water STILL dirty after water change HELP!

Originally posted by ratman420
im a fool sorry, my ammonia level is 3.0 not my ph
Click to expand...

Aaaah, now it makes more sense.

My guess would be that you rinsed the filter media out under tap water? If so, the chlorine in the tap water may have killed off your nitrifying bacteria in the filter forcing another cycle.

If you changed all the carbon/filter cartridges outright, this would have the same effect.

Tom
 
Yikes! Ammonia that high is toxic to fish! Do you have chloramines in your water supply? If so, some treatments don't bind the ammonia that results from breaking it up--others bind it as ammonium, which some test kits will detect as ammonia, even though it's not toxic. Since you added the treatment, I'm guessing you are seeing both ammonia and ammonium. The test kit should indicate if it's showing one or both.

Good to know your pH is okay, though! Since it's sounding like this may be a bacteria bloom, I'd advise you tough it out. The microfauna needs to gt into balance, and the more you mess around, the harder it is to reach this balance. Do regular maintenance, but nothing extraordinary. sorry--I know this contradicts my previous advice, but then I thought the cloudiness was from solid particles in the water.
 
Bummer. Its an easy mistake to make but you'll certainly only make it once.

Keep up with frequent water changes. I would just keep a 5g bucket filled with treated tap water and change out water daily. There should still be some bacteria in the tank istelf on the decorations and in the gravel, just not enough to support the whole tank. You shouldn't be going back to square one unless the ammonia spike killed the bacteria in the tank.

If you know someone with an existing, established tank, you can try to borrow some filter media from them. You can either jam it in your filter or just swish it around in the tank and leave it in the tank for a couple weeks.

You could also try to get you hands on some Bio Spira.

Tom
 
I dont have a test for chloramine, but I added AquaSafe when I did the water change that should of made it safe right?

I didnt change the rocks in the big filter i just rinsed em with tap water...Im guessin I should just go ahead and change em now?


this might sound dumb but what exactly is filter media?
 
You can call your water company to find out what is in the water. They have a sheet they can send out. Adding some type of chlorine remover to the water, in the appropriate dose, should make it fine.

Filter media is the stuff inside the filter. This can be the carbon rocks, filter floss (looks like cotton batting for stuffing pillows), filter cartridges or bags, etc. In a nutshell, its the stuff that does the actual filtering of the water. Carbon needs to be changed every couple of weeks as it deactivates over that period of time. However, you don't REALLY need carbon in the filter unless there are chemicals/medications in the water you need to remove.

The filter cartridge needs to be rinsed out regularly (i do it when I do water changes) but in order to keep from killing off the bacteria, rinse it out in the bucket full of tank water you just changes. You're not trying to make it sparkle, just get the big chunks of debris out.
 
ahhhhhhhh i see, good advise......i was told that the carbon rocks need to be changed every month or so because they are actually what makes your water clear.

I have a blue "sponge" thing around my filter rocks, how often do i change that? or i just rise it out like u said?
 
The "rocks" are the carbon and have nothing to do with keeping your water clear. They are your chemical filtration which removes medications and other chemicals that could onter you tank.

The blue sleeve is your filter cartridge. Marineland will tell you to change it once a month so you'll keep buying cartridges but you really only need to rinse it on a regular basis. This is your mechanical filtration and removes debris from the water.

The last part of the 3 step filtration process is biological filtration. This is your nitrifying bacteria which, as you've noticed the hard way, colonizes spots in the aquarium where there is a strong flow of water and an ample supply of oxygen (in this case the water carries the oxygen).

Tom
 
Tom you are my hero! Thanks for the help!

I bought some Bio Spira and added it to my tank. I also picked up some "Sparkling Clear" should i add this now or wait and see what happens? Do I need to add at all?

I got a water sample tested at the store and the only thing that was abnormal with my ammonia level still around 3.0, i hope the Bio Spira brings it down soon. When should i start to worry about my fish if it doesnt bring it down?

I also picked up some EasyBalance, will this help at all?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom