Emergency Help!!!

dstoneburg

dstoneburg

Member
My emergency QT is halfway through its hypo process, and I am having a really hard time keeping the params in check. I just did a 40% water change and have these readings!
Ph - 8.2
Nitrates - 80
Nitrites - 2
Ammonia - 0
SG - 1.009
Current tankmates are..
Koran(3")
Puffer(2")
Lunar wrasse(1.5")
They all reside in a 45g. I have never had a hard time keeping the params down, but what to do! I just did a 40% water change!!! Readings are AFTER the water change!
Currently none of the fish are showing any signs of stress. They are all eating and acting normal.
Basically the nitrates are scaring me to death!
Ive run out of RODI water so I have some mixing and it will be ready in the morning.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
how long ago did you set it up? how did you cycle it, and what is your biological filtration?
nitrates are a tad high, but ehh that's to be expected. nitrites are important to get down, but at least it shows you have something breaking down the ammonia. don't start to panic until your fish start showing signs of stress. those trites will probably be gone when you test it next.
 
dstoneburg

dstoneburg

Member
Its been setup since the 7th. It was cycle using filter pads from the DT as well as the water. Im running two HOB filters, one is rated up to 55g and the other up to 20g.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
The tank is still cycling. Biologial bacteria does not live in the water column itself. There may not have been enough bacteria on the pads to fully handle the cycle, but it certainly did help being that you have no ammonia and the nitrate is that high. The only thing that you can do is to keep doing water changes until the readings come down.
 
dstoneburg

dstoneburg

Member
Ahh, makes sense. But why after 18 days am I seeing problems with the water quality? I mean the params up until now have been near wonderful. Why all of the sudden did they skyrocket?
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
because you have nothing breaking down the nitrates--IE no DSB or macro algae.
and because you have 3 big poopers in a 45 gallon without any real filtration
 
dstoneburg

dstoneburg

Member
So best to just keep doing water changes? Could I throw in some cheato in the one of the HOB to take care of the enormously high nitrates?
 
dstoneburg

dstoneburg

Member
Ive been doing 40% water changes everyday and cannot get these numbers down. Mostly the worry is the nitrates at 80 and nitrites at 2. What to do? Also, these fish dont seem to be too large for the tank atm as they are all still in their juvi stage with the exception of the koran which is mid-changing.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by dstoneburg
Ive been doing 40% water changes everyday and cannot get these numbers down. Mostly the worry is the nitrates at 80 and nitrites at 2. What to do? Also, these fish dont seem to be too large for the tank atm as they are all still in their juvi stage with the exception of the koran which is mid-changing.
Can you add more biological filtration? Acclimate a few cups of sand to the qt. The problem is that these fish are putting a good amount of strain on your biological filtration. You have a constant ammonia source. You have enough bacteria to handle the ammonia, but not enough to convert the nitrite into nitrate quickly enough. I had the same thing happen when I set up my first tank. It took quite awhile to get the nitrite down. The nitrate will go down with the changes.
 
wfd1008

wfd1008

Member
Originally Posted by dstoneburg
Could I use a peice of rock? Wont putting LS or LR in the tank cause die-off considering the sg is still at 1.009?
is it me or is a sg of 1.009 a tad bit low? it should be b/t 1.023 to 1.026 is what i've always been told. or did i miss something and read it wrong.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by dstoneburg
Could I use a peice of rock? Wont putting LS or LR in the tank cause die-off considering the sg is still at 1.009?
You cannot use rock. You can skim a cup of sand, just be sure there are no inverts in it, and add that. The bacteria will not die.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by wfd1008
is it me or is a sg of 1.009 a tad bit low? it should be b/t 1.023 to 1.026 is what i've always been told. or did i miss something and read it wrong.

This tank is in hyposalinity to treat ich.
 
wfd1008

wfd1008

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
This tank is in hyposalinity to treat ich.
is it working and how long do you have to keep it like that? you could try using maraycn to kill the ich if you haven't already. it doesn't harm any of the good bacteria.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by wfd1008
is it working and how long do you have to keep it like that? you could try using maraycn to kill the ich if you haven't already. it doesn't harm any of the good bacteria.
Maracyn is for bacterial infections.
 
wfd1008

wfd1008

Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
Maracyn is for bacterial infections.
well, then it's maracyn two, or maracyn plus, but i know that one of them treats ich cause it says so on the box
 
al mc

al mc

Active Member
Several suggestions that have helped me in the past.
1. Chaeto is a good idea and mine usually survives hypo with good lighting
2. I have sacrificed a small (1-2#) piece of live rock from my DT for the biologic benefits to my QT (note: if it is coming out of the DT that had ICH
you will need to prolong your hypo..the 3-4 week clock starts ticking when you add the possibly infected rock....)
3. Amquel plus will decrease the nitrate levels short term while you are waiting to make or purchase more RO water for a water
change. It is a crutch..not a remedy...water changes are best if you can do them
Hope these suggestions help...I have used all three in my QT/Hypo
 
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