should i do a water change!?

[djmodifyd]

thanks for the reply's guys
the reason i had a ph crash....is because......well...i'm an idiot and simply over feed them all the time......and then didn't do enough water changed.....so i had alot of rotting food in there.
i don't have a gh/kh test kit...and my lfs is out of them right now. i had thought about getting some crushed coral for the tank....i just put that into the HOB filter right?

yes, i use amquel, but my ammonia is upto 4 ppm (maybe a bit higher) now...

i have chichlid salt in there, and i added a couple tsp of baking soda in there to bring the gh/kh up, BUT i don't have a way to test it to get number. my PH has been holding steady for a week or so now.

just tested water:
ph: steady at 8.2
ammonia: steady at 4 ppm
nitrate: down to 5 ppm from 10 ppm yesterday
nitrite: down to .25 from .5 yesterday

 

[Roan Art]

thanks for the reply's guys
the reason i had a ph crash....is because......well...i'm an idiot and simply over feed them all the time......and then didn't do enough water changed.....so i had alot of rotting food in there.

Rotting food does not cause a pH crash. Overfeeding does not cause a pH crash. Not doing a water change can *contribute* to a pH crash, depending on how long it was before the water was changed and how low the KH is.

KH is your carbonite and determines how stable your tank is. KH is consumed by natural processes in your tank and will deplete. If the KH hits 0, there is nothing to consume and the bacteria cannot reproduce. If they cannot reproduce they will start to die off. If they die off, well, the cycle starts over.

Currently my tap is 7.4 and my KH runs 1-2. Any dKH of 3 or under needs to be stablized. My pH is not low at all, but the KH is at a dangerously low level. All my tanks are buffered to some degree to prevent crash and add stability.

i don't have a gh/kh test kit...and my lfs is out of them right now. i had thought about getting some crushed coral for the tank....i just put that into the HOB filter right?

Yes, but please get the kit or you may crash again. Seriously. How long was it between water changes?

yes, i use amquel, but my ammonia is upto 4 ppm (maybe a bit higher) now...

i have chichlid salt in there, and i added a couple tsp of baking soda in there to bring the gh/kh up, BUT i don't have a way to test it to get number. my PH has been holding steady for a week or so now.

The ammonia was there the minute you added water to your tank. That's why you started cycling with no fish or anything

Baking soda will help in the short term. Don't use it for long term. It's not stable. Remember: it's the KH, not the GH that you need to be concerned with. If it crashes when you have a full bioload your tank will start to recycle and you could lose your fish. Especially if you are not home or don't notice if it happens.

just tested water:
ph: steady at 8.2
ammonia: steady at 4 ppm
nitrate: down to 5 ppm from 10 ppm yesterday
nitrite: down to .25 from .5 yesterday

Looking good. Keep up the water changes and don't overdo the baking soda. You really really need to get a KH test kit. Can you order one online?

Roan

 

[djmodifyd]

Rotting food does not cause a pH crash. Overfeeding does not cause a pH crash. Not doing a water change can *contribute* to a pH crash, depending on how long it was before the water was changed and how low the KH is.

KH is your carbonite and determines how stable your tank is. KH is consumed by natural processes in your tank and will deplete. If the KH hits 0, there is nothing to consume and the bacteria cannot reproduce. If they cannot reproduce they will start to die off. If they die off, well, the cycle starts over.

Currently my tap is 7.4 and my KH runs 1-2. Any dKH of 3 or under needs to be stablized. My pH is not low at all, but the KH is at a dangerously low level. All my tanks are buffered to some degree to prevent crash and add stability.

Yes, but please get the kit or you may crash again. Seriously. How long was it between water changes?

The ammonia was there the minute you added water to your tank. That's why you started cycling with no fish or anything

Baking soda will help in the short term. Don't use it for long term. It's not stable. Remember: it's the KH, not the GH that you need to be concerned with. If it crashes when you have a full bioload your tank will start to recycle and you could lose your fish. Especially if you are not home or don't notice if it happens.

Looking good. Keep up the water changes and don't overdo the baking soda. You really really need to get a KH test kit. Can you order one online?

Roan

thank you so much for your replys
i'll stop by my lfs to see if they have a KH test kit, if not, i'll get one online.


oh, and when my ph crashed....it was probably a month and a half inbetween waterchanges.......and when my gravel vac hit the gravel.....the water turned black :duh:


so, should i do a waterchange today? or just leave it?
thanks!

 

[Roan Art]

thank you so much for your replys
i'll stop by my lfs to see if they have a KH test kit, if not, i'll get one online.

Please, not life threatening anymore now that I know how long it was before you did a water change, BUT if you intend to keep African cichlids, you should really have a KH and GH test kit. They have special needs, as I'm sure you know.

oh, and when my ph crashed....it was probably a month and a half inbetween waterchanges.......and when my gravel vac hit the gravel.....the water turned black :duh:

ROFL! No wonder you crashed It's very likely then that your KH is 4 or 5 and safe, which is what I thought it might be considering how high your pH is. However, it is still a good idea for a cichlid keeper to have those test kits.

so, should i do a waterchange today? or just leave it?
thanks!

WIth ammonia at 4ppm, you NEED to do a water change. Several, in fact. That ammonia must get down to no higher than .5, .25 is better, or you risk your fish. Start doing water changes of 50-60% at 12 hour intervals until you get it under control.

Does the entire tank according to the Amquel bottle's recommendations for 4ppm ammonia. Then add 1 tsp of salt per gallon of water, mixed with a gallon of tank water. You are heading for a huge nitrite spike with ammonia that high and you might as well prepare for it ahead of time.

The Amquel will detoxify the ammonia and the salt will help with the nitrites.

Roan

 

[RockabillyChick]

roan, he's got no fish in his tank, he's doing a fishless cycle now with the ammonia that's just occouring in his tank

4ppm is the perfect level for a fishless cycle, but you will need to remove some if it goes higher.

 

[djmodifyd]

ok, i'll do a small water change today
you guys ROCK!
thanks

 

[Roan Art]

roan, he's got no fish in his tank, he's doing a fishless cycle now with the ammonia that's just occouring in his tank

4ppm is the perfect level for a fishless cycle, but you will need to remove some if it goes higher.

You're right about the fishless cycle and not having to do major water changes. I got side-tracked by something else and my brain farted

However, he needs to do water changes to maintain his KH level. He doesn't have a kit, so he has no clue what he's working with and neither do we.

Ergo, djmodifyd, yah, do some small changes and monitor the ammonia to 4ppm.

Sorry about that. Had to do a post about a fish I lost and it really railroaded my brain.

Roan

 

[djmodifyd]

ok, i got a kh/gh test from my lfs

its the AP GF&KH Test

here are the results:

From Tank:
kh: 10 dKH (10 drops to turn it from blue to yellow...)
Gh: 16 dkh (16 drops to turn it from orange to green...)

From Tap:
kh: 9 dkh (9 drops.....)
gh: 12 dkh (12 drops...)

this good or bad?
water change....yay or nay?

thanks!

 

[Roan Art]

You're golden.

Tap:
kh: 9 dkh (9 drops.....)
gh: 12 dkh (12 drops...)

Good cichlid water. Don't use baking soda, you certainly don't need it at all. If anything to bring it up to cichlid level, add coral. I'd check in the cichlid forum as I believe there is a cichlid water "recipe" that people use.

Worry about water changes if the KH gets to 4.

Thanks for getting it so fast. I was worried your cycle would stall again and we don't want that.

Roan

 

[djmodifyd]

You're golden.



Good cichlid water. Don't use baking soda, you certainly don't need it at all. If anything to bring it up to cichlid level, add coral. I'd check in the cichlid forum as I believe there is a cichlid water "recipe" that people use.

Worry about water changes if the KH gets to 4.

Thanks for getting it so fast. I was worried your cycle would stall again and we don't want that.

Roan

no problem......i like gettin things done fast....i hate waiting...but i will for fishy's sake.


so....just leave it and let the ammonia work itself out right? unless it starts getting over 4 ppm?