What Is Up With My Water

[dalios]

Hi all
 
I first set up my tank on the 24/2/2014 left 24hours after using tetra aquasafe then added tetra safestart and added a few fish tank is juwel vision 180L my api liquid tests always show ammonia 0.50 nitrite 0 nitrate 0 even the test i did last week was the same. i have been doing water changes every week about 25% however i done a test today results- ammonia 0.50 (nitrites 2ppm gone right up!) nitrates just about 5ppm why have my nitrites shot right up all of a sudden?
 
Straight away i did a 50% water change i wont be able to tomorrow but friday will test and change water again.
 
Dont get it been running my tank for 2months a bit longer and still not getting the readings i should be.
 
What should i do from here?
 
I set up a 60l for my little brother 2weeks ago using the safestart his readings on my api kit was ammonia 0.50 nitrites 0 nitrates 20ppm and we did a water change.
 
Any help will be grateful
 
Thanks

 

[Linear]

Have you been following this, or similar?

 

[dalios]

no i didnt follow that exact post but followed a post on here doing a fish in cycle using the tetra safestart

 

[thefishmesswithmywater]

Hi I am new to this, I had an uber long fishless cycle due to bad advice and no mature media. How did you cycle?

 

[attibones]

Well, if you've constantly had a reading of ammonia for two months straight, it seems like you've built up enough bacteria to process some of it into nitrites. Some of the bacteria grew in order to process nitrate, but not much. 
 
Because you've got an immature tank, didn't do a fish-less cycle, and because your products apparently didn't work, I'd say that you should be doing larger water changes. Low levels of ammonia on a regular basis can still do damage to fish. Now with nitrite, you'll have to be even more careful.
 
25% water change doesn't seem to be working much for you. Try doubling that. Next time you can do a water change, you'll need to do about 75% because of the nitrite. 
 
Have you checked the tap for ammonia? You might be getting a reading from that. What dechlor do you use? Ones like Prime can sometimes give an ammonia reading because it binds the ammonia, turns it into ammonium, which will show up on a test. 

 

[FishMonkey]

Have a read of my post, i was having similar issues which have been resolved by the help from others on here.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/432159-ammonia-issues-in-cycled-community-tank/
 
I started using Prime recently as my readings were a skew, within a week everything was sorted and my Ammonia issues had been ongoing for about a month.

 

[dalios]

Well, if you've constantly had a reading of ammonia for two months straight, it seems like you've built up enough bacteria to process some of it into nitrites. Some of the bacteria grew in order to process nitrate, but not much. 
 
Because you've got an immature tank, didn't do a fish-less cycle, and because your products apparently didn't work, I'd say that you should be doing larger water changes. Low levels of ammonia on a regular basis can still do damage to fish. Now with nitrite, you'll have to be even more careful.
 
25% water change doesn't seem to be working much for you. Try doubling that. Next time you can do a water change, you'll need to do about 75% because of the nitrite. 
 
Have you checked the tap for ammonia? You might be getting a reading from that. What dechlor do you use? Ones like Prime can sometimes give an ammonia reading because it binds the ammonia, turns it into ammonium, which will show up on a test. 

Hi attibones thanks for the info
 
seems to make of some sense to me what you are saying, wish i found this site before i started up my tank and would of done a fish-less cycle still all very new to me.
I came in from work today just did a quick nitrite test and still was at 2ppm no change from the 25% water change so did a massive water change straight after 75% maybe a bit more than that fish all seem fine at the mo will keep testing everyday to try get it down.
 
No i have not checked my tap water for ammonia i will do that tho in the morning see what reading i get from it.
 
Also i use just the tetra aquasafe to dechlor my water seems there a good brand so just went with that one.
 
Shall i just keep checking my water daily and if any nitrites there or rise in ammonia then water change? also will check tap water and report back here to you.
 
How come i still am not seeing nitrates after all this time? the tetra safestart worked in my little brothers 60l tank after just 2 weeks he had .25 ammonia 0nitrites and 20ppm nitrate ( note his ammonia level is the same as mine and we are in same house) does this mean his tank is now cycled as he is reading nitrates?
 
Just want my tank cycled as quick as possible so there is no harm to my fish!
 
thanks for all the info
 
 

Have a read of my post, i was having similar issues which have been resolved by the help from others on here.
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/432159-ammonia-issues-in-cycled-community-tank/
 
I started using Prime recently as my readings were a skew, within a week everything was sorted and my Ammonia issues had been ongoing for about a month.

Thanks matey did have a look at your post thought it maybe what my problem is with the ammonia going to test my tap water and see if that is the same

 

[b3cca]

r.e your ammonia reading -- not sure about safestart and aquastart but some products simply bind the ammonia and turn it into ammonium.
The api liquid test actually test both ammonia and ammonium so it is possible to think it's reading ammonia when really it's just ammonium - what is your PH ?
 
 
Yes do what you suggest, test everyday maybe even twice a day and then do large PWC whenever you see any signs of ammonia or nitrites.
You are doing a fish in cycle is all. It's no biggie as long as you keep on top of things and put the work and many PWC in .

 

[dalios]

r.e your ammonia reading -- not sure about safestart and aquastart but some products simply bind the ammonia and turn it into ammonium.
The api liquid test actually test both ammonia and ammonium so it is possible to think it's reading ammonia when really it's just ammonium - what is your PH ?
 
 
Yes do what you suggest, test everyday maybe even twice a day and then do large PWC whenever you see any signs of ammonia or nitrites.
You are doing a fish in cycle is all. It's no biggie as long as you keep on top of things and put the work and many PWC in .

hi b3cca i am not sure if the aquasafe from tetra does that turns into ammonium but that could be the reason why ammonia is always showing as it is the same in my brothers tank.
 
I average my PH at 7.5 as the ph test comes out at 7.6 (the highest on the chart) and high range ph 7.4 (lowest on the chart)
 
I will keep on top of it doing water tests as much as i can and water changes when needed did do a massive one lastnight, hoping the fish will be ok in the end all seem fine at the moment and none lost. 
 
If i keep on top of water changes etc will i see nitrates naturally in time and nitrites and ammonia go?
 
Thanks

 

[the_lock_man]

A constant reading of ammonia >0.0 would suggest that the test is misreading - very easy with the API test, although it normally misreads to 0.25, rather than 0.5.
 
Regarding the sudden spike in nitrite, did you remove or change any filter media/sponges/cartridges just before you noticed the spike? And are you sure you used Aquasafe during the water change before the spike happened?
 
My take on it is that the SafeStart successfully cycled the filter, but that something has done something to the N-Bacs population, causing the spike.
 
The constant results experienced make no sense whatsoever. EIther there is no bacterial colonisation, in which case, you would see a rise in ammonia, or there is bacterial colonisation, in which case you would see a rise in nitrate.

 

[dalios]

A constant reading of ammonia >0.0 would suggest that the test is misreading - very easy with the API test, although it normally misreads to 0.25, rather than 0.5.
 
Regarding the sudden spike in nitrite, did you remove or change any filter media/sponges/cartridges just before you noticed the spike? And are you sure you used Aquasafe during the water change before the spike happened?
 
My take on it is that the SafeStart successfully cycled the filter, but that something has done something to the N-Bacs population, causing the spike.
 
The constant results experienced make no sense whatsoever. EIther there is no bacterial colonisation, in which case, you would see a rise in ammonia, or there is bacterial colonisation, in which case you would see a rise in nitrate.

no changed nothing or have touched nothing in my filters at all before the nitrite spike, i have blue sponge to replace the carbon in the juwel filter but have not done yet and also have blue sponge to put in my external filter which i have not done yet also.
 
yes 100% i use aquasafe every time i do a water change i put the right amount into the clean buckets of water that goes into the tank.
 
Just done a water test again on nitrite after the 75%change and is now reading at i believe 0.50ppm down from 2ppm.
 
Ammonia always stays the same at very faint green not yellow which is 0.25ppm

 

[dalios]

Should invest in the seachem prime? or just stick with the tetra aquasafe?

 

[FishMonkey]

I'd get myself some SeaChem Prime if I were you, when I started using that my results started to read true after a few days.

 

[dalios]

I'd get myself some SeaChem Prime if I were you, when I started using that my results started to read true after a few days.

Think i may get that then seems like good stuff that most people here use.
 
how do you measure it fishmonkey i read that 10ml does 200L i think, so how would i measure it to do 10L buckets

 

[fluttermoth]

You'll need a little 1ml syringe; you can get them at the chemists (for dosing children's medicines and the like; they don't have a needle on, just the plastic part) or on ebay.

The dose is 0.25 ml for 10l.