Sudden ammonia spike in 75 gallon tank.
- Thread starter rajpradeep32@gmail.com
- Start date
Hello; This makes no sense at all. Fill the tank all the way. You are going in the wrong direction.
Hello; The mechanical part of the filter needs to be kept clean. mechanical is the floss or whatever detritus catching stuff you use in the filter.
hello; This.
Ok will do so, thankyou!!
Yea, the mechanical filters have been cleaned and also I have filled the tank to the maximum possible.
Hello; Been thinking about something you posted. That being that cleaning the filter crashed the cycle. I gather you now are reluctant to clean the filter. So let me try to clear this up a bit.
First is that the filter has to be cleaned from time to time. No real way around this. Cleaning a filter can crash a cycle if done in some ways. You already know one of the problem methods.
A way to clean a filter is to have either two filter systems or a single filter system with multiple chambers. This way you can clean one part one week and then clean the other part a week or two later. That way you do not remove too much of the filter material at any one time.
Another thing is to have both types of stuff in filter system. Filters have a main function which is to have some sort of media that can trap solids ( fish poo, uneaten food and such). This filter media is often some sort of floss but can be other material. I call this stuff mechanical filtration and consider it a throw away material. Once it gets clogged with some detritus I throw it away and replace with new mechanical filter stuff.
A practice that has come about in the last few decades is to have power filters do a second job. This second task is to make a place for the sticky film of beneficial bacteria (bb) to form colonies. This second type of filter media is often called bio-media. It is intended to have plenty of surface area for the bio-film of bb to make a sticky film of colonies. The ammonia and nitrite laden water passes over this bb bio-film and the bb convert them into less toxic nitrates.
This filter bio-media should be in a part of the filter chambers behind the first mechanical media. That way it stays much cleaner because the mechanical filter media traps most of the tank junk in the first place. You should not have to clean the bio-media very often, but some care needs to be taken when it does need to be cleaned. If the bio-media gets loaded up with tank crud then it becomes less effective.
I clean bio-media by giving it a light rinse. Say you are doing a water change(WC). You can rinse off the bio-media in the old tank water. The sticky film of bb colonies will not be rinsed off easy. Shake it around to get the crud off. Keep it wet and then put it back into the filter with some new mechanical filter media.
There is more to all this but enough for now. I will close with another attempt to point out that you are keeping a tank that will always be on the edge of disaster because the fish is too much for the water volume. That you are keeping only 40 gallons of water in a 70 gallon tank is making a bad situation even worse. My opinion, based on your posts, is the only way you have a chance is to do large WC (over 50%) very often (say four times a week).
First is that the filter has to be cleaned from time to time. No real way around this. Cleaning a filter can crash a cycle if done in some ways. You already know one of the problem methods.
A way to clean a filter is to have either two filter systems or a single filter system with multiple chambers. This way you can clean one part one week and then clean the other part a week or two later. That way you do not remove too much of the filter material at any one time.
Another thing is to have both types of stuff in filter system. Filters have a main function which is to have some sort of media that can trap solids ( fish poo, uneaten food and such). This filter media is often some sort of floss but can be other material. I call this stuff mechanical filtration and consider it a throw away material. Once it gets clogged with some detritus I throw it away and replace with new mechanical filter stuff.
A practice that has come about in the last few decades is to have power filters do a second job. This second task is to make a place for the sticky film of beneficial bacteria (bb) to form colonies. This second type of filter media is often called bio-media. It is intended to have plenty of surface area for the bio-film of bb to make a sticky film of colonies. The ammonia and nitrite laden water passes over this bb bio-film and the bb convert them into less toxic nitrates.
This filter bio-media should be in a part of the filter chambers behind the first mechanical media. That way it stays much cleaner because the mechanical filter media traps most of the tank junk in the first place. You should not have to clean the bio-media very often, but some care needs to be taken when it does need to be cleaned. If the bio-media gets loaded up with tank crud then it becomes less effective.
I clean bio-media by giving it a light rinse. Say you are doing a water change(WC). You can rinse off the bio-media in the old tank water. The sticky film of bb colonies will not be rinsed off easy. Shake it around to get the crud off. Keep it wet and then put it back into the filter with some new mechanical filter media.
There is more to all this but enough for now. I will close with another attempt to point out that you are keeping a tank that will always be on the edge of disaster because the fish is too much for the water volume. That you are keeping only 40 gallons of water in a 70 gallon tank is making a bad situation even worse. My opinion, based on your posts, is the only way you have a chance is to do large WC (over 50%) very often (say four times a week).
Thankyou, for the detailed explanation.
I am making sure to do water change properly. Though the water parameters are good, Aro is still sick, seems to be sitting at the bottom and swimming around the tank occasionally, doesn't eat anything.
And what is good parameters in your opinion? Something is obviously wrong since you got an arowana thats not active. Dont try to feed it until you get this tank figured out. I told you so yesterday. What is your parameters right now? When did you change water?
Changed 30 percent water today and ammonia is 0 now but earlier before wc it was ammonia 0.25ppm, nitrite 0ppm.
Hello; While I do not understand the OP's actions it now seems clear both of our suggestions are not being considered. I have been thru this before in other threads where an OP has a troubled tank and does not seem to accept suggestions. I get that each of us can run our tanks any way we wish and like things that way.
This OP has me confused in that you or I make a suggestion about say not feeding or doing over 50% WC. he says he will do these things in a post and later we find he has not done so. The latest for me was when I suggested over 50% WC and he reports another 30% WC. This is fine and he gets to do as he wishes. I do not need the frustration and likely will move on.
To the OP, best of luck.
Actually you guys suggested that if I am doing a WC every other day it should be 30% and if it is once in 2 days it should be 50%, that's exactly what I did. And also because it has been almost just close to 24 hours since the last water change, I changed around 30 percent.
And regarding the feeding , as you guys think I didn't throw anything inside the tank, my aro just goes crazy just by seeing the shrimp box and if I open the top lid it would be ready to just to pounce on anything thrown in, but the behavior observed now is just it is staying at the bottom, if I do those activities.
I think I am exactly following the suggestion which you guys say and that is the reason I post the happenings.
