Got a problem, have questions.
To Start: established (5ish years) tank. 125g - glass aquarium. 1 XP3, 2 Emperor 400's and 1 Air driven sponge. Last week, I removed some of the bio-load (fish had grown, etc) - I took 8 fish to a LFS. Then, same day, I removed the emperor's and added a second XP3. I used the rock bio-media from the emperors to seed the new XP3 and added a 2nd air driven sponge filter. I was worried that the tank was over stocked, so was testing the water weekly -- never once did I get an ammonia or nitrite reading - they always said 0. What remained was clown loaches, which I wanted to try power feeding. So - about 3-4 days ago I started feeding them 2-3 times a day...
Yesterday evening I saw my water in this 125g turn cloudy. Was not sure why, did a water test. Ammonia was at .50ppm!!! Did an immediate 50% WC -- which lowered it down to .30ppm only... Watched it closely, water did not cloud back up. I got up at 1:30am to check on it this morning, water was not cloudy - fish looked normal. I checked it again this morning as I ran out the door (didn't have time to actually test..) Again, no cloudy water and fish looked/behaved normal.
Flash forward to 40 minutes ago today.. My husband goes home for lunch everyday since he works so close to home. I asked him to check in on the fish, and test the water. He calls me and says that the water is not cloudy, fish still look normal/behaving normal, but the ammonia tested at .50ppm again, "maybe a little higher" he says. So, I freak out and ask him to start an immediate WC. I also had him test the nitrites, which were 0.
Without turning this into a super long read right off the get-go -- a few questions:
1. If a toxin was introduced into the tank (like a small amount of bleach) -- it would take an immediate toll and not over a week to show, right? Wrong? Reason I ask: I used bleach to clean the new XP3 as it had previously been used. I got it off craigslist. It had some bio-media in it, but I nuked the whole thing for a week -- first rinsed/cleaned it out, then I rinsed/cleaned it with bleach and boiled the bio-media twice. Then I ran bleach water for a day, then clean water for 2 days - then treated water for 3 days -- then I broke it all down, cleaned/rinsed it with water again, then ran treated water for another 2 days and then boiled the bio-media 5 (maybe 6) times. I DOUBT that any bleach remained, but what if... but any bleach I think would have had an immediate affect?
2. Considering that I DID remove the bio-wheels (when I removed the emperors), in effect removing BB -- is it possible that the new XP3 just wasn't fully seeded and by over feeding too soon I taxed the bio-column too heavily? I think this is the cause, but not sure?
So my thoughts are: I should be seeing Nitrite by now, unless it is the overfeeding causing this and the Nitrites are just turning over Nitrates quickly enough to where I can not get a Nitrite reading? But, I would still think I would see some Nitrites as the bacterial column grows??? Although, admittingly, I don't know that I have really given it enough time?
And if I did nuke the whole column w/ bleach, I would expect the ammonia to be WAY higher than .50ppm considering the size and amount of the clowns in the tank... ?
Am I missing something?
P.S. If you read all that, thanks for reading
To Start: established (5ish years) tank. 125g - glass aquarium. 1 XP3, 2 Emperor 400's and 1 Air driven sponge. Last week, I removed some of the bio-load (fish had grown, etc) - I took 8 fish to a LFS. Then, same day, I removed the emperor's and added a second XP3. I used the rock bio-media from the emperors to seed the new XP3 and added a 2nd air driven sponge filter. I was worried that the tank was over stocked, so was testing the water weekly -- never once did I get an ammonia or nitrite reading - they always said 0. What remained was clown loaches, which I wanted to try power feeding. So - about 3-4 days ago I started feeding them 2-3 times a day...
Yesterday evening I saw my water in this 125g turn cloudy. Was not sure why, did a water test. Ammonia was at .50ppm!!! Did an immediate 50% WC -- which lowered it down to .30ppm only... Watched it closely, water did not cloud back up. I got up at 1:30am to check on it this morning, water was not cloudy - fish looked normal. I checked it again this morning as I ran out the door (didn't have time to actually test..) Again, no cloudy water and fish looked/behaved normal.
Flash forward to 40 minutes ago today.. My husband goes home for lunch everyday since he works so close to home. I asked him to check in on the fish, and test the water. He calls me and says that the water is not cloudy, fish still look normal/behaving normal, but the ammonia tested at .50ppm again, "maybe a little higher" he says. So, I freak out and ask him to start an immediate WC. I also had him test the nitrites, which were 0.
Without turning this into a super long read right off the get-go -- a few questions:
1. If a toxin was introduced into the tank (like a small amount of bleach) -- it would take an immediate toll and not over a week to show, right? Wrong? Reason I ask: I used bleach to clean the new XP3 as it had previously been used. I got it off craigslist. It had some bio-media in it, but I nuked the whole thing for a week -- first rinsed/cleaned it out, then I rinsed/cleaned it with bleach and boiled the bio-media twice. Then I ran bleach water for a day, then clean water for 2 days - then treated water for 3 days -- then I broke it all down, cleaned/rinsed it with water again, then ran treated water for another 2 days and then boiled the bio-media 5 (maybe 6) times. I DOUBT that any bleach remained, but what if... but any bleach I think would have had an immediate affect?
2. Considering that I DID remove the bio-wheels (when I removed the emperors), in effect removing BB -- is it possible that the new XP3 just wasn't fully seeded and by over feeding too soon I taxed the bio-column too heavily? I think this is the cause, but not sure?
So my thoughts are: I should be seeing Nitrite by now, unless it is the overfeeding causing this and the Nitrites are just turning over Nitrates quickly enough to where I can not get a Nitrite reading? But, I would still think I would see some Nitrites as the bacterial column grows??? Although, admittingly, I don't know that I have really given it enough time?
And if I did nuke the whole column w/ bleach, I would expect the ammonia to be WAY higher than .50ppm considering the size and amount of the clowns in the tank... ?
Am I missing something?
P.S. If you read all that, thanks for reading
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