plants not in soil enough?

[bpd0110]

So I just got this tank and fish last week, unfortunately they were a gift, so I wasn't able to cycle. However, the ammonia levels are still pretty high. These are the levels just 30 minutes ago. I did a 50% water change yesterday, and 25% the day before. What I'm wondering is that- are the plants planted enough into the soil? I've noticed that the rocks seem to not allow the plants to reach the soil, thus absorbing ammonia, and thus actually giving off more ammonia. I actually just took out a bunch of free-floating plants last night. Prior to that, I had tried putting the plants' roots into the soil, but after all the water changes every other day, they just wouldn't stay. Any advice would help greatly.

 

[Colin_T]

Ammonia is caused by fish, fish food and fish waste.

If you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until the levels are 0ppm.

Healthy living plants don't release ammonia. Live aquatic plants take up nutrients through their leaves and roots, mostly their leaves.

 

[bpd0110]

Ammonia is caused by fish, fish food and fish waste.

If you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0ppm, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until the levels are 0ppm.

Healthy living plants don't release ammonia. Live aquatic plants take up nutrients through their leaves and roots, mostly their leaves.

Well someone else had just mentioned to me to only do a 25-50% water change every 3 days or so... What about dead plants? Do they give off anything toxic at all? Tomorrow night we actually are just about to take the water and fish out, take out those rocks and throw them away, add more soil, replant the plants and a few new ones, then re add the fish and the same water. Worried the dead and currently dying plants have been adding to the toxicity levels.

 

[Colin_T]

Dead plants can produce small amounts of ammonia so just remove any dead leaves when they appear. However, the amount of ammonia the dead leaves produce is minimal compared to fish food or a dead fish.

If you have a soil substrate in the tank, a lot of those will produce ammonia and leach it into the water for months after the tank has been set up.

A big water change (75-90%) is much more effective at diluting nutrients in the water compared to smaller water changes because it leaves less old water and ammonia behind.

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I would take some of the soil and put it in a bucket of tap water for a week and monitor the ammonia level in that bucket of water. Test the water first to make sure it has no ammonia in. If the soil does produce ammonia then that is the main cause.

You can take some gravel and put that in another bucket and test it the same way.

And get a third bucket of tap water and just leave it without anything in. This will be the control bucket.

While that is happening, just do a big water change every day to keep the ammonia levels low. When you find out where the ammonia is coming from, then do something to the tank. But if it's coming from the soil and you add more soil, you will make the problem worse.

 

[Sgooosh]

Dead plants can produce small amounts of ammonia so just remove any dead leaves when they appear. However, the amount of ammonia the dead leaves produce is minimal compared to fish food or a dead fish.

If you have a soil substrate in the tank, a lot of those will produce ammonia and leach it into the water for months after the tank has been set up.

A big water change (75-90%) is much more effective at diluting nutrients in the water compared to smaller water changes because it leaves less old water and ammonia behind.

-------------------
I would take some of the soil and put it in a bucket of tap water for a week and monitor the ammonia level in that bucket of water. Test the water first to make sure it has no ammonia in. If the soil does produce ammonia then that is the main cause.

You can take some gravel and put that in another bucket and test it the same way.

And get a third bucket of tap water and just leave it without anything in. This will be the control bucket.

While that is happening, just do a big water change every day to keep the ammonia levels low. When you find out where the ammonia is coming from, then do something to the tank. But if it's coming from the soil and you add more soil, you will make the problem worse.

some soil has nitrogen and ammonia inclded, as a source of ferts

 

[bpd0110]

Dead plants can produce small amounts of ammonia so just remove any dead leaves when they appear. However, the amount of ammonia the dead leaves produce is minimal compared to fish food or a dead fish.

If you have a soil substrate in the tank, a lot of those will produce ammonia and leach it into the water for months after the tank has been set up.

A big water change (75-90%) is much more effective at diluting nutrients in the water compared to smaller water changes because it leaves less old water and ammonia behind.

-------------------
I would take some of the soil and put it in a bucket of tap water for a week and monitor the ammonia level in that bucket of water. Test the water first to make sure it has no ammonia in. If the soil does produce ammonia then that is the main cause.

You can take some gravel and put that in another bucket and test it the same way.

And get a third bucket of tap water and just leave it without anything in. This will be the control bucket.

While that is happening, just do a big water change every day to keep the ammonia levels low. When you find out where the ammonia is coming from, then do something to the tank. But if it's coming from the soil and you add more soil, you will make the problem worse.

Gotcha. I will start doing daily water changes right now. I'll test the soil right now.Thank you so much.

 

[Sgooosh]

Gotcha. I will start doing daily water changes right now. I'll test the soil right now.Thank you so much.

remember that fish in cycles nonetheless are dangerous... that will help a TON though