Hello,
I could really do with some of your expertise...My fishless cycle was coming to an end, 5ppm of ammonia ---> nitrate in 12 hours, so I decided to plant and get the fish the next day.
However, the day after I planted, my ammonia was 0.5 and nitrite was 0.25...which is confusing...as it was cycling ammonia very well and nitrite too... So unfortunately, I decided not to get any fish.
I've also performed some waterchanges and the ammonia was the same as the previous test which leads me to believe something is producing ammonia...
I've trimmed all the plants and removed any dying leaves so i'm unsure. I have tropica plant substrate but i've read from various sources this doesn't raise ammonia.
One cause might be that I've added bogwood, which has lowered my soft water to 6pH. Now I believe 6.4pH or less stalls/slows the bacteria down that cycle the water, but why would the ammonia increase? if it is somehow the bogwood, I have microsorum pteropus and anubias nana attached to them so how can I store them? (I only have one tank...)
Any help is much appreciated, thanks for your time.
I could really do with some of your expertise...My fishless cycle was coming to an end, 5ppm of ammonia ---> nitrate in 12 hours, so I decided to plant and get the fish the next day.
However, the day after I planted, my ammonia was 0.5 and nitrite was 0.25...which is confusing...as it was cycling ammonia very well and nitrite too... So unfortunately, I decided not to get any fish.
I've also performed some waterchanges and the ammonia was the same as the previous test which leads me to believe something is producing ammonia...
I've trimmed all the plants and removed any dying leaves so i'm unsure. I have tropica plant substrate but i've read from various sources this doesn't raise ammonia.
One cause might be that I've added bogwood, which has lowered my soft water to 6pH. Now I believe 6.4pH or less stalls/slows the bacteria down that cycle the water, but why would the ammonia increase? if it is somehow the bogwood, I have microsorum pteropus and anubias nana attached to them so how can I store them? (I only have one tank...)
Any help is much appreciated, thanks for your time.