Starting Back Up Again...Questions About Using Seachem Stability

[Kaskade10729]

Okay, well, here is what Seachem told me when I reached out to them about the current situation:

What you're experiencing is completely normal and natural, with one small exception due to how you dosed Stability.

1. The bloom is indeed a beneficial bacteria bloom as they proliferate in the presence of ammonia and other essential nutrients. This is nothing to worry about and should go away eventually, depending on the total nutrient load and speed at which they grow.
2. The directions on Stability assume the user has added fish and will be using them to cycle the tank. Since you added the Stability before fish or other nutrients, the bacteria didn't have what they needed to live, so those initial doses didn't do much other than provide some remnant amount of bacteria when you added the fish. The good news is it sounds like the ones that were in there when you added the fish are growing and doing their job, but may not yet be at a large enough population to immediately handle all of the ammonia produced in the tank. I'd recommend dosing Stability again as directed to give the bacterial population a boost and go from there.

2b. Most hobby grade test kits, such as the API ones, have a decent error margin so their reading of zero may actually not be fully accurate. Chances are good that there's some ammonia present, but at concentrations lower than the test can detect since it seems you're getting fluctuations between 0 and 0.25 mg/L. If you're not getting readings higher than 0.25 mg/L you're in good shape.

1. If your fish appear to be happy and healthy, you're doing well so keep up what you're doing.

So based on what he told me, I started adding the Stability again to further kick-start the bacteria, as we are still going through a bacterial bloom; I'll finish through to the seventh day. However, this still doesn't explain why we haven't seen a jump in certain parameters such as ammonia and nitrite/nitrate; I mean, I can't get the test to read anywhere higher than 0.25 ammonia and 5.0 nitrate (we DID see a SLIGHT jump in nitrite one day, where the test came back as a light purple color in the test tube, but it immediately returned to 0, the aqua blue color, the next time)...shouldn't we be seeing SOME kind of jump in these parameters if we're feeding the fish and they're producing waste?

 

[Kaskade10729]

Loach,

While I wait for your replies to my last series of questions, I wanted to provide you with the latest round of API test results from today (7/7) -- which is also the first day of our second round of Stability treatment.

Ammonia: 0.25 on its way to 0.50
Nitrite: STILL 0
Nitrate: STILL somewhere between 0 and 5.0 (the dark yellow color, not turning orange)

 

[the loach]

Without plants fish waste will accumulate eventually to show up as consistent readings. Like I wrote, Stability (or any other bacterial product) can't work or establish itself without fish or ammonia. If it does anything, now is the time and you should see ammonia decreasing tomorrow. If not, it does nothing and you're just starting a fish in cycle.

 

[Kaskade10729]

Without plants fish waste will accumulate eventually to show up as consistent readings. Like I wrote, Stability (or any other bacterial product) can't work or establish itself without fish or ammonia. If it does anything, now is the time and you should see ammonia decreasing tomorrow. If not, it does nothing and you're just starting a fish in cycle.

But our ammonia reading was only 0.25 (it seems to read a light greenish color in the test tube) -- it should FALL lower than this by tomorrow?

Why is nitrite and nitrate not really moving though...because of the ammonia behavior?

Also -- what did you make of Seachem's response to me? Is it wise to begin another round of Stability?

 

[the loach]

Fish waste is ammonia, which is converted to nitrite and then to nitrate by the bacteria. Without a cycled tank/nitrifying bacteria, you won't get nitrite/nitrate (unless they're already in your water source). Once the tank is cycled you should only get nitrate, unless something is wrong.
Talk is cheap, dose Stability again if you have left. Tests will show if it does what they promise.

 

[Kaskade10729]

Fish waste is ammonia, which is converted to nitrite and then to nitrate by the bacteria. Without a cycled tank/nitrifying bacteria, you won't get nitrite/nitrate (unless they're already in your water source). Once the tank is cycled you should only get nitrate, unless something is wrong.
Talk is cheap, dose Stability again if you have left. Tests will show if it does what they promise.

I started the new dose today; will finish it in seven days.

 

[Kaskade10729]

Here's something else I just thought of, Loach...would be great to get your thoughts on it:

Is it remotely possible that the low ammonia readings I'm getting is because of the "specialty filter pad" that's installed in my new Aqueon HOB? These new models have these small "specialty pads" that are installed just before the water return stage, and they're supposed to take out impurities like ammonia, phosphate, etc.; in the box, Aqueon supplies the "ammonia remover" pads, which I installed, and I'm wondering if this had anything to do with the readings...

Here's the marketing collateral on the product:


Here's some detailed info on those "pads" that go in the waterfall area:

https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Phosphate-Reducing-Specialty-Filter/dp/B01M35E09W/ref=pd_t4im_d_30?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01M35E09W&pd_rd_r=4fb562b1-f0b2-457f-bd18-409548f0c0fc&pd_rd_w=Ud6vP&pd_rd_wg=V1vt2&pf_rd_p=6367fe3b-205d-4cea-ba7a-262bbcbe7589&pf_rd_r=DQR26BP2SSQRXMF6BXJP&psc=1&refRID=DQR26BP2SSQRXMF6BXJP

Obviously, I'm not putting stock in these things and had NO intention of replacing them every couple of weeks, as Aqueon recommends, but I was instead going to leave them in as they get exhausted, as I do with carbon, so that it's just another area for bio filtration...

But what do you make of it?

 

[the loach]

Don't know these filter pads; but I assume they have zeolite in them, which adsorbs ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, in which case it messes with your cycle and tests. You can't cycle a tank this way, with or without bacteria, until it is saturated.

HOB's like these are not suited for fantail goldfish either; the flow is too strong while the capacity of the filter is too small. Canister filters would be much better.

 

[Kaskade10729]

Don't know these filter pads; but I assume they have zeolite in them, which adsorbs ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, in which case it messes with your cycle and tests. You can't cycle a tank this way, with or without bacteria, until it is saturated.

So do you recommend I take them out?

HOB's like these are not suited for fantail goldfish either; the flow is too strong while the capacity of the filter is too small. Canister filters would be much better.

I have been running an Aqueon like this (the previous QuietFlow 55) for years with no problems (with the goldfish), but I have an AquaClear 110 on the other side for added filtration. The flow actually ISN'T too strong on this new model (the LED PRO 75), and I have reduced the AquaClear's flow to minimal to make it more comfortable for them to swim.

I don't regularly change the cartridges in the Aqueon, either, instead rinsing/dunking them in removed tank water, as I do the AC's sponge, from time to time.

I am not a fan of canisters; just wanted your opinion on those "specialty pads."

 

[the loach]

You don't need 'specialty' pads, I've never used or needed them in 40+ years.... yes take them out, as right now it's just delaying your cycling.