parameters are high! help!

[ilovemydragongoby]

just finished doing tests on my 20gal and the parameters are ridiculous!

Ammonia - 0 (fine)
PH - 7.5
Nitrites - 1
Nitrates - between 50 -110 on the color chart


what do i do? everything was fine before i moved my dragon goby! Why is it spiking?

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

but my ammonia and ph are fine!

 

[meegosh]

I would do a 50% water change and see how that helps. Your nitrites are high, I'd get them down below .25ppm if at all possible. Your nitrates are a little high but a 50% water change should get those down as well.

 

[logansmomma1228]

You don't have too much to worry about. The pH is fine, most fish adapt to pH quite well as long as it stays stable.

You moved your goby out right? Usually adding fish or if a fish dies it will decompose causing a slight spike.

What test kit do you have? Strips tend to be way off. Sorry if we already discussed the test kit thing lol. I forget.

Just keep an eye on your levels and do 50% water changes or more daily, as stated above. It should be down in no time. What is in the 20 now? Did you do anything else different? Did you clean it when you took the goby out?

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

well we cleaned the tank after we moved the goby and the parameters were fine, 2 days later we added the black ghost knife. (i know i know) so now theres 3 otos, 6 barbs, 5 small mollies and a bgk. the bgk has been in there since sunday. all the fish are lively and healthy from what i can see.

i use the nutrifin test kits for all 4 tests


i did a pwc and another test and i got the same results.

 

[meegosh]

So is the goby and bgk in the 20g now? If so you might be experiencing a minicycle. Is the nutrifin strip form or liquid? I think that is what logansmomma was getting at. How large of a PWC did you do?

 

[dkpate]

Your bacteria has to catch up with the new bio-load, and believe me, the BGK has some big poo for a baby!
You can try doing a 1/2 gravel vac, and swishing your filter media in old tank water to bring down the nitrates. You are probably having a mini cycle. When my nitrates got above 20ppm, I cleaned the media and they went back down to 5ppm.
Is the Nutrafin test a liquid test?

 

[dkpate]

LOL Meegosh, we think alike.

 

[meegosh]

Great minds...

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

no my goby is in my 80 gal now, my bf bought the bgk to replace the goby in the 20.
it's a liquid test kid, and i did a 50%pwc.
oh and the day we moved my goby, my bf also changed the filter cartridge, i dont know if that would make a difference. but we swished the old one around in the water before getting rid of it,

 

[logansmomma1228]

Yes that makes a huge difference. Most of your beneficial bacteria live in the filter media. You do not need to change it unless it is falling apart. Just rinse it in old tank water when you do water changes once in a while,.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

okay well, there were 2 cartridges in it, and he only changed one

 

[dkpate]

Yeah, no need to change them unless they are falling apart, like LM said. Just rinse it in old tank water and put it back in. That is why you are having a mini cycle, since you got rid of a good bit of bacteria, and now it has to catch back up to the bio-load.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

thanks guys, i'll def. yell at my boyfriend next time he says the cartridge is gross and he want to change them lol

 

[dkpate]

LOL, for sure! Just swish them and wipe them with your hand a little. Only change when you have to remove meds and need the carbon or it's coming apart in pieces.

 

[logansmomma1228]

Lol. Before I knew what I was doing (couple years ago) I remember yelling at my ex for not changing the cartridges because he didn't maintain his tank very well.. lol.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

everythings back to normal! YAY! we did a couple pwc/day. and a black out for one day and now everything is back to normal.
thanks for the help everyone!

 

[supradupafast]

That's good... Happy to hear.
You want to keep testing for a couple more days just to be 100% safe.