disaster after disaster :( help me!

[kenneth_kpe]

well... the past few weeks weren't really good for my tank.... heres a rundown on the problems

1) a while ago i started noticing that my hygrophilia polysperma started to grow white shoots instead of the usual green... i just attributed this to my new reflectors... ( wrong move i think)

2) a few weeks ago the growth of the hygrophilia slowed down and black spots started to apper... i tested for nitrates and found that the nitrate levels of my water was almost zero... i started to fertilize

3) a few weeks into the fertilization, the polysperma is starting to grow but then!!

4) yesterday a tutee of my mom i think pulled the plug on my hob

5) i found all of my fish and shrimps gasping for air this morning because the hob was not there to create surface agitation thus causing the water to saturate with c02 and run out of 02 (i think!) i immediately did a water change and added an airstone for roughly an hour, also added more liqui ferts ( btw i lost an otto and a shrimp and that otto was with me for over 1 1/2 years now )

6)when i got home today my water was kinda foggy already and algae was everywhere! thread algae, green algae, my water was a bit green now too... my nitrate reading is still zero....


question... should i fertilize more and hope for the best ??
my arsenal of ferts
1) liqui fert (tetra florapride, nitrate phosphate free)
2) plant gro by hagen (repackaged ) contains nitrates and phosphates
3) root tabs

another thing... my riccia, sag and stargrass were not showing signs of nutrient defficiency... only the polysperma

what do you guys think .....

 

[iggy01]

Hi Kenneth, sorry to hear about your problems!

When you said you installed new reflectors, does this mean you replaced old ones or didn't you have any at all to begin with? It could be your tank is getting more light now and will require higher levels of fertilization. This could be why you are seeing signs of nutrient deficiency. This link will help you I.D. deficiencies.

If your nitrates are at 0 mg/l you'll need to start adding KNO3 (potassium nitrate). Is this available where you live? A high light tank with a decent CO2 level will use between 1-4 mg/l of nitrate a day. Try not to let your nitrates ever fall below 5-10 mg/l.

Have you turned your CO2 back on yet? If not this could be the reason for your algae bloom. Algae loves fluctuating CO2 levels.

You will need to rebalance your tank. This may take up to a few weeks. I would get the CO2 back up and running (as long as the fish are ok) and try to get your nitrates back up to a decent level. Continue to fertilize.


Good luck!

 

[iggy01]

Further to the above.........is the hob filter the only one in the tank?

Do you know how long it was off for?

It could be the reason your fish were gasping for air, was because the filter had crashed and lost the beneficial bacteria. It may be worthwhile to monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels. Ammonium can be the cause of algae too.

Good luck!

 

[nitro]

It could be the reason your fish were gasping for air, was because the filter had crashed and lost the beneficial bacteria

The fish were gasping at the surface because there was no surface aggitation for gas exchange to take place because the filter was off (which creates the aggitaion).
It has nothing to do with bateria dying.


Sorry to hear about major problems Ken.

I would do water changes every day to minimize the risk of ammonia/nitrite spikes for at least a week while the bacteria in the filter reproduces again because i would guess that most of the bacteria has died.

Are you going to do a black out as well to try and kill the algae?

 

[kenneth_kpe]

im not worried about the hob actually ? or should i ? the filter media inside the hob was still soaked in water when it was accidentally turned off. well when i got home today the tank was almost algae free now...

i guess the reflectors caused the deficiency .... i should get the kno3 i ordered, i dont think my liqui fertz with nitrates can keep up with the intake

thanks super ! tell me if im missing out on something

 

[George Farmer]

It has nothing to do with bateria dying.

That's a big assumption.

I agree with Iggy. I would suggest that a bacteria crash has lead to an ammonia/ammonium spike causing both your gasping (and fish loss) and algae (loves ammonium).

Glad to hear your algae has cleared up so quickly though.

Have you tested for ammonia and nitrites BTW?

 

[nitro]

would suggest that a bacteria crash has lead to an ammonia/ammonium spike

Oh yeh come to think of it, it probably did contribute to gasping but i would still say no surface aggitation would be the main cause of the gasping.

 

[iggy01]

Oh yeh come to think of it, it probably did contribute to gasping but i would still say no surface aggitation would be the main cause of the gasping.

I understand your point Nitro, but I think because there were certain factors we were unaware of, it is difficult to say for sure if it was lack of surface aggitation or a rise in ammonia levels causing the problem. Maybe a bit of both.

I don't know the pH of Kenneth's tank. If it was below 7.0 then the chances are it would be the less harmful ammonium that would form. If it was higher than 7.0, it would obviously be the much more serious ammonia. A rise in either one is likely to cause an algae outbreak. As is the sudden cessation of CO2.

We don't even know how long the filter was off for. Maybe it wasn't off long enough for the bacteria to die.

The main thing is, his tank is almost back to normal.