What The Hell?

[chubbs9]

hi there my tank was cycled,so i done a 90% water change and then i tested for nitrates which are still very high and dont know why???also i put ammonia in the tank as it says to till i stock it with fish and it made the tank really cloudy....why did the ammonia do this and why have my nitrates not gone down.

cheers

chubbs

 

[crazyforcordoras]

Did you check out the Beginners Recource Center?

 

[fluttermoth]

Nitrates will never go down, unless you have loads and loads of plants and not many fish. As it's the end product of the nitrogen cycle it will just build and build. That's why we do a big water change at the end of a fishless cycle, to get rid of all the nitrate that has built up, and one of the main reasons for regular partial water changes once the tank is cycled and running.

I don't see any reason why the ammonia should have made your tank cloudy at this stage. Is the cloud white, or greenish? Have you had the lights on, and if so for how many hours a day? Did you have lights on while you cycled?

 

[chubbs9]

Nitrates will never go down, unless you have loads and loads of plants and not many fish. As it's the end product of the nitrogen cycle it will just build and build. That's why we do a big water change at the end of a fishless cycle, to get rid of all the nitrate that has built up, and one of the main reasons for regular partial water changes once the tank is cycled and running.

I don't see any reason why the ammonia should have made your tank cloudy at this stage. Is the cloud white, or greenish? Have you had the lights on, and if so for how many hours a day? Did you have lights on while you cycled?

i done a 90% water change and when i put in the ammonia now i can see it going into the water as a white cloud which it never done before,it clouds the whole tank.

cheers

chubbs

oh and its a white cloud.

cheers

chubbs

also i aint got any fish in there yet,nor plants..gonna add them all on the weekend.

chubbs

 

[fluttermoth]

How odd. I can only assume your ammonia's 'gone funny' somehow

If you're intending ti get your fish in the next couple of days, I wouldn't worry about adding any more. I'm 99% certain the cloudiness will clear up on it's own, but you might (sorry!) want to do another large water change to help it go.

 

[Xraymark]

Maybe a bacterial bloom.
What's your nitrates at? Usually just need a large water change before adding fish ie within 24 hours. If nitrates still high another water change should help. Also check your tap water for nitrates.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

hi there my tank was cycled,so i done a 90% water change and then i tested for nitrates which are still very high and dont know why???also i put ammonia in the tank as it says to till i stock it with fish and it made the tank really cloudy....why did the ammonia do this and why have my nitrates not gone down.

cheers

chubbs

Could you define "cycled"...? What i mean is, how did you cycle your tank (there are, obviously, a few ways).

Terry.

 

[chubbs9]

the cloudyness goes in about 2 hours,its like im putting smoke into my tank when i add the ammonia,its nver done it before which is strange lol.my nitrates are between 80 and 160 on the API test.but that was done straight after the 90% water change,should i wait longer to test it?

chubbs

oh and i done a fishless cycle with added media,it took virtually 4 weeks.
cheers

chubbs

 

[fluttermoth]

No, you can test right away, and do another water change immediately, if you need to.

Out of interest, what ppm of ammonia have you cycled to?

 

[chubbs9]

i was doing between 4 and 5 and was going in less the 12 hours.

chubbs

what will happen if i add fish and plabts like it is now?

chubbs

 

[fluttermoth]

It probably won't harm them; cloudy water is very, very rarely harmful.

If you say it clears up in a hour or two and you're getting fish at the weekend, then I wouldn't worry and I wouldn't add any more ammonia. You could fully stock the tank and they won't produce anything like 4 or 5ppm of ammonia, so you should have plenty enough bacteria. Just do another big water change to lower the nitrate a bit more and you should be good to go

 

[chubbs9]

It probably won't harm them; cloudy water is very, very rarely harmful.

If you say it clears up in a hour or two and you're getting fish at the weekend, then I wouldn't worry and I wouldn't add any more ammonia. You could fully stock the tank and they won't produce anything like 4 or 5ppm of ammonia, so you should have plenty enough bacteria. Just do another big water change to lower the nitrate a bit more and you should be good to go

sound thanks matey

what if my nitrates still stay high?

chubbs

 

[fluttermoth]

Another water change, and keep on doing them until the level of nitrate in the tank is the same as in your tap water