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Trials and tribulations

L

LadyDay

Member
Joined
15 May 2020
Messages
114
Location
Denmark
Hi all.

About time to start a journal for my now 5 weeks old 80 liter aquarium.
It all started out promising. 80 Liters, CO2 injection, Tropica Soil Powder as substrate, background filtration and quite a lot of plants.
I planted the following:
Ludwigia palustris ´super red´
Cryptocoryne parva
Limnophila sessiliflora
Limnophila aromatica
Nymphoides hydrophylla ´taiwan´
Staurogyne repens
Hygrophila corymbosa ´compact´
Anubias ´nana´
A Cryptocoryne species that I forgot to get the name of and
an Echinodorus that I also didn't get the name of.
Here it is, freshly planted:20230313_102337.jpg
The first four weeks I didn't put in any livestock, but let the soil start the cycling and changed water every second day. First I got an Ammonia spike, as expected, then a Nitrite spike. After 4 weeks the water had tested free of Ammonia for several weeks and free of Nitrite for a few days, so I introduced two small fish. A pair of Lyretail Killi (Aphyosemion australe). They seemed happy and thriwing, beautifully coloured, active, eating, going about their fishy business, all seemed perfect, so 4 days later, impatiently unfortunately and without first testing the water, I did a big water change, then introduced 12 Microdevario kubotai. However as soon as the kubotai got in, after careful drip acclimatising, they were lethargic, not handling the flow in the water and something just seemed off, so I tested the water and to my horror discovered Nitrite. About 0.3 mg/L. This was three days ago. I've changed above 50% water twice per day since then, but have still lost all but 4 of the kubotai. The Killi however are still unaffected.
Yesterday morning the tank tested free of Nitrite, then again 0.3 mg/L in the afternoon, this morning it tested free again, then as much as between 0.3 and 0.8 mg/L this afternoon. After each test, Nitrite or not, I've changed 50% of the water.
I have also developed an algae problem, first Diatom, but now some of it is turning green, but that's less important.
So that's where I'm at. Trauma and tears, worry and a lot of water-changing. Hoping that the tank will become a balanced haven soon, rather than a toxic mess, and trying my best to protect the fish that are left.
Here's a picture of the tank after the algae have set in and a shot from above of the filter construction:
20230329_094918.jpg20230410_183447.jpg
I have already received a lot of help from you guys with this tank, which I'm incredibly grateful for, so thanks for that. <3
 
Following the suggestion of @_Maq_ I did a little chemistry experiment.
I added different doses of Hydrogen Peroxide 3% to 5 dl of my Nitrite-ridden tank water. The first sample I used a few drops of H2O2, the next I used one teaspoon and the third I dumped in a lot (I'd say around 10 ml, but I just poured it in).
I did use a metal deciliter measuring cup and a metal teaspoon (both for measuring H2O2 and for stirring the water), I don't know if that makes a difference. I used a drop test kit from Tetra.
Here's photos of the samples, all taken in the same light.

Original, no H2O2:
OriginalNoH2O2.jpg
A few drops of H2O2:
AFewDropsH2O2.jpg
A teaspoon of H2O2:
TeaspoonH2O2.jpg
A lot (at least 10 ml) H2O2:
ALotH2O2.jpg
SIde by side comparison:
20230411_122428.jpg

So my conclusion, from this not highly scientific experiment, is that H2O2 can indeed remove Nitrite from water, but it takes quite a lot. Keep in mind the first sample had about 0.3 mg/l, or maybe a tad more, of Nitrite, so not huuuge amounts. In an emergency situation with a really big Nitrite spike it would likely take a huge amount of H2O2 to fully get rid of the Nitrite.
@_Maq_ What do you think?
 
GHNelson said:
Is that trapped air in the Tropica substrate?
Click to expand...
It is some sort of gas at least. It was there from the beginning, so I assumed air, however it didn't go away, so 1-2 weeks in I stirred the substrate with my fingers to release it (probably a bad idea, but it was well before any animals in there), then tested for Ammonia and got an almost zero reading. The gas has returned however to some extent. This is what it looks like now:
20230411_133909.jpg
20230411_133914.jpg
I assume it's something leeched by the soil, whatever it is?
 
Not sure could be Hydrogen Sulfide?
That substrate looks very deep in places......I would plant up this area with fast growing stem plants to help get some beneficial bacteria activity into the substrate!
You can remove them later.....when the aquarium is more mature!
I would still use the Tutorial i mentioned earlier.
hoggie
 
GHNelson said:
Not sure could be Hydrogen Sulfide?
That substrate looks very deep in places......I would plant up this area with fast growing stem plants to help get some beneficial bacteria activity into the substrate!
You can remove them later.....when the aquarium is more mature!
I would still use the Tutorial i mentioned earlier.
hoggie
Click to expand...
I will plant some right away! I have some Elodea densa in the other tank I can take cuttings from to plant and I can order some stems of something...
I assume you mean the tutorial about using stem plants floating? I have put floating plants (Salvinia auriculata) in the tank that are spreading a well, should I float some stems too?
 
Floating stems yes, These will help also!
You could use the Elodea plus other stems on order.
Cut some the stem plants you have already use some of those in the substrate!
Cheers
 
Last edited:
LadyDay said:
So my conclusion, from this not highly scientific experiment, is that H2O2 can indeed remove Nitrite from water, but it takes quite a lot.
Click to expand...
This is not a conclusion you can be confident about. I suspect that what is actually happening here is that the peroxide in high doses is oxidising and thereby destroying the chromogen (dye) used to indicate the presence of nitrite.
Unrelated, but I'm pretty sure the bubbles visible in the freshly planted substrate is simply air. It isn't spontaneously going away because the bubbles are small enough to stay physcially trapped in the substrate. I see the exact same thing with Tropica Aquasoil (not the powder). You can release these bubbles with simple mechanical agitation by giving it a bit of a gentle stir/mush around. I haven't seen any bubbles reforming after mechanical outgassing which supports that these are not being actively generated, i.e. they are not hydrogen sulfide gas.
 
GHNelson said:
Floating stems yes, These will help also!
You could use the Elodea plus other stems on order.
Cut some the stem plants you have already use some of those in the substrate!
Cheers
Click to expand...
I have planted some Elodea and cut and replanted stems that were already in there. It will look messy for a while, but that doesn't matter.
20230411_143216.jpg
 
Andy Pierce said:
This is not a conclusion you can be confident about. I suspect that what is actually happening here is that the peroxide in high doses is oxidising and thereby destroying the chromogen (dye) used to indicate the presence of nitrite.
Unrelated, but I'm pretty sure the bubbles visible in the freshly planted substrate is simply air. It isn't spontaneously going away because the bubbles are small enough to stay physcially trapped in the substrate. I see the exact same thing with Tropica Aquasoil (not the powder). You can release these bubbles with simple mechanical agitation by giving it a bit of a gentle stir/mush around. I haven't seen any bubbles reforming after mechanical outgassing which supports that these are not being actively generated, i.e. they are not hydrogen sulfide gas.
Click to expand...
Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I don't know how else to test it.

When it comes to the gas bubbles in the soil, I did mechanically release it a while back, before animals were added to the tank, but it showed up again, which must indicate that it's being generated by the soil? Maybe I should ask Tropica if there might be something leeching out and if so what.
 
LadyDay said:
Ah, thanks for clearing that up. I don't know how else to test it.

When it comes to the gas bubbles in the soil, I did mechanically release it a while back, before animals were added to the tank, but it showed up again, which must indicate that it's being generated by the soil? Maybe I should ask Tropica if there might be something leeching out and if so what.
Click to expand...
Once you get some plant growing activity around there....those trapped bubbles should disappear!
 
Oh no (swears a lot internally)!!! Yesterday I've forgotten to turn the filter back on! I turn it off when I change water or perhaps when I planted yesterday. That means it's been off for 12-18 hours! Have I hurt the filter/tank? At least it's been a problem for the gas exchange, the bubble counter was still lime green this morning. The fish seem fine. I've done a approx 60% water change just now when I discovered it. There was a traces of Nitrite in the water, no Ammonia.
 
That seems a long time. Your bacteria colony might have been affected to some degree due to oxygen starvation. This said your temperature being on the low side allows more oxygen being dissolved so this could be your safety net. Also if ammonia is showing 0 this means that bacteria are still alive and doing their job. Test again later on to make sure this hasn’t changed.
 
Hanuman said:
That seems a long time. Your bacteria colony might have been affected to some degree due to oxygen starvation. This said your temperature being on the low side allows more oxygen being dissolved so this could be your safety net. Also if ammonia is showing 0 this means that bacteria are still alive and doing their job. Test again later on to make sure this hasn’t changed.
Click to expand...
Thanks for such a quick reply. I really feel like an idiot! I will keep an eye out for Ammonia.
 
Hi
I wouldn't worry too much...you might get some bacteria die off....which results in a hazy water......if this happens just do a water change!
Plants help with filtration....and are colonised with beneficial bacteria.
 
GHNelson said:
Hi
I wouldn't worry too much...you might get some bacteria die off....which results in a hazy water......if this happens just do a water change!
Plants help with filtration....and are colonised with beneficial bacteria.
Click to expand...
Good. I will stop panicking. My worry is oxygen for the microbes in there. Plants and algae use Oxygen over night after all.
 
hypnogogia said:
I habe a Timer on my filter set with several ’on programmes’ to avoid just such a situation, if I forget to turn filter back on, the longest it is out of action is 2 hrs.
Click to expand...
I've turned off the filter when changing water by just pulling out the plug. I don't understand exactly how you do with a timer. Have you just set it to stop at a specific time during the day and then you make sure to change water during that period?
 
LadyDay said:
I've turned off the filter when changing water by just pulling out the plug. I don't understand exactly how you do with a timer. Have you just set it to stop at a specific time during the day and then you make sure to change water during that period?
Click to expand...
I have set the timer to turn one every two hours. That way, if I cut the power (using the timer) it will always automatically turn back on again, even if I forget to turn it on. Of course this will only work if you cut the power using the timer switch and not unplugging the filter.
 
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