Biospira- Ammonia/nitrite spike 2 weeks later?

C

ciniron

AC Members
Sep 9, 2005
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I set up a 75 gallon aquarium two weeks ago and used Biospira. The next day I added two midas cichlids, 7" and 5". I still have ammonia and nitrite in my tank- .50 ppm each, which is double what it has been. How concerned should I be, and what should I do? I'm also in the middle of treating an ich outbreak. Here are the readings I've taken so far:

9/10- set up tank, added Biospira

9/11- added fish
Ammonia- 2 ppm
Nitrite- 0 ppm
Nitrate- 0 ppm

9/12
Ammonia- 1.75 ppm
Nitrite- .25 ppm
Nitrate- 5.0 ppm

9/13
Ammonia- 2ppm
Nitrite- 2ppm
Nitrate- 5ppm

9/15
Ammonia- 1 ppm
Nitrite- 2 ppm
Nitrate- 7.5 ppm

9/17- 30% water change

9/18
Ammonia- 0.25 ppm
Nitrite- 2.0 ppm
Nitrate- 10 ppm

9/21- noticed ich

9/22- began treating for ich with Quick Cure
Ammonia- .25 ppm
Nitrite- .25 ppm
Nitrate- 10 ppm

9/24- 50% water change to try to reduce ammonia/nitrite
Ammonia- .25 ppm
Nitrite- .25 ppm
Nitrate- 5 ppm

9/25
Ammonia- .50 ppm
Nitrite- .50 ppm
Nitrate- 5 ppm
 
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Just tossing in Bio Spira dosen't mean the tank is cycled. Yes, Bio Spira helps cycle the tank a lot faster, but it dosen't mean you can toss in fish the very next day.
 
The evening before the morning I added the fish, which was what my lfs told me to do. They said add it 12-24 hours before adding fish, but not to add fish any later than that, or the bacteria would die.
 
They were wrong. You must add the fish when you add the Bio Spira. It looks like some of the bacteria survived, but not enough to support your fish. Do a large water change right now and get your ammonia and nitrites levels to 0.5ppm. Anything higher and they can die. You are going threw a mini cycle.
 
if you read the package it tells you to add it and the fish at the same time. however, it seems like there is a lot of mishandling and often what you get (or at least what I got) is useless. if it is not kept cold at all times from packaging in the factory until you add it in, the bacteria die. also, if you do not use dechlorinator, they will die. there are also some theories that ich medication can damage bacteria populations.
please try and do daily water changes to keep your ammonia and nitrite levels under .25. above that they get harmful, and your fish will thank you for it. meanwhile, quit with the meds, do your water changes, and try the salt/warm water method of treating ich.
can someone else link to that method?
 
The only problem is that I was an idiot and cracked my extra 25 watt heater when I was doing the last water change (which was actually yesterday; I messed up the date on the list above and I'll change it) by moving it from a bucket of warm water immediately into a bucket of cold water. I was intending to go buy a new heater tomorrow afternoon. Will it be dangerous by then? Would it be more dangerous to add cooler water to the tank, or to wait and have the ammonia and nitrite go up? Would adding more Bio-spira tomorrow help? My fish are acting a bit stressed out.
 
No, I decided to cycle with the fish, because they said that the fish were hardy and the ammonia spike would only last a day or two. Now I'm worried that I'm stressing them out too much...
 
You need to:

add the Bio Spira and the fish at the very same time.

And make sure your water is totallly dechlorinated before you add both.


Saw that it's two weeks later. Sorry
 
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