New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i think.

[Knee-u-bee]

Well it all started i think when i did a water change. Let me explain what i did and tell me where i went wrong. (To get to the point scroll all the way down.)

         Well it was the weekend, I wanted to change the water cuz i knew it would be two weeks before i can have another oppertunity. So i grab a bucket i bought @ lowes and it has the measurements in gal. on the side. So a 20 gal i have and i read to do a 25% water change. It would be to exchange 5 gal. of the 20 already there. Correct?

Well i grab a clean mug and take about 5 gal. into my bucket and pour it in my grass out back. Keep in mind my fish are still in the aquarium with the filter, air pump, fish light and heater off.

So i take my aqua clear filter out and refill my ammino chips and carbons and replace my foam filter with a new one.( one thing i realized is i forgot to rinse new foam and new ammino chips.) I usally dont replace the foam but it had been about two or three times i use the foam again.

So i go and clean the plastic cassing and i bought me a flexiable cleaner to clean out the tubes. So i clean the casing with hot water, and use my flexiable cleaner for the tubes.

            After that i pour in some kordons stuff the get the chlorine and other harmful stuff out the tap water into the bucket and begin to fill it to 5 gal. and then after that is finished i pour in the water slowly. Reasembled the filter with the foam, carbon, ammino chips last and put it in place. So i plug in the heater,filter, light, air pump. When as i pour in some water into the filter to help it fill faster thats when i noticed i forgot to rinse the ammino chips. cuz a white cloud went into the tank.

Well that was about it, i rearranged some plants and the mountain/cave and left it @ that.

**The point is, im getting like brown stuff on my white rocks and my nitrite is off my chart, it's past a 10.0, so i my alkalinity about 300. I thought chiclids like alkalinity? What do i do? Let me know if u need more details.

[gt3guru]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

What may have happened is you've removed all the bacteria that sets up in the filter that breaks down the waste.  There is a layer they call BIO MAX for the aqua clear whos purpose is only to hold the bacteria. Normally you wouldn't have both carbon and ammino chips in the aqua clear.

How much time elapsed between the cleaning and the hi nitrite reading?
Had you tested for nitrite before the cleaning?

Next time you clean don't replace all parts of the filter at once. that way you aren't removing all the bacteria.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

I cleaned it sat, which was the 31st. So 3 about to be 4 days since water was changed. I didnt notice the nitrite till today (4/3) when i tested water, cuz my mollies acting weird.

One thing i did do different then every other time is, i didnt use the syphon tube to move the rocks. I just empty water and added new.

No i did not test nitrite before water change.

So how often im i suppose to change the filter? Like carbons, ammino, foam?

[rrocket2002]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

It was prolly the Sponge and the fact that you cleaned your filter out completely.  How old was the old sponge?  I use mine for months and when I do change it, I do it between water changes and cleanings.  

Continue to do small water changes....20% or so every other day and if you have another established filter or filter cartridge, I would use that on your tank.  Do not clean your filter for at least a week to 2 weeks and when you do, do it in between water changes/cleanings.  Sounds as if your tank wasn't established enough yet.

Raul

[alexarae]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Maybe some bio-spira would help.
Not sure though...

Quick question...do you keep cichlids with mollies?
That's probably not a good idea.
Maybe I misunderstood your post.

Keep us up to date on your progress!

Kind Regards,
Alexa

[JLawson]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

The brown growth that you're experiencing could be diatomaceous in origin - diatoms are microscopic unicellular algae that are not uncommon in immature aquariums.  As your system matures the brown growth may disappear just as quickly as it appeared.  If you'll Google "diatom aquarium" you'll be able to find many references describing diatomaceous biology and suggestions for dealing with it.

I think it is also important to remember that the health and well-being of your tank's bio-mass (beneficial bacteria) is just as important as the health of your fish.  As a matter of fact, unless you have a thriving bacterial colonization you will not have a healthy tank.  A good time to clean filter components is when you do a partial water change because you can use the old aquarium water to rinse out your sponges and to rinse off the other filter components.  Harmful chemicals from untreated faucet water can kill the bacteria living in and on filter parts.

One last thought... it's good to keep our aquariums clean but that doesn't mean they have to be sterile.  In our zeal to be the best fishkeepers we can be, we often go a little overboard in our efforts.  Remember that when you scrape, scrub, scour, and wash you are killing good bacteria.  As they say, "sometimes less is more."

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

It was prolly the Sponge and the fact that you cleaned your filter out completely.  How old was the old sponge?  I use mine for months and when I do change it, I do it between water changes and cleanings.  

Continue to do small water changes....20% or so every other day and if you have another established filter or filter cartridge, I would use that on your tank.  Do not clean your filter for at least a week to 2 weeks and when you do, do it in between water changes/cleanings.  Sounds as if your tank wasn't established enough yet.

Raul

The old sponge was close to 2 months old. Maybe not even 2.

Maybe some bio-spira would help.
Not sure though...

Quick question...do you keep cichlids with mollies?
That's probably not a good idea.
Maybe I misunderstood your post.

Keep us up to date on your progress!

Kind Regards,
Alexa

Yes, i bought 4 mollies, 2 males and 2 females to make sure my tank water is livable. So they are guinee pigs but when i put the chiclids in there thinking they would eat the mollies but nope, they live together like if the mollie was a chiclid.





As for the post above, Basically im cleaning to much. How often should i change stuff? or do u have a link of how often things should be done?

[Ramius]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

^^^^^^^^^^

We could actually go on for years without a defnitive answer to that because the truth of the matter is, fishkeeping is not a proven science.

What works in one home may not work in others.

If you want to be safe, do a water change weekly, you do not have an exact amount you have to change.. truth is, I just suck water out the window into the yard until it "looks good" then fill back up with water from another line and approximate the treatments (no chlorine because I have a well)

As far as filter maintenance, in your case, I would alternate. Each weak when you suck your fish nasties into the bucket, take out one of the pieces of media from the filter and rinse in the old water, then put it back. Each week pick a different media type.

However, dont etch that in stone, if you find that your media is clogging up, then do a couple of types per week instead of one.

Finally... dont stress out too much on the hospital like environment, as was stated earlier, sometimes less is more.

What that means is.. just because you see a spike in one of your tests, it doesn't mean you need to run out and add in chemicals to control it. A temporary spike is a natural occurance that causes new bacteria growth and by adding in chemicals to control it, you may be doing more harm than good by impeding the growth of your bacteria colony which will ultimately lead to premature gray hair and smoking and possibly fingernail biting.

[alexarae]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

LOL. Ramius...your posts always make me laugh.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Got it !!! So dont clean the tank for like six months. Thanks for the help.











LOL, just kidding, well i guess i should just let it go on a couple more days and see if my water gets any better and stop cleaning and changing water so much. Less is sometimes more. I also etched it in stone !! ha ha !!

So glad i joined !!

[Mzungu]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Got it !!! So dont clean the tank for like six months. Thanks for the help.

8O  Scared me for a second!!  

Okay, I have a few questions for you. First off - Your nitrItes are at 10.0?!?! If that's the case, I'm surprised your fish are still swimming. Are you sure it's nitrites and not nitrates?

Second - I'd try to use your gravel vacuum for the majority (if not all) of your water changes. The diatoms are probably liking all the extra nutrients they're getting from the waste/etc. in your gravel. And like JLawson said, diatoms are very common in new setups, so this is nothing to worry about.  :)

Also, like JLawson said, it's not a bad idea to rinse off your filter media in the tank water from your water changes. To be safe, as Ramius said, alternate which media you rinse, one week the sponge, the next week the filter tubes, etc. Everyone's right in saying you probably interrupted your cycle, or started a new mini-cycle.

I wouldn't worry too much about the white cloud from the ammo chips, as long as it has cleared up.

Lastly, alkalinity is good for your tank to prevent pH swings and such. If you have African cichlids, most like a higher pH and hardness. Hardness and alkalinity are different. But you're right - your fish will appreciate the stability your alkalinity provides. What kind of cichlids do you have?

Okay, hope I didn't forget anything I wanted to ask. And I hope all the fish are okay!  

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Got it !!! So dont clean the tank for like six months. Thanks for the help.

8O  Scared me for a second!!  

Okay, I have a few questions for you. First off - Your nitrItes are at 10.0?!?! If that's the case, I'm surprised your fish are still swimming. Are you sure it's nitrites and not nitrates?

Second - I'd try to use your gravel vacuum for the majority (if not all) of your water changes. The diatoms are probably liking all the extra nutrients they're getting from the waste/etc. in your gravel. And like JLawson said, diatoms are very common in new setups, so this is nothing to worry about.  :)

Also, like JLawson said, it's not a bad idea to rinse off your filter media in the tank water from your water changes. To be safe, as Ramius said, alternate which media you rinse, one week the sponge, the next week the filter tubes, etc. Everyone's right in saying you probably interrupted your cycle, or started a new mini-cycle.

I wouldn't worry too much about the white cloud from the ammo chips, as long as it has cleared up.

Lastly, alkalinity is good for your tank to prevent pH swings and such. If you have African cichlids, most like a higher pH and hardness. Hardness and alkalinity are different. But you're right - your fish will appreciate the stability your alkalinity provides. What kind of cichlids do you have?

Okay, hope I didn't forget anything I wanted to ask. And I hope all the fish are okay!  

I tested it today again after i read this post. (6 test in one strip, quick dip by jungle) Im going to type what i got.

nitrate- 80 which says it's unsafe.
nitrite- off the chart, past a 10.0 it says it's unsafe
Hardness- soft 75
chlorine- safe
alkalinity- off chart past 300
ph- 8.4 or could be concidered off the chart.

Well i had 3 sailfin mollies 2 female and 1 male, both my female died yesterday.

My cichlids seem to be happy. They are still swimming around and playing with each other.

As far as which cichlids i have: 1 Electric Yellow; 4 Cobalt Blue; 1 Black Convict; 1- orange one i dont know yet: 1- Yellow and black i dont know yet. I need to look for pics online.

[Mzungu]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Hmm, could have sworn I responded to this... :?

Has the tank calmed down a bit, any changes in the nitrites/nitrates? Have you done any water changes?

Sorry about your mollies...but glad your cichlids are doing well. If you want, start a new thread with some pictures of your fish and we can help ID them.

[nacra99]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Sounds like you got your hands full there.
howz the tank doing? I know it's been a while since it happened

I'm a little concerned about your nitrItes. The high Nitrites would indicate that your tank is not fully cycled. Either that or something killed off your biofilter.

Test your tankwater for ammonia. If you have ammonia, then there's something seriously wrong with your biofilter. If you have no ammonia but still have nitrItes, then your tank is not fully cycled. In either case, do a W/C and go get some Bio-Spira from the LFS. It'll help re-establish your biofilter.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New to the hobby and encountered my first problem i thin

Sorry for the late response, my computer decided to not work for me any more.

Once i replaced some water and within a couple days it went back to normal, i think it was because of the new sponge.

Now i have an alge problem, but i think i got that taken care of also. See im learning, im learning.