DrwHem Posted August 6, 2021 Share Posted August 6, 2021 I have a 60 gallon moderately planted tank with moderate light (fluval aquasky2.0) its been established now for over 2 years with most of the fish being in there for that time. i currently have 1 rainbow shark was 8, now 6 tiger barbs 6 neon tetras 8 danios was 4 now 2 otto cats 1 nerite snail I recently tried to add 6 khuli loaches to the tank but they all died most likely due to the tiger barbs. When i took them back to pet supplies plus to get a water test the lady there told me i needed to increase my PH and get some API ammolock. at the time my ammonia was around .5 to 1. So i got the ammo lock and in addition i got some seachem alkaline booster. I put a half dose of each in the tank. The night i put the ammo lock in the tank it got cloudy for a few hours then seemed fine. The alkaline booster arrived a few days later so i added it then. Now my ammonia levels are off the charts. I have already done a 30% water change today but all my fish are surface swimming and i already lost 1 tiger barb. im in the process of doing another 50% water change and i will not be using the ammo lock or alkaline stuff until i can figure out what is going on. My normal ph has been in the range of 6.0 with a carbonate hardness of 0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH Morant Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 If your ph is still around 6, your ammonia level would have to be extremely high to harm the fish. The lower your ph, the lower the percentage of your measured ammonia that is free ammonia (the toxic kind). The flip side of that is that beneficial bacteria does not grow much at a ph of 6 because it needs the free ammonia to feed on. What is your ammonia level after the water changes? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrwHem Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 just finished a 50% water change. added 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt and 20ml of stress coat. current readings Nitrates .25 Nitrites .5 PH at least 6.4. my test strip dosnt go any lower. Ammonia at least 6.0. test dosnt go any higher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH Morant Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 See an article entitled "Ammonia Toxicity and the PH Relationship," And also the chart included in the aquariumscience.org article titled "Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Chlorine." It is hard to tell what is causing the ammonia spike. I have never had to deal with a ph crash, so maybe someone else can say how to determine whether that has happened and if so what to do about it. The API test kit I have only goes down to 6.0. I don't know how to determine whether it is lower than that. I would do just what you are doing, changing water and re-testing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Yikes do you know your pH history? Depending on which bacteria/archea you have a pH crash could have "stopped your cycle" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrwHem Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 its always tested at around 6.4 for me since i have had test strips. frankly, the fish didnt seem all that bothered by it. i mainly just wanted to increase my carbonate hardness but theres no real way to do that without increasing ph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 I would dose with prime as it detoxify nitrates nitrites and ammonia using a double dose you could also add some crushed coral to help buffer your pH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenStateGoldfish Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Test your tap, it could be chloramine (I assume your using the api liquid test kit?) the more water changes you do the harder in the fish it can be. if I remember right ammo lock only Treats ammonia. also what is the KH from your tap? Something is eating your KH and dropping your ph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrwHem Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 tap results: General Hardness: 300+ chlorine: .8 carbonate harness: 120 ph: 7.2 so im not sure what in my tank is reducing me carbonate hardness. should i be replacing my carbon level in my canister filter? its about 2 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrwHem Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 i also have 2 trays of seachem matrix. the bottle does not say anything about if it needs to be changed out at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 (edited) If I remember rightly to have to recharge matrix I have never used it so maybe someone can chip in and crushed coral will help to raise your KH Edited August 7, 2021 by Colu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Seachem Matrix is biological filtration, you shouldn't have to do anything with it but rinse it out in tank water occasionally. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 I was thinking of purigen not matrix my mistake @laritheloud 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 On 8/7/2021 at 10:43 AM, Colu said: I was thinking of purigen not matrix my mistake @laritheloud Easy mistake to make. Seachem likes to place fancy names on all of their filtration and tools! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrwHem Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 Lost another barb overnight 😞 i removed the old charcoal from my canister and rinsed everything off. also threw out the old fine sponge mechanical filter top. my water should be naturally high in KH and the tap PH is testing at 7.2. so im guessing the issue was that my charcoal couldnt effectively absorb anymore load. did another 30% change and ill just let it sit for a day and test tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laritheloud Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 On 8/7/2021 at 11:38 AM, DrwHem said: Lost another barb overnight 😞 i removed the old charcoal from my canister and rinsed everything off. also threw out the old fine sponge mechanical filter top. my water should be naturally high in KH and the tap PH is testing at 7.2. so im guessing the issue was that my charcoal couldnt effectively absorb anymore load. did another 30% change and ill just let it sit for a day and test tomorrow. Activated Carbon filters are only active for a month, but I'm not understanding how that would have any relationship to your KH falling to rock bottom. I would invest in some crushed coral for your filters to prevent massive pH swings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrwHem Posted August 8, 2021 Author Share Posted August 8, 2021 so retested after adding new charcoal yesterday morning. PH seems to have risen to around 7.4 ish with a carbonate harness around 30? ammonia is still testing at 6+ so i added another 25 ml of APi ammo lock. fish do not appear to be showing any signs of stress tho. I just wish i knew where this ammonia came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Extra work but you could use the tank flush method to make it safer for you fish and give you time to figure out what it going on. Under different circumstances I have used it in the past and it does not stress my fish like humongous water changes. This may also allow your biofilter to catch up and help fix the problem. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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