Kennyyoli
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2012
- Messages
- 27
OK, so this is going to be a long one...
This all started a month and a half ago. 29 gallon, 4 year old cycled tank had a filter that failed. It was a Fluvial 106 canister that had been on the tank 2 of the 4 years. We were away when it failed, and the person feeding "didn't notice" the filter not running. When we came home, the water was cloudy, and the fish didn't look well.
I immediately got them out of there, and sent them to my sisters hospital tank, where they have been since.
I replaced the Fluvial 106 with a 206, using some of the bio sphere media from the old filter in the new one. The foam didn't fit so i took a chunk of the old foam media and dropped it in the tank. Then I did a 50% water change, and let the new one run, monitoring the parameters. When I started, the ammonia was at .25ppm, and nitites were at .50ppm PH was at 6.8(my tap water is 7.4), nitrates were at 40 ppm. Let it run and 3 days later, the ammonia and nitrites zero'ed out. I did a 30% water change, and tossed in some feeder goldfish to have some bio load in the tank while the new filter got seeded. Within 1 hour, the feeders were at the top of the tank gasping. I checked the ammonia, 0ppm, Nitrites were at .50ppm!, and PH was 6.8. I pulled the feeder fish out and put them in a 5 gallon bucket, because I am an animal lover, and can't do that to any living creature. I did another water change and monitored the situation. What is happening is EVERY time I do a water change, I get a nitrite spike of .50ppm or greater. Before the water changes I am at 0 ppm and 6.8 ph. do a water change of 30-50%, and 1 hour later the nitrites spike, and ph drops.
I thought maybe it was something in the gravel causing it, so I changed out the gravel & took the plastic rock cave out of the tank. I cleaned the tank out. so that can't be causing it. My tap water has no nitrites, and 7.4 PH so it can't be that. It has to be something in the filter? When I do my water changes, i stop the filter and change water with a siphon hose direct from the tap. The ones that have the venturi that sucks water out, and you close the valve off and it send the water to fill up the aquarium. I even tested my water with the amquel in it that I use to detoxify and prep my tap water, and it still was at 0 ppm nitrite and 7.4 ph. I am stumped. My next idea is to completely disassemble the filter and wash it out. I really don't want to do that, because I do have some bacteria in there, right now they can process .25ppm ammonia and .50 ppm nitrite to zero in 24 hours. But something in there is causing this I think. Turn off the filter, do a water change, treat with amquel, turn it back on and 1 hour later, nitrite spike..... UGH Anybody have any ideas, or suggestions?
This all started a month and a half ago. 29 gallon, 4 year old cycled tank had a filter that failed. It was a Fluvial 106 canister that had been on the tank 2 of the 4 years. We were away when it failed, and the person feeding "didn't notice" the filter not running. When we came home, the water was cloudy, and the fish didn't look well.
I immediately got them out of there, and sent them to my sisters hospital tank, where they have been since.
I replaced the Fluvial 106 with a 206, using some of the bio sphere media from the old filter in the new one. The foam didn't fit so i took a chunk of the old foam media and dropped it in the tank. Then I did a 50% water change, and let the new one run, monitoring the parameters. When I started, the ammonia was at .25ppm, and nitites were at .50ppm PH was at 6.8(my tap water is 7.4), nitrates were at 40 ppm. Let it run and 3 days later, the ammonia and nitrites zero'ed out. I did a 30% water change, and tossed in some feeder goldfish to have some bio load in the tank while the new filter got seeded. Within 1 hour, the feeders were at the top of the tank gasping. I checked the ammonia, 0ppm, Nitrites were at .50ppm!, and PH was 6.8. I pulled the feeder fish out and put them in a 5 gallon bucket, because I am an animal lover, and can't do that to any living creature. I did another water change and monitored the situation. What is happening is EVERY time I do a water change, I get a nitrite spike of .50ppm or greater. Before the water changes I am at 0 ppm and 6.8 ph. do a water change of 30-50%, and 1 hour later the nitrites spike, and ph drops.
I thought maybe it was something in the gravel causing it, so I changed out the gravel & took the plastic rock cave out of the tank. I cleaned the tank out. so that can't be causing it. My tap water has no nitrites, and 7.4 PH so it can't be that. It has to be something in the filter? When I do my water changes, i stop the filter and change water with a siphon hose direct from the tap. The ones that have the venturi that sucks water out, and you close the valve off and it send the water to fill up the aquarium. I even tested my water with the amquel in it that I use to detoxify and prep my tap water, and it still was at 0 ppm nitrite and 7.4 ph. I am stumped. My next idea is to completely disassemble the filter and wash it out. I really don't want to do that, because I do have some bacteria in there, right now they can process .25ppm ammonia and .50 ppm nitrite to zero in 24 hours. But something in there is causing this I think. Turn off the filter, do a water change, treat with amquel, turn it back on and 1 hour later, nitrite spike..... UGH Anybody have any ideas, or suggestions?
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