Wolfden Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I'm pretty sure I killed the nitrogen cycle. I completely reset my 10 gallon cause I didn't like it. Changed the substrate and added rock. I did soak the rock and rinse the gravel. The sponge filter is the same and one piece of wood in the tank had been in their before. Water was clear when I first set it up and now it's cloudy. Did I cause a bacteria bloom? The first picture is right after reset the second picture is this morning. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 On 1/25/2024 at 3:31 PM, Wolfden said: I'm pretty sure I killed the nitrogen cycle. I completely reset my 10 gallon cause I didn't like it. Changed the substrate and added rock. I did soak the rock and rinse the gravel. The sponge filter is the same and one piece of wood in the tank had been in their before. Water was clear when I first set it up and now it's cloudy. Did I cause a bacteria bloom? The first picture is right after reset the second picture is this morning. you might have....taking all the gravel out plus some of the decor i risky....what is your paremeters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 (edited) The answer is very possibly and yes it looks like it. I would do nothing unless you get an ammonia spike. You can use something like Seachem Prime or other water conditioner. When you change water it tends to make the bloom worse. I would monitor ammonia and react accordingly. :-) It will clear up in time. If you have a UV sterilizer this can speed things up. Edited January 25 by xXInkedPhoenixX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLANANO Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Yes that looks like a bacterial bloom but I don't think that necessarily means you ruined your nitrogen cycle. I mean its possible you did but test the water daily to see if any Ammonia or Nitrites pop up and do water changes if they do. The water changes are gonna pro long the bacterial bloom but its necessary for your fish to not live in ammonia. Once the tank is cycled again then don't do any water changes until the water clears. If your tank never has any Ammonia or Nitrite I also suggest not changing any water until it clears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 (edited) You can test ammonia and nitrite and let us know the values? Also, the best thing to do with a fish tank is: nothing. 🙂 The less changes you make the better. Much of the biological filtration is in your sponge filter, but also on every other surface in your aquarium (especially the gravel). On a side note, what you are seeing is a bloom in heterotrophic bacteria. Edited January 25 by Galabar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfden Posted January 25 Author Share Posted January 25 On 1/25/2024 at 1:46 PM, Bigdog99 said: you might have....taking all the gravel out plus some of the decor i risky....what is your paremeters? When I checked it this morning. Ammonia - .5 Nitrites - 0 Nitrates - 0 Ph - 6.5 (my water is normally 8.0 or higher so I am thinking the drop is from the wood) I don't remember what kh and gh were. I have added crushed coral to help raise the ph. I will test it again when I get home. I use ultimate with each water change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 On 1/25/2024 at 4:26 PM, Wolfden said: When I checked it this morning. Ammonia - .5 Nitrites - 0 Nitrates - 0 Ph - 6.5 (my water is normally 8.0 or higher so I am thinking the drop is from the wood) I don't remember what kh and gh were. I have added crushed coral to help raise the ph. I will test it again when I get home. I use ultimate with each water change. U never want ammonia to be higher than0 btw…besides that other paremeters are fine… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 (edited) 6.5 is low but is probably helping the fish survive because weirdy ammonia is less toxic with lower pH- the higher the pH the more toxic. When there are fish present I'd continue the use of the water conditioner. I have had a bacterial bloom and have done nothing with water conditioner AND I've also done it with small water changes. With .50 ammonia I could go either way but I'd be diligent about watching parameters and fish. I have no experience with Hikari Ultimate but it says it removes ammonia. I'd check to see dosing and frequency. Edited January 25 by xXInkedPhoenixX 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 The changes have knocked things out of balance. However, ammonia at 0.5 should be Ok. Just continue to monitor it. I don't think you need large water changes. Just continue with your normal maintenance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 On 1/25/2024 at 6:50 PM, Galabar said: The changes have knocked things out of balance. However, ammonia at 0.5 should be Ok. Just continue to monitor it. I don't think you need large water changes. Just continue with your normal maintenance. Yes just continue to monitor… 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfden Posted January 26 Author Share Posted January 26 Thanks for the advice. I will continue to monitor and do water changes if I need to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now