HELP!!! What could be wrong?

[beezepuffingaround]

Hi there,

Before you read on, please note that I'm doing and 80% water change right now, as I type!!!

Okay.... I was testing one of my tanks tonight and I have got a problem! I just want some input on what it might be?

10 gal fresh water community tank
It was set up 11 months ago, and was cycled with live fish ( This was before I learned that it was cruel, thanks to The Puffer Forum)
I do a 25% water change once every two weeks, My WP's are normally really good (My snails and shrimp keep my tank in great shape!!!)
They are fed flake food and beta bits daily, and I break up an algea wafer every 2 days for the green eaters, and twice a week they get blood worms instead!

* You can find a list of the fish in my ten gal at bottom in my signature*
I also have 2 live plants and they look healthy, they have both been in the tank for 3 months.

This is the WP's I just got

ph-6.8 to 7.0
Ammonia- 0.25 ppm
Nitrite-0 ppm
This is the bad one... Nitrate, my color chart goes up to 160 ppm, and the reading I got was darker than that!!!

No recent changes that I can think of!!!

[beezepuffingaround]

I also use aquarium salt, and alway have, the salinity is 1.001-1.002

[Pufferpunk]

I'm pretty sure you've already figured out the problem...

50% weekly WC, no matter what!

[beezepuffingaround]

Okay, I read your posts, and I have alway respected your advice, and I expected that post from you, and I have to say, it sounded snarky, and I'll tell you why, I test this water before every water change and sometimes in between as my other tank gets WC's and WP checks weekly, and I've gotten back perfect numbers everytime, Please don't repost your last post as I have already read it -this happened because something is different, and I'm just trying to figure out what that something could be! The question I would like an answer to is this, I know Ammonia is from food and waste, and it gets turned into nitrite and the nitrite into nitrate, and I know all this happens by way of the bio in the tank, Is the only way Nitrate is removed is water changes? Is there anthing else that can throw off that reading?

[Blaine]

I would also upgrade the filter or filter media. Ammonia should always read at 0 in a cycled tank with sufficient filtration.

What type of filter and size? What type of filter media and how/how often do you clean the filter?

Nitrates can only be removed by WC's. How much and how often is determined by taking Nitrate readings before and after your WC. If the Nitrate readings are above 20 after the WC,...then increase the amount and/or frequency.

HTH
Blaine

[Pufferpunk]

The only other way to lessen nitrate is with lots of plants or a veggie filter, otherwise WC is your only option. Also good Qs by Blaine. Do you clean your substrate thoroughly? Rinse filter how often? Sorry if I sounded snarkey, it's a normal response coming from me in these situations.

[beezepuffingaround]

Blaine, Its got a top fin 60 filter that came with my 55 gal tank, its turned up all the way and uses 2 med. carbon filled cartridges, and they were changed 2 weeks ago, I just checked them and they are clean!

[beezepuffingaround]

I'm sorry! Puffer punk! I'm probably just being sensitive!!!

Could an overfeeding in the last week have caused this? I'm not trying to place blame, but my oldest has been tring to help me with everything in the last week, I havn't asked her yet, she's asleep!

New filters about every 6 weeks and I do rinse thoroughly in between during WC's

I do have two large live plants that are thriving. Please, tell me more about the Veggi filter?

[Pufferpunk]

I'd change one of them out at a time, like 3 weeks apart. The new ones might be catching up.

[beezepuffingaround]

Good idea, I'll do it, and what about a possible overfeeding?

[Pufferpunk]

Is there a lot of decor? Do you clean under everything? If there are any hollow decor, be sure to remove completely out of the water & take a sniff inside.

[RTR]

IMHO & IME, your "normal" water change schedule is insufficient. I would expect high nitrate routinely unless the tank is very heavily planted and moderate to high light. As for "changing the filter" periodically, are you throwing away everything and replacing with totally new materials? If that is the case, that is why you showed positive ammonia. PP's suggestion of changing half the media at a time is excellent, as are the suggestions for larger and more frequent partials.

You either heavily plant and increase planting and light to have the plants use more nitrate or you will always have issues with the tank. High light tanks still get 50% partials weekly, but do not ever show high nitrate or any ammonia - even that setup would still need the partials.

Tens are extremely difficult tanks to operate as heavily planted strong light tanks. Tens and smaller tanks require more light and supplements than mid range size tanks (15-75+) and more than 2x what over 100 gallon tanks need for the same effect. The dimensions and volumes just are harder to work with. Mid-range planted tanks are easier and large planted tanks easier still. Although popular with beginners, they are really difficult tanks to operate well.

HTH