i have had a ninty gallon set up for a while i have 7 parrots and a shuvelnose cat ant i lost my bacteria some how and now im going through a cycle what is the fastest way to get rid of it
2007-02-20 07:17:38 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Water changes are the fastest way to get rid of it. You will need to do that until the cycle has a chance to restart and keep the tank safe again.
MM
2007-02-20 07:23:01 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You lost your bacteria? Did you do a total overhaul of the tank or something? You can detox the tank quickly by using AmQuel+, a product you should be able to find at any fish or pet store. I wouldn't suggest getting read of *all* of the ammonia, because you do have to have some to restart the bacteria cycle. Also, it might be a good idea to add some StressCoat if you haven't already done so. Whatever happened to your bacteria would most definitely have a traumatizing effect on your fish, which will make them far more likely to develop ich and other sorts of nasty things you don't want. Also, it sounds like you must be testing the water if you know the bacteria is cycling oddly...so I would keep testing it continually so you know when it starts to stabilize, if it does. I would also suggest talking to the workers in the fish dept. of your favorite fish/pet store (not Walmart---they usually just send over extras from the Lawn and Garden dept.). More often than not, these people have had a lot of experience with fish and aquariums and can give you some good tips.
2007-02-20 15:27:43 · answer #2 · answered by Katy M 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Start with a single large water change to physically remove it.
Add bio-spyra from refridgerator section of fish store. 90 gallons worth will be about $36-50
Use amquel or some other product to convert the am3 to am4 molecules, a less toxic ammonia molicule. Ammonia will still show up on the tests, but it is mostly detoxified. The bacteria will eat both am3 & am4 ammonia.
In addition, you may be able to assist your bacteria by using a sponge filter or to hooked up to an air line. I have had really good luck with these things helping populate the bacteria in a tank. People say that they take weeks to colonize, but my experience has led me to beleive that they are a help.
This will have things under control in about 48-72 hours.
2007-02-20 16:03:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
do a 50% water change out with distilled water that should help lots
2007-02-20 16:14:17 · answer #4 · answered by meanjeanbean2 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
their is this liquid called prime .... or amquel ... they work wonderfullly ... !! give it a try !!
2007-02-20 16:20:05 · answer #5 · answered by CRISTIE C 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋