fiftymeatballs
12-31-2012, 02:39 PM
Have a 120gallon, set up for over a year, filters have been established for longer from my older tanks. Consolidated them all to one larger tank now. Lots of Malaysian driftwood, bunch of 6" adult discus.
Made the huge mistake of cleaning filters and gravel same day, my tank will not bounce back. It's been almost 2 months. I've done big water changes often, dose with seachem safe to make sure ammonia is not bothering the discus. There has to be some underlying reason it's taking this long.
My readings show zero Nitrite and Nitrate and high ammonia, doesn't this mean my filters are dead and starting fresh.
I believe that because my PH is so low from the wood, around 5 , that my bacteria could have potentially stalled and will not grow at this PH?
I've dosed Dr. Tims one and only for a boost with no luck.
A month later, yesterday, I just dosed with another bacterial additive "start smart". This time I did a test, added some of it to a non cycled quarantine tank with a discus being de wormed. 15 hours later seems to be taking effect on the quarantine but no luck on the 120 gallon display tank. So it seems the product should be working.
Should I pull all the driftwood out and put coral in my filter so it will slowly raise my KH thus Ph? Bump up the dissolved solids and see if that promotes a cycle.
I understand I will have to do this slowly since big increases can harm my fish. I'm just worried since I know the higher the PH the more toxic ammonia will be so I will have to do more water changes.
Are the large water changes also not helping the cycle since I am removing most to all of the ammonia needed to cycle the tank when I do huge changes.
Any advice would be great
Made the huge mistake of cleaning filters and gravel same day, my tank will not bounce back. It's been almost 2 months. I've done big water changes often, dose with seachem safe to make sure ammonia is not bothering the discus. There has to be some underlying reason it's taking this long.
My readings show zero Nitrite and Nitrate and high ammonia, doesn't this mean my filters are dead and starting fresh.
I believe that because my PH is so low from the wood, around 5 , that my bacteria could have potentially stalled and will not grow at this PH?
I've dosed Dr. Tims one and only for a boost with no luck.
A month later, yesterday, I just dosed with another bacterial additive "start smart". This time I did a test, added some of it to a non cycled quarantine tank with a discus being de wormed. 15 hours later seems to be taking effect on the quarantine but no luck on the 120 gallon display tank. So it seems the product should be working.
Should I pull all the driftwood out and put coral in my filter so it will slowly raise my KH thus Ph? Bump up the dissolved solids and see if that promotes a cycle.
I understand I will have to do this slowly since big increases can harm my fish. I'm just worried since I know the higher the PH the more toxic ammonia will be so I will have to do more water changes.
Are the large water changes also not helping the cycle since I am removing most to all of the ammonia needed to cycle the tank when I do huge changes.
Any advice would be great