Level Climb After New Additions?

[Crazycat lady]

My levels have been stable for a while now (after a stern telling off for overfeeding a few months ago)

ammonia and nitrite usually 0 and nitrate less than 25mg/l

I have recently added 7 new full sized guppies and as the same time gave away my 3 bleeding heart tetras (to my mum, i can visit still)

I know by doing this i am currently overstocked by around 4 fish, but i am currently restocking my mums tank slowly. the BH tetras went first (along with adding another 3 from my lfs so they have a happy little shoal. before you ask about me restocking my mums tank, it has been cycled for at least 5 years (150l) but only ever stocked around 10 neons/glowlights or similar size. after she saw my tank she wanted to get into it again (was my dads tank). so.. her levels are fine!

3 of my gupps are going to her once the tetras are settled in with the cycle.

but after adding the (technically 4) extra fish to mine my nitrate has shot up to 100mg/l overnight. and yes overnight because i checked the levels before i added new fish.

current levels
ammonia less than 0.5mg/l
nitrite less than 0.05mg/l
nitrate 100mg/l

i did a 30% water change immediatly including hoovering

and will monitor it daily

the only other thing that has changed is I made my pleco a vegetable kebab or cucumber and broccoli and that stayed in overnight.

could this be the kebab? cycle kicking in to remove extra ammonia from new fishies, evil water in fish bags from lfs having nitrates in(tank was heavily stocked, i mean at least 40 full grown guppies in a 40l tank)

anyway measures are being taken to rectify the problem. gupps will be moving house soon and water changes aplenty. just curious to what people's opinions are?

thanx

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes, your levels rising with the addition of new fish is "normal". It depends on how many fish you have and how many fish you add. More fish = more waste. (also the move and the new pecking order can also be stressful for all the fish, which means that they will produce even more ammonia than normal.)


Continue to monitor it and keep up with the water changes as necessary.



Second, in the future DO NOT ADD WATER from bags to your tank. You want to net out your fish. Water from the store can harbor diseases. Ich for example could be free swimming in the water, but not on any of the fish. Once introduced to your tank, it could infect any/all of your fish. If you net them in, only the parasite ON the fish will be added, and if you inspected the fish before you bought them, the chances are much lower. (Just an FYI - it is good practice to NEVER add water from the LFS when adding fish.)

 

[Crazycat lady]

Yes, your levels rising with the addition of new fish is "normal". It depends on how many fish you have and how many fish you add. More fish = more waste. (also the move and the new pecking order can also be stressful for all the fish, which means that they will produce even more ammonia than normal.)


Continue to monitor it and keep up with the water changes as necessary.



Second, in the future DO NOT ADD WATER from bags to your tank. You want to net out your fish. Water from the store can harbor diseases. Ich for example could be free swimming in the water, but not on any of the fish. Once introduced to your tank, it could infect any/all of your fish. If you net them in, only the parasite ON the fish will be added, and if you inspected the fish before you bought them, the chances are much lower. (Just an FYI - it is good practice to NEVER add water from the LFS when adding fish.)

when i add new fish i float the bag in the tank for 15mins. then add some of my tank water, leave for 5 mins,add a bit more water etc etc till the aquarium bag is around 5/6 full. at that point should i then net them?

the place i got them from is quite reputable and always qurenteens new fish for a week befor going on sale. but i will keep that in mind from now on!!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Net them just before you put them into the tank, and discard the water from the bag. (Top off your tank with fresh water, if necessary.) Your procedure is fine, right up to the final step. It's not that the LFS is bad or anything, but you are taking a chance is all. It's an unnecessary chance, and the extra effort of netting the fish is so minor it isn't worth the risk.


You could also do a drip acclimation. I actually have found it to be easier and less effort - just takes a little more time.


The quoted method below is actually for saltwater fish, etc. but the same basic method works just as well with freshwater fish as well. You never can be too careful with acclimatizing your fish. (Sorry I didn't bring the pictures over, but they can be found here.


[quote from liveaquaria.com]
Drip Method
This method is considered more advanced. It is geared toward sensitive inhabitants such as corals, shrimp, sea stars, and wrasses. You will need airline tubing and must be willing to monitor the entire process. Gather a clean, 3 or 5-gallon bucket designated for aquarium use only. If acclimating both fish and invertebrates, use a separate bucket for each.

Start with Steps 1-3 of the floating method to acclimate water temperature.

Carefully empty the contents of the bags (including the water) into the buckets (Fig. G), making sure not to expose sensitive invertebrates to the air. Depending on the amount of water in each bag, this may require tilting the bucket at a 45 degree angle to make sure the animals are fully submerged (Fig. H). You may need a prop or wedge to help hold the bucket in this position until there is enough liquid in the bucket to put it back to a level position.

Using airline tubing, set up and run a siphon drip line from the main aquarium to each bucket. You’ll need separate airline tubing for each bucket used. Tie several loose knots in the airline tubing, or use a plastic or other non-metal airline control valve, (Fig. I), to regulate flow from the aquarium. It is also a good idea to secure the airline tubing in place with an airline holder. The Doctors Foster and Smith Acclimation Kit is a convenient alternative that simplifies the drip acclimation process.

Begin a siphon by sucking on the end of the airline tubing you'll be placing into each of the buckets. When water begins flowing through the tubing, adjust the drip (by tightening one of the knots or adjusting the control valve) to a rate of about 2-4 drips per second (Fig. J).

When the water volume in the bucket doubles, discard half and begin the drip again until the volume doubles once more – about one hour.

At this point, the specimens can be transferred to the aquarium. Sponges, clams, and gorgonias should never be directly exposed to air. Gently scoop them out of the drip bucket with the specimen bag, making sure they’re fully covered in water. Submerge the bag underwater in the aquarium and gently remove the specimen from the bag. Next, seal off the bag underwater by twisting the opening, and remove it from the aquarium. Discard both the bag and the enclosed water. A tiny amount of the diluted water will escape into the aquarium; this is O.K. Also, to avoid damage, please remember never to touch the "fleshy" part of live coral when handling.[/quote]

 

[Rynofasho]

PS it was the kebabs.

 

[Crazycat lady]

Kebabs a no no! Noted!

Levels calmed back down almost immediatly after water change and removal of kebab. Tested for a week afterwards and has been back to normal.

A breeding trio of guppies moved out and also my chinese AE so tank is much roomier

 

[SLIM]

Imo there is no need to add aquarium water to the bag before adding your fish. As I understand it, people do this so the fish can get used to the PH change going from lfs to your aquarium water. This method however has very little if any effect. It takes fish days to weeks to adjust to a PH change so adding a liitle bit of your aquarium water to the bag for 10-15mins will do nothing. Iv never done this and never had a problem. All I do like said above is, float the bag in the water for 20-30 mins to allow temperature to adjust, then net them out into the aquarium. Who knows whats in the lfs's water.