Help diagnose my problem

8 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


theFISHsaysMOO
 
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 8:37 am

Help diagnose my problem

by theFISHsaysMOO

tank has been going for about 3 weeks now.
Date pH Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate
11/28 6.8 3 5 120
12/1 7 .125 5 10
12/6 6.6 .25 5 20
12/8 7.6 .1 5 20

And the tank and plants have begun to grow this brown algea shown below..... ? And also why wont my Nitrite go down? Im sure its probable even above 5 but my chart i use only goes up to 5 for Nitrite

I have been doing 5-10% water changes daily and im treating the water....
6e1dd-009.JPG


devina
 
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2010 12:10 am

by devina

It is all part of the cycle process you are well underway with it both types of bateria are growing. Since you have nitrate the only thing you want too do is a 30% water change. You r ammonia and nitrite levels will go to zero in a wwek as for the algae it is a good thing means the water is evening out brown algae always comes first just clean plants and glass then green will come algea isn't. A bad thing it is just par of naturet
agoog


theFISHsaysMOO
 
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 8:37 am

by theFISHsaysMOO

the chiclids seem to be feasting on the brown algea too... thats a good thing? they dont even get hungry when i bring out the bag of food the past two days (when the algea first appeared)


natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

by natalie265

Algae loves nitrates. Just keep the lights off (or only on a few hours a day) until the cycling process is complete (algae also loves light).

Until the cycling is complete, the only way to keep the nitrite down is by doing water changes. Change out as much as you need to to keep it in check.

If your fish aren't eating ravenously, then something is probably wrong. You could be overfeeding. Overfeeding is especially bad when the tank is cycling because uneaten food will release ammonia into the tank as it breaks down and right now, you don't have the bacteria to help deal with that.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

I agree with natalie, fish do two things best: feed & breed

if the fish are not eating until they pass out (lol) something is wrong...a fish will eat until it literally bloats up

best way to find out if you are over feeding is your ammonia level will rise dramatically...and beings you are cycling your tank, you do not have enough good bacteria to keep up with all the ammonia therefore you wind up with high concentrations of ammonia & nitrite

as for the algae, you can either prune the algae out of the tank or purchase fish that will eat it....beings you have fish that are willing to eat it, you must still balance the lighting...light, water and nitrates will produce algae in any tank...key is, to find the balance or the control so the algae does not overhwelm the tank

so less lighting, less over-feeding, more water changes, have fish that will eat the algae (or snails), perform your water tests and observe some more


cwilkin
 
Posts: 108
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:35 pm

by cwilkin

Just curious what is that plant? It looks neat!!


Alasse
 
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 5:35 am
Location: QLD Australia

by Alasse

The brown isnt algae, its diatoms and perfectly normal in a cycling tank. It wll not be affected by lighting really and it is harmless and will go away once the tank stabilizes

The fish arent eating well because of the ammonia and nitrite levels, they are stressed. You need to feed sparingly anyway until the bacteria can catch up, feed them very small amounts a few times a day to cut down on any excess, the fish can be fasted for a complete day (fish generally do not eat daily in the wild, its good for them, gives them a bit of a clean out)


AbadHabit
 
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:28 am

by AbadHabit

Sounds like it is cycling nicely. Just be careful on water changes. If you knock out all the nitrites then your tank will have to start the cycle over again. I know, cause I did it. Simplicity..Cycles in a cycle. Ammonia starts dropping, nitrites up, barely any nitrates. Knock all the nitrites out and the nitrates have nothing to go on. Thus the cycle starts again. I got in a hurry, but did not kill any fish. So I waited till I had good nitrate readings, then big water change. I worked out fine. Live and learn, but the fish I buy are not test subjects. And i am sure they are happy for that. I see them smiling at me all the time.(yea right, only when they see the food..haha) But I did have a mini cycle. Cleaned the aquarium one day and I had some clean rain water. Ph was about 6.6 and I was running about 6.9. Changed out abot 40% of the water on a 29 gal. WRONG thing to do. Called myself smucknuts for weeks after. Everything was fine at first. Then some of my shrimp died. Checked ph--below 6. When your ph goes wacko, so dos the rest of the bio system. Ended up losing my beautiful rainbow shark. Took me a good month to get the system back in parameters. And then still lost one of my long finned tetras a month later. He never acted the same. Toxic shock. I can happen later. So I do everything I can to keep my freinds enviroment safe. Just keep a eye on your readings till your system kicks off. That will tell you the most to what you need to do for your water. Your kicking it, keep it up. And what type of plant do you have in the pict. Nifty looking. Ohh yea, and the water did effect the plants I have, not bad , but you could tell. The like nitrates, but not the nitrites so much. I think it kinda like burnd them.
3f245-100_5924.JPG

Help diagnose my problem

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