Root Tab disaster PLEASE HELP

[sindyt89]

I previously asked for some advice regarding a dying plant and was recommended by multiple users to get root tabs. Today I went to the fish store and they recommended api root tabs. I placed 3 in my 20 gallon tank (the package said 6 per 30 gal) and the water is BROWN! like dark tea! the fish seem stressed they are swimming all over the place like crazy. I did a 25% water change and I tested ammonia 0 nitrite 0 but nitrate is 90!!! I don't know whats going and im seriously freaking out! someone please tell me my fish are going to make it till tomorrow when I can vacuum the gravel!

 

[Coryluv]

Do a larger water change, the sooner the better. A 50% change will get the nitrate back down to 40. The next day do another 50% change to get it down to 20. By then your water should start to clear.

I do have a few questions for prevention of this in the future. What kind of substrate do you have? How far did you push the root tabs under the substrate? Was this the root tabs dissolving and clouding the water, or do you think it was something else?

 

[sindyt89]

Hi! Thank you so much for responding. I have gravel. I pushed it all the way under and covered it completely (with gravel) it was def the Melting tab that turned the water brown (my water was crystal clear) I tried to take the tab out but it was already melted and since I went in under the gravel all the "dust" from the tab I moved went everywhere causing the water to turn even darker and cloudy I use gallon water for water changes as my tap has ammonia I just went to the store and they are very cold so I can't put that water in until it's room temp ugh I'm very frustrated, fish seem calmer now idk if that's a good thing or a really bad thing

 

[Mebbid]

The API root tabs have almost 0 nitrogen (nitrates) in them. That's one of the primary reasons I stopped using them. It's most likely that the brown water and high nitrates is caused instead by mulm that was in your gravel and was stirred up when you inserted them.

 

[sindyt89]

Hi and thanks! So I vacuumed my tank two weeks ago and my nitrates were 20 I don't think there is that much fish waste to cause the water to turn brown and this has never happened before. Also if that were the case wouldn't the water go back to normal after it settled? The water is very brown! Here's a pic

 

[Mebbid]

It's surprising how muck gunk accumulates in the substrate with gravel. I do know for a fact that your nitrate spike wasn't caused by the root tabs which points to goo in your substrate. It might have turned out water brown but even that's kind of a long shot.

 

[Darkseid76]

I agree with mebbid on this one. Especially with the size grain of your substrate I would definitely say it was stirred up mulm and debris.

I have Eco and I can see the stuff buried in my sub. I rarely do vacs though because I have plants so no big deal really. Water changes are basically your answer.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

 

[sindyt89]

Thanks! I actually looked it up and A LOT of people have same problem I just looked up "api root tabs made my water brown" so I'm sure it was the tabs my water was crystal clear and literally 20 minutes after it started getting cloudy. and the water smelled like iron this morning.I just did a 50% water change and it's a lot better I will do another one in two days and my nitrates are 20 now I think I might not have shaken the bottle enough last night.