Help - urgent

[zappylady]

Hi, can you help me please

Checked all water parameters in my community tank yesterday, along with the 25% water change and Nitrite 0ppm, ammonia 0ppm and Nitrate 40ppm.

Today I just knew from looking at the tank that something was wrong, did a another check and Nitrite 0.50ppm.

Just carried out a 50% water change and added Nitrazorb bag, just checked again and still 0.25ppm. My zebra plec, the small one, is definately not looking good.

My question is, how soon should I do another water change?

190 litre tank - internal Juwel filter and external Eheim 2224. External filter was cleaned last week - internal filter maintained regularly.

 

[black angel]

how long has the tank and filter been going? what did you do to clean the filter?

 

[WILDER]

You didn't clean the sponges, how many fish and which type.

 

[zappylady]

Hi,

I cleaned the mechanical rings and rinsed the biological basket in tank water, rinsed the foam in tank water and replaced the white top filter.

I have gouramis 5 x 4-5", 2 x 3-4" black widow, 1 x betta, 10 cardinal tetras, 7 xharlequin rasboras, 2 farlowellas, 9 corys, 2 african dwarf frogs, 5 plecos (2-5")

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like you have over done the rinsing of the sponges in tank water causing a mini cycle, are your test results usally ok, plecs are big waste producers.

 

[WILDER]

Forgot you look abit overstocked to me.

 

[zappylady]

Sorry forgot to answer, internal has been running for 8 months and external has been running since February (I think) - Just looked for my book log but couldn't put my hands on it.

 

[zappylady]

Since adding the external filter my water readings have been excellent - when it was just the internal I did have a few problems.

When do you think it will be OK to change the water again? - Should I take the 2 zebra plec out and put them in my 240 litre.

 

[WILDER]

Just do some daily water changes for now, sounds like you have over cleaned the sponges, you could put two plecs in the other tank, what fish do you have in there.

 

[zappylady]

I was just wondering if the stress would do them more harm.

In the 2nd tank I have 2 x blood parrots, 4 Silver Dollars, 12 tiger barbs, 4 large clown loaches, 9 corys, 5 pleco

External Eheim 2126 and internal Juwel filters


I also have a 70 litre with three small pleco - I could put the two small pleco in their although the PH is 8 in this tank, whereas it is 7.2 in the other two.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Your 240l looks overstocked to me too. By quite a long way depending on the species of plec.

 

[sylvia]

You can do water changes as often as you like as long as you are using de-chlorinated (tap) water. If your nitrItes are high, I suggest you do one now and lower them. Also, how big is this tank? You do sound like you might be over-stocked - especialy with the 5 gouramies - they could get quite aggressive with each other in time and they don't get along with bettas most of the time either.

 

[zappylady]

Having two filters and all except one of the plecos are max: 6" , 25% water changes every week, gravel clean weekly, this tank has been running for the past 6 months with perfect water parameters.

It's a busy but very happy tank with no aggro. so I don't think it is overstocked.

I would agree that I could have problems if I add any more fish

 

[zappylady]

Hi Sylvia,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I've already done a 50% and it's still reading 0.25ppm. I've put a Nitra-zorb bag in the internal filter and will test again at 12 o'clock and then do another water change in the morning.

It's 45 imp. gal and no problems in the tank, I have had the gouramis since they were just a couple of inches and are all thriving. No aggro. at all. I have heard of some people having problems with bettas although mine just swims freely around the tank and has no problems with any of the fish - I've had it about 6 months now.

I think the reason I've had this Nitrite spike is that I cleaned the filters out last week and it has been suggested that I rinsed the sponges too much causing a mini cycle. I'll have to remember for next time.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

Having two filters and all except one of the plecos are max: 6" , 25% water changes every week, gravel clean weekly, this tank has been running for the past 6 months with perfect water parameters.

It's a busy but very happy tank with no aggro. so I don't think it is overstocked.

I would agree that I could have problems if I add any more fish

It might take 6 months for the fish to grow and you are having problems now, yes? 6 months is not long. Your tank is barely mature.

was just wondering if the stress would do them more harm.

In the 2nd tank I have 2 x blood parrots, 4 Silver Dollars, 12 tiger barbs, 4 large clown loaches, 9 corys, 5 pleco

External Eheim 2126 and internal Juwel filters


I also have a 70 litre with three small pleco - I could put the two small pleco in their although the PH is 8 in this tank, whereas it is 7.2 in the other two.

240litres is 52UK/63US gallons.

I have a 70UK/84US gallon and I would not dream of having all those fish in it. Silver dollars, blood parrots and clown loaches get enourmous and I think your SD's should actually be in a bigger group.

You have 5 plecs in there also, you say all but on max size at 6". Plecs produce much much more waste than their size would suggest, vegetarian plecs especially so. Plecs put massive pressure on the filter and need more water than other fish of their size to dilute the waste to safe levels. I think this could be the cause of the spike.

I think the bottom of your tank is not only overstocked but overcrowded with so many bottom dwelling fish. This also goes for the top IMO. I don't go on inch per gallon rules personally but if I did it would be way, way out (a conservative estimate being 135"). That's not to mention the fact that some of the fish cannot be calculated in such a way because they are perhaps not long and thin (parrots and silver dollars would come into this) or perhaps they produce more waste than other fish their size (plecs).

You are not doing much in the way of water changes for such a stocked tank (especially the plecs). I would be looking at doing what you do twice a week or 50% weekly.

Of course everyone is different but I think you are overstocked personally and that's why you are having problems.

I am hoping that the 3 small plecs in the 70l are fry or the like as this will cause problems with stunting of certain species and as I said, they produce a lot of waste and put a lot of pressure on the filter.

I am not trying to be mean by the way, I am trying to be helpful.

Hope you get it sorted.