PDA

View Full Version : Fishless Cycle - Ammonia Rising


Matt W
10-28-2003, 4:27 PM
OK...here's the deal. A new 125 gallon. All this is in it right now is plants (amazon swords) and driftwood. I originally dosed ammonia to 5ppm and seeded the tank with some filter drippings. By the next day, the ammonia had started to fall (down to around 2ppm), so I dosed it back to 5ppm. Followed this procedure for 4-5 days. Now the Ammonia levels have gone off the charts! The color is at least double the darkness that 5ppm shows.

So, last night I did a 75% water change to try and get the Ammonia level down to a readable level. Readings are still off the charts.

Water from the tap is 0ppm Ammonia..

So, my question is, what is causing this Ammonia level to raise? This has me totally baffled.

A couple of things you should know..

I am dosing:

Flourish for traces
Flourish Excel for carbon
KNO3 for nitrates
Fleet Enema for Phosphate
Epsom Salt for Magnesium
Leaf Zone for Iron and Potassium
I also have Jobes in the substrate...
RTR
10-28-2003, 9:17 PM
I'd suspect that the Jobes are seeping into the water column.
Matt W
10-29-2003, 6:37 AM
That is the last thing I wanted to hear :(...

Doing a little research on your suspicion, I think you are correct. I have now read from several sources that this can be a common occurrence with Jobes.

So, now I get to have the fun of pulling them all out of there..

Can anyone make a suggestion for a good root tab that will not cause this problem?
RTR
10-29-2003, 8:05 AM
I use Jobe's, but my substrates are deep and I do make sure to bury the pieces of spikes well.

I tend to alternate for the gross feeders such as swords and Crinum with Seachem's Flourish tabs. But those are all traces, where the Jobe's are NPK macronutrients.
OrionGirl
10-29-2003, 8:26 AM
What kind of filter do you have?
Matt W
10-29-2003, 9:18 AM
It's a wet dry...

I have 3-4 inches of sand and I buried the Jobes all the way to the bottom of the tank....
Matt W
10-30-2003, 2:15 PM
Welll...I broke the tank down, pulled all the sand (with jobes) out, and put new sand in (easier than cleaning it).

All seems to be well now. The ammonia level was at about 5ppm after I did that. I expected there to still be some in there as I didn't empty the wet dry. I checked the levels about 8 hours afterward and they had dropped to 2ppm. So, seems like that did the trick and I also think I have one heck of a bacterial bed now ;)

Thanks RTR!
RTR
10-30-2003, 3:32 PM
I'm glad it worked!