I think my otto cats are keeping my ammonia in my ten gallon up

[Shidohari]

also i added a full capful of stability. may start that seven day cycle for this tank in question in the living room with the beta and oto cats in it to get things back up.

Since i've done this water change should i monitor the ammo only i know i still see things floating around in my tank after adding the new water that got stirred up?

[fishmommie]

don't worry about things that get stirred up during a W/C that's normal. it will settled down. Just try to pour the water in slowly if you're using a bucket to keep the floaters to a minimum.

If you feel better about it check your Nitrites and Nitrates as well.
I truly think things will settle down again after you do a few W/C to get the ammonia back down and cut way back on the cleaning.

[dizzydezzy]

Just thought I would mention this, while some of the ammonia is produced by the fish digestion/poop, the majority of it comes from respiration and enters the water through the fish's gills.. The string of poop is not that great an indication of how much ammonia is being produced.

Sounds like you somehow lost your cycle - probably overcleaning the filter as suggested before.

[Shidohari]

I didn't know that dizzy, thanks for pointing that out.

[fishmommie]

alright also since i've got you two here...i know i have leftover plant rot in the bottom of the finished fishless cycle tank, (that's been changed to fake plants too) i've been leaving it in there because it's a stable .5 ammo reading and i'm using it to feed the bacteria until i am able to get some fish this weekend when i get paid...:: hoping for the ember tetras assassin snail and nerite snail i wanted, though one of my LFS may get cherry shrimps in tomorrow too). Am i doing the right thing? I figure at a constant .5 reading i shouldn't have to worry about adding ammo.
If you have a thread going on your fishless cycle tank, I would ask these questions there. It's very difficult to have to jump back and forth between threads and figure out which thread is being referenced.

I have nudged the temp up on the living room ten gallon tank to get the BB growing back faster, may have to nudge it down again if it gets too warm for the oto cats...Prior to WC it was 77.8 i think.Anything else i should do?

There's no need to bump the temp. The BB will grow again if you simply stop over cleaning. As previously suggested, watch your ammonia level, do a W/C when necessary and the cycle will recover. Then just watch your cleaning so you don't over do ongoing.

Also - moving that snail back and forth between tanks could be hard on him. Water chemistry could be different in each tank. I would stop moving him around.
l

[Shidohari]

copy that, i think he went into hiding after being put back in his correct tank...Jack will do that to anyone in his tank with him...Yes he's named after Jack Harkness of torchwood...(cause he's so very hot not because i got into the series itself)

The temp is still warming up in the tank i'm going to nudge it back so it stops moving on the heat cycle in the living room tank with the betta and otos in it...thanks for the follow up

[Tiari]

The Oto's are likely not the source of the ammonia showing up, although it could be from any bits of uneaten food. Food for the snail and Oto's I've found is notorious for bringing up bad readings if it is not scrupulously kept up after. Any remnants hanging around can cause major problems.

Snails, not the Oto, are huge waste producers. They can attribute to a lot of waste in a small tank.

My Theory is, if you are still showing nitrates, and no nitrites, and ammonia is starting to show up, that something is decaying at a higher rate than the bio-filter can keep up with. Make sure you clean the tank, by removing ALL decorations, and giving the substrate a SERIOUS vacuum. Then, rinse out all filter media in removed tank water. Rinse out any decorations and plants in DECHLORINATED water, to make sure any bits of detritus are removed from leaves, crevices and the like. After doing this, test the water after 12 hours, and then 24 to see if there is any improvement.

Oops! Edit: Somehow on my phone it did not show the rest of the posts, if this information is "behind the times' of things getting caught up, disregard!

[Shidohari]

whether it's behind the times or not, it's still good information.

Also i purchased an aquarium veggie clip today to put into the tank. going to try the cucumber again for the ottos

[fishmommie]

whether it's behind the times or not, it's still good information.

Also i purchased an aquarium veggie clip today to put into the tank. going to try the cucumber again for the ottos

I would suggest that you not add any more food matter to that tank than you have to until after you get the ammonia back to 0. So, you might want to hold off on the cuc until you get things straightened out

[Shidohari]

i plan to i just wanted to have it on hand fishmommie. i still need to test this tank for the night. will do after i finish my dinner.