Please Help! Off-the-Charts Water Parameters

[zackcrack00]

I've been testing my tanks' water parameters once/week. The levels for ALL of my tanks are as follows:

Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 2.0-8.0
Nitrate - 15-120

Every tank is either adequately stocked or under-stocked. Tanks are being fed twice every day, small amounts the fish eat in less than 15-30 seconds. Foods are NLS, spirulina flake, earthworm flake, and live blackworms on occasion for the fish that can have them.

Filtration is as follows:

Every tank except for one 29g and one 75g (AC filters instead - a 110 for the 75 and a 50 for the 29) have 20-30g rated sponge filters with air stones in them. The tank sizes are 5-29 gallons. Water changes are performed religiously every weekend and sometimes in the middle of the week if I have time. Why are the water parameters so ridiculous?

As a side note - One of the tanks in question is a cycled (no nitrites) 20-Long with a 20g rated sponge filter and an AC110. The tank houses two baby BN plecos at 1.5" and a group of dwarf mbuna ranging from 2-3" in size, and that's with fins and all. Last water change was 8 days ago so the 80ppm nitrates are understandable but a level of 4.0 ammonia?

I'm moving tanks into a newly-built fishroom soon and I'd like to get to the bottom of this before adding much anything else.

EDIT: Meant to write in original message; water changes are 70-100% every time it is changed.

 

[verbal]

I've been testing my tanks' water parameters once/week. The levels for ALL of my tanks are as follows:

Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 2.0-8.0
Nitrate - 15-120

Every tank is either adequately stocked or under-stocked. Tanks are being fed twice every day, small amounts the fish eat in less than 15-30 seconds. Foods are NLS, spirulina flake, earthworm flake, and live blackworms on occasion for the fish that can have them.

Filtration is as follows:

Every tank except for one 29g and one 75g (AC filters instead - a 110 for the 75 and a 50 for the 29) have 20-30g rated sponge filters with air stones in them. The tank sizes are 5-29 gallons. Water changes are performed religiously every weekend and sometimes in the middle of the week if I have time. Why are the water parameters so ridiculous?

As a side note - One of the tanks in question is a cycled (no nitrites) 20-Long with a 20g rated sponge filter and an AC110. The tank houses two baby BN plecos at 1.5" and a group of dwarf mbuna ranging from 2-3" in size, and that's with fins and all. Last water change was 8 days ago so the 80ppm nitrates are understandable but a level of 4.0 ammonia?

I'm moving tanks into a newly-built fishroom soon and I'd like to get to the bottom of this before adding much anything else.

What is your pH?

What does your treated tap water measure?

You might want to increase biological filtration - add a sponge filter in place of the air stones. You may want to cut back to minimal feedings until the ammonia levels drop.

 

[festaedan]

Do you use prime as your water conditioner?
It neutralizes the ammonia

What does your treated tap water measure?

I was going to ask the same thing, I remember seeing someone on mfk have the same problem and found out that their tap water had ammonia in it.

 

[zackcrack00]

By air stones, I meant air stones in the sponge filters to move more water trough it.

Water from tap reads:
pH - 8.0
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0

This is city tap water. The tanks are at my dad's house in Frederick.

 

[zackcrack00]

Do you use prime as your water conditioner?
It neutralizes the ammonia


I was going to ask the same thing, I remember seeing someone on mfk have the same problem and found out that their tap water had ammonia in it.

I use alpha. 1 ml treats 15 gallons. It neutralizes chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia, as well as detoxifies nitrite and nitrate.

 

[Tangcollector]

I agree. I would definitely check your tap water. I am in Gaithersburg and I have Nitrates to the tune of about 10 straight from the tap. Maybe you have ammonia. I would definitely make sure you have at least two filters on or in each tank. Good luck

 

[Daltharang]

Might also want to check the ph of the tank itself. I was having an issue at one point where my PH would bottom out in 1 day, which in turn killed the beneficial bacteria causing the same issue your having. Was basically that my tap water is too soft to hold a steady PH. I ended up adding some crushed coral to one of the baskets in my filter and everything evened out.

 

[festaedan]

I use alpha. 1 ml treats 15 gallons. It neutralizes chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia, as well as detoxifies nitrite and nitrate.

Sounds like a good dechlorinater, might have to switch

Good luck getting your tanks balanced out

 

[zackcrack00]

Alright, I just compared the tank water's pH to the pH of the tap. Tap is around 8.0 and tanks are all less than 7.4, as that's as low as my test kit goes. I'm really thinking 6.8-7.0 base on the scale of the shades of colors on the reading card. Why is this?

 

[Daltharang]

Depending on the test kit though, it could show the same result whether it's 0.0 or 7.0, if the lowest it reads it 7.4

 

[zackcrack00]

Depending on the test kit though, it could show the same result whether it's 0.0 or 7.0, if the lowest it reads it 7.4

I'll test it with the kits at work when I go in tomorrow. What can I do with this info? I've lost all of my fry and juvies that have been growing out since early May. I don't know what I can do.

 

[verbal]

I'll test it with the kits at work when I go in tomorrow. What can I do with this info? I've lost all of my fry and juvies that have been growing out since early May. I don't know what I can do.

The pH by itself isn't terribly important - low actually is better if you have ammonia reading since the toxicity will be less.

What size water changes are you doing?

 

[zackcrack00]

The pH by itself isn't terribly important - low actually is better if you have ammonia reading since the toxicity will be less.

What size water changes are you doing?

75-100%

 

[Jt731]

Gh and kh?

IF you aren't doing anything to your ph levels and they have dropped that much sounds like your ph crashed and your cycle broke (especially if your ammonia is high and not dropping)

If your ammonia is 8 then you need to do daily changes until your tank is cycled again. That's killing you're babies. Maybe consider ammo lock.

 

[dogofwar]

If there were really that much ammonia (or any for that matter) in your water, all of your fish would be in really bad shape. I suspect that your ammonia reading is a false and caused by your dechlor affecting the test results.

Nitrates could be another issue, although doing regular 75-100% water changes should have those in check. I'd cut back feedings to once per day, squeeze out the gunk in your sponges and do an extra round of water changes. No change in parameters and it's either from your tap or a false test reading.

Matt

 

[chriscoli]

I agree with Matt....Also, do you have access to another test kit you can use to make sure yours is accurate?

Also, when are you testing the water? If it's after you've recently fed them, you can catch a spike of ammonia given off by the fish after they eat. In reality, it's quickly handled by your filter, but if you timing is right, it'll freak you out.

 

[zackcrack00]

Sponges were just cleaned last week in tank water. What do you guys think about the pH of the water dropping below 7 in my tanks from 8.0 in the tap? Could that be killing bacteria?



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[zackcrack00]

If there were really that much ammonia (or any for that matter) in your water, all of your fish would be in really bad shape. I suspect that your ammonia reading is a false and caused by your dechlor affecting the test results.

Nitrates could be another issue, although doing regular 75-100% water changes should have those in check. I'd cut back feedings to once per day, squeeze out the gunk in your sponges and do an extra round of water changes. No change in parameters and it's either from your tap or a false test reading.

Matt

How could the dechlor affect my parameters? It has been around 8 days since the last water change and the water was tested last night.

I'm going to test a few hanks with the test kit at work today, I'll record the results.


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[chriscoli]

Dechlor can bind up ammonia, making the water safe for fish, but the test kit can't tell the difference. It still sees it even though it isn't harmful anymore.

 

[chriscoli]

But, I think the big question is....how do the fish look when this happens? Are they showing stress coloration? breathing heavily? If you have a high ammonia reading but the fish look ok, something else is going on.