Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Nitrite is through the roof! 65 Gallon tank, about 74-76*F, just added some plants about 2 weeks ago, not overstocked (not even close) Crazy amounts of brown algae as well .... I use aquarium salt, how do I fix this quickly!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmguy Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 well brown algae id kill the lights for a few days put a few extra plecos in there....nitrite id do a 40 % water change and wait a bit and check again. the "good bacteria" that breaks this stuff down might not be at full potentinal.....i suppose we need to know what kinda filtration and how long has it been running? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 It runs on an aqua clear filter, designed for 70 gallons (mines 65) and its been running for quite a while, 3 months ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandopsis Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 In my opinion if a filter states it is good for a 75g then cut it in half. So i would definately get another filter. What have you been feeding your fish and how much. It might be a simple case of over feeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midgetwaiter Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 You added either a liquid fertilizer or root tabs of some kind right? That's what did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthyosporidium Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 How long have you had this tank running for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Added a liquid fertilizer ... thats what - raised the nitrite, or started the brown algae or both? PS - With this filter, it tends to keep crystal clear, of course, this says nothing about the nitrite level, but it smells and looks clear all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthyosporidium Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Is there any dead or dying leaves? or as Nandopsis said, What is your feeding schedule? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 There do not appear to be any dead or dying leaves, I feed once - twice a day, and there isn't anything left over on the bottom, I actully think sometimes I may be underfeeding,. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthyosporidium Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Most likely then it is the ferts you added, as Midgetwaiter said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 So if I do a 20% water change every day for the next few days, will this help to quell the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthyosporidium Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Do a 20% water change and test in the morning, if it is still high, then change anither 20 to 25%, depending on results Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Alright, thanks very much for the information & help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 What kind of ferts are you using? I don't know of any aquarium ferts that use nitrite. If you've got something that's normally used for terrestrials, it could have ammonia (which converts to nitrite when oxidized). What do you use to dechlorinate your water? If you use Prime, then do a 50%+ WC... oh wait - does Cgy use chloramine to treat the water? If not, do a big WC using whatever method you use to dechlorinate. What kind of plants do you have? Floating? Stem? If not, get some of those (I'll send some floaters w. the shrimp) - they'll help w. the nitrites. Brown algae? Spots/slime layer, or hair? If it's spots/slime, it's likely diatoms. What's your lighting schedule? How new are your bulbs? You may need to increase your lighting a bit (10-12 hrs/day is ideal for planted tanks), and make sure your T12 bulbs are newer than 6 months or your T8 bulbs newer than a year. If it's a brown hair algae, then your ferts are out of whack. Are you adding CO2? If you want this to be a planted tank, it should be something to consider. If you're already adding CO2, add a bit more. If you're using DIY (or pressurized for that matter), bubble it into the intake of a powerhead that is turned off when your lights go out - that way, you don't add CO2 when it's not needed, and won't have pH problems or fish gasping. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted September 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 I use prime, so I'll do a big water change. Lighting is on a timer, 12 hours a day, and unfortunately, I dont think it's bright enough, which sucks cause I just spent $80 on these new bulbs! 2 X 6700 K each, 320 LUX a piece, on a 65 gallon tank, which by popular consensus on this forum is too little. May have to upgrade to brighter bulbs asap, but not sure where to get anything any brighrter (and the size i use is 42" not 48" I've been adding a little C02 with the homemade system, right into the power filter, which i cannot see is making a difference, adds about 2 - 4 bubbles a second, for a 65 gallon tank, too much, too little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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