Ammonia & nitrite spike in winter stalk tank

[Lenae98]

missing my pond and it's wonderful low maintenance nitrifying cycle a lot right now.

Only been a week since my last water change in the winter stalk tank and ammonia and nitrite were up to unacceptable levels .50ppm

Only feeding twice a week. Think I need more filtration? I'm running 2 double sponge filters with cycled bio media and an extra large sponge running in addition..its 110 gallon tank.

UPDATE: still showing Trace Amounts of ammonia and nitrites after a 60% water change. I added some ammonia lock but I'm wondering if I should add beneficial bacteria? I don't want to push the cycle too fast and cause a major spike that might be dangerous to my fish. Can someone give me advice?

UPDATE 2: Added some plantings spiked with beneficial bacteria and rocks from the pond. I don't know anything more I can do but increase water changes and monitor closely.

 

[mrsclem]

What's your water temp? If its below 55° , you need to stop feeding.

 

[Lenae98]

What's your water temp? If its below 55° , you need to stop feeding.

No they're in a heated garage the water temp is 65F

 

[Jhn]

How many fish are in that stock tank and what size are they, Either way would stop feeding, completely for a bit, and keep doing water changes until the tank is done cycling. My guess is you don’t have enough SSA and Filtration in there to handle fish load., you can add bacteria in a bottle but they really aren’t beneficial. There are only a few products out there that truly have live bacteria cultures, most are completely useless.

You are on the right track with your approach though.

 

[LuckyDog]

Stick in a pot of Yellow Flag Iris, they grow like weeds (they are weeds) but they'll suck every bit of nutrient out of the water any time of the year. I'm assuming you have lighting in your garage for your fish and plants?

PS, Can I come live in your garage? it's warmer than my house!

 

[Lenae98]

How many fish are in that stock tank and what size are they, Either way would stop feeding, completely for a bit, and keep doing water changes until the tank is done cycling. My guess is you don’t have enough SSA and Filtration in there to handle fish load., you can add bacteria in a bottle but they really aren’t beneficial. There are only a few products out there that truly have live bacteria cultures, most are completely useless.

You are on the right track with your approach though.

Only two fish 5.5 and 4 inches but I bought a third fish (4.5 to 5 inches) on the advice of another group. He's in quarantine at the moment. I gotta get this thing working by the time quarantine is over. What's SSA stand for?

 

[Lenae98]

Stick in a pot of Yellow Flag Iris, they grow like weeds (they are weeds) but they'll suck every bit of nutrient out of the water any time of the year. I'm assuming you have lighting in your garage for your fish and plants?

PS, Can I come live in your garage? it's warmer than my house!

I have a dormant pot of yellow iris in the pond but no way my husband is lifting that pot out for me at this point. He hates moving those things too heavy. Big pot.

 

[Lenae98]

missing my pond and it's wonderful low maintenance nitrifying cycle a lot right now.

Only been a week since my last water change in the winter stalk tank and ammonia and nitrite were up to unacceptable levels .50ppm View attachment 144921 Only feeding twice a week. Think I need more filtration? I'm running 2 double sponge filters with cycled bio media and an extra large sponge running in addition..its 110 gallon tank.

UPDATE: still showing Trace Amounts of ammonia and nitrites after a 60% water change. I added some ammonia lock but I'm wondering if I should add beneficial bacteria? I don't want to push the cycle too fast and cause a major spike that might be dangerous to my fish. Can someone give me advice?

UPDATE 2: Added some plantings spiked with beneficial bacteria and rocks from the pond. I don't know anything more I can do but increase water changes and monitor closely.

UPDATE 3: Prime arrives today will switch it with my API water conditioner. Turned up the volume of air going through the current filtration. Tank now sounds like a boiling pot of water there's so much disturbance on the surface. I have made preparations to add two additional double sponge filters with bio media. That'll be a total of 4 double sponges running with an additional extra lrg sponge as well. Hope that'll do it. Nitrites back up to .25 today.

 

[Jhn]

Only two fish 5.5 and 4 inches but I bought a third fish (4.5 to 5 inches) on the advice of another group. He's in quarantine at the moment. I gotta get this thing working by the time quarantine is over. What's SSA stand for?

Specific surface area referring to area used by bacteria to colonize. How was your cycled bio media cycled?

With just 2 fish and cycled media you shouldn’t see much of a cycle. Your tank is going through what sounds like just a new tank being cycle…….

 

[Lenae98]

Specific surface area referring to area used by bacteria to colonize. How was your cycled bio media cycled?

With just 2 fish and cycled media you shouldn’t see much of a cycle. Your tank is going through what sounds like just a new tank being cycle…….

The media was cycled in a tank that I cultivate live food for the fish in but that project is still in development and the only bio load in that tank is from a small colony of bladder snails. I am wondering if the bio load was so light in the snail tank that the heavier load of being in the fish tank is now causing a cycle? I added more surfaces bacteria can grow on. Hoping it'll correct soon.

 

[Jhn]

The media was cycled in a tank that I cultivate live food for the fish in but that project is still in development and the only bio load in that tank is from a small colony of bladder snails. I am wondering if the bio load was so light in the snail tank that the heavier load of being in the fish tank is now causing a cycle? I added more surfaces bacteria can grow on. Hoping it'll correct soon.

I would say that yes that is the issue the snails were in all likelihood putting out too little waste to get sufficient bacteria growing to keep up with a fish load.

 

[sissy]

you can feed as long as it is wheat germ food

 

[Faebinder]

still wondering why the fish arent outside....

Anyway, without plants, there is no way to take out the nitrogen produced by the fish without waterchanges. Algae will help eventually if the pond in the garage is not too small for the fish.