Tank Change Over

[sjdriscoll]

Hi all,

I've just changed 'up' my 20 gallon planted tank for a 35 gallon (planted) and the tank has been cloudy ever since (Saturday) and this refuses to clear. I took a strip reading and the nitrite (NO2) level is at 2mg/l - I've never seen it so high! Luckily no fish are in the aquarium.

I saved as much 'old' tank water as possible (about 12 gallons) and didn't mess about too much with the external filter (apart from a quick rinse out although it was turned off for most of the day). I used about 65% old eco complete substrate with 35% new eco.

Any ideas?

Thanks for any help.

Steve

 

[RadaR]

didn't mess about too much with the external filter (apart from a quick rinse out although it was turned off for most of the day).

There you go. Without the passage of water through the filter the bacteria can't obtain oxygen and die off. With this happening it's almost irrelevant you kept most of the old water as most bacteria will be in the filter (well, not anymore).
You've probably got a bacterial bloom.

 

[Renate]

If you have nitrates then the tank isn't cycled. How about trying a fishless cycle using Ammonia?


Read that someone did it using ammonia that they purchased at Ace Hardware store. The ingredients should be only contains ammonia and water.

Also adding something, like Bio-Spira which I read about at Rex Griggs site, that will help speed up the cycling process.

Just click on the words unlined and you'll get to the link.

 

[RadaR]

If you have nitrates then the tank isn't cycled. How about trying a fishless cycle using Ammonia?


Read that someone did it using ammonia that they purchased at Ace Hardware store. The ingredients should be only contains ammonia and water.

Also adding something, like Bio-Spira which I read about at Rex Griggs site, that will help speed up the cycling process.

Just click on the words unlined and you'll get to the link.

I assume you meant nitrItes, not nitrates, Renate.
Also, I think you might have misread the original poster's problem. Already existing tank that has been set up and has been upgraded to a new tank with the previous equipment...
However it seems not enough bacteria has been maintained hence the rise in nitrIte and a bacterial bloom making the water cloudy.

 

[sjdriscoll]

Cheers Radar,

Thought that I might have lost some of my bacteria in my filter but surely not all of it? I kept water in the cannister and opened the top too! I've had that stuff for over 5 years and had times where the filter has been dormant for a day when doing a major refit - without problems. Also - with all the 'new' water (RO) in the tank where is all the nitrite coming from?

Should I just keep it all running as normal and wait for the bacteria to recolonise the filter media? If this would take too long do I need to go down the 'new tank' cycle thingy?

Sorry for all the questions - you go for years without a hitch and then BANG, you realise how little you really know once your tank gets out of wack!

Cheers for all the help.

Steve

 

[Renate]

I assume you meant nitrItes, not nitrates, Renate.

Yes

Also, I think you might have misread the original poster's problem. Already existing tank that has been set up and has been upgraded to a new tank with the previous equipment...

Yeh, I read it but since the nitrites are high I think some of the bacteria died or there is not enough for the bigger tank. Since the same occurs in an uncylced tank it seems logically that adding the ammonia as when doing a fishless cycle and adding more plants help build up bacteria.

 

[RadaR]

Cheers Radar,

Thought that I might have lost some of my bacteria in my filter but surely not all of it? I kept water in the cannister and opened the top too! I've had that stuff for over 5 years and had times where the filter has been dormant for a day when doing a major refit - without problems. Also - with all the 'new' water (RO) in the tank where is all the nitrite coming from?

Should I just keep it all running as normal and wait for the bacteria to recolonise the filter media? If this would take too long do I need to go down the 'new tank' cycle thingy?

Sorry for all the questions - you go for years without a hitch and then BANG, you realise how little you really know once your tank gets out of wack!

Cheers for all the help.

Steve

Something must be present in the aquarium/filter/substrate that is decaying. Ammonia is produced and you have the right type of bacteria to convert the ammonia to nitrite but not to nitrate it would seem.
Personally I would continue to let it run, water changes every few days and buy a lot of fast growing plants. Dose nutrients and inject CO2 as per normal. If you have lots of light then potentially use only half for now. With healthy growing plants, they will soon mop up any nitrite you have (aswell as water changes). You can then look at putting fish in.

 

[sjdriscoll]

Cheers - will do. It has cleared a lot now and the plants seem happy enough. I'll do a few water changes and run it for a week and see what happens.

Thanks again

 

[theshadowinc]

Cheers - will do. It has cleared a lot now and the plants seem happy enough. I'll do a few water changes and run it for a week and see what happens.

Thanks again

A tip that works really well in new cycling, take the contents of the old filter when you have setup the new tank you are doing and dump the entire contents into the bottom of the aquarium and put your gravel in vertually no cycling or if you are keeping a old tank dump half the contents into the new aquarium it helps seed the aqaurim i used that trick from SuperColey1 it works very well!