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Amyrinthe

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  1. Hey Galabar and face, I ran some tests as you guys suggested. Here's what I found... Test 1 - Tap water and Prime = 0 nitrite and 0 ammonia Test 2 - Tap water, Prime, and Fritzzyme 7 = 0 nitrite and 0.5ppm ammonia Test 3 - Tap water, Prime, Fritzzyme 7, and Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride = 0 nitrite and 4ppm ammonia. Seems like the Fritzzyme is dead and producing ammonia. The Dr. Tim's may also be more potent than labeled. (I started with 1 gal water and dosed each add-in accordingly.) So, I think I dumped a ton of ammonia into my tank when I added the dying Fritzzyme. That must have caused the initial spike. I guess I've been fighting that ever since. Adding the Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride just exacerbated it. And, as Lonkley pointed out, the nitrite-eating bacteria grow more slowly. So, here I am. I guess the good news is I have a head-start on the ammonia-eating bacteria. ;) Gonna do another massive water change and see where that gets me..
  2. Great question, face. I haven't tested tap water because I'm also running a QT tank and an established tank that are not showing these high nitrite levels. Maybe I'll check anyway. I'm wondering now if the Fritzyme 7 could have been DOA. If I (unknowingly) poured a bunch of dead bacteria into my tank a week prior to starting the cycle, I wonder if that could produce enough ammonia to lead to these high nitrite levels?
  3. Hi all, I'm cycling a new 9 gallon nano tank. My nitrite readings have been high ever since I started the cycle. I added ammonia on Day 1 (Dr. Tim's, 4 drops per gallon as recommended on the bottle). Day 2 I tested for ammonia and nitrite. Both were higher than I expected. Ammonia was around 4ppm and Nitrite was (I thought) around 2ppm. Two days later ammonia had dropped to 0 and nitrite was still at 2ppm. In retrospect, I think I misread the API test for the nitrite from the start. The colors for 2ppm and 5ppm are virtually indistinguishable. I assumed 2 because I couldn't figure out why the nitrite levels would be so high. It's so early in the cycle I didn't expect nitrite at all. But, now I'm about a week into the cycle, I've done three 50% water changes over the lsst 3 days and nitrite is still hanging in that same high range. Today I tested with my strip test from Aquarium Co-op and it looks like nitrite is at 10ppm or higher. I haven't added ammonia in days and did a 50% water change before getting that 10ppm result. Ammonia continues to read 0ppm. I just can't figure out where the nitrite is coming from! In case this info helps... I used inert black sand substrate, petrified wood, and a small piece of driftwood (reused from another tank, boiled and scrubbed to remove any algae from the previous tank). I planted a bunch of anubias, buce, and Java Fern (used the Reverse Respiration technique recommended on this forum to clean the plants first). I added a dose of Fritzyme 7 and then left the plants to rest with no light for a week before starting the cycle. The plants are doing great. No livestock. Just buttloads of nitrite... Any ideas why this is happening or what my next steps should be?
  4. Thanks for the link, DannyBWell! I hadn't seen that article before. And it did fill in a few blanks. I appreciate the help. Hi Mark, thanks for your insight. That sets my mind at ease about the water parameters.
  5. Hey guys, thanks in advance for your wisdom... One of my Amano shrimp is pregnant. This is the first time I've experienced this; and, I have a few questions. But, none of the online articles seem to address them. (The articles are mostly geared toward how to successfully breed shrimp and that's not the goal here.) My tank is freshwater, so I know that the babies won't survive. But, how do I get from a mama with a belly full of eggs to dead baby shrimp? And what will that mean for my tank? In other words... What will she do with the eggs when she's finished carrying them? Will they continue to develop after that happens? And, if so, for roughly how long? How will a bunch of dead baby shrimp impact the water parameters in my tank? Am I ramping up for an ammonia spike? What else don't I know that I should know? Thanks again for helping a shrimp-keeping sister out. Looking forward to your comments. 🙂
  6. Congrats, Vanessa! Share pictures and keep us posted on how it's doing. ☺️🌱
  7. I ordered a bunch of plants from Aquarium Coop a few months ago. They arrived looking healthy and beautiful - not a snail in sight. But, I quarantined just in case. Three weeks later, my quarantine tank was filled with bladder snails. I did an alum dip and that took care of the snails. My plants are still healthy and growing like crazy in their new homes. But, I do recommend a quarantine if you don't want uninvited snails.
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