Ammonia

[Freenow54]

Hi: A little off topic but I have an admittedly overstocked tank, with yellow Malawi cichlids. They keep breeding up to 14 in a 65 gallon tank. I have tried everything to reduce the ammonia. 2 hang on the back filters, and recently 2 days a canister Fluval.
2 questions
I read about Zeolite seems risky, any opinion?
Also I have a piece of live rock that just completed cycling in an empty saltwater tank. Could I add that to the tank? Would it survive? reef2reef
Thanks: Wally

 

[hsn izd]

hi
it's better to do a 50 percent water change every 2 days for about 6 days you need three time water changes and remember to not kill your beneficial bacteria
and use ammonia remover like Fluval Ammonia Remover
i read adding carbon will help but im not sure i didn't use it so i don't know about it
but i think the first two step will help

 

[Freenow54]

That is my question. Where does this beneficial bacteria come from in a fresh water Tank? Do you have to continually add it? Or is there some way to maintain it ( ie a live rock with bacteria on it). However I do not know if the rock will thrive in fresh water. The depressing part is that I did a 15 gallon change , vacuumed the gravel, cleaned the filters. Absolutely no change in ammonia level ( used RO water 0 TDS )
So I added the Fluval canister filter
I put Matrix ammonia remover in the fluval canister filter. 2 days later ammonia 3 to 4 ppm. It also has carbon in it.

 

[brandon429]

It would take an abnormally large bioload to overcome what a cycled freshwater 60 gallon can handle, way more than a few cichlids. Over reporting ammonia can’t be any less common for fw as we know it to be in sw, let’s see pics of the system to assess surface area v bioload

just like in marine setups, ammonia control either crashes due to lack of ability or it sustains your bioload and doesn’t hover at unsafe levels its very consequential to have uncontrolled ammonia, and a tank pic will show gray water with fish unhealthy, clearly distressed. it wont be clear bright circulating water all things look absolutely fine


we absolutely want a freshwater example in our ammonia alert example thread.

 

[hsn izd]

That is my question. Where does this beneficial bacteria come from in a fresh water Tank? Do you have to continually add it? Or is there some way to maintain it ( ie a live rock with bacteria on it). However I do not know if the rock will thrive in fresh water. The depressing part is that I did a 15 gallon change , vacuumed the gravel, cleaned the filters. Absolutely no change in ammonia level ( used RO water 0 TDS )
So I added the Fluval canister filter
I put Matrix ammonia remover in the fluval canister filter. 2 days later ammonia 3 to 4 ppm. It also has carbon in it.

in freshwater, we add beneficial bacteria
and like saltwater, it colonized in filter and rocks and in sand
if ur liverock was from a cycled freshwater tank it helps you a lot to cycle the tank faster
its good u add ammonia remover i think ammonia level will decrease in few days just give it time cause the mediais just 2 days old
but keep up with syphoning it helps a lot to reduce ammonia

 

[Freenow54]

So here you will see my dilemma. I appreciate the input. Please note the test I just took. The other pieces of equipment are a UV filter works very well for algae. The other is a small media filter
Regards Wally