite all of my best efforts at removing any biological matter that was decomposing, pwc's 2 times a week, and even after I added a Fosters and Smith Phospur pad to my Aquaclear HOB filter.
I finally decided that what I needed to do was dig REALLY deep into the substrate with my vacuum and try to suck up whatever I could. During my last water change, I did this, only to discover today (about 4 days later) that my Nitrites were inching up. I also discovered this morning that one of my zebra danios is dead and my pearl gourami is acting much more sluggish and timid than usual.
So my question is... did I cause this spike in nitrites with my vacuuming?
Also, does anyone have any other thoughts about what is keeping my phosphate levels so high?
Any help is greatly appreciated!!