I have all those covered, so it sounds like I'm probably doing alright on the Oxygen front.
It's 23°C.
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Accidental fish in cycle - help please.
- Thread starter LadyDay
- Start date
It's 23°C.
Andy Pierce
Member
You can always turn up the CO2 to whatever works for you with your setup. I have found the biggest disadvantage to the air bubbler is it can make a pretty good mess unless it is away from the sides of the tank so the popping bubbles can't throw water outside.
I've just answered pretty much the same question from you in a different thread, why not start a journal and keep all your questions and answers together in one place with photos?
It will benefit you in the long run documenting your history with the tank while allowing others to more easily access your problems and resolutions.
Cheers!
It will benefit you in the long run documenting your history with the tank while allowing others to more easily access your problems and resolutions.
Cheers!
Hi all,
Plants take up all forms of <"fixed nitrogen">, and are massively <"net oxygen producers">, so keeping your plants growing is the best thing you can do. I don't add CO2, so I use <"a floating plant as my "mop">. Floating plants have access to atmospheric oxygen (21%) and CO2 (420 ppm), Diana Walstad's <"aerial advantage">.
cheers Darrel
Same for me, <"oxygen is the prime metric">, everything else is secondary. It is a bit like <"emergency first aid">, you need to address any big issues before you put a plaster on their thumb.
Yes, watch the fish.
That is it. The nitrite (NO2-) is in the water column. That is why water changes work to reduce levels.
Plants take up all forms of <"fixed nitrogen">, and are massively <"net oxygen producers">, so keeping your plants growing is the best thing you can do. I don't add CO2, so I use <"a floating plant as my "mop">. Floating plants have access to atmospheric oxygen (21%) and CO2 (420 ppm), Diana Walstad's <"aerial advantage">.
cheers Darrel
Hi LadyDay
You can also implement this Tutorial below!
www.ukaps.org
hoggie
You can also implement this Tutorial below!
Using stem plants as a filtering aid at Start Up!
The subject of using fast-growing stem plants as part of a filtering aid has cropped up a few times recently. This idea has been around for a long time so not new, it has benefits, especially for a new setup. 1. Improves water quality. 2. Reduces excess light. 3. Reduces diatoms. 4. Reduces...
www.ukaps.org
The Tropica substrate looks to be disturbed quite a lot....could be through maintenance try keeping this to a minimum in the start - up stage!
I've clearly become a person obsessed with water testing. So I tested the water again now and AGAIN it had quite a bit of Nitrite (somewhere between 0.3 and 0.8 mg/L). I am becoming so sad and disheartened by this mess. I really hope it improves soon. I did another big water change, second of the day. The remaining fish look alright, but I've lost quite a few of the Kubotai. They are quite sensitive.
I have quite a lot of floating plants (Salvinia auriculata), hoping for them to help with the algae, and now with the Nitrite.
I will try to avoid disturbing the substrate further.
I have quite a lot of floating plants (Salvinia auriculata), hoping for them to help with the algae, and now with the Nitrite.
I will try to avoid disturbing the substrate further.
I think it's a good idea to start a journal!
_Maq_
Member
You may do an experiment which would be appreciated by the community. Take some amount of your tank water with nitrites into a vessel (preferably inert - of glass), measure nitrites, then drop some H2O2 in, and after a while, measure nitrites again. What do you think about it?
tam
Member
- Joined
- 5 May 2011
- Messages
- 1,580
Just to add to the confusion for you....
It seems a bit odd to me that in a 8 week old, reasonably planted tank you are getting nitrites. Have you tried testing your tap water? Then testing again after you add whichever dechlorinator you use. Might it be a test/tester issue leading you down the wrong path.
The issue could just have been the new fish didn't adapt well to the CO2 levels, or just had another issue you were unaware of. I take it your original fish have not shown any issues?
I would agree with adding oxygen and water changing, and I would feed lightly.
It seems a bit odd to me that in a 8 week old, reasonably planted tank you are getting nitrites. Have you tried testing your tap water? Then testing again after you add whichever dechlorinator you use. Might it be a test/tester issue leading you down the wrong path.
The issue could just have been the new fish didn't adapt well to the CO2 levels, or just had another issue you were unaware of. I take it your original fish have not shown any issues?
I would agree with adding oxygen and water changing, and I would feed lightly.
The tank is only 5 weeks old, but don't know if that makes a difference. The substrate is soil (Tropica), so not inert.
I have tried testing the tap water and it tests with no Nitrite. There isn't chlorine added to the tap water in Denmark, so I'm not using a dechlorinator. It does seem odd to me that there wasn't any Nitrite, according to the test this morning (before I changed water), but this afternoon there was. Same yesterday. So it's coming and going.
No, the two first fish I added (the Lyretail Killi) still haven't shown issues, so it's not impossible that these new (Microdevario kubotai) didn't adapt well to the CO2 after coming from a store tank without. I've just assumed that it's because Kubotai is more sensitive to Nitrite than Lyretail Killi. The drop checker goes a dark lime-ish green, located at opposite end of the tank than the CO2 diffuser.
Sure, I can do that. 🙂 Interesting experiment!
_Maq_
Member
You know, nitrites are the only substance you can detect, but it's not the only one which may be dangerous. Generally, people are focused on nitrogen cycle, but there's more about that.
If your tank has already seemed cycled, and then nitrites appeared again, I assume that it's not that nitrifying microbes are not developed but rather oxygen balance has worsened. Microbes do not have enough oxygen to do their job - oxidizing organic matter. And so, not only ammonium or nitrites may appear, but also other species. Perhaps most dangerous among them (more than nitrites) are (organo)sulfides, relatives of infamous hydrogen sulfide. You don't necessarily smell H2S, it still may be present in amounts higher than healthy. A plant killer, among others.
Perhaps you'd better quit feeding your fish for a couple of days. It can make the difference until microbes and plants get stronger.
If your tank has already seemed cycled, and then nitrites appeared again, I assume that it's not that nitrifying microbes are not developed but rather oxygen balance has worsened. Microbes do not have enough oxygen to do their job - oxidizing organic matter. And so, not only ammonium or nitrites may appear, but also other species. Perhaps most dangerous among them (more than nitrites) are (organo)sulfides, relatives of infamous hydrogen sulfide. You don't necessarily smell H2S, it still may be present in amounts higher than healthy. A plant killer, among others.
Perhaps you'd better quit feeding your fish for a couple of days. It can make the difference until microbes and plants get stronger.
This hobby is quite a science! I won't feed the fish for a few days.
A grissly thing is that I haven't found the bodies of all the tiny fish that have disappeared (5 unaccounted for), I feel like I've looked everywhere, combed through all the plants, including the floating ones, but they obviously have to be somewhere. There's a chance I've sucked them out without noticing when cleaning the tank of a bunch of plant debris. So basically, there might potentially be decaying dead fish hiding somewhere, which would obviously foul the water. Not sure what to do about that other than continuing to look for them, changing water and waiting it out. These are nano fish, they can be hard to find!
Have you checked behind the tank by any chance?
Didnt quite catch if you have a canister filter or not, but I would make sure nothing is hiding in there as well if you have one.
No fish outside the tank. It's a background filter, I've attached a photo of the construction, seen from above. Water is sucked into the filter through a pretty fine grate in the bottom right corner of the background. I don't think the fish could have slipped through the grate, it's quite fine, still, I can't 100% rule it out. I can't see them in the top of the filter either, but will have another close look there, it seems more likely. Trouble is that a filter like this isn't easily opened up like a canister filter. If they are in there, in the bottom of the filter, it's basically impossible to get to them without emptying the tank and flipping it upside down to get the filter material out. Then getting the aquarium store to pack it back together correctly and starting everything from scratch.
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tam
Member
- Joined
- 5 May 2011
- Messages
- 1,580
That's a snug filter! I'd be tempted to pop a bit of course filter sponge in front of the inlet as backup. Got a photo of the inlet. These tiny nano fish fit into surprisingly small gaps, particularly if they are unwell and not up to usually swimming power.
I think I waited 2-3 weeks to stock mine which was a mix of tropica soil/substrate.
How many are left out of your orginal 12?
I think I waited 2-3 weeks to stock mine which was a mix of tropica soil/substrate.
How many are left out of your orginal 12?
It's a good idea to put some filter sponge in front of the inlet. You can see the inlet in this photo in the bottom right if you zoom in:
Out of the 12 original Kubotai I've humanely euthanised 3 (sad) and there are 4 left alive.
I was told to wait 4-6 weeks to stock the tank when using Tropica Soil, depending on how much water I changed. I changed 50% water every second day, so when the Nitrite tested 0 after 4 weeks I thought I was good to go, putting in just a few fish and then when they were apparently thriving 4 days later I felt confident adding the Kubotai.
Your substrate seems to have been disturbed from a previous photo that you posted. You really need to try not to disturb it at all.
Im assuming its an older picture based on the plant growth (?)
