Should I water change?

[kho]

Hey all, Set up my tank Aug 7th.

Been reading
2ppm Ammonia
0 nitrite
0 nitrates
pretty much until this morning

My test this morning reads
a little darker but not exactly 4 ammonia
.5 or 1ppm nitrite
5-10 ppm nitrate

I have not added any ammonia, and most is supplied through 2 snails that came with plants, and my molting dwarf sagittaria
I most likely will wait til tomorrow's test to check, but since my ammonia just keeps growing should i change the water to try to help lower?
*Edit - Also only added water once to top off due to running a heater and no lid at the time.

 

[Essjay]

It depends whether there are fish in the tank. If there are fish, any reading of ammonia or nitrate above zero needs a water change. But if there are no fish, just the pest snails, then you don't need a water change unless the ammonia level gets above 5 ppm. Then I would do a water change as the wrong species of bacteria grow at higher levels of ammonia.

 

[kho]

yeah just those two snails,
do you by chance know where all this ammonia is coming from?

i was reading .25 for a couple days and I ordered DrTims ammonia to add three days ago,
But on 08/10/20 ammonia spiked to 2ppm and then today 8/12/2020 nitrites are showing

Ammonia will come on friday, but is this from the snail poop? theres a good amount of algae around to eat.

 

[Essjay]

It does seem a bit high with no fish and no added ammonia.

Are you using a special substrate or just ordinary sand or gravel?
And how many plants do you have for the size of your tank - a few, a jungle, or somewhere between?

 

[kho]

eco complete with root tabs, 10g
i would say somewhere between, 5 different types but all spread apart or glued on stuff.

tap does add .25 ammonia already. and only chemicals added are:
API tap water conditioner
API quick start , half bottle 4 days ago (2oz), and normal dosing before those days, nothing else
Easy Green, so far two pumps.

pH started 7.4, just tested and now its 7.0-7.2 range now if any of that helps.

 

[Essjay]

I asked about the substrate because some specialist plant substrates leach ammonia, but googling suggests that eco complete does not. The company says it contains bacteria but most people seem to think that's hype.

API Tap Water Conditioner won't cause ammonia - it's what I use

Quick Start is bottled bacteria which shouldn't contain ammonia.

Does Easy Green list it on the bottle?


As for plants, you can do something called a silent or plant cycle. Plants use ammonia as fertiliser and they don't turn it into nitrite. Yours have only just been planted, but once they start to show signs of active growth, they should begin to take up ammonia. I would hold off using the ammonia when it comes and see what happens to the ammonia and nitrite as the plants begin to establish themselves - and hopefully the dwarf sagittaria stops moulting.

But I am at a loss to suggest where the ammonia is coming from, unless the Easy Green contains it.

 

[kho]

N 2.66% , P 0.46%, K 9.21%, Mg 0.7%, S 0.80%, B 0.015%, Cu 0.00%, Fe 0.13%, Mn 0.036%, Mo 0.00%, Zn 0.072%

Easy Green All-in-One Fertilizer | Aquarium Plant Fertilizer

Easy Green is the easiest way to feed aquarium plants, and it's safe for fish, shrimp, & snails. Comes with a pump head or drop dispenser for easy dosing.

www.aquariumcoop.com

its just a basic plant fertilizer. but thanks for the help! I'm just happy to see nitrites

 

[Essjay]

N 2.66%

That could be in the form of ammonia or nitrate.

The way to be certain would be to mix a bit with water and test it.

 

[Andyw88]

I wouldn't change the water,in 48 hours or so you should be cycled.if there's fish add some prime.but once the nitrite shows up it's pretty close to being cycled, I wouldn't change any water now until your nitrates hit 20 with 0 everything else, water change to quickly and it could destroy your good bacteria

 

[kho]

That could be in the form of ammonia or nitrate.

The way to be certain would be to mix a bit with water and test it.

I just did a (half pump and filled the rest of the 5 ml up with tap, I'm not showing any ammonia/ nitrites.
Is this due to the proportionality?
And Thinking about my pump dosage, I know for sure I added on 08/07/2020, and I believe on Sunday 08-09-2020 due to panic from all the plants molting.
*/ Nitrites were reading 0 up until yesterday
I now know the wonder effects of algae, and too much nutrients.

Thanks for all the replies.

Just tested today,
results were
pH : 7.0-7.2
Ammonia, a little lighter than 2.0 ppm but less than yesterday at least
Nitrite is around either between 1 or 2 ppm
and nitrate around 5-10 ppm.

 

[Essjay]

So we know that it's not the Easy Green causing the ammonia.

Do you have many plants in the tank? Adding ammonia to a planted tank can harm the plants.
If there are a good number of plants, they should be able to take up the ammonia and they don't turn it into nitrite. In this case, it's a question of waiting until you see active growth on the plants and then you should be able to start adding fish a few at a time.
But if it's only the odd few plants, there may not be enough. In this case, you would need to add ammonia to grow the bacteria.

 

[kho]

: 1 Bundle of Micro Sword
: 1 Bundle of Echinodorus Parviflorus
: 1 Loose of Anubias barteri Broad Leaf
: 1 Bundle of Microsorum Pteropus(Java Fern)
: 1 Potted of Cryptocoryne Wendtii Brown
: 1 Java Moss 2.5" cup
: 1 Bundle of Dwarf Sagittaria
: 1 Red Dwarf Aquarium Lily Bulb
: 1 Bundle MoneyWort

I dont mind waiting until the tank fills out either, I know there is atleast good root growth happening,
I moved my heater yesterday to a lower position in prep for a water change (i had it placed really high up)
and doing so I ended up uprooting one of the crypts a little bit, and it was being held onto roots least instead of floating up.
So hopefully other plants are doing well. Nothing else looks in bad shape other than the dwarf Sagittaria, and random pieces of java moss that fell off.

 

[Essjay]

That sounds like a good number of plants. I would be inclined to wait till they are obviously growing - and that will also give time for the nitrites to drop. Once you are happy that the plants are fine, if there's still nitrite in the water do a water change to remove it and check again next day. If there's no nitrite, get the first batch of fish. With shoaling fish, get all the shoal at the same time. Monitor ammonia and nitrite for several days afterwards to make sure they are staying at zero before getting the next batch of fish.