White rock in aquarium

[Jennet31 89]

Tomorrow, if I feel up to it, I will be removing everything but the gravel from my aquarium and doing a 50% water change in order to try to bring the nitrates down. Do you think this natural rock that I have in there may possibly be the cause of the issue? I've had it since my tanks in the 70's. I have looked it up online. Could it be Texas white holey rock, which appears to be limestone? It also appears to be called tufa rock.

 

[MattW51 167]

I suspect you included an image of the rock but forgot to click upload

I don't see a rock being the main cause of nitrates. Hardness and pH are more likely.

 

[Essjay51 166]

Limestone won't cause nitrate issues but it will increase GH as it's calcium carbonate.

You've been feeding fish food to the tank and ammonium chloride if I remember correctly? If so, that's the cause of the high nitrate. Fish food decomposes to ammonia which the filter bacteria turn into nitrite and then nitrate. Fishless cycling, whether with food or ammonia, always creates a lot of nitrate which is why we do a huge water change before adding fish.

 

[Jennet31 89]

@Matt Did I tell you I was a technobimbo - in the real sense of the word, not as in music. I took photo's and uploaded to my laptop. However, since I got google photo storage, it is hit and miss regarding me finding the photo's I've uploaded. AND I let my e-mail addy that I used at the time lapse. Would take me forever to find it. And still cannot find said photograph.

I must try to remember to contact Mr Google and tell him I need him to move my subscription to my new(er) e-addy, so I can at least try to gain back some control. Either that or cancel the DD and tell them to put it where the sun don't shine.

@Essjay - thanks.

 

[Back in the fold7 4]

So what’s the opposite of a technobimbo ? Someone completely ham handed and a Luddite in every way ?

 

[Rusty_Shackleford51 166]

Ah I used to use Tufa rock in Rift Lake African Cichlid tanks. It's fossilized coral reef, basically calcium carbonate. Much like Texas Holey rock it will raise the hardness of your water but it has nothing to do with raising nitrates.

 

[fishorama47 22]

I'm with Essjay & Rusty for GH increase. It doesn't impact growing beneficial cycling bacteria much. It's low pH that can slow things.

I only did fish food 1 time to cycle a tank. What a mess! Never again. Ammonia is cleaner & more accurate to dose. I dose to 2ppm for best results. Vacuum out the food.

Did you ever see nitrite? Is it now down to 0? As I'm sure you've read or remember. It's ammonia then nitrite then high nitrate, big water change & redose ammonia to 1ppm (the shorthand version of cycling, lol).

 

[Jennet31 89]

So what’s the opposite of a technobimbo ? Someone completely ham handed and a Luddite in every way ?

Many, many years ago I had a colleague who would put me down every chance he got. He constantly called me a bimbo - in the UK at the time, that was normally applied to what were seen as 'airhead blondes'.

The fact that I had made ward sister after just 9 months as a staff nurse following passing my nurse exams really seemed to irk him. On my last work day, friends from my training group at the hospital threw a party for me in the evening at the hospital social club. I had a good number of drinks as one of them was driving me home. He came up to me and said, "I'm glad you are leaving you bimbo, I've never liked you". My response was to punch his nose and walk away. After he got up off the floor he simply left.

The techno bit in my view means that I have gotten lost along the way with some technology. My not being able to always save photographs where I can find them again on my laptop is part of this.

 

[Back in the fold7 4]

My response was to punch his nose and walk away. After he got up off the floor he simply left .

Note to self : Don’t mess with this bird .