Levels Rising... Please help!!

[JB]

Have been getting spikes in my Nitrite, Nitrate, & Possibly Ammonia...
My test kit shows Nitrate near 40ppm, Nitrite lethally near 10ppm, and
I can't test for ammonia, but it smells strong in my tank...

It's a 10 gallon freshwater tank with (3) 2" adult Sword Tails, and
about 10 baby fry in a net... I just performed a full water change as
advised by PetCo, and cleaned out all the algae in the tank and things
were fine for about 5 days...

Also my Alkalinity (KH) is 40ppm and I know it's supposed to be 120-180
for freshwater fish, but the Pet store has no idea on how to raise
that...

I've used the AmQuel Plus that treats Nitrate, Nitrate & Ammonia for
the past 3 days and still it does not seem to be dropping anything....
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping my fish don't
die...

[Michael]

This is a simple problem that you will have to have patience with....

Your tank is not cycled. I assume you have a proper filter set up with
filter media to act as a biological filter.

First thing you do is a 75% water change - that will drop your Nitrite
and Nitrate levels (and NH4 if any). This will buy you time and lower
the stress on the fish. Measure the levels after you do this change and
in two days, do a 50% water change. Watch the levels again and if they
start to rise, do another 50% water change. Keep doing this until the
tank stabilizes (levels don't rise). No need to get the levels to zero,
just low enough to be safe. Your tank will cycle in 7-21 days - but it
is critical you have a filter media for bacteria colony to grow on.

JB wrote:
> Have been getting spikes in my Nitrite, Nitrate, & Possibly Ammonia...
> My test kit shows Nitrate near 40ppm, Nitrite lethally near 10ppm, and
> I can't test for ammonia, but it smells strong in my tank...
>
> It's a 10 gallon freshwater tank with (3) 2" adult Sword Tails, and
> about 10 baby fry in a net... I just performed a full water change as
> advised by PetCo, and cleaned out all the algae in the tank and things
> were fine for about 5 days...
>
> Also my Alkalinity (KH) is 40ppm and I know it's supposed to be 120-180
> for freshwater fish, but the Pet store has no idea on how to raise
> that...
>
> I've used the AmQuel Plus that treats Nitrate, Nitrate & Ammonia for
> the past 3 days and still it does not seem to be dropping anything....
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping my fish don't
> die...
>

[JB]

JB wrote:
> Have been getting spikes in my Nitrite, Nitrate, & Possibly Ammonia...
> My test kit shows Nitrate near 40ppm, Nitrite lethally near 10ppm, and
> I can't test for ammonia, but it smells strong in my tank...
>
> It's a 10 gallon freshwater tank with (3) 2" adult Sword Tails, and
> about 10 baby fry in a net... I just performed a full water change as
> advised by PetCo, and cleaned out all the algae in the tank and things
> were fine for about 5 days...
>
> Also my Alkalinity (KH) is 40ppm and I know it's supposed to be 120-180
> for freshwater fish, but the Pet store has no idea on how to raise
> that...
>
> I've used the AmQuel Plus that treats Nitrate, Nitrate & Ammonia for
> the past 3 days and still it does not seem to be dropping anything....
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping my fish don't
> die...

I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
the way to diagnosis and treatment...

[Tristan]

Well it takes the presents of ammonia to get nitrite and it takes that
nitrite to make nitrate., so yu can pretty well assume you have high
levels of ammoina. Amquel doe snot remove ammonia. It is stil there
and will show up as being there is a ammonia test is run, however it
locks up that ammonia and renders it safer for the fish. I wuld do as
Deathco suggests and that is do a water change. I would not worry too
much about alk right now until yu get your water parameters to where
they should be in terms of nitrate, nitrite and ammonia.....onc eyu
get that then concentrate on the alk. Fish can go for a long long
period of time with improper alk or ph, but last only a short time
with levels of nitrate and ammonia being wrong.

Is there any dead or missing fish in that tank? Are yu feeding too
much. Reduce or feed one every couple of days or so for awhile and
see if levels drop. Overfeeding is a major cause of ammonia and
nitrate / nitrite levels being high. Fish can go days without food,
and do just fine and more water has been fouled and fish killed by
feeding proceedures than most other problems......I do not think I
would do a full water change. That can sometimes compound things.
Are you sure your test kits are in date?

When was the last time you cleaned or changed your filter media?

On 14 Jan 2007 10:14:05 -0800, "JB" > wrote:

<<>>Have been getting spikes in my Nitrite, Nitrate, & Possibly Ammonia...
<<>>My test kit shows Nitrate near 40ppm, Nitrite lethally near 10ppm, and
<<>>I can't test for ammonia, but it smells strong in my tank...
<<>>
<<>>It's a 10 gallon freshwater tank with (3) 2" adult Sword Tails, and
<<>>about 10 baby fry in a net... I just performed a full water change as
<<>>advised by PetCo, and cleaned out all the algae in the tank and things
<<>>were fine for about 5 days...
<<>>
<<>>Also my Alkalinity (KH) is 40ppm and I know it's supposed to be 120-180
<<>>for freshwater fish, but the Pet store has no idea on how to raise
<<>>that...
<<>>
<<>>I've used the AmQuel Plus that treats Nitrate, Nitrate & Ammonia for
<<>>the past 3 days and still it does not seem to be dropping anything....
<<>>Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping my fish don't
<<>>die...



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[Tristan]

The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?

Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
they all should be within limits.

On 14 Jan 2007 10:23:04 -0800, "JB" > wrote:

<<>>
<<>>JB wrote:
<<>>> Have been getting spikes in my Nitrite, Nitrate, & Possibly Ammonia...
<<>>> My test kit shows Nitrate near 40ppm, Nitrite lethally near 10ppm, and
<<>>> I can't test for ammonia, but it smells strong in my tank...
<<>>>
<<>>> It's a 10 gallon freshwater tank with (3) 2" adult Sword Tails, and
<<>>> about 10 baby fry in a net... I just performed a full water change as
<<>>> advised by PetCo, and cleaned out all the algae in the tank and things
<<>>> were fine for about 5 days...
<<>>>
<<>>> Also my Alkalinity (KH) is 40ppm and I know it's supposed to be 120-180
<<>>> for freshwater fish, but the Pet store has no idea on how to raise
<<>>> that...
<<>>>
<<>>> I've used the AmQuel Plus that treats Nitrate, Nitrate & Ammonia for
<<>>> the past 3 days and still it does not seem to be dropping anything....
<<>>> Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am hoping my fish don't
<<>>> die...
<<>>
<<>>I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
<<>>Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
<<>>washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
<<>>smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
<<>>the way to diagnosis and treatment...



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[Tristan]

I do not think I would change any nore than 50% MAX........and if fish
are doing ok probably do a 25% and then do another 25% in a day or two
again. Too much too soon is as bad as not doing anything. Water change
is all that is feasible to get levels back down, and frequent smaller
changes are usually better than less but large changes.

IMHO for me to do a masive 75 to 100% water change my fish would have
to be in big troubles. Then again I keep aged water around so it would
not be as tramatic for them either........but large water changes can
be bad.


On 14 Jan 2007 11:12:50 -0800, "JB" > wrote:

<<>>
<<>>Tristan wrote:
<<>>> The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
<<>>> build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
<<>>> Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?
<<>>>
<<>>> Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
<<>>> nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
<<>>> them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
<<>>> after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
<<>>> they all should be within limits.
<<>>>
<<>>
<<>>
<<>>I did a 100% Water change just over a week ago, and when I did, I
<<>>rinsed off my gravel thoroughly, and all my plants, and cleaned out my
<<>>filter housing & changed my filter, plus removed a ton of algae from my
<<>>tank just over a week ago...
<<>>
<<>>I added Cycle to my tank to get the beneficial bacteria going, and am
<<>>due for more soon.. So should I do as the previous poster suggested
<<>>and change 75% of my water even though I just changed and cleaned
<<>>everything just over a week ago??



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[JB]

Tristan wrote:
> The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
> build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
> Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?
>
> Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
> nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
> them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
> after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
> they all should be within limits.
>


I did a 100% Water change just over a week ago, and when I did, I
rinsed off my gravel thoroughly, and all my plants, and cleaned out my
filter housing & changed my filter, plus removed a ton of algae from my
tank just over a week ago...

I added Cycle to my tank to get the beneficial bacteria going, and am
due for more soon.. So should I do as the previous poster suggested
and change 75% of my water even though I just changed and cleaned
everything just over a week ago??

[JB]

JB wrote:
> Tristan wrote:
> > The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
> > build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
> > Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?
> >
> > Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
> > nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
> > them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
> > after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
> > they all should be within limits.
> >
>
>
> I did a 100% Water change just over a week ago, and when I did, I
> rinsed off my gravel thoroughly, and all my plants, and cleaned out my
> filter housing & changed my filter, plus removed a ton of algae from my
> tank just over a week ago...
>
> I added Cycle to my tank to get the beneficial bacteria going, and am
> due for more soon.. So should I do as the previous poster suggested
> and change 75% of my water even though I just changed and cleaned
> everything just over a week ago??


PS...... I just purchased my test kit about 2 weeks ago, and they do
not expire until 2008.. Also
I feed my fish 2x a day, sometimes 3x a day as suggested by PetCo..

[Tristan]

Until you get your water parameters under control you would be better
off not feeding as much. Cut it back to once a day or so every other
day. Those fish are ot goping to starve, and at the same time yur not
introducing more nutrients to decay and turn into nitrites and
ammonia. This period of time will help your bacteria catch up with any
accumulating levels in addition to water changes and you shoul dbe
able to get yur levels back under control. Its better to keep fish
hungry than over fed. I maintain my fish,. I do not provide a all you
can eat buffet. I just seemtothink that yur main problem after
reading these additonal posts is from feeding practices, which is easy
to do. So cut back on amount of food fed and the amount of times you
feed and see what happens. Odds are yu will see a difference.

Good that yur kits have not expired. There is a heap of places that
sell kits without any regard to shelf life date. Usually they still
check good, but there is always that rare occurance its not right.
On 14 Jan 2007 11:15:52 -0800, "JB" > wrote:

<<>>
<<>>JB wrote:
<<>>> Tristan wrote:
<<>>> > The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
<<>>> > build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
<<>>> > Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?
<<>>> >
<<>>> > Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
<<>>> > nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
<<>>> > them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
<<>>> > after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
<<>>> > they all should be within limits.
<<>>> >
<<>>>
<<>>>
<<>>> I did a 100% Water change just over a week ago, and when I did, I
<<>>> rinsed off my gravel thoroughly, and all my plants, and cleaned out my
<<>>> filter housing & changed my filter, plus removed a ton of algae from my
<<>>> tank just over a week ago...
<<>>>
<<>>> I added Cycle to my tank to get the beneficial bacteria going, and am
<<>>> due for more soon.. So should I do as the previous poster suggested
<<>>> and change 75% of my water even though I just changed and cleaned
<<>>> everything just over a week ago??
<<>>
<<>>
<<>>PS...... I just purchased my test kit about 2 weeks ago, and they do
<<>>not expire until 2008.. Also
<<>>I feed my fish 2x a day, sometimes 3x a day as suggested by PetCo..



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[Tristan]

THose are not dust balls. Its uneated food particles that have started
ot grow fungus from becoming rotted and spoiled. This even further
demonstrates to much food too often is the cause of your high a/n/n
levels
Syphon those fugal critters out .....and like I posted before refrain
from feeding any today or even two or three days from now. Those fish
are not going to die from lack of food. May die form water parameters
being like they were or from acquiring a fungal infection but not from
lack of food. Then start to fdeed reduced amount of food 1x a day
every other day and see how it goes. Then perhaps feed 2 times every
other day. Most fish do not require to be fed 3x a day every day. I
often let all of my fish both fresh and salt go unfed over weekends
if were away and it does them good. It gives them a chance to scour
out those particles of food that remain uneaten, and then do not get
turned into fungal balls. I feed my fish 1 x every couple of days or
so. Feed only what is actually seen to be consumed in 3 to 5 minutes
time.

Good luck..



On 14 Jan 2007 12:37:17 -0800, "JB" > wrote:

<<>>
<<>>Tristan wrote:
<<>>> Until you get your water parameters under control you would be better
<<>>> off not feeding as much. Cut it back to once a day or so every other
<<>>> day. Those fish are ot goping to starve, and at the same time yur not
<<>>> introducing more nutrients to decay and turn into nitrites and
<<>>> ammonia. This period of time will help your bacteria catch up with any
<<>>> accumulating levels in addition to water changes and you shoul dbe
<<>>> able to get yur levels back under control. Its better to keep fish
<<>>> hungry than over fed. I maintain my fish,. I do not provide a all you
<<>>> can eat buffet. I just seemtothink that yur main problem after
<<>>> reading these additonal posts is from feeding practices, which is easy
<<>>> to do. So cut back on amount of food fed and the amount of times you
<<>>> feed and see what happens. Odds are yu will see a difference.
<<>>>
<<>>> Good that yur kits have not expired. There is a heap of places that
<<>>> sell kits without any regard to shelf life date. Usually they still
<<>>> check good, but there is always that rare occurance its not right.
<<>>> On 14 Jan 2007 11:15:52 -0800, "JB" > wrote:
<<>>>
<<>>> <<>>
<<>>> <<>>JB wrote:
<<>>> <<>>> Tristan wrote:
<<>>> <<>>> > The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
<<>>> <<>>> > build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
<<>>> <<>>> > Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?
<<>>> <<>>> >
<<>>> <<>>> > Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
<<>>> <<>>> > nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
<<>>> <<>>> > them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
<<>>> <<>>> > after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
<<>>> <<>>> > they all should be within limits.
<<>>> <<>>> >
<<>>> <<>>>
<<>>> <<>>>
<<>>> <<>>> I did a 100% Water change just over a week ago, and when I did, I
<<>>> <<>>> rinsed off my gravel thoroughly, and all my plants, and cleaned out my
<<>>> <<>>> filter housing & changed my filter, plus removed a ton of algae from my
<<>>> <<>>> tank just over a week ago...
<<>>> <<>>>
<<>>> <<>>> I added Cycle to my tank to get the beneficial bacteria going, and am
<<>>> <<>>> due for more soon.. So should I do as the previous poster suggested
<<>>> <<>>> and change 75% of my water even though I just changed and cleaned
<<>>> <<>>> everything just over a week ago??
<<>>> <<>>
<<>>> <<>>
<<>>> <<>>PS...... I just purchased my test kit about 2 weeks ago, and they do
<<>>> <<>>not expire until 2008.. Also
<<>>> <<>>I feed my fish 2x a day, sometimes 3x a day as suggested by PetCo..
<<>>>
<<>>>
<<>>>
<<>>> -------
<<>>> I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!
<<>>
<<>>
<<>>
<<>>I just did a 25% Water change, and while doing so I noticed my filter
<<>>was pretty dirty but not clogged, so changed that as well.. Now I've
<<>>noticed the I guess dust balls randonly in my tank that are wrapped
<<>>around bits of food... What should I do about that??.. I appreciate
<<>>all of your advice...



-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[JB]

Tristan wrote:
> Until you get your water parameters under control you would be better
> off not feeding as much. Cut it back to once a day or so every other
> day. Those fish are ot goping to starve, and at the same time yur not
> introducing more nutrients to decay and turn into nitrites and
> ammonia. This period of time will help your bacteria catch up with any
> accumulating levels in addition to water changes and you shoul dbe
> able to get yur levels back under control. Its better to keep fish
> hungry than over fed. I maintain my fish,. I do not provide a all you
> can eat buffet. I just seemtothink that yur main problem after
> reading these additonal posts is from feeding practices, which is easy
> to do. So cut back on amount of food fed and the amount of times you
> feed and see what happens. Odds are yu will see a difference.
>
> Good that yur kits have not expired. There is a heap of places that
> sell kits without any regard to shelf life date. Usually they still
> check good, but there is always that rare occurance its not right.
> On 14 Jan 2007 11:15:52 -0800, "JB" > wrote:
>
> <<>>
> <<>>JB wrote:
> <<>>> Tristan wrote:
> <<>>> > The rotten egg smell is more than likely hydrogen sulphide which is a
> <<>>> > build up of decaying matter in the gravel. It smells like rotten eggs.
> <<>>> > Do you give your gravel a routine vac cleaning?
> <<>>> >
> <<>>> > Amquel Plus other than doing what Amquel does also locks up those
> <<>>> > nitrates and nitrites, and makes them safe, but they will still show
> <<>>> > them as present on a test. A water change wil dilute that reading, and
> <<>>> > after 2 or three changes with proper feeding routine and vac of gravel
> <<>>> > they all should be within limits.
> <<>>> >
> <<>>>
> <<>>>
> <<>>> I did a 100% Water change just over a week ago, and when I did, I
> <<>>> rinsed off my gravel thoroughly, and all my plants, and cleaned out my
> <<>>> filter housing & changed my filter, plus removed a ton of algae from my
> <<>>> tank just over a week ago...
> <<>>>
> <<>>> I added Cycle to my tank to get the beneficial bacteria going, and am
> <<>>> due for more soon.. So should I do as the previous poster suggested
> <<>>> and change 75% of my water even though I just changed and cleaned
> <<>>> everything just over a week ago??
> <<>>
> <<>>
> <<>>PS...... I just purchased my test kit about 2 weeks ago, and they do
> <<>>not expire until 2008.. Also
> <<>>I feed my fish 2x a day, sometimes 3x a day as suggested by PetCo..
>
>
>
> -------
> I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!



I just did a 25% Water change, and while doing so I noticed my filter
was pretty dirty but not clogged, so changed that as well.. Now I've
noticed the I guess dust balls randonly in my tank that are wrapped
around bits of food... What should I do about that??.. I appreciate
all of your advice...

[Gill Passman]

JB wrote:

>
> I just did a 25% Water change, and while doing so I noticed my filter
> was pretty dirty but not clogged, so changed that as well..

This is the second or third time I've noticed you mention that you have
changed your filter....are you putting in new sponges? If yes, then this
is absolutely the worst thing that you could be doing.....the bacteria
that make up the nitrogen cycle live in your filter medium....now if it
gets clogged all you should be doing is gently rinsing the sponges in
water removed from your tank (tap water is a big no, no as the chlorine
can/will kill off the bacteria).....

Please read the following link on cycling a tank:-

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html


> Now I've
> noticed the I guess dust balls randonly in my tank that are wrapped
> around bits of food... What should I do about that??.. I appreciate
> all of your advice...
>

This is decaying food (I agree with the other bloke).....your fish are
being overfed and it is this that is giving you the issues with trapped
gunk turning into Hydrogen Sulphide in your gravel and your rise in
ammonia/nitrites......I would stop feeding for a day or two....then just
feed a small amount every other day until things settle....

Products such as Cycle or also Amquel may allieviate things but the key
is to get to the root cause of the problem - it could be plainly that
the tank hasn't cycled yet, overfeeding, or over zealous cleaning that
is killing off your beneficial bacteria....

Gill

[Tristan]

On Sun, 14 Jan 2007 20:59:46 +0000, Gill Passman
> wrote:

snip
(I agree with the other bloke)
snip

<<>>Gill

Ok clue me in on this one Gill is being a "Bloke".... good or bad or
just different! I am slowly getting used to the various UK terms ;-)





-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

[Gill Passman]

Tristan wrote:

> Ok clue me in on this one Gill is being a "Bloke".... good or bad or
> just different! I am slowly getting used to the various UK terms ;-)
>

Oh dear yet another American needing lessons on the finer use of the
English language by it's true owner - lol

OK - in the way I used it in the post it means what the other
guy/fella/dude/person said....it can be a bit derogatory in certain
contexts but not the one I used it in....if I said that you were display
"blokish behaviour" this would be equal to saying "laddish behaviour" -
again I'm sure another English phrase - but one that has also made it to
other English speaking countries - which basically would mean acting
like a lout or if a more gentle interpretation was put on it it would be
acting like "one of the lads/boys".....if I said you were just being a
bloke then again it could be taken as either a soft jibe/poke, a female
humouring a male or in worst case scenario (but rarely) as an insult/put
down....like all slang it is pretty much down to the context that it is
used in that gives the connatation and whether it would be construed as
an insult or compliment or merely a description of someones
gender.....Oh dear it all gets very complex....the context I used it in
means guy/fella/dude/person and nothing more or less.....I only
included the others just in case someone went did a google and construed
as an insult - which it wasn't....

Now I hope that is all clear as mud for you now :-) Further lessons on
English slang available on request - he, he

Gill

[kietz]

JB wrote:

>
> I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
> Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
> washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
> smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
> the way to diagnosis and treatment...
>

Amquel can have a strong sulfur smell. Could that be the source of your
rotten egg smell?

kietz

[JB]

kietz wrote:
> JB wrote:
>
> >
> > I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
> > Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
> > washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
> > smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
> > the way to diagnosis and treatment...
> >
>
> Amquel can have a strong sulfur smell. Could that be the source of your
> rotten egg smell?
>
> kietz

no, because this was going on days before I started treatment.. I
haven't smelled regular AmQuel, but the new AmQuel Plus doesn't have an
odor to me..

[kietz]

JB wrote:
> kietz wrote:
>> JB wrote:
>>
>>> I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
>>> Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
>>> washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
>>> smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
>>> the way to diagnosis and treatment...
>>>
>> Amquel can have a strong sulfur smell. Could that be the source of your
>> rotten egg smell?
>>
>> kietz
>
> no, because this was going on days before I started treatment.. I
> haven't smelled regular AmQuel, but the new AmQuel Plus doesn't have an
> odor to me..
>

In that case you probably should follow Gill's advice...

good luck,

kietz

[carlrs]

kietz wrote:
> JB wrote:
> > kietz wrote:
> >> JB wrote:
> >>
> >>> I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
> >>> Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
> >>> washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
> >>> smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
> >>> the way to diagnosis and treatment...
> >>>
> >> Amquel can have a strong sulfur smell. Could that be the source of your
> >> rotten egg smell?
> >>
> >> kietz
> >
> > no, because this was going on days before I started treatment.. I
> > haven't smelled regular AmQuel, but the new AmQuel Plus doesn't have an
> > odor to me..
> >
>
> In that case you probably should follow Gill's advice...
>
> good luck,
>
> kietz

As stated by kietz Amquel may be a source of rotten egg smell, Amquel,
Prime and similar products are made of Hydrosulfite salts. Also as
stated already never totally clean all your filter media, rinse in used
tank water or de-chlorinated tap water.
As you remove the decaying food by vacuuming this also may address your
kH problem. Decay will produce nitric acids which will deplete kH.
Check you tap water to make sure there is 80 ppm in the water you are
adding back. Driftwood or Mango wood can contribute to kH depletion
too.
Here is an article about kH:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html

Carl

[JB]

carlrs wrote:
> kietz wrote:
> > JB wrote:
> > > kietz wrote:
> > >> JB wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
> > >>> Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
> > >>> washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
> > >>> smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
> > >>> the way to diagnosis and treatment...
> > >>>
> > >> Amquel can have a strong sulfur smell. Could that be the source of your
> > >> rotten egg smell?
> > >>
> > >> kietz
> > >
> > > no, because this was going on days before I started treatment.. I
> > > haven't smelled regular AmQuel, but the new AmQuel Plus doesn't have an
> > > odor to me..
> > >
> >
> > In that case you probably should follow Gill's advice...
> >
> > good luck,
> >
> > kietz
>
> As stated by kietz Amquel may be a source of rotten egg smell, Amquel,
> Prime and similar products are made of Hydrosulfite salts. Also as
> stated already never totally clean all your filter media, rinse in used
> tank water or de-chlorinated tap water.
> As you remove the decaying food by vacuuming this also may address your
> kH problem. Decay will produce nitric acids which will deplete kH.
> Check you tap water to make sure there is 80 ppm in the water you are
> adding back. Driftwood or Mango wood can contribute to kH depletion
> too.
> Here is an article about kH:
> http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html
>
> Carl

Yeah, my AmQuel Plus™ has no smell, and the problem lied in my tank
"before" any addition of the product.. My tap water has a KH of 40ppm
at most....... I do not have anything more than plastic plants, one
small 5" coral, and around 1" thick of gravel..

I have a bubble stone trying to help out with aeration, and in the past
3 days have done 2x 25% water changes to try to drop my levels..

My Nitrites went from 10.0ppm to 3.0ppm, and still lingering..

My Nitrates went from around 80ppm to 40ppm and linger... My KH has
been dropping from around 80ppm, to 40ppm and staying...

My GH is staying around 75ppm, and my ph dropped from 7.2ppm to
6.8ppm......

I do not have a kit that can test ammonia but assume that's probably
not normal either..

So to date I have tried several days of AmQuel Plus™, 2x 25% water
changes in 3 days, Stopped my fish feeding to reduce waste for a few
days, tried adding Tetra EasyBalance™ to help neutralize all
advertised levels, and have ben adding Cycle™ to my water weekly as
directed to regain my beneficial bacteria...

I have no idea of what to do now while my tank is re-cycling besides
maybe change 25% of the water every other day until the cycle
stabilizes..

Any potential tips, additives, etc from this most recent post??..
Also to re-mention I have 3x 2" SwordTail fish, and they have given
birth to about 16 fry which took place about 3 weeks ago, and the fry
reside in a net in the corner of my 10 Gallon tank...

[carlrs]

JB wrote:
> carlrs wrote:
> > kietz wrote:
> > > JB wrote:
> > > > kietz wrote:
> > > >> JB wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >>> I meant tyo type AmQuel Plus is supposed to treat Nitrate, Nitrite &
> > > >>> Ammonia.. I listed Nitrate twice for those who noticed.. Also after
> > > >>> washing my hands 2-3 times there's still a slight rotten egg or so
> > > >>> smell on my hands after dealing with my aquarium if this helps point
> > > >>> the way to diagnosis and treatment...
> > > >>>
> > > >> Amquel can have a strong sulfur smell. Could that be the source of your
> > > >> rotten egg smell?
> > > >>
> > > >> kietz
> > > >
> > > > no, because this was going on days before I started treatment.. I
> > > > haven't smelled regular AmQuel, but the new AmQuel Plus doesn't have an
> > > > odor to me..
> > > >
> > >
> > > In that case you probably should follow Gill's advice...
> > >
> > > good luck,
> > >
> > > kietz
> >
> > As stated by kietz Amquel may be a source of rotten egg smell, Amquel,
> > Prime and similar products are made of Hydrosulfite salts. Also as
> > stated already never totally clean all your filter media, rinse in used
> > tank water or de-chlorinated tap water.
> > As you remove the decaying food by vacuuming this also may address your
> > kH problem. Decay will produce nitric acids which will deplete kH.
> > Check you tap water to make sure there is 80 ppm in the water you are
> > adding back. Driftwood or Mango wood can contribute to kH depletion
> > too.
> > Here is an article about kH:
> > http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html
> >
> > Carl
>
> Yeah, my AmQuel Plusâ„¢ has no smell, and the problem lied in my tank
> "before" any addition of the product.. My tap water has a KH of 40ppm
> at most....... I do not have anything more than plastic plants, one
> small 5" coral, and around 1" thick of gravel..
>
> I have a bubble stone trying to help out with aeration, and in the past
> 3 days have done 2x 25% water changes to try to drop my levels..
>
> My Nitrites went from 10.0ppm to 3.0ppm, and still lingering..
>
> My Nitrates went from around 80ppm to 40ppm and linger... My KH has
> been dropping from around 80ppm, to 40ppm and staying...
>
> My GH is staying around 75ppm, and my ph dropped from 7.2ppm to
> 6.8ppm......
>
> I do not have a kit that can test ammonia but assume that's probably
> not normal either..
>
> So to date I have tried several days of AmQuel Plusâ„¢, 2x 25% water
> changes in 3 days, Stopped my fish feeding to reduce waste for a few
> days, tried adding Tetra EasyBalanceâ„¢ to help neutralize all
> advertised levels, and have ben adding Cycleâ„¢ to my water weekly as
> directed to regain my beneficial bacteria...
>
> I have no idea of what to do now while my tank is re-cycling besides
> maybe change 25% of the water every other day until the cycle
> stabilizes..
>
> Any potential tips, additives, etc from this most recent post??..
> Also to re-mention I have 3x 2" SwordTail fish, and they have given
> birth to about 16 fry which took place about 3 weeks ago, and the fry
> reside in a net in the corner of my 10 Gallon tank...

Currently you seem to be taking appropriate steps, but the dropping kH
still indicates to me you either have too much acid production
somewhere or your tap is very acid with 0 kH. Based on your high
nitrite and nitrate levels I would guess that you still have decay and
waste breakdown going on somewhere.

*Make sure to test your water that you are performing water changes
with to verify this is helping your problem.

*Make sure you vacuum in all areas of your aquarium during your water
changes, in particular under rocks and decor to make sure ALL decaying
mulm is removed. Also make sure ALL filters do not have a mulm buildup
somewhere, canister and wet-dry filters are notorious for this.

*Note that the Amquel is not a solution to your problem, just a band
aid until your cycle improves or you find the cause of this such as
wastes build up.

*When you clean filters, rinse your media in used tank water or
de-chlorinated tap water, never in straight tap water. Also never
change all media at once.

*Consider an additional filter, such as a sponge filter to increase
your bio capacity.

*Besides cutting back on feeding, consider if your tank is over
crowded. And back to feeding, make sure you feed a food that is highly
digestible such as Spirulina based flakes, and not ones loaded in
animal proteins and cereal that will add to the bio load.

Carl
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Information.html