Ongoing fish keeping problem

[Essjay]

If your tap water contains chlorine, that gasses out on standing so you have the choice of using it straight away and adding water conditioner, or letting it stand for a couple of days and not using water conditioner. With chlorine, you don't need a water conditioner which detoxifies ammonia.

Chloramine, on the other hand, does not gas off so where it is in tap water a water conditioner must be used. The ammonia half of chloramine shows up in the ammonia test which accounts for the small ammonia reading in tap water. Water conditioners split chloramine into ammonia and chlorine, they remove the chlorine but leave the ammonia in the water. The filter bacteria and/or plants will remove this ammonia, but it takes time for all the ammonia to reach the bacteria/plants. Many water conditioners also contain a chemical to detoxify ammonia for around 24 hours, by which time the bacteria/plants should have removed it. Assuming the tank is cycled - with bacteria, plants or both - there should not be an ammonia reading 24 hours after doing a water change.


Chlorine/chloramine harms fish, which is probably what is happening here. During cycling, if tap water has chlorine this will gas off after a day or two allowing the bacteria to grow. But if there's chloramine in the tap water this won't gas off so the bacteria will struggle to grow.

 

[Aquariummanfran]

Great stuff. Makes a lot of sense. I think I’m getting closer to the answer. I did not realize that only chlorine gassed out. Forgot about the chloramine that does not.

Since I was getting ammonia straight out of the tap, it seems apparent that there is chloramine in my source water.

If I have to start over, I feel prepared on handling the chlorine and chloramine combo. If this happens, like others have mentioned, how is everyone introducing beneficial bacterial to cycle their tanks? I have only bought APIs over the counter stuff in the past.

Thanks again to everyone for the ongoing help

 

[Essjay]

The chlorine or chloramine added to the water doesn't actually kill every single bacterium. A few manage to survive. Once the chlorine/chloramine is removed those few bacteria can now start to multiply, but because they multiply slowly it takes weeks to grow enough of them. Using bacterial starters can speed things up - as long as the product has been stored correctly since manufacture.

 

[Naughts]

@Naughts, if you post (#14) was referring to my post about cycling, just running the filter will not cycle a tank.

No, I was talking to the OP.

 

[Aquariummanfran]

Thank you everyone. My endler guppy did not take to the 80% water change well and passed away. Otto cats and shrimp seem to be ok though. Hopefully it is salvaged.

If not I will start over with everyone’s recommendations.

 

[Colin_T]

The algae problem is caused by light and nutrients in the water, and no live plants to use the light and nutrients. The means algae can thrive because it has no competition.

If you add some live aquatic plants and or some floating plants, they will use the nutrients and reduce the light, and the algae won't be able to do as well.

If you don't want to add live plants, then reduce the light so it's only on for a few hours in the evening.

Some good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, narrow Vallis, and Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta). The Water Sprite is a floating plant but can also grow in the gravel. The other plants should be planted in the substrate.