# What is going on with my tank? (Water test pics enclosed)



## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

Hi Everyone,
I posted in the Fish Illness forum a while ago and while I'm happy to report the big guy is doing much better, I am still having problems.

29 Gallon Convict Cichlid tank (Male, Female, surprisingly fry) shared with a common pleco. Fish have been stocked for over a month. Tank was new and set up September 26. Fish were added after LFS test Oct. 1-10
Heated to 80F

SunSun 402-B Canister Filter (Standard media, purigen added to top stage) entered service Oct. 21
Only chemical treatments being used in the tank are from SeaChem: Prime every 48 hours and prior to this a week of Stability with the UV light off.

I've been fighting a persistent bacterial bloom for over a month now. I did frequent small water changes. I upgraded the filtration. I tried dosing the tank with SeaChem Stability. Finally, in frustration, I have had the UV light running for the last 48 hours.
I just got a Master Test Kit and have the following parameters: https://i.imgur.com/niXJwUJ.jpg
PH: 7.0
Ammonia: about 3 PPM (Very high, I know) Ammonia restested after dosing with Prime, seems to have dropped it slightly to around 2. (


http://imgur.com/Ii3zq3G

)
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Nitrate: 0 PPM

Up until last week (the Stability addition) I had been doing weekly water changes with a gravel vac and vacuuming up as much waste as possible. I currently feed the fish 1/8 tsp Aqueon Cichlid Pellets every other day (reduced feeding in an effort to bring the ammonia down and get the cycle to finish)
What can I do to get my tank healthy? Thanks in advance.

Additional Pictures:
Tank:


http://imgur.com/4ROq6qC

Filter:


http://imgur.com/3lo3oXb


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Have you tested your tap water for ammonia? If not, test it and post the results.

The ammonia reading is very high and I suggest performing a 50% water change to get that reading reduced by half, assuming you have no ammonia reading in your tap water test.

Your nitrate test results appear to be 5ppm and not zero so that is a good sign.

Did you leave the old filter on the tank for a couple weeks after installing the new filter or at least move the old filter media to the new filter?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sounds like your tank is not cycled. I assume you meant to cycle it with stability. Stability is bacteria, so that is contributing to the bloom. But you need to keep the ammonia below 1ppm. So I would have 70% of the water and test again.

That only works if you have been doing 50% weekly before this. What has your water change percent and frequency been?


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

Deeda said:


> Have you tested your tap water for ammonia? If not, test it and post the results.
> 
> The ammonia reading is very high and I suggest performing a 50% water change to get that reading reduced by half, assuming you have no ammonia reading in your tap water test.
> 
> ...


Hi and thank you for your reply.
I tested my tap water and it is negative (0 PPM) 
I will perform a 50% water change tomorrow
I had to remove the old filter in order to install the new one. It was not in service long enough to grow beneficial bacteria.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If it was in service for over a month, then it would have been at least partly established with beneficial bacteria. When you installed the new filter, you started over.


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

Update:
The bacterial bloom disappeared overnight. The only change to the tank was to turn the UV light on and leave it running for 72 hours.

I've changed the water 50% 
This is the current ammonia reading.


http://imgur.com/B1h6He4

 it looks to be around or under 1.0 ppm
The water is crystal clear right now. What should my next steps be to keep my fish happy?
Thanks for the great advice.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

50% change again tomorrow to reduce ammonia.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> 50% change again tomorrow to reduce ammonia.


+1


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

I've changed the water 50% again. 









The ammonia levels have gone way down. It looks like 0.50 ppm now. I've kept the UV light on to keep the water pristine. Will it affect the beneficial bacteria growing in the filter? Where do I go from here?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

50% water change again tomorrow.


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

DJRansome said:


> 50% water change again tomorrow.


I'll perform another change tomorrow. What is the target for Ammonia and how do I help my aquarium cycle once it hits that target? Thanks for everything.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

You want zero ammonia 24 hours after doing a water change. Some water conditioners such as Prime can give a false positive for up to .25 ppm of ammonia and more than likely your water treatment facility is using chloramine which will also show a positive for ammonia, sometimes in the .5 range, depending on what concentration they are using. It's always best to test your water 24 hours after a water change to get a better reading. Once your tank is cycled, you don't have to do anything to maintain it besides feeding the fish and keeping the filters running. Once you get zero ammonia and nitrite consistently, just change 50% once a week.


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

Here we are after another water change









Looks like the ammonia has dropped to 0.25 ppm 
I added Prime and a dose of Stability.


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Did you test directly after the water change?


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

caldwelldaniel26 said:


> Did you test directly after the water change?


About an hour after to let water circulate through the filter. I tested it prior to the change and it was around 1.0 ppm


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

The water is always going to show .25ppm of ammonia for 24 hours after using Prime.


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

Here is where we are at 24 hours after the water change


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## caldwelldaniel26 (Jun 11, 2017)

Your tank still isn't cycled properly. It's going to take daily water changes to keep the ammonia and the nitrite under control. Just for future reference, even once you get your cycle problems under control, Prime and chloramine will always show a positive for ammonia for 24 hours. If it's still there 24 hours later, your tank is not converting ammonia.


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## CapnWes (Oct 13, 2017)

Update 11/13

At the suggestion of Seachem, I did another week of Stability treatments, dosing the tank every 48 hours with Prime to keep the ammonia and nitrites detoxified. Here is where I am at now. I ran two tests today and made no significant changes other than adding Stability before taking the second test (Thanks API for sending me another color chart!)
AM Test









PM Test









I think I'm seeing Nitrites and Nitrates on these tests now, which hopefully means the tank is cycling. I'm awaiting word from Seachem if I should resume the water changes, which will be performed tomorrow. The tank was dosed with Prime after taking these samples.


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