So I just did a small water change for my new tank for the first time and before I the change I tested my Nitrite level it was 0 ppm which is good but after I change, it spiked up high. What is the problem or is it normal?
# I'm using SERA Water Test Kit for Nitrite
There shouldn't be such an immediate change in that parameter just within the span of a water change, unless the water you used somehow has nitrites in it.
Test again... it could also be either the first or second measurement has some errors (ie. nitrites could have been zero or could have been high in the beginning).
Okay it's cleared yellow now xDOriginally Posted by Urban Aquaria
thank God for Science
I'm stuck with ammonia with like 0.25-0.50ppm
how do I lower it?
Ammonia readings just means your tank is still in the cycling phase. Once the tank is fully cycled, ammonia and nitrite should stay at zero.
You can also do water changes to help reduce the ammonia levels, though that is a temporary solution as ammonia will still constantly be produced by aquasoil, decomposing organic material, food, waste and livestock. Only the established benecificial bacteria in a cycled tank environment can convert it to nitrite, then to nitrate.
I'm stuck with mid to high nitrate
like 10mg/l - 25mg/l
any suggestions to how to reduce the nitrate?
I did water changes twice this week and I've added a few water plants.
10-25 mg/l (or ppm) nitrate levels is okay... most planted tanks usually want to maintain those levels of nitrates so that the plants have enough of it to use for photosynthesis and growth.
Nitrate is alot less toxic to livestock (compared to ammonia and nitrite), so up to 40ppm is usually still acceptable.
Though if the nitrate levels do start rising much higher (ie. >40ppm), then water changes will help reduce it, along with feeding less and/or reducing bio-load. Adding more fast growing plants will also help to consume and remove the excess nitrates faster too.
How many times you can water change per week?
You can do as many water changes as you need to per week, there is no fixed frequency or ratio... it all depends on the tank's bio-load/waste production and how much excess nitrates or other toxic parameters you want to remove.
The percentage of parameters reduced is based on the amount of water changed, so if you do a 20% water change, it only reduces the parameters by 20%... so for example, if the tank has 160ppm nitrates and a 20% water change is done, it only reduces it to 96ppm, which is still high, so in this case more water needs to be changed out more frequently to have a greater effect in reducing the nitrate levels.
Do note that its generally better to do many smaller water changes spread over a few days, rather than one large water change, its mainly to prevent sudden change in water parameters and shock to the fishes or shrimps (especially for the sensitive species).
I used api quickstart and prodibio prodigest (1 capsule) to cycle my tank with a full load of fish (7 hatchet, 4 corydoras, 2x oto, boraras brigitae and 20 crs) .
its already day 12 in a fresh ada soil tank. ammonia is 0. nitrite is 0 and nitrate is sub 40ppm. I water change every 1 day for 30% for the first week, then thereafter you can test kit and measure your nitrite/nitrate levels or simply water change 30% every day for around around 2 weeks and then monitor nitrate before you settle into a new water change routine.
your mileage may vary.
My LFS sold me the bacteria to quick start the cycling process; I am currently still waiting for my ammonia level to go down
I have fishes and floating plants now.. I have a few casualties
2 tetras and 2 hatchetfish died.
The Prodibio system for startup with just the "prodigest" capsule is not sufficient. This only contains beneficial bacteria which will take time to colonize.
Hope you got the full quick start system which includes "Stop Ammo" capsule which will bind the Ammonia that allows fishes to be added within a 4 hours (typically used for emergency purposes)
If you still have ammonia, the system is not ready for fishes. Some may survive but there is a high chance of death depending on the species.
Best to cycle it longer before buying more fishes.
Any idea why when after i do WC for like 30% to 40%, all my fish like grasping for air? It is a mature tank, using tap water with Prime. On top of that, i added API anti coat stress+.
That usually means either the tank water or water change water (or both) have low oxygen levels, so when you do the water change the tank's oxygen content suddenly drops much lower and the fishes start gasping at the surface.
Solutions to this would be to keep your tank water well oxygenated, either increase surface agitation by air stone bubbling or shifting the outflow higher to create more surface ripples. Adding more fast growing plants (with ample light) will also help to oxygenate the tank too.
Using an air stone to aerate the bucket of water change water for a day also helps to increase its oxygen content.
If you have Co2 injection in the tank, try to only do water changes after the Co2 and lights are off, so that the plants have completed their photosynthesis for the day and the tank is better oxygenated (and Co2 levels are lower).
Btw, also try not to overdose Prime too much as it is a reducing agent, so there is a chance it may reduce oxygen content in high concentrations.
Tested again
Nitrite : 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
Ammonia : still at 5 ppm
( I have tetras in my tank )
Is that amount of ammonia okay?
Any ammonia level above 0 is harmful to livestock... looks like the tank is not cycled yet.
Oh mine.. 5ppm is really too high ! It is toxic !
Eh huh I put wrong!
Is 0.5PPM
Bump. How long does it taken for the 0.5ppm to dissipate?
It depends on the ammmonia source and how established the beneficial bacteria colonies are... no fixed timing as every setup is different, just have to monitor the livestock and wait.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks