Oxygen Deprivation? Help!

[greenmumma141]

Whoops, i just filled you in on the other thread lol
 
Thanks for the condolences, it is a big bummer and it is pretty frustrating to wait so long for something then to struggle with it, BUT.... if anything, I have complete strong willed stubbornness on my side and I will not give up lol. Everyone ate dinner with their normal enthusiasm and still no nitrites, so things are looking up

 

[greenmumma141]

Nitrites still at 0 and ammonia is a little over 0, but almost there.  Lost another panda the other day, but I can see a big improvement in everyone's behavior. My cories still aren't dancing and now that I think of it, they haven't in quite a while 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Pandas are fairly sensitive to ammonia/nitrite and some other things that don't always show up.  Stick to it, and consider upping the water changes, even if the ammonia and nitrite don't seem to "need" it.  Fresh water is never a bad thing.

 

[greenmumma141]

That's what I figured so I've been doing changes every other day 

 ....which is getting old lol but you gotta do what you gotta do I guess.

 

[BigFish01]

Well hows everything going? I have been busy lately and have not had time to get on. Hoping you are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

 

[rosat]

did you get air stone installed..  ?

 

[greenmumma141]

Sorry for the lack of update, my house has been hit with the flu 

....
 
I installed 2 air stones, which helped a lot.  I've been dosing with Nitromax every other day and my levels were all 0.  Yesterday was a dosing day, but instead of dosing first thing in the morning, I waited a bit to see where the levels were.  Around noon, I had 0 nitrites but a bit over 0.25 ammonia, so I did a wc then dosed with the Nitromax. Im just going to keep dosing this stuff for a while, it's good bacteria so you can't have too much. 
 
We haven't had anymore losses, and I would say everyone is back to their normal selves
 
 I think two of my angels are pairing off, which is great but they're starting to bully the other two now. My largest ghost shrimp was laying eggs last night, not really laying them, just gathering them underneath her ...her, it, he? not really up to speed with shrimp spawning rituals, which reminds me....
 
I've been thinking about setting up my old 10 gal for a shrimp tank  
 
Again, thanks for all the help and encouragement.

 

[CoryLover95]

First off, let me just say that I'm so sorry for your loss , also for your son.
From the video, I do think that it was oxygen deprivation.  At least, my goldfish that I used to have was oxygen deprived and swimming just like that.  I cranked up the air pump, added some AQ salt, and she was fine the next day.
Hope you get this sorted out!
-CL95

 

[greenmumma141]

Thanks very much CL95.  The tank is doing much, much better.
 
No nitrites at all, still dealing with a small amount of ammonia that comes back about every other day, but once the Nitromax is added, the ammonia goes down to 0. Every reading of ammonia gets smaller and smaller too, so I think the bacteria is building back up in the filters.
 
Another thing that I've noticed is the filter that gets clogged the fastest is the one closest to the window, and would actually be getting light right into the filter itself. Fully supports the bioslime caused by direct light theory.

 

[snazy]

Normally, in low oxygen enviroment, high on organics, it promotes the increase of heterotrophic bacteria as opposed to the aerobic bacteria we try to grow and one kicks the other out of its place. The slime on the filters is also a sign for it. So increasing the oxygen and doing a bit of clean up helps but the process of reversing takes time.
It seems it's working for you. I wouldn't add the bacteria you are adding though, as it's also heterotrophic and could be just masking the picture.

 

[greenmumma141]

But bc i erased a lot of the bacteria in my filter, don't I have to make up for that? It's also keeping the nitrites at zero and the ammonia as well.... 

 

[snazy]

I am not sure what bacteria you are putting, but most contain heterotrophic bacteria. The one you are trying to raise is autotrophic.
Which means you keep replacing with heterotrophic, which populates the surface and prevents the right bacteria growing in.
Some heterotrophic bacteria still do the same ammonia to nitrite conversion, but at rates one million times slower than the one we want to grow in the filter.
You just need to do water changes when you see anything about 0, clean the tank and substrate well to reduce any organic waste as it contributes to the problem. In time, the right bacteria will pick up and the tank will stabalize.


I found a good article about what I was trying to explain if you would like to read it:
 
http/www.oscarfish.com/article-home/water/72-heterotrophic-bacteria.html

 

[greenmumma141]

Thanks snazy, I will most certainly like to read it. 

 

[snazy]

No problem. I also noticed on your pictures that the layer of sand in your tank is very deep. That maybe contributing to the problem as it promotes anaerobic conditions.

 

[greenmumma141]

I use a wooden skewer to get rid of bubbles once a week, and I barely get any air anymore....