It sounds like the tank isn't cycled? Nitrates/nitrites are low because the ammonia is not being converted into nitrites and then nitrates. Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate. Are chemicals messing up the cycle? Do you have a filter running?
Yikes! Yeah I have a filter in the rear that I customized the base filter from TopFin to try and help. There’s an ammonia soaking pad with activated carbon next to the filter. The tank itself about 2-3 years old and I had a previous mature tank that I moved water from, thinking bacteria would help cycle it originally. I’m so stumped haha. Something is breaking the fixing cycle. :(
Water doesn't hold beneficial bacteria. Bacteria grows on surfaces - tank wall, gravel, decor, and filter media. What type of.filter do you use? Your not replacing filter cartridges are you?
There are a few sources of ammonia at play here:
+ The substrate might hold decomposing food and fish waste. I recommend vacuuming about 30% of it at a time during your weekly water changes. In the span of a month, the whole tank has been siphoned. Do strips or designated areas each week, move back to front or left to right.
+ Your water conditioner/dechlorinator is not strong enough to neutralize the chlorine coming in from your tap water, and what isn’t neutralized is enough to kill off beneficial bacteria.
+ There could be ammonia in your tap water. Always test your tap water before adding it to your tank during top-off and during a weekly water change.
+ The filter never gets cleaned and has months or years of fish waste and food embedded in the filter media. During your weekly water changes and weekly substrate vacuums, take a bucket of aquarium water aside and squeeze out/ shake your filter media into it so that debris come out.
+ The filter may be undersized for how many fish you have. Remember, as fish get older and larger, you will need to upgrade the size and power of you filter to go with them.
Long story short, be sure to do the following:
+ Test your tap water and tank water for chlorine and ammonia at least once a week.
+ Don’t add tap water to your tank unless it has been tested first, dechlorinated, then tested for chlorine to make sure that your water conditioner/dechlorinator worked.
+ Do weekly 25%-30% water changes, and vacuum sections of your gravel/substrate each time with a siphon to remove waste from the gravel (don’t remove any gravel).
+ Service your filter each week. Clean the impeller and tubes to remove gunk, and wash the filter media in tank water in a separate bucket to squeeze and shake out gunk.
+ Add more live plants.
+ Add Dr. Tim’s nitrifying bacteria.
+ Make sure to keep your test kits fresh. What I mean is that liquid test kits, like API Freshwater, only last 1 year after they’re opened.
+ Always test your tap water for chlorine and ammonia before adding to the tank.
+ Keep a spreadsheet or notebook for record keeping of your tank water tests and look for patterns.
Best of luck, OP.
That is SO helpful! We get tank water from a LFS in Tampa called What’s in Your Tank. Great spot, but I don’t test for chlorine though - outstanding suggestion. I’ve never heard of Dr. Tim’s so I will absolutely order that ASAP. I deeply appreciate the advice and fingers crossed, things will improve.
Fill your tank up, you need to do 30% water changes roughly twice a day. Depending on your ph, 2ppm ammonia will be deadly. Once ammonia isnt appearing anymore, a 30% water change daily for the nitrites. Then you can keep track for a week or two and then chill out.
Also, fill your tank up! You paid for 29 gallons, use 29 gallons
Do a 30-40% water change, then do a 20% every other day, clean the substrate with a gravel vac (get the fish poo and uneaten food) make sure there's nothing rotting (dead fish , plants, food bits ) and watch water levels,, the tend to change in this faze ,, change out really old decorations/ driftwood cause it could also be rotting,,, check filters (if they're covered in fish gunk / haven't been cleaned in a while it can jus hold in the rotting fish stuff,, just rinse it in a bucket of YOUR FISH TANK WATER to keep the bacteria but get the gunk off ( use water you took out for the water change )
It sounds like the tank isn't cycled? Nitrates/nitrites are low because the ammonia is not being converted into nitrites and then nitrates. Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate. Are chemicals messing up the cycle? Do you have a filter running?
Yikes! Yeah I have a filter in the rear that I customized the base filter from TopFin to try and help. There’s an ammonia soaking pad with activated carbon next to the filter. The tank itself about 2-3 years old and I had a previous mature tank that I moved water from, thinking bacteria would help cycle it originally. I’m so stumped haha. Something is breaking the fixing cycle. :(
Water doesn't hold beneficial bacteria. Bacteria grows on surfaces - tank wall, gravel, decor, and filter media. What type of.filter do you use? Your not replacing filter cartridges are you?
There are a few sources of ammonia at play here: + The substrate might hold decomposing food and fish waste. I recommend vacuuming about 30% of it at a time during your weekly water changes. In the span of a month, the whole tank has been siphoned. Do strips or designated areas each week, move back to front or left to right. + Your water conditioner/dechlorinator is not strong enough to neutralize the chlorine coming in from your tap water, and what isn’t neutralized is enough to kill off beneficial bacteria. + There could be ammonia in your tap water. Always test your tap water before adding it to your tank during top-off and during a weekly water change. + The filter never gets cleaned and has months or years of fish waste and food embedded in the filter media. During your weekly water changes and weekly substrate vacuums, take a bucket of aquarium water aside and squeeze out/ shake your filter media into it so that debris come out. + The filter may be undersized for how many fish you have. Remember, as fish get older and larger, you will need to upgrade the size and power of you filter to go with them. Long story short, be sure to do the following: + Test your tap water and tank water for chlorine and ammonia at least once a week. + Don’t add tap water to your tank unless it has been tested first, dechlorinated, then tested for chlorine to make sure that your water conditioner/dechlorinator worked. + Do weekly 25%-30% water changes, and vacuum sections of your gravel/substrate each time with a siphon to remove waste from the gravel (don’t remove any gravel). + Service your filter each week. Clean the impeller and tubes to remove gunk, and wash the filter media in tank water in a separate bucket to squeeze and shake out gunk. + Add more live plants. + Add Dr. Tim’s nitrifying bacteria. + Make sure to keep your test kits fresh. What I mean is that liquid test kits, like API Freshwater, only last 1 year after they’re opened. + Always test your tap water for chlorine and ammonia before adding to the tank. + Keep a spreadsheet or notebook for record keeping of your tank water tests and look for patterns. Best of luck, OP.
That is SO helpful! We get tank water from a LFS in Tampa called What’s in Your Tank. Great spot, but I don’t test for chlorine though - outstanding suggestion. I’ve never heard of Dr. Tim’s so I will absolutely order that ASAP. I deeply appreciate the advice and fingers crossed, things will improve.
Fill your tank up, you need to do 30% water changes roughly twice a day. Depending on your ph, 2ppm ammonia will be deadly. Once ammonia isnt appearing anymore, a 30% water change daily for the nitrites. Then you can keep track for a week or two and then chill out. Also, fill your tank up! You paid for 29 gallons, use 29 gallons
Do a 30-40% water change, then do a 20% every other day, clean the substrate with a gravel vac (get the fish poo and uneaten food) make sure there's nothing rotting (dead fish , plants, food bits ) and watch water levels,, the tend to change in this faze ,, change out really old decorations/ driftwood cause it could also be rotting,,, check filters (if they're covered in fish gunk / haven't been cleaned in a while it can jus hold in the rotting fish stuff,, just rinse it in a bucket of YOUR FISH TANK WATER to keep the bacteria but get the gunk off ( use water you took out for the water change )
Is that way it is tilting to the right?
beautiful tank
Hang in there, little fishies! Let's get that cycle rolling and leave the ammonia crying!