ok a few water chemistry questions:
my tank has been happily cycling along with some shrimps and snails in it - my ammonia and nitrite had both dropped to 0.1. However my ammonia today is at .4, my nitrite is at 0 and my nitrate is still stubbonly at 75.
Noticed this morning that my snails had strange white worms on them and so fished them all out and into another tank but this seems unlikely to push the ammonia levels up. I've had a look around and nothing has died.
(I've been doing a weekly 25% water change to keep my shrimps and snails happy.)
Any advice?
Is a second ammonia rise likely / normal?
Is it possible that the baffling wormy things have affected my filter bacteria?
On the white worm front no one seems to have a clue as to what they are - they are less than 1mm in diameter and vary between 3mm long and 5mm long. They seem to be embedded in the snails body at one end and can move their other end independently of the surface of the snail. ie. my snails' bodies look a little bit like a hedgehog at times.
any ideas on that one either?
Also my tank ph is 8.5 and local tap water is 8.5 (tested it out of curiousity) - i know messing with the ph isn't advised but a ph this high seems to rule out a lot of fish. Can anyone give any high ph loving fish suggestions (22 UK gallon tank) or ph advice?
many thanks
my tank has been happily cycling along with some shrimps and snails in it - my ammonia and nitrite had both dropped to 0.1. However my ammonia today is at .4, my nitrite is at 0 and my nitrate is still stubbonly at 75.
Noticed this morning that my snails had strange white worms on them and so fished them all out and into another tank but this seems unlikely to push the ammonia levels up. I've had a look around and nothing has died.
(I've been doing a weekly 25% water change to keep my shrimps and snails happy.)
Any advice?
Is a second ammonia rise likely / normal?
Is it possible that the baffling wormy things have affected my filter bacteria?
On the white worm front no one seems to have a clue as to what they are - they are less than 1mm in diameter and vary between 3mm long and 5mm long. They seem to be embedded in the snails body at one end and can move their other end independently of the surface of the snail. ie. my snails' bodies look a little bit like a hedgehog at times.
any ideas on that one either?
Also my tank ph is 8.5 and local tap water is 8.5 (tested it out of curiousity) - i know messing with the ph isn't advised but a ph this high seems to rule out a lot of fish. Can anyone give any high ph loving fish suggestions (22 UK gallon tank) or ph advice?
many thanks
