Also plagued with bubbles not popping

[CrazieEddie]

I just did a 30% water change the other day and accidently set my aeriator to full blast so the bubble wand was producing a lot of bubbles. I got lazy to adjust it so I left it for awhile. I later noticed that the bubbles were not popping. I read another thread (http://www.aquariumpros.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1299&highlight=bubbles) regarding it.

Since I just did a partial water change and normally do the water changes every week, I wonder if this is still a sign of organics dissolved in water?

I know my tank is overstocked, but my largest fish right now are the clown loaches & dwarf gourami, which are about 2". I plan to move them all to a 75g or larger tank.

I currently turned off the bubble wand, since I should have enough aeriation thru my powerheads with UGF & my Emperor 400 filter.

I just tested the water and here are my levels:
Ammonia: slightly over 1, but way less than .25
Hardness: 250
Alkalinity: between .80 & 1.20
pH: 8.4
Nitrite: less than .5

The only plants I have are java moss and this type that looks like a blades of thin grass. This plant is a test plant to see if it could grown in my tank. It's main stems are green, but the ends are stringy and yellow, which appears to be the fault of the Oto's (I guess).


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This is my current inventory:
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(1) 55 Gallon tank
(1) Emperor Power Filter 400
(2) PowerSweep 214 Rotating Powerhead with UGF
(1) Proquatics 150 Watt Submersible Heater (Temp at 78F)
(1) APC 700 UPS w/Battery Backup

(1) Flame Dwarf Gourami (1M)
(2) Upside Down Cat
(1) African Butterfly
(3) Clown Loach
(2) Angel
(4) Guppies (2M/2F)
(6) Zebra Danio
(5) Neon Tetras
(5) Glow Light Tetras
(6) Otocinclus Catfish
(1) Dwarf Bristlenose Pleco

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(1) 20 Gallon tank (Birthing Tank)
(1) Emperor Power Filter 280
(1) PowerSweep 214 Rotating Powerhead with UGF
(1) Proquatics 100 Watt Submersible Heater (Temp at 78F)

(4) Red (Harlequin) Rasbora
(3) Adolfoi Cory Cat
(1) Guppies
(2) Guppies Baby (1M/1F)
(3) Otocinclus Catfish
(1) Dwarf Bristlenose Pleco

[vjvl51]

The fact that your ammonia and nitrites are not 0 says that your bio load is greater than your bacteria can handle and you have dissolved organics in your water. (I am assuming that your ammonia greater than 1 but less than .25 was a typo - you meant greater than .1) If you weren't doing a 30% partial each week, you would probably be running to more problems with higher ammonia and nitrites. The orgainics rotting results in ammonia. Certain bacteria take that ammonia and change it into nitrites. Other bacteria change the nitrites into nitrates. You get rid of the nitrates by doing partial water changes.

I would not do more than 30% weekly except in a short term emergency. You don't want to change all your bacteria away.

If you don't want to upgrade to a larger tank right now, I would suggest replacing your Emporer 400 with a canister filter to increase the amount of filter media available. The more filter media available the more space for the bacteria to grow. If you purchase a cansiter filter sized for your 75 gallon that you mentioned upgrading to, then the canister can move with the fish to the new tank cutting down on your cycle time (the bacteria is established in the filter media). I would definitely plan on running a canister and UGF in your bigger tank - that way you have the advantages of both filtration systems.

Yellow at the tips of plants are usually caused by a) insufficient lighting or b) lack of iron in the water. A good aquarium fertilizer (I use Flora Pride from Tetra) will solve the lack of iron. I add some to my tanks any time I see the yellow around the edges.

Your pH is a little high for angels and other South American fish. Most South American fish prefer a pH of close to 7.0 to 8.0. I wouldn't worry about this unless your fish start to show problems. When you get your ammonia and nitrites to 0, you will probably find that your pH has dropped as well.

Vickie

[CrazieEddie]

Thanks. I'll look into purchasing a canister filter that will support a bigger tank (75g or I might go with 90g).

And yes, you are correct. That 1 should have been a .1 It was a typo :D

I was also planning to buy driftwood and place it in the tank. I hear this is good for the bristlenose pleco. Besides, I'm planning to redecorate my tank with more natural looking decor.

If I add the driftwood, will this change my levels also? If so, what?

[vjvl51]

Depending upon the size of the driftwood and the type of wood used, you may see your pH lower but it shouldn't be by much - maybe 0.1. You will see your water go a little brown - caused by the tanin leaching out. This is good. Many fish like the tanin especially the South American fish.

I think in a previous post you mentioned that you were looking at the Eheim brand of canister. That should do the trick.

Vickie

[CrazieEddie]

I forgot to include....during each water change, I always add stress coat and stress zyme. I also add aquarium salt once in awhile. I haven't done so during this water change.

Also, thanks to my Clown loaches ridding my tank of those pesty snails, I have a lot of decaying snail shells in the tank. I try to get some out during the cleaning (I use a python), but I miss a few.

What will the above do to my water parameters?

Depending upon the size of the driftwood and the type of wood used, you may see your pH lower but it shouldn't be by much - maybe 0.1. You will see your water go a little brown - caused by the tanin leaching out. This is good. Many fish like the tanin especially the South American fish

Will the water always remain brown due to the tanin, or will it eventually go away after some regular water changes?

[vjvl51]

Your ammonia and nitrites may be caused by the decaying snail bodies. Snail bodies have a high protien content which is why it doesn't take much to "poison" the water. If the loaches have eaten the bodies (which is what should happen) the snail shells dissolving in the water will increase your water hardness. Since this takes time and you do frequent water changes, I don't think the difference will be measurable.

The tanin will always be there to a certain extent (after 5 years, my water still darkened). I should clarify this. The "brown" water is not noticeable to most people. You will notice it most if you look into a pail of fresh water and a pail of water that you have removed from the tank. If you are a person that is looking for a clinical, crystal clear water, then you will notice a darkening of the water. Personnally, I liked the tanin look. My tank took on a more natural look, IMO. It is not so dark that your water looks dirty. The best way I can describe it is the difference between painting a room white or off-white. The longer the time between water changes, the darker the water gets. (I sometimes have gone a month between water changes.) With your weekly water changes, you probably won't notice hardly any darkening of the water.

Try it and if you find the water gets too dark, try soaking the wood in a pail for a month or so. The amount of tanin at the beginning is always more than what you will get after a month or so. It also depends upon the wood used as to how much tanin is released.

Vickie