Help High Nitrites And Ammonia

[Hoveringpie]

hi.

I cycled my tank about 3 months ago and since then my nitrites were at 0ppm ammonia was at 0ppm and nitrates were at 10ppm every week i do 25% water changes, i had a fluval co2 20g kit which was filled up every day so my co2 was at 13ppm.

any way i thought i would spoil myself and go a nice piece of bogwood and the fluval co2 88g kit yesterday.

every single snail has died within a week as a bought 2 dwarf puffers last week.

When i set up the co2 i slightly overdosed as the fish was gasping so i turned it off and left it off all night.

any way i woke up today to find a cory dead. i removed it did a water test and the nitrites where at +5ppm ammonia was at 1ppm ph was at 6 and kh was at 1


since this morning i have done a 90% water change cleaned all the filter pads and give the gravel a good clean.

all fish are also accounted for.

even after the water change the stats havnt changed apart from the ph which is now at 7

so what could have caused the heavy nitrite/ammonia spike?

did i kill my filter by overdosing on co2?

can bogwood leech nitrite or ammonia?

does a ph crash actually completely kill my cycled filter?

any fast help would be greatly appreceated.

Thanks in advance

I also forgot to mension my gf has just done anougher 50% water change and the stats are still the same??

my stocking is

6 endlers
2 cories
2 puffers

Thanks

James

 

[phoenixgsd]

since this morning i have done a 90% water change cleaned all the filter pads and give the gravel a good clean.


James

why and how did you clean filter pads

 

[RossC]

You shouldnt have cleaned the pads, your gonna have to do a fish-in cycle IMO. Just keep doing regular water changes like 50%+ everyday and limit the CO2 your injecting as the fish are going to be under enough stress as it is. Its a shame you had a bad crash like this. And I've never known bogwood to leech ammonia or nitrite just lower your pH slightly and turn your water a harmless tea colour.

 

[Hoveringpie]

Hi I have turned the co2 off until the filter is OK.
I always wash my filter pads in mucky tank water I shout at people who doesn't. I cleaned them because it was heavily blocked so I don't think that was helping.
I tested this morning and nitrite are at 1ppm
ammonia I'd 0.25ppm so it's definitely getting there again.
How do you stop these pH crashes its never happened to me before and obviously it is devastating we. It does happen?

 

[Saqib]

Looks like your cycle/bacteria somehow got messed up. Are you experiencing any cloudiness in the water, that would be a good sign if you are?
Bacteria like your fish need oxygen to stay alive. Could it be that you have too much CO2 being injected and into the water with very little aeration?, that can become poisonous but i doubt it since the levels need to be very high for that to happen.
Treated bog-wood is generally responsible for a few months of leaching tannin into the water but nothing beyond that, it is absolutely harmless.

 

[Hoveringpie]

I did overdose co2 but my drop checker didn't go yellow. I have checked my ammonia. Now is at 0 again and nitrite are at 0.5 so I'm glad I didn't completely wipe my filter, and yes the water went very cloudy last night but has cleared up today. Still no casualties so hopefully I have had a lucky escape. Thanks for all your replies going to be a bit more respective of the. Ph as of today lol

 

[Hoveringpie]

Would just like to say my ammonia and nitrite are at 0 this morning thanks to the above posters for your help.

 

[Saqib]

Glad to hear that you'r fish are doing well.
By the sounds of it your mini cycle is almost complete, congrats!
And oh im 90% sure now that the cloudiness was the bacteria bloom, else it wouldnt have cleared this quick.