If the Total Ammonia test is showing 0.25ppm of ammonium, will this ammonium convert to, say, 0.25ppm of nitrite. Is a nitrite spike a problem in a planted tank with fish?
That small ppm of ammonia will be swallowed up by a fully planted tank plus the filter/tank bacteria.
My breeding Corys and shrimp.....unaffected, however I didn't have a parasite problem to blame on the TPN+!!!
Re-read my post..
I did. I read you saying that Tropica should be making it clear their product was unsuitable for planted tanks that have fish in them. I am stating that my shrimp and Corys and Rasboras all breeding merrily, all healthy, no problems at all do not agree!!! TPN+ is safe.
I can't vouch for the test kits. They're the same ones that have been stuffed in the corner of my cabinet for four years and are way out of date. The box makes a decent shelf though so it remains. The test tubes may also be useful to me.
From a planted perspective, I've been told that keeping healthy plants involves a supply of c02 and various nutrients like Fe, potassium, magnesium, nitrate and phosphates. At no point did it say dose ammonium/ammonia into a tank full of fish.
Mark - I seem to remember your first post. Many of us told you that fishkeeping is different from fish and plantkeeping. The 2 systems can contradict each other but they are both right.
Think of a planted tank in comparison to a non planted fish only tank like this:
A normal tank may have 1 filter at 3x turnover. The planted tank even with a 3x filter also has the plants. think of these as another 2 filters. We already have 3x the filtration capacity here in terms of ammonia/ammonium/Nitrite/Nitrate removal.
A normal tank needs top bring O in via the water surface. A fully planted tank creates O. Walstad style tanks have no water changes, some have no filter. Some have no circulation at all. The plants filter and produce O though.
On the nutrients. A supply of CO2 is not needed at all. CO2 is natural. It comes into the water just as O does at the water surface. CO2 addition is used by many to supply ample CO2 for their lights. Their lights are higher because they want the speed of growth. This was one of the biggest mistakes of the nineties/early eighties where people started to believe that super highlight was necessary. Astronomical amounts of light added to tanks 6WPG+. Something to boast about for many.
However we know this is different these days.
Light is most important however it is easily controlled. The user can just put the lights they want and thats it. Easy peasy.
Nutrients - Dose more than you need, they won't hurt the livestock. Easy peasy.
CO2 is the biggy however that does not mean it needs to be added. YOu choose the route you want, then add lights to suit that route, then CO2 addition is a choice.
You list in your nutrients Nitrate!!! Plants need NPK. Nitrate is a source of the N but N is not nitrate. N=Nitrogen. Ammonia, Ammonium, Nitrite, Nitrate are all sources of N.
As for the fish flicking it is pretty common even these days for people to assume something is down to the nutrient addition. This has been an argument for decades and will always continue. The path of false correlation always see nutrient blamed for algae, sickness etc. However I would assume there is something else happening in there.
TBH Mark it looks like you have several ideas which are being turned into 1 false correlation.
YOu mention the substrate!! You mention the TPN+ You mention high ammonia readings and you mention the fish flicking rubbing.
Think about the tank as a whole. TPN+ may be making the problem visible. It may be topping off something that was already about to go. A little like the match to another problem which is the actual bomb.
Test for nitrates and not ammonia. See what reading you get. Stop dosing everything and take test readings for Ammoina. See what results you get.
Substrates are often the main problem, quite often the cause of many things like bacterias, parasites etc. So cut out the additives, check out the tank for a week, see if the substrate is causing problems. See if you can see planaria or hydra in the tank.
Remove the reflectors from the lights to reduce the total light into the tank. short term solution really as it is practically effective it isn't economically. It wastes light and therefore electricity etc.
Try and do what we do. Solve the crime by eliminating 1 suspect at a time. Trying to eliminate many more often than not leads you to arrest the wrong suspect.
AC
, from the discussion above I take it TPN+ contains some form of ammonia or something which interferes with the water colour that the API ammonia reagants produce?
