Section8
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I've been having serious ammonia levels lately which i've tracked down to my tap water. Even when conditioned with Aquasafe or something like that, the ammonia levels are around .25 - .50. Worse still, the levels in my tank itself are off the chart, 5 to 7.5 8O
I've tried treating the tank with some ammonia de-tox, ,and doing water changes ever few days, but I just can't get the levels down. I'm amazed that my leopard spot puffer and blue spot puffer are still alive.
Today both fish looked really bad, so i pulled them out and put them in my 20gal long tank i usually use for letting newly mixed saltwater settle. ammonia in that tank is still .15 to .20 but much better than the main tank. I moved some LR into that tank and both fish are looking much better.
As for my main tank, some background:
I inherited it from a friend that didn't want it. 46gal bowfront with UG filter and crushed coral substrate and fluval 203 canister.
I've since added much more LR, better lighting, and a Magnum 350 canister with biowheels.
What i'm thinking of doing is tearing the tank down, using the 20gal tank to hold the LR (and buckets if I have to) and getting the UG and crushed coral out of the tank and replacing it with a deep sand bed, then cycling the tank again.
Does this sound like a good idea or am i off my rocker? I've never been fond of the UG filter, and I figure this is a chance to get rid of it. I'm also planning on using RO salt water from the local store for the new setup.
TIA
I've tried treating the tank with some ammonia de-tox, ,and doing water changes ever few days, but I just can't get the levels down. I'm amazed that my leopard spot puffer and blue spot puffer are still alive.
Today both fish looked really bad, so i pulled them out and put them in my 20gal long tank i usually use for letting newly mixed saltwater settle. ammonia in that tank is still .15 to .20 but much better than the main tank. I moved some LR into that tank and both fish are looking much better.
As for my main tank, some background:
I inherited it from a friend that didn't want it. 46gal bowfront with UG filter and crushed coral substrate and fluval 203 canister.
I've since added much more LR, better lighting, and a Magnum 350 canister with biowheels.
What i'm thinking of doing is tearing the tank down, using the 20gal tank to hold the LR (and buckets if I have to) and getting the UG and crushed coral out of the tank and replacing it with a deep sand bed, then cycling the tank again.
Does this sound like a good idea or am i off my rocker? I've never been fond of the UG filter, and I figure this is a chance to get rid of it. I'm also planning on using RO salt water from the local store for the new setup.
TIA