help with tanks...ph and ammonia...ect.

J

Jon-AL

AC Members
Dec 5, 2004
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Carrollton Ga
I have been having issues with my tanks for a few months now. Almost all new fish I buy will die within two weeks time. I may have identified this as old tank syndrome. I have went out and bought a master test kit and have found some possibilities of solutions. My pH readings are bottomed out at 6.0. Which is as low as the kit will read. I had tested with a dip strip and thought my tap waster was the same. The new kit reads it between 6.8 and 7.0 which would be wonderful to achieve. Now then...the "doing" part. I did a water change yesterday. And then tested. I got the 6.0 pH and my ammonia was WAAAYYY high at about 4 ppm. I know I have to get that down through water changes. But...would it be a good idea to try to get rid of some of the bacteria and sludge that is down in the gravel? What is the best way to do this? I have thought about doing my water changes and trying to vaccum some of it out. But through low water pressure with my python...I have thought about adding an additional filter with new carbon media and stirring up the gravel. the filter would catch it and then follow with my every other day water change until the problem corrects itself. I would also rinse the carbon media the morning after the stirring. And then water change on the following day.
I feel that I will never get rid of the high ammonia and low pH readings if I don't get rid of the 'sludge' that I feel it causing it. Any help is appreciated.
 
Find out if your tap water is treated with chloramines, first of all. If so, use a dechlorinator that neutralizes chloramines and ammonia(Prime).
If old tank syndrome is suspect, do things slowly and gradually. Don't try to fix it over night as you could very well severely stress and kill your fish. 20-25% daily water changes and a good gravel vacuuming will suffice. Clean a third of the gravel at a time and clean the filter(s) on a different day that you clean the gravel. Once you've gotten things stabilized, maintain it with weekly 30-50% water changes depending on the bioload. Clean your filters and gravel as needed.
 
That is basically what I am talking about. First, I use Start Right. Which kills chloromines as well as chlorine. So that is not an issue. I planned on doing roughly a 25-30% water change every other day. Which I did my first yesterday, I will do another tomorrow and so on. But today...the day between changes, I am planning on trying to clean out some of my "old" bacteria. I guess I am asking is that with having these parameters, and having issues for several monts now, would I need to try to get rid of some of what is beneath the gravel? The sludge that is there? Maybe I cleared my questions up. As clear as mud that is :thud:
 
Actually, even though Start Right neutralizes chloramines, it only splits the chlorine/ammonia bond...which basically means that after treating your water with this product and the chloramines have been 'removed', the ammonia is left behind until the filter bacteria break it down. That would explain your ammonia readings. Use Prime...it neutralizes the ammonia as well.
As far as what to do with the gravel is concerned, I pretty much summed it up in my 1st post. Yes...you need to clean your gravel. Just do things slowly.
 
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