Soil substrate (unfertilized). Substrate very alive and breathing. Lots of CO2 bubbles.
Heavily planted - elodea, java moss, java fern, vals, frogbit, ludwiga repens, hornwort, swords, baby's tears, duckweed, 2 other bunched unknown rooted plants. All plants are flourishing. Flourishing could be an understatement. All plants with runners have multiple runners, cropping valls everyday, ludwiga repens is red and growing like crazy.
Water breathing snails and all invertebrates doing well.
Fish seem healthy except 2 dace. No loss of fish in weeks. Lost 5 to O2 depletion overnight and 2 to unknown causes. 2 dace don't seem active in water column. One sits on bottom and one wedges itself between filter intake and aquarium glass, but darters, larger dace, white sucker, and white cloud minnows seem healthy and active.
Water cloudy for last 72 hours. Cloudiness correlates with significant nitrite readings as well as nitrate reasons so assuming it is a bacteria bloom.
The question I have is, is it normal to have HIGH ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings at the same time? Everything I can find about the break in period says I should expect a peak in ammonia readings then a drop to near zero followed by nitrite readins then a similar event in relation to nitrites and nitrates. I however have high readings on all 3.
Anyone have similar experiences or a possible explanation? I am using zeolite to try to control ammonia but it will not go away. I can't figure it out.
Edited by lozgod, 24 October 2009 - 08:36 PM.