ammonia won't go down!
- Thread starter andrewturk1970
- Start date
Hey again... No I have not yet cleaned the filter... but when I do, I do know to use aquarium water, not tap water... thanks for the reminder though.
I picked up some prime today and will start using it tonight when i change 50% of the water.
I just got back from Big Al's here in Toronto, and I bought a Emperor 400 filter to assist my Eheim G160... futureproofing I guess
I spoke to one of the sales guys in the fish area and he said that I should not change the water in the tank at all as it prolongs the cycle from completing. I then said that the Ammonia is 1.5 now and what it it rises to 2 or 3 even ? he said that it HAS to peak and then it will come down again, and If i keep changing the water, it will take forever. I explained that I don't really wish to see all of my fish perish due to the ammonia levels, but he said not to worry as its the way to do it. The bacteria will grow and take care of the ammonia.
YIKES!
Not sure I trust this opinion, but sound kinda dangerous, and CONTRARY to all of the advise I have been getting here.
I told him that i read (here on this forum) that the bacteria is located in the filter, not the water, and changing the water just keeps it at safe levels until the bacteria can catch up... he disagreed and said just leave it alone and it will take care of itself.
We must have went to the same location. Because I was given that advise as well LOL
:rofl:
Yeah i've had that problem at a lot of LFS i read one thing on these forms and they tell me the opposite. So i just take most of their advice with a grain of salt.
Don't listen to this guy again, IMO.
Ammonia/nitrite does NOT need to spike. Any measurable amount of either substance means the current bacteria are not able to metabolize the excess...that means then that it is still available as "food" as the colony continues to multiply.
During a fish cycle the health of the fish is the #1 priority. Having ammonia spike at 1.5, 2, 3 ppm could be a death warrant for the fish. At the very least it would be extremely irritating and could cause permanent damage.
The fact that he thinks the bacteria are just floating around in the water shows how little he really knows about cycling.
If you follow the advice given here, you can't go wrong. Take what sales people say with a grain of salt. Some do care about fish and give solid advice but it seems that more often than not they just perpetuate the same old myths and/or try to sell you something you don't need.
works for me.
BTW... i did a 50% water change and added a cap and a half of PRIME. waited a hour and did a ammonia test... its actually lower than before for the first time! not ALOT, BUT it is lower for sure. good news... ill throw the BIG AL's stuff in the trash and use PRIME from now on!
another 50% change tonight should do the trick for a few days more.
QUESTION - is it really necessary to turn of my filters when I add water and prime?
I have read both opinions. When I turn off my emperor 400, I have to add water to it to get it going again... kinda a pain.....
will the new water be that hard on the Bacteria for such a short time ?
Andrew
BTW... i did a 50% water change and added a cap and a half of PRIME. waited a hour and did a ammonia test... its actually lower than before for the first time! not ALOT, BUT it is lower for sure. good news... ill throw the BIG AL's stuff in the trash and use PRIME from now on!
another 50% change tonight should do the trick for a few days more.
QUESTION - is it really necessary to turn of my filters when I add water and prime?
I have read both opinions. When I turn off my emperor 400, I have to add water to it to get it going again... kinda a pain.....
will the new water be that hard on the Bacteria for such a short time ?
Andrew
You don't need to turn off your filters to add prime.
To do water changes you'll need to turn them off since you have an emperor 400 and it will lose prime anyway once the water level drops. It if you let it keep running without being primed you will cut the life on the filter short.
Turn the emperor 400 off before you start to do a water change. Do not turn it back on until the water level is at the top. As SOON as you turn the filter back on start pooring water from a large cup or pitcher (just dunk the cup into the tank and get it from there) into the filter. Should start up pretty easy that way.
The new water shouldn't hurt the bacteria unless it's drastically different in temperature (which it shouldn't be since that's bad for your fish anyway).
Also, not sure what kind of heaters you have, but remember to never let them get out of the water while plugged in. Even with the plastic stealths, they are supposed to shut off when the water level drops but they don't actually always do that. Plus if you leave them on or don't let them cool before the water level drops below them the plastic may actually bubble up.
With glass heaters make sure to turn them off and make sure they have cooled before doing a water change, because as soon as they are exposed to air if they are hot they will crack. I have had this happen when I forgot to unplug them before and it's a pain to clean the glass out of the tank, not to mention it's an electrical hazard if they crack and you fill the tank back up and stick your hand in with them plugged in.
