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Ammonia, nitrite rising after adding an additional filter?!


Parfitt1234

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Parfitt1234

HELP! 
 

I have a 105L tank and I had some problems before but now it seemed to be fine and ammonia and nitrite were 0. However today I purchased another filter to add to my aquarium. A much more powerful filter (canister filter) which processes 1000L an hour. 
Today I’ve seen a rise in ammonia and nitrite? I haven’t taken anything from the tank, I’ve still got my other filter going and have live rock. I did a water change today aswell. Maybe 30/40%. 
 

im wondering if anyone can help me figure out why I’m getting a rise. Do you think it’s because the new filter is pumping in so much water that the old filter is not really working as much? Should I add the filter media from my old filter to the cannister filter so that it passes through it with the more powerful pump?

 

im a beginner so still learning.

 

thank you

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That sounds like something might have died and is now decaying, or like the water you used for the water change had ammonia in it. A new filter shouldn't cause an ammonia spike. 

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Parfitt1234

The only thing I can think of is a tiny turbo snail which I found dead yesterday. But I mean tiny, I can’t even find it. An there was no ammonia in the new water 

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Parfitt1234
17 minutes ago, Tired said:

That sounds like something might have died and is now decaying, or like the water you used for the water change had ammonia in it. A new filter shouldn't cause an ammonia spike. 

Do you think I should add the older filter media to the new canister filter so it passes through that more? Or just keep the two running?

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Most of your biological media is in the rockwork. The filter should have little to nothing to do with it, especially if water is still going through the old media at least a little bit. 

 

How much of a rise are you seeing? 

 

Is it possible the filter was cleaned with ammonia, for some reason? 

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Parfitt1234

With the new filter media, I rinsed the activated carbon under tap water before adding it to the filter, and the ceramic rings so it wasn’t rinsed under any ammonia. 
 

my nitrite has risen to about 0.25/0.50

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Parfitt1234

I’ve turned the cannister filter off for tonight to see if when I wake up if the nitrite goes down. 

Obviously the other filter is still running 

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You should really be doing a water change to take that nitrate down, especially if there's still any ammonia. Any detectable ammonia is harmful to livestock, and nitrites aren't much better.

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Totally separate from your ammonia spike issue, but I would remove the ceramic rings from the filter.  You want your biological filter to reside in your live rock and sand.  Removing the rings will also help to keep the unit clean.  Bio-rings are fine if you don't have live rock (but you would still want to keep the rings clean).

 

For a canister filter, I would just use a mechanical media (filter floss) and activated carbon.  I might not even run the carbon all of the time (maybe just occasionally to remove the color from the water).  And don't feel compelled to add live rock rubble to the filter; rubble would function the same as the rings and have the same problems.

 

There's really nothing wrong with using a canister filter, but they tend to be a little less convenient to maintain and change media than HOB filters.  I feel that's the only reason they are less popular.

 

As for your ammonia spike, I agree with Tired, a death and/or the water change were the most likely causes for the spike.  Newly mixed water can sometimes contain detectable amounts of ammonia.  That's not typically an issue with a 10% water change in a mature tank; but could cause a detectable spike in a newer tank when doing a larger water change.  You can test a newly mixed batch of water to see if it contains detectable amounts of ammonia.

 

We're also assuming that you didn't disrupt anything during the water change.  Disrupting a previously undisturbed substrate can cause an ammonia spike, as well as a spike in other nutrients (as organic material is released).

 

The death is similar; a single snail dying is almost a non-event in a larger mature tank, but it could be noticeable in a smaller less mature system.  It could be one, or a combination of factors.  However, like Tired, I doubt the filter itself is the cause.

 

If you have fish, use Seachem Prime daily (for a couple of weeks) to temporarily convert the ammonia to ammonium (which passes through a fish's gills easier than ammonia).  Prime can mess up most ammonia tests kits, so using a Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge can be a better test kit when dosing Prime.

 

As for nitrite, don't worry too much about it.  While fairly toxic in freshwater tanks, it is far less of an issue for a saltwater setup (due to pH and other factors).  Nitrite testing can be used to help monitor a cycle, but it's rarely tested for after that.  Most of us don't even use nitrite test kits.

 

Also note that if using an API ammonia test kit (which are fairly sensitive to low levels of ammonia), they can show a detectable color change when some other kits do not.  This color change does actually show that it's detecting total ammonia (ammonia + ammonium); but a slight color change does not necessarily always indicate toxic levels.

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Parfitt1234

Thank you.

 

well I’ve just done a water change and am about to go to work so will check the water when I get home!

i do have the seachem badge and it does show a safe level of ammonia. I am adding prime daily.

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