problem

[zchauvin]

Ok as some of you know I had a thread about cloudy water. Anyways, my 29g is Apparently cycling again with my 6 juvie discus inside...
I did a 80% wc around 3 today when I read that my ammonia was 2, nitrate 5. After checking now 5 hours later my nitrate is around 2, nitrite 0, and ammonia pushing .75-1. Should I be worried or just keep doing the 80% morning and afternoon?

[Skip]

are you treating with PRIME to detox the ammonia?!

[zchauvin]

Yes I added three caps into a 29g tank on top of a whole cap for 20ish g wc. Also using api test strips. Is this correct dosing?

[Skip]

even though, the ammonia is detox, it will still come up positive on those test...

[zchauvin]

Yeah I gotcha, will this hurt the fish or no?

[Skip]

nope

[zchauvin]

Alright thanks. Ahhh, I feel relieved :)

[jimg]

I would not do any filter cleaning or tank wipedowns for awhile also. putting a little gravel substrate on the bottom helps give more surface area for bacterial growth too. Just vacuum it out after the tank cycles well.

[zchauvin]

I would not do any filter cleaning or tank wipedowns for awhile also. putting a little gravel substrate on the bottom helps give more surface area for bacterial growth too. Just vacuum it out after the tank cycles well.

Ok so for sponge filter, and HOB don't clean for say a week. How about my pre-filter for HOB? The 80% 2x daily wc are helping I believe, the ammonia right after is about .25 ppm and the nitrate maybe 2 at most, still 0 nitrite but idk if ammonia is from tap or not. I've never seen any ammonia whatsoever in my tanks until now that I use prime.

[Altum Nut]

What size of capful are you using. Your aware that a capful of prime from a 500ml bottle treats 50g of water.
It seems to be a waste to use 3 capfuls for a 29g.

...Ralph

[zchauvin]

Yes I am aware that one treats 50g but I was asked if I used it to eliminate ammonia?? So I read on bottle that 5x could be used for nitrate so I used three just for insurance I guess.

[Skip]

Z.. if there is ammonia in there. . PRIME/SAFE will render it harmless to the fish but it is still there... just not TOXIC.. biofilters will remove it.. PRIME does not remove it.. so put in 2 drops per gallon in the 29..

[chuckbam]

I would be doing a 50 to 75% water change at night. And, use the 5x at night for the full water volume of the tank.. Only 50 ~75% so you don't wipe out all the forming bacteria. Then in the morning do a fast sweep-up, changing only about 20%. And use only the amount of Prime needed to clear any chlorine, ammonia. A little testing will give you that amount. The sponge filter could take over a month to become affective. The glass surface in the take will accumulate good amount of beneficial bacteria as well. I would not add any gravel. I use two well seasoned sponge filters in a 29gl.

my 2 cents


Yes I am aware that one treats 50g but I was asked if I used it to eliminate ammonia?? So I read on bottle that 5x could be used for nitrate so I used three just for insurance I guess.

[zchauvin]

I would be doing a 50 to 75% water change. And, use the 5x at night for the full water volume of the tank.. Only 50 ~75% so you don't wipe out all the forming bacteria. Then in the morning do a fast sweep-up, changing only about 20%. And use only the amount of Prime needed to clear any ammonia. A little testing will give you that amount. The sponge filter could take over a month to become affective. The glass surface in the take will accumulate good amount of beneficial bacteria as well. I would not add any gravel. I use two well seasoned sponge filter in a 29gl.

my 2 cents
Thanks chuck, I've been making sure no poo/ food gets a chance to build up on anything. I sweep three times a day roughly and am doing 75-80% wc 2x a day. The water level is prob about 6 inches off bottom of tank. I took out filter pad with carbon and have just filter floss in HOB then a pre filter on HOB that i clean every wc. I've been using roughly half a cap or more on every wc and am not wiping down glass. I will stop cleaning the sponge and HOB filters until next Sunday or if ammonia goes away completely. I'm still feeding alot but there's rarely ever extra and the fish all still look fine, not stressed and eating. I figured the test strips may be playing with my head a little to warlock and I'm glad to know the prime will neutralize ammonia even when it shows up on test.

[chuckbam]

The trick is to build up the forming bactria in the tank while keeping the ammonia down. Cloudy water is forming good bactria that may not be necessarily bad. But, it dose consume a good amount of oxygen. And, needs oxygen to develop enough to attach to the surfaces in the tank where the oxygen is locted that it needs to thrive.


PS: I would put a filter pad back and let it get dirty. I never use carbon for many reasons.

PS: Why are you wiping down the glass? for looks? If so, only wipe down the font, not the bottom, sides or back.

[zchauvin]

The trick is to build up the forming bactria in the tank while keeping the ammonia down. Cloudy water is forming good bactria that may not be necessarily bad. But, it dose consume a good amount of oxygen. And, needs oxygen to develop enough to attach to the surfaces in the tank where the oxygen is locted that it needs to thrive.


PS: I would put a filter pad back and let it get dirty. I never use carbon for many reasons.

PS: Why are you wiping down the glass? for looks? If so, only wipe down the font, not the bottom, sides or back.

I don't wipe down the glass. I have the filter in the same place inside my HOB just don't have the filter with the carbon, I simply just got rid of carbon. As for the oxygen, I have the sponge filter as long as an air stone so plenty of o2.

[chuckbam]

I have the sponge filter as long as an air stone so plenty of o2.

I see that from you vids. Sorry about the glass question.

Just trying to pass on a little about the process of cycling an aquarium.

It is possible to be to clean. And that could take the tank an extended time for cycling. Also, a well cycled tank can need some re-cycling if to much of the bacteria is disturbed by cleaning or the use of antibiotics.

[zchauvin]

It's no problem chuck I was just letting ya know :) and yeah I wasn't expecting this at all I figured since the tank had been cycled it would be fine. Maybe I should have read less on the fish and more on tank cycling?? Lol well ill keep up what I'm doing but just leave the filters alone except the pre filter sponge. It normally has some gunk in it so...

[zchauvin]

Alright some information here would be nice because I'm not sure of what do. I upped my wc from 50% a day to 80% twice daily and my water got clearer and ammonia went from 1ppm to between 0.25 and 0.50 ppm. Now this morning when I did wc my nitrates were like 2ppm and nitrite 0. I did water test just now and my nitrite still 0, ammonia still <1, but my nitrate is about 10. Should I add prime to neutralize, do my wc and have water sitting in tank till 5 tomorrow morning( 14 hours) or should I just relax and let it go until 5 and then change water.

[discuspaul]

Relax. Nitrate @ 10 ppm is no problem at all.

[zchauvin]

Just don't want to mess this up.

[zchauvin]

Alright guys my cycle may be comming to an end... I think. Today made the 8th day for the fish and my nitrate was around 2-3, ammonia about .25 and nitrite .50. First time for any nitrite to appear. What do you guys and gals think??

P.S. If anyone can tell me how to get them eating bh and not fbw it would be tremendous lol. Thanks guys

[Skip]

P.S. If anyone can tell me how to get them eating bh and not fbw it would be tremendous lol. Thanks guys

when you feed them FBW.. throw a some BH in there.. so they know there is food so they get into a frenzy.. and slowly transition more Bh then FBw.. :)

[seanyuki]

Stave the discus for 2-3 days and first meal of the day.....feed them the thaw beefheart mixture......just my 2 cents.

[zchauvin]

Good idea I will do that. Before I did wc a few minutes ago I gave them first meal since 6 this morning. Just a cube of beefheart nothing else and a few picked at it but two or three ate it, the biggest one the most. As for water what do you guys think? I'm guessing it went very fast due to being cycled previously?

[chuckbam]

I don't know what brand frozen beefheart you have. But, if it is hunks of meat. I suggest that use a razer blade and shave off thin slices.

You may want to make a mix yourself vs. using commercially prepared beefheart. There are many recipeses on this site. I think a good mix has 35%+ shrimp in the mix. And we have a good source of shrimp around here.

cb

[zchauvin]

Alright ill look up some on here :)