headache

[figgy jr]

i juz started my tank with 10 tetras yesterday. satatus of water cond at ph 6.5,
co2:10mg/l,
kh:3 deg/ gh: 4 deg
ammonia: 0
iron: 0

all the tetra were doing well, but 2day added some other fishes as well. then notice in the day with co2 and lights running, all was well, but now at night all the fishes are swimming moer at the upper level and surface. i switched off the co2 supply and is juz the filter running by aggitating the surface. now do i still i need to on the co2 ??also the water readings have turned upside down,
ph:7.8
co2:6mg/l
kh: 5 / gh: 6
ammonia: 0
iron: 0
no3: 0

now i heard that no3(nitrate) cannot be 0.issit true, how come myiron level is 0 even after adding jbl ferropo. should i get the iron supplement alone.also, what else can i do as the plants are start to look fadinf .... l

[budak]

You fail to mention your tank size......

I doubt CO2 is the real problem. Adding fish too soon to your newly setup tank is probably the cause. Have you heard of the need to cycle tanks before adding livestock? In short, ammonia and nitrite levels will shoot up (don't always trust test kits) rapidly in new tanks, easily killing fish. Short of removing the fish, what you can do is do more frequent partial water changes until the fish are visibly stable. And forget about dosing at this stage.

Growing plants is another kettle of fish.... It's good that you are starting off with CO2 injection, but I suggest you first read through the FAQs and articles in the main page to learn more about what plants and fish need.

[taz]

I thought to add some fish would kick start the cycling process? Don't we need the fish waste for the ammonia ? Or unless we add chemical ammonia to spike up the nitrite. Am I wrong here or is there another way to go fishless cycling?

[figgy jr]

well actually bros my tank is 2x1x1.5ft and the tank with plants was started 2 weeks ago, only the fish were added on last fri and sat respectivly.now already have 3 casualties. also the plants are not seen bubbling as well in the day under the lighting.ammonia level is still o and nitrate no3 also 0. well my main t is to know do i need to let the co2 flow the whole day(24hrs) or can it be stopped at night. i heard that ingecting co2 can lower the ph.
another. is it a sign of iron deficiency if leaves of plants turning to patches of black??

[albert]

About fishless cycle, I have came to an article about it some time back. I make use of food shrimps (those in the market that we eat). Add one into the tank and let it start rotting away to kick the cycle.

Never had a chance to try since I dun intend to start off another tank. Anyone dare?? Please tell us your results.

[budak]

dear figgy,
i don't time to go through all the details with you, but suggest you click on the AQ logo on the top left and read some of the Articles in there... also the Aquatic FAQ forum section will have links and tips for most of your queries...... if you are still not clear about what this content is saying, please do follow up here with your query.

[CT]

If I am not wrong, your CO2 level is actually quite low and far from deadly for the fish. From your ph/kh readings, your CO2 level around is 2ppm.

Maybe you could download the Chuck's Planted Aquarium Calculator in the forum, find it quite useful.

And also how much lighting are you using?

[vinz]

Did you measure your CO2 (or pH) when you found the fishes near the surface? Were they gasping? What kind of CO2 setup are you using?

Given that your tank is new, it could well be ammonia poisoning. How many and what fishes did you add on the second day? How many and what fishes are there in your tank?

You don't need to add dead prawns or whatever to kick start the n-cycle. You just have to be disciplined and add fishes/shrimps SLOWLY. Start with smaller numbers first and wait at least a week before adding more. Subsequently, you can add more at a time, but never more then the number of fishes already in the tank.

Feed sparingly at first, just to prevent the fishes from starving. This will reduce the amount of ammonia produced from fish waste and food.

[figgy jr]

actually, my ammonia level is 0..nitrate is also 0, only ph high.....the best the tetras are doing fine with no casualties.....