Hi thanks for responding, my pleco is about 2” I’ve had him a lot longer than I’ve had the betta, but their equally precious to me. I did test my tap water today and the ammo is at 1.0 nitrate is5.0 nitrite is 0 and the ph is 7.6-7.8. So doing daily water changes is not helping to lower the ammonia any. I do know that they use chlorine in city water which causes the high ammonia, trouble is how to get rid of it. I have a 10 gal tank set up for them but haven’t put them in it yet because of the ammonia level. The pleco would probably be better in a 20 or larger, which I have but can’t set it up right now.I’m wondering if another filter in the 10 with a bio sponge would help. I do have some live plants in there as well.
Contact your water supply company and tell them there is ammonia in the water. They are getting the mixture wrong for the chloramine and adding too much ammonia.
If you get a large container and fill it with tap water, you can filter the water with Zeolite (Ammogon) and when the ammonia is gone, dechlorinate the water and use it for the water changes.
You can also grow floating plants in the container of water and they will use the ammonia.
If you get a large container and fill it with tap water, you can filter the water with Zeolite (Ammogon) and when the ammonia is gone, dechlorinate the water and use it for the water changes.
You can also grow floating plants in the container of water and they will use the ammonia.
Thanks Colin, I’ve heard of doing this. I’ve also heard that there are certain types of plants that really thrive on the ammonia. Do you know which ones that would be? I can talk all day about plants that grow out of water but I don’t know very much about aquatic plants! I’ve also started the salt treatments with Blondie again.
All aquarium plants use ammonia but floating plants use more than submerged plants. Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) and Duckweed are my two favorites, but any floating plant will work. It just depends on what you can get.
Ok, well I do have some anacharis floating in both tanks mainly because Blondie likes to cuddle in it. Really like the looks of frog bit, but you can have that duckweed! Lol years ago when I had my 55 set up I tried that, what a mess! Lol I’ll have to see what I can find here in Wyoming, not a lot of people are into fish here. Just wanted to say I really appreciate your wisdom and patience,thank you so much!
Are you breaking down the hex and moving the fish/snail to the 10 gallon? If so you really don't have to cycle the 10 gallon. You can move all of the media from the filter in the hex to the filter on the 10 gallon. Since the same amount of fish will be in the 10 gallon (= same amount of waste) so the current population of bacteria in the filter media should be enough to handle the new tank. You can add some extra media and it might populate with more beneficial bacteria (BB). However the BB population grows with the food (tank waste) so the same amount of fish wouldn't guarantee more BB would grow.
However this means no need to cycle the new tank. Again this is if you are breaking down the hex. Also depending on the BN, a 10 gallon may be too small.
However this means no need to cycle the new tank. Again this is if you are breaking down the hex. Also depending on the BN, a 10 gallon may be too small.
Yes I am breaking down the old 5 gal hex because it’s all scratched and I have a better tank I can use for a hospital tank. I think the BN will be ok in the 10 for awhile, he’s only about 2”. It’ll have to do for now because I have no place to put him. Even tho I’ve been cycling the 10 for a week now ,I think I will take the filter out of the 5 because it does have a bio sponge already in it.
You will need to get the water parameters under control before putting fish in the 10 gallon. Large WC and water conditioner should do it. I agree the BN should be fine-hope s/he maxes out around 4", then the 10 should be ok. What type of filter do you have on the 10 gallon?
It’s a submersible filter that came with the tank. The tank is a corner bow front made by Top Fin, which fits nicely on my kitchen counter. Blondie likes that location because he gets lots of attention there, plus it’s close to the sink! The filter that came with it fits in the corner and has a flow control but the filter cartridge barely fits inside it so there’s not any room for anything else. I am thinking to switch it out with the Tetra submersible which not only has the adaptable cartridge but also has a bio sponge. Unfortunately the way the tank lid is designed I can only use a submersible filter.
Well if you're going to replace your internal filter With the Tetra whisper I would go with the one that is for 20 to 40 gallons. Also I would not use the cartridge. There is a plastic screen at the front that is supposed to be where the biomedia grows, I would use it as a barrier and load the space behind it with either a combination of sponge and other biological media like ceramic rings or Seachem matrix. This is going to do two things for you it's going to increase the biological media of the filter and it's also going to cut down on your cost of throwing away the filter cartridge every week or so. When you throw that cartridge away you're throwing your media away because the majority of your biological media is going to be in that cartridge regardless of what they say with the plastic screen. By customizing your tank can get more than twice the filtration which you'll need with the pleco and the flow shouldn't be so bad that the betta is blown away. Cascade also makes a nice line of internal filters that have a spray bar which will diffuse the water over a larger surface and ensue that the beta doesn't have a strong current it has to fight against. Those are also customizable, it comes with a carbon insert but you can replace that section and fill it with whatever media you'd like. the bottom section the first section that the water passes through is going to be a sponge for your mechanical media, however biological media will go on that sponge as well.
Ya know I agree with what your saying about going with a more powerful filter than the tank capacity. I always did that with my big tanks I had years ago(which I still have I just don’t have room for them right now!). The tetra I’m using in the 5 does have a sponge that’s been in use for several months. Don’t know if I can afford a larger version at the moment but will be defiantly working on it. Hey thanks for your help! Here’s a pic of what I’ve got in there...
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Hi, Heli. Nice to have another Wyoming person on here. I'm curious where you live that has that level of "nutrients" in the water. Did you contact your water company? I'd say you're fighting a losing battle with tap water that gross.
Do you have a local pet store? Not many Wyoming towns have them, but if yours does, you can usually ask them to special order stuff for you. Failing that, I get a lot of plants from ebay. Just make sure the seller knows you've got sub-freezing temps and will package accordingly.
I've tried lots of floating plants, and frogbit is probably the most durable. Except duckweed, but as you said, it's pretty awful. Dwarf water lettuce does pretty well for me, too. Good luck!
Thomas
Do you have a local pet store? Not many Wyoming towns have them, but if yours does, you can usually ask them to special order stuff for you. Failing that, I get a lot of plants from ebay. Just make sure the seller knows you've got sub-freezing temps and will package accordingly.
I've tried lots of floating plants, and frogbit is probably the most durable. Except duckweed, but as you said, it's pretty awful. Dwarf water lettuce does pretty well for me, too. Good luck!
Thomas
You can also ditch the replaceable cartridges and fill the space behind the black sponge with other, more permanent media-even sponge material will be good for bacteria to grow, just rinse it out in some tank or conditioned tap water to remove any mulm. I have uses/am using many filters that are designed with the disposable carbon inserted media. Its really a cash cow for the companies, plus there really isn't a need for charcoal in the tank unless you are removing tannins, medication or other unwanted chemicals.
If you decide to do so just remove the white floss sleeve from the frame (minus the charcoal) and slip it in the filter with your new media.
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