Tetra Safe Start

[Delapool]

Thanks so much for all the info. At this point, I still have a decent reading of nitrates (5.0) but for over a week now I can't get ammonia to stop climbing. I'm still doing water changes using prime to condition. I obviously have bacteria since I have nitrates.

Fish are showing no signs of stress at all, which I know is good. I just can't wrap my head around why the bacteria isn't decreasing the ammonia.


I know I am not over feeding. I give them a single tiny pinch of flakes once a day.


I rinsed my filter media in the dirty water that I siphoned out and when I put it back in the filter I had white stringy stuff floating around in the tank. Is that my bacteria!?

No, that's something else. Or at least not your nitrifying bacteria. These colonise your filter but can't be seen.

What's the white stuff look like? Is it getting worse?

What is ammonia now?

 

[TheFragile]

Yes I have checked the expiration a dates and they're good. This is why I am so confused. I don't know what is contributing to this ammonia increase. After water changes, it drops but not far enough and within a day or 2 it's back up to 2.0-4.0 ppm.

 

[Delapool]

Going to need more details on the white stuff your seeing in filter.

From memory you are getting these ammonia spikes since adding TSS?

 

[TheFragile]

No ammonia has been since I started the tank. I have only had nitrates since adding the TSS. But ammonia still isn't dropping other than when I do water changes.

 

[coralbandit]

Ok what about your substrate?
What are using?
What is in tank like deco or wood,plants.....?
Ammonia has to leaching from something.

 

[PassengerTN]

6.5 gal tank tetra whisper 10 filter, 1 live plant, it has mini bananas for roots, 4 neon tetras. 1 Cory cat. 3 ghost shrimp died a few weeks ago, I fished out 2 but couldn't find 1. Since then I have siphoned the substrate every water change. I'm assuming the fish ate the third shrimp.

Here's the tank specs from earlier in the thread. You're now asking the same questions I've been asking.

Jesse

 

[coralbandit]

Here's the tank specs from earlier in the thread. You're now asking the same questions I've been asking.

Jesse

Doesn't say what kind of sub?
Although the op sounds around beginner level some keepers do use"special planted soils{ADA}" which are known to leach ammonia for months!

 

[TMRC Exotics]

Doesn't say what kind of sub?
Although the op sounds around beginner level some keepers do use"special planted soils{ADA}" which are known to leach ammonia for months!

Ada leaches ammonia?

 

[threnjen]

ADA leaches for a while. It's good for fishless cycling because you don't have to dose anything

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[TheFragile]

Rock substrate, which I siphon with every water change.

 

[Delapool]

No ammonia has been since I started the tank. I have only had nitrates since adding the TSS. But ammonia still isn't dropping other than when I do water changes.

This was from post 1? Wasn't sure what you meant by higher ammonia levels but sounded like a spike? And answers to my questions on the white stuff?

"So I treated with TSS 2 days ago, tested this morning and saw higher ammonia levels than I have ever had (4.0!!!) so I panicked and did 2 partial water changes and got it down to 0.25ppm. I treated the new water with prime and decided I would add a new bottle of TSS tomorrow after waiting the 24 hours."

 

[TheFragile]

I'm not really sure how else to describe it other than white stringy stuff. Sort of a mucus appearance.

It doesn't seem to be an ammonia spike it's just consistently rising. My nitrates are consistent at 5.0 and I have never had a nitrite reading.

 

[Delapool]

I'm not really sure how else to describe it other than white stringy stuff. Sort of a mucus appearance.

It doesn't seem to be an ammonia spike it's just consistently rising. My nitrates are consistent at 5.0 and I have never had a nitrite reading.

Thanks for reply - does it look like it is growing or spreading out at all? Like a bacterial bloom on steroids. Trying to find a good link.

 

[Delapool]

first link which probably isn't it (assuming it's not just filter wool or something )


My first tank: stringy cobweb-like stuff growing


Second link. I'm wondering if it could be a bad bacterial bloom (search on white, stringy mucus). Usually these limit themselves to white cloudy water but if really bad will form a white sludge. I'm not saying it is this or the cause of your problems but one to check on.


Help: White Milky Sludge In Tank - 113347


Bacterial Blooms Explained - New to the Hobby Questions and Answers - Tropical Fish Forums


"To help you to understand why bacterial blooms occur, overfeeding ,dead fish or dead plant matter will cause a rise in the reproduction of the heterotrophs in order to break down the organic waste, they re-produce too quickly to be able to attach themselves to a surface and this causes a bacterial bloom. As the ammonia production increases due to the increased mineralisation, the nitrifiers are slow to catch up (as i said above) and so you see an ammonia spike until the autotrophs reproduce enough to take care of it. Contrary to popular belief, bacterial blooms cause an ammonia spike, not the other way around."

 

[PassengerTN]

Looks like you may have struck gold Dela.

Jesse

 

[Delapool]

Looks like you may have struck gold Dela.

Jesse

Hoping that's not it Otherwise I shall have to disinfect and burn this thread off the iPhone. Out of interest I read a few of these and sometimes water chemistry is fine, sometimes not.

 

[TheFragile]

The stuff I saw in the tank only appeared after I had rinsed the filter media in the dirty water and then placed it back in the filter. I don't know if that makes a difference.

 

[coralbandit]

The stuff I saw in the tank only appeared after I had rinsed the filter media in the dirty water and then placed it back in the filter. I don't know if that makes a difference.

Did you shut filter off when you did this?
Often a "bio slime" will build up on/in supply/return lines of filters and will be dislodged upon re start.
If this is the case then the white stuff is no big deal IMO.

 

[TheFragile]

Proud to report after so much struggle, 0ppm ammonia. The tank finally cycled. I didn't do anything different or new. But I noticed that after a water change that I did last week, ammonia hung out around 1.0 ppm for almost the whole week. Then the next day it dropped to 0.5, then to 0 the next day. Never had a nitrite spike and my nitrates are still at 5.0.

Now that that is settled, how often should water changes be done in a cycled tank? And how often should filter media be changed? How do I change the filter media without going through this again? Should I keep the current media in while placing a new filter for a period of time?

 

[coralbandit]

Most due water changes weekly but you can let your nitrate test guide you in the beginning.
Under 15 ppm is great and under 25 is good.
Stocking will be responsible for how fast the tank produces nitrates.
Most rinse/swish there filter pad in old tank water during water change in the bucket.
If your bio is separate then you can change the mechanicals,if not you should keep them till they are falling apart and then use them with the new one till it is seeded.
Congrats on getting through the cycle!