blondie needs assistance
Re: blondie needs assistance
Thanks again, I appreciate the advice, but I've been doing daily water changes for months now, and it's getting really frustrating. I've already stripped the tank bare, no gravel or plants, to make water changes easier. I'm at a loss here, it's not fun for me and I feel terrible for my poor fish. Maybe adding another filter will help, I'm willing to try anything at this point.
Re: blondie needs assistance
Don't bother using Zeolite, I've learned that the hard way - it just removes ammonia from the water, but it also stops the filter bacteria from developing.
I'd recommend testing your gravel to see if it's the culprit behind your ammonia issues. Just put some of it in a container of water and check the ammonia levels before you add the gravel. Then, test it again a week later to see if anything's changed. It's possible that your gravel is producing ammonia, or maybe something else in the tank is the problem.
Also, don't forget to check your tap water for ammonia - it's an easy thing to overlook, but it could be contributing to your issues.
I'd recommend testing your gravel to see if it's the culprit behind your ammonia issues. Just put some of it in a container of water and check the ammonia levels before you add the gravel. Then, test it again a week later to see if anything's changed. It's possible that your gravel is producing ammonia, or maybe something else in the tank is the problem.
Also, don't forget to check your tap water for ammonia - it's an easy thing to overlook, but it could be contributing to your issues.
Re: blondie needs assistance
I was thinking of just letting it sit for a day. The 10 gal has brand new gravel, and the 5 gal doesn't have any since I removed it all for the water changes. I'm wondering if my live plants that I transferred from the 5 to the 10 could be the culprit? I also thought about the tap water, I'll test it tomorrow when I do the next water change. Thanks again!
Re: blondie needs assistance
It's unlikely that the live plants are causing the ammonia issue, unless they're dying or rotting. New gravel, on the other hand, can sometimes leach ammonia and other stuff into the water, so that's a possibility.
Re: blondie needs assistance
I'm curious, how long have you had your bushy nose albino pleco, and what's its size like? I've got a hunch that having a pleco, even a relatively small one like a bristlenose, in a five-gallon tank with a betta might be making it tougher to get your ammonia levels under control. Plecos are notorious for producing a lot of waste, and I'm wondering if that might be contributing to your issues.