Arghhhhh Ammonia Back With A Vengeance

[scotslasszoe]

Sorry, but don't you have another tank that is setup & running & cycled?

Andy

No as transfered everything from that one to new 4 foot one. Apart from external filter as not able to fit it in. i put the fluval 4 plus in tho. but seems that not enough at moment.

Zoe

 

[Underwurlde]

(Dim moment time): So the fluval 4 plus DOES have cycled media in it that should have survived the transfer?

Andy

 

[scotslasszoe]

(Dim moment time): So the fluval 4 plus DOES have cycled media in it that should have survived the transfer?

Andy

Yea. but ammonia back. so i have now put in a fluval 3 plus in also to see if that would help but doesnt seem to be.

I am going to do a water test in next hour to see what the score is.

Another pain is external filter will now have lost all bacteria. so gonna have to start new cycle on old tank when set back up.

Zoe

 

[scotslasszoe]

Ok Readings are as follows

Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 5.0
Ph 6
Ph was 6.8 on sat?

Has dropped a fair ammount. plus how come i have nitrate? arghhhh

Zoe

opps had ammonia at 2 finger slipped

 

[Underwurlde]

So, you have a cycled fluval 4 and a new fluval 3 plus.

If your fluval 4 is indeed cycled, then it must be processing some ammonia into nitrite and that nitrite into nitrate. This I hope you know, but what I guess is the case here, is that you’ve taken this cycled fluval 4 from a setup with a smaller amount of fish and added it to a tank now with a larger amount of fish, in other words, the filter has gone from processing a smaller amount of ammonia to processing a larger amount of ammonia. [<-edit! Ammonia, not bacteria!]

The processing bacteria in these filter grow to an amount that matches the levels of ammonia present in the water, that is to say the corresponding amount of fish. If the amount of fish and hence ammonia suddenly increases then more bacteria will start to grow but this takes some time. This is a mini-cycle and does not take very long to do (days hopefully). Note also that the bacteria that chomps nitrite takes twice as long to grow / establish than that for ammonia chomping bacteria.

Your new fluval 3 plus filter is effectively dead – it is devoid of bacteria and will therefore need to cycle. The bacteria required to cycle a filter is ‘sessile’ – that is to say that they do not live ‘in’ the water, rather they live attached to things: Substrate, tank walls, filter media. So, kick start your new filter (if you thing that the existing fluval 4 filter is under-sized) by taking some of the cycled media from the fluval 4 and swap it with the uncycled media from the fluval 3 plus. (This should be easy for you to do because the filters I hope use similar media). I’d swap over 50%.

If you do this, it will take just as long to complete the mini-cycle, but what you’ll end up with is TWO cycled and ready to go filters.

GL

Andy

PS, rid yor tank of nitrate via water changes - its presence is a good sign: Your filters are working...

 

[scotslasszoe]

Thanks

I have not added any extra fish. Infact i have 1 less in tank as had a little accident during fish transfer ( I squashed it by mistake against glass)

Thanks again Zoe

 

[Underwurlde]

I squashed it by mistake against glass

erm....

I have not added any extra fish. Infact i have 1 less in tank

Then I guess you must've had quite a bit of die-off during the transfer / setting up period.

Andy

PS
Before, did you mean 5ppm of Nitrite? Sorry to doubt you, just making doubly sure as 5ppm Nitrate is naff all.

 

[scotslasszoe]

I squashed it by mistake against glass

erm....

I have not added any extra fish. Infact i have 1 less in tank

Then I guess you must've had quite a bit of die-off during the transfer / setting up period.

Andy

PS
Before, did you mean 5ppm of Nitrite? Sorry to doubt you, just making doubly sure as 5ppm Nitrate is naff all.

Hi. all fish are living only one has died. and i gave some away.

Its Nitrate that is 5

Nitrites def 0.

Have done a little WC will give u results in 10 mins

Zoe

P.S yes felt so bad for killing one of my fish.

 

[GRJ]

Nitrate is fine, its ammonia and nitrIte that are the problem. If you did buy ammo-lock, that will turn up to 3ppm of ammonia into ammonium but it is in no way a miracle cure and isnt really designed for long term use. I used it but to be honest, water changes to reduce your ammonia are much better in the long run until the tank has cycled. You will find once your nitrIte has spiked that you nitrAte will go up, which is fine. Just make sure the nitrate doesnt go above 50ppm. GRJ

 

[scotslasszoe]

Thanks GRJ. yea will keep up with WC. going to hunt the whole of edinburgh for ammonia for other tank. dont seem to be able to find some around my way

Zoe

 

[backtotropical]

Hi Zoe,

Just for info, i was looking for ammonia a few weeks ago. I went to boots on Princes Street, they dont have it and seemed to think that if they dont, probably no branch of Boots in the Edinburgh area will coz they are the biggest store. Dont know how much truth is in that?

Grays on George Street do have some but no ingredients on the bottle. I didn't shake it to test it, so you might want to try if you don't find it anywhere else.

Also, try Homebase, lots of people have said they sell it.

Cheers

BTT

 

[scotslasszoe]

Hi Zoe,

Just for info, i was looking for ammonia a few weeks ago. I went to boots on Princes Street, they dont have it and seemed to think that if they dont, probably no branch of Boots in the Edinburgh area will coz they are the biggest store. Dont know how much truth is in that?

Grays on George Street do have some but no ingredients on the bottle. I didn't shake it to test it, so you might want to try if you don't find it anywhere else.

Also, try Homebase, lots of people have said they sell it.

Cheers

BTT

Aye, i got a funny look at the boots at fort Kinnard.

Emmmmm. nearest homebase to me will be Straiton i think?. Or could try B & Q. if not then will just use fish food as got tons of the stuff

Z

 

[GRJ]

I was going to suggest Homebase, but you got that covered!LOL! Funny that boots dont have any isnt it! If anywhere should have it they should! Thats just pants! Good luck on your hunt for ammonia, keep us posted! GRJ Oh, just as a final afterthought, if yu have room in one of your filters, keep as much spare media as you can and then you always got spare if needed or disaster strikes again! Thats what i do know and i managed to set another two tanks up with no cycling trouble at all! GRJ

 

[backtotropical]

I cycled my filter with frozen squid. Worked fine.

 

[GRJ]

I have heard a dead shrimp will do the job too! Dont know how true that is!