AG9

Just because I have one answer to this. Since I change water based on nitrate levels and my nitrates don't commonly read high (tested tonight and they were at 30ppm), I do a 20-30% water change every 2 weeks. I've tested water parameters immediately afterwards and nitrates tested at about 5-10ppm, ph about 7.2-7.4, and kh about 2-3. I add 7ml of fert every Sunday/Monday regardless (easy Green pump 1ml per pump, 7 pumps). I tried 8 pumps and got green hair algae. 7 pumps no algae. Research told me that was high iron. Now most research says algae is a lack of nutrition. Have never water tested for ppm following. With a 75g tank I have had issues with full growth on the whole 24" of plant. Gorgeous lush growth on on top, fast. The bottom withers. My smaller tanks, same protocol per volume and their growth looks WAY more consistent. The ONLY difference on my smaller tank is substrate and height and I've heard that height is a big deal with par value. Substrate is carib sea eco black. One last thing, I'll also admit I never had any problems aside from algae with weekly water changes. Also, before I forget. The spike happened at the exact same time I turned off my under substrate air stones. Spray bar was doing a good job with surface disturbance so I turned it off. Have since turned it back on.

Also, before I forget. The spike happened at the exact same time I turned off my under substrate air stones. Spray bar was doing a good job with surface disturbance so I turned it off. Have since turned it back on.

Haven't gotten to the 24hr test. But my parameters are below. Haven't tested tap for ammonia. I will. I'll also mention on my ammonia and nitrate solutions I'm getting to the end of the bottles as I test regularly. Don't know if that will mix my results. I also want to voice my method of water change for my 75g is a direct to tap siphon. I always add conditioner to the exact opening where the hose is in the tank, but I don't use buckets anymore and haven't for quite a while. Probably at least a year on the big tank. Could it really be that my nitrate testing isn't completely accurate due to regent separation and I'm actually overrunning my filter and my water changes are sabotaging bacteria growth? Or should the 407 with the plants be handling that? Not sure why my tank ph is 7.6. My tap water ph has increased since the last time I tested it. It used to firmly be 7.2. Now it's probably a 7.4-7.5. Tank kh: 2 Tap kh: 3 Tap ph: 7.2-7.6 Tank ph: 7.6 P.s- my fish don't display interspecies hostility, they all eat like champions and I haven't had any deaths to any fish that isn't new or a snail that didn't get stuck in my intake. Think it's possible to overfeed that many fish every other day?

Sounds good, be in touch.

And I know nitrifying bacteria devours kh. So then I guess adding it to a system without any kh would just be wasting product. I'll have to toss some coral back in the filter. Doesn't solve the original reason for the ammonia spike, however. Does it? And while this is fine, is it a permanent solution to increasing my kh? Or is that something I'm just going to have to add because my tap water has none?

But my ph routinely measures at 7 Minor amounts in relation to volume. 1 was with maybe 1 cup in the filter.

Read that article, I have crushed coral. I haven't been able to find out if raising kh continuously raises Ph. I know it does at first.

I will add, I have a bad habit of adding fish in groups. So when I add two angel fish and the water, I add 2 mystery snails and that water. My personal curiosity from the start wasn't ever about waste load ONLY because: the day or two after I add a fish or do a water change (usually around the same day), it reads 10-20ppm. But on like 2 occasions when I added two bags of "fish" I'll get an ammonia spike. I test everything when it happens, GH is lke 6-8 if I remember correctly, nitrite is 0, ammonia .5 or the major instance way worse, ph 7.2, nitrate 20ppm. And I always think "it's too soon for the load to stress the tank, my plants absorb a lot. What's wrong with the water, It can't seem to handle a drop of outside water I haven't conditioned personally". KH is atrocious, like 0 or 1. GH is good.

And while I was concerned about waste, wouldn't it translate to a high nitrate load first? Because, if so, my nitrates rarely if ever exceed 40-45ppm. I'm gifted with tap water that has a 7.0 ph. I know my kh is low. I've tested it. It's like 0 or 1. And yes, Fritz Turbo 700 and occasionally I use the less concentrated Fritz bacteria after I swap out a polish pad or such. I have used it routinely when transferring my tanks, starting new tanks, etc. All with classic Fritz turbo results. Not routinely every week or every month, but any time I compromise a cycle.

In both my AC110's I had the coarse foam, 100 micron, 50 micron, and a large amount of biological media in each. I only mention this because I didn't have a cycle problem with them. And I've run the 407 for about 6 months with no problems at all until the last month or so. The original situation that happened that I thought caused the bomb was adding the water from my angel fish when I added them in. But I wasn't sure if low buffering capacity could bomb a tank. While I know next to nothing about water chemistry apart from reading the test results and then implementing a water change+conditioner. I was curious to know if my buffering capacity or lack of could be a cripple. I've been nervous to add too much crushed coral to elevate kh because I didn't want to stress/kill anything by going to heavy.

@nabokovfan87 Tank Lifespan: 1-2 years Substrate: Estes/Stoney River Black and White since the start. Root Tabs: Seachem dosed every 2 months roughly at the base of all plants or intended growth areas. Decor: 3 pieces of drift wood and 1 penn-plax castle since the beginning. Plants: 3 dwarf lilly, vallisneria, new banana plant (not the first one), lots of crypto flamingos, handful of column feeders, crypt greens, etc. 2 heaters Filtration: Fluvial 407 (previously 2 AC110's) and one 110gph marineland power head Didn't have this problem while having the 2 AC110's but I realize overstocking typically relates to high nitrates. Filter media: factory coarse sponges, 1 level of additional coarse sponge, one level of polishing pads 100&50 micron, 2 levels of biomedia. Lights: 2 hygger 48" lights Liquid Fertilizer: 7 pumps of easy Green 1x weekly (true water volume is about 63 gallons I believe). Fish feeding schedule: M, W, F, Su; Alternate between either bloodworms/brine shrimp for the mid and top fish. Some slow sinking Xtreme or Hikari for everyone. Fluval bottom feeder or algae wafers for the bottom crew. Occasionally throw in cucumber. Fish: (it's a heavily stocked tank, but I haven't had any issues with anything until adding angel fish which I have since removed and some) 4 dwarf guoriamis (6 months), 2 Siamese algae eaters (3.5"), 9 bleeding heart tetra's (years), 9 glofish (years), 4 mystery snails (2 months but have always snails), 12 neon tetra's (years), 7 amano (years), 2 bristlenose (1+ year), 4 African dwarf frogs (2 for years, 2 are a few months), 6 albino Cory (years), 6 kuhli loaches (years), 2 vampire shrine (new, not sure if they're staying), 2-3 oto's (year or so), 1 hillstream loach (6 months or so). Nitrates have guided me towards water changes every 2 weeks in the past as they wouldn't touch 40ppm until week the end of week 2. Ph sits at 7.0-7.2. Tap water is also 7.0-7.2, essentially 0 nitrates. I dose conditioner per affected water: change 20 dose for 20. I choose to rinse filter media every other water change and only on alternate weeks and have never alternated or rinsed biomedia. I have a bad habit of not rinsing sponges or filter floss in tank water, I just run it under tap water. I don't vac my substrate. I do have some shedding from plants that I haven't cleaned up, but it's not an atrocity imo. Fish reaction that caused me alert was an absolutely ridiculous ammonia spike followed by a 30-40% water change and Fritz turbo. Then routine maintenance to follow +fritz bacteria. Weeks ago. This morning I got a .50ppm showing, puzzles. I've checked for dead creatures, none that I've seen but there's quite a few hiding places. I may have forgotten some stuff, ask away.

I don't know how to create a thread, but I would LOVE some help overall.

I created an account just so I could reply to this. I have a 75g, I used to run 2 AC110's and it pushed plenty of water. I now run a 407 and just recently added a 110 power head to cycle water out of the dead spot that sits just beyond my spraybar. The 407 is dead quiet and it doesn't toss the plants around the hob did. Primary reason for the switch. I'm currently happy with it, just have to pay attention. I have a moderately planted tank: 3 red dwarfs, vallisneria, ferns, a plethora of crypt flamingos, a handful of column feeders, 2 crypt greens, , etc. All low-tech. It's well stocked and nitrates sit at 30-50ppm. Currently, with my tanks ecosystem, I sit at the threshold. At least IMO. I've had issues with breaking cycle in the recent history and I took that as a sign that I was at filter capacity for tank load. All advice and questions welcome.