Can Anyone Help With This?

[Squigs]

I've had my tank running for a couple of months now (it's fully cycled or at least it was) and I'm a bit confused with my readings this morning pre-WC.

Ammonia: 0.25 !!!
Nitrites: <0.25 (this is the lowest reading, from a tetra kit not API).
Nitrates: 0 !!! (I've never got 0 on this before)
pH: 8

A couple of weeks ago one of my fish died, unknown cause. I went away for 5 days and he was dead when I came back. He was at the bottom of the tank, no visual marks, nothing out of the norm so I just assumed it was his time. Water parameters were normal. I kept an eye on the other fish and water quality, nothing unusual.

Not long after that, a couple of days later, I added some real plants (previous ones were plastic) - 2 small bunches of elodeas, 1 java fern, 1 small valis and 1 unknown (recommended by LFS but I'll take a picture so someone can hopefully identify it for me!).

Set up: 2 fancy goldies in a 160L (AquaOne 850). WC 10-20% every 7-10 days, changed 60% just now, before that, around 20% the weekend before last, always use Tetra AquaSafe (and haven't forgotten to add it!)

Also, not sure if relevant, I never used the light before, just natural light as curtains are never closed on the room where the tank is. But since getting the plants, I started switching the light on (on a timer, 6 hrs per day from 9am to 3pm) and I got some brown algae!

I've not got a clue why I had ammonia today and my nitrates are 0. I can only think that I'm starting a new cycle all over again but I can't see how... Any ideas?

 

[Squigs]

Here's a pic of the plant I'm unsure of. It's the one with the big leaf with darker bits, does anyone know what this is? Hopefully aquatic and not edible by goldies

http/www.flickr.com/photos/67340149@N02/6395203915/in/photostream

 

[cynic]

I'm still learning myself but i'll have a go

First off, if the tank has been running for a couple of months then its only just cycled properly. You may just have a spike. Has happened to me several times with my daughters tank.

Adding the plants will alter the chemistry going on inside the tank a little. The plants will use some of the nitrates in the water. My tank is pretty much stable at the moment with the demands of the plants taking care of what the filter can't. I'm only taking out water when vacing the bottom, (common to anyone with a plec).

I haven't a clue what that plant is but i'd have it out of the water till your sure, the brown may be the plant decaying which will spoil the water. Stessing the fish causing more ammonia.

The brown algae is pretty normal in a newish tank, its using the trace amounts of ammonia to grow, adjusting your lighting may help. But my daughters tank has 6hrs of light and thats been fine. What is your lighting, 1 tube, 2 how many watts.

The tank is a good size for the fish in it so should take a while to go bad. Not wanting to insult but are you sure your tests were good?

All i can say at the mo.

 

[Gilli]

Heres the big important question - did you clean your filter with tap water? if you did then you will have killed all the bacteria that has grown. Are you using a proper liquid test kit and not the paper strips because they are useless.

If not then your tank is either not fully cycled yet or has gone into a mini cycle. Daily water changes needed on a large scale of at least 60% until both ammonia and nitrites are at 0 for a few days in a row without water changes.

 

[Squigs]

I'm still learning myself but i'll have a go

First off, if the tank has been running for a couple of months then its only just cycled properly. You may just have a spike. Has happened to me several times with my daughters tank.

Adding the plants will alter the chemistry going on inside the tank a little. The plants will use some of the nitrates in the water. My tank is pretty much stable at the moment with the demands of the plants taking care of what the filter can't. I'm only taking out water when vacing the bottom, (common to anyone with a plec).

I haven't a clue what that plant is but i'd have it out of the water till your sure, the brown may be the plant decaying which will spoil the water. Stessing the fish causing more ammonia.

The brown algae is pretty normal in a newish tank, its using the trace amounts of ammonia to grow, adjusting your lighting may help. But my daughters tank has 6hrs of light and thats been fine. What is your lighting, 1 tube, 2 how many watts.

The tank is a good size for the fish in it so should take a while to go bad. Not wanting to insult but are you sure your tests were good?

All i can say at the mo.

Thanks for that. I didn't know that ammonia spikes could still happen once tank was cycled so I'll test the parameters more often.

I'm afraid I didn't remove the plant as I had to go away and saw your reply after that. I'm away till Sunday so I'll take the plant out then if I haven't figured it out by then.

Lightingwise I have two tubes but not sure which ones. The tank comes with 2 x 25w and 1 x 20wt8 but I only have 2 going (one of the tubes needs replacing but I never bothered as bright enough without it). I'll check them when I get home.

Heres the big important question - did you clean your filter with tap water? if you did then you will have killed all the bacteria that has grown. Are you using a proper liquid test kit and not the paper strips because they are useless.

If not then your tank is either not fully cycled yet or has gone into a mini cycle. Daily water changes needed on a large scale of at least 60% until both ammonia and nitrites are at 0 for a few days in a row without water changes.

No, I haven't cleaned the filter with tap water. To be honest, I know people say 'rinse the filter in tank water' but I even don't do that because I'm afraid my bacteria might die!

Yes, I'm using a 'proper liquid test'. I used to have a tetra one, but ammonia testing ran out so I got an api. So currently I test nitrites and ph with tetra and ammonia and nitrates with api, all liquid tests.

I tested the water this morning, before I left and it was 0 for both ammonia and nitrites so fingers crossed it'll be ok still by the time I get back!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If you don't rinse the gunk off the filter every now and then, you can limit the flow of water, oxygen and ammonia to your bacteria. That will make the biological filter much less effective.


I'd give them a rinse (just swish them in a bucket of old tank water) and put them right back. No big deal. No die back from that (assuming that the bucket you use is for fish use only.)

 

[Squigs]

Thanks for that. Maybe I should have said I rinse the filters in the water maybe once a month?? Will do it more often. All the stuff I use (eg. Buckets, plastic jugs, etc) are only used for the fish, I probably spend more in them than me lol

 

[Squigs]

I've started a thread on the planted section of the forum and can safely say that all my plants are aquatic so they can't be the reason why I had the ammonia spike. Any other ideas anyway? I'm now understocked so I'm really stuck as to why this has happened...