# H2O2 experience (BAD ONE)



## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

after hearing people having success with H2O2 to kill algae i thought i try it. this is my original thread http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=198523&highlight=

i know what i had was not cyno bacteria as i thought it was, turn out to be green dust algae and i dosed the entire bottle (i was stupid i know) of H2O2 to see what will happen. within 2 days it killed all the algae and plant slowly start to melt away, only left the sticks behind, all the leaves were gone, since that day i did many water changes and i knew it also effected the bacteria and had to recycle the tank again. since then plant never grew even if i add the new plants they would simply melt away within couple of days. right now all the plants are not growing at all, even the new one, i am dosing EI on this tank, its not co2 or ferts issue. 

i think after i killed all the bacteria they can no longer convert the nitrate to ammonium for plants to use, this is the only culprit i could think of, maybe i should dose ammonium for while the tank regain all the bacteria. 

just an good lesson for me and H2O2 does not solve the root cause, the algae was back again but its not bad as it use to be. after killing all my plants, i think i will need more, if anyone is willing to hook me for good price shoot me pm.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

Crikey, a whole bottle? That's a guaranteed tank nuke, kills every living thing.

If you want an effective H2O2 treatment, try mine:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=203684

The H2O2 portion can be used separately or in combination as I described.

Also, bacteria convert ammonia to nitrate, not the other way around. Plants can use ammonia or nitrate directly, so a functioning biofilter isn't required.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

DarkCobra said:


> Crikey, a whole bottle? That's a guaranteed tank nuke, kills every living thing.
> 
> If you want an effective H2O2 treatment, try mine:
> 
> ...


am still scratching my head thinking how come plants were fine before i nuked it with H2O2 and it has been about 3 weeks and nothing is growing anymore. 


i will look into your thread, do you also have any plants to sell so i can get this thing started again? i added new HC which melted within couple of days remain mystery, before dosing H2O2 it was doing fine.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

If I had to venture a guess, it would be that after killing all the bacteria, the contents of your substrate are now an anaerobic, rotting, toxic mess.

I'd gravel vac. Thoroughly and repeatedly, until the water runs clear. I did this when I intentionally nuked a tank with a whole bottle of H2O2, and had no problems. Hope you're not using dirt!

Sorry, no plants to sell at the moment. Have already promised my clippings for about the next two months to some local planted tank enthusiasts.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

DarkCobra said:


> If I had to venture a guess, it would be that after killing all the bacteria, the contents of your substrate are now an anaerobic, rotting, toxic mess.
> 
> I'd gravel vac. Thoroughly and repeatedly, until the water runs clear. I did this when I intentionally nuked a tank with a whole bottle of H2O2, and had no problems. Hope you're not using dirt!
> 
> Sorry, no plants to sell at the moment. Have already promised my clippings for about the next two months to some local planted tank enthusiasts.



hmm i have ada aqua soil, should i leave the tank alone for it to cycle?? or do i really have to clean the gravel.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

I'm not too familiar with the ADA system, but I seem to recall some other components that are sometimes used as layers. Maybe if you're using those, and the gravel vac will upset them, then you might wait and see if it eventually mends itself.

Otherwise, I vote for the vac. Something is obviously still affecting your new plants. Unless you've missed something important or aren't telling me about it, a fouled, anaerobic substrate is the only possibility I can think of. Anaerobic substrates can produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which is quite poisonous. This would certainly do a number on your plants, maybe even prevent normal bacteria from moving back in.


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## creekbottom (Apr 5, 2012)

I wonder if the substrate has gone bad and is anaerobic, would you be able to smell it? Would it be a good idea to stir up some substrate, nothing is growing anyway, and then take a whiff?

Just a thought...


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

DarkCobra said:


> I'm not too familiar with the ADA system, but I seem to recall some other components that are sometimes used as layers. Maybe if you're using those, and the gravel vac will upset them, then you might wait and see if it eventually mends itself.
> 
> Otherwise, I vote for the vac. Something is obviously still affecting your new plants. Unless you've missed something important or aren't telling me about it, a fouled, anaerobic substrate is the only possibility I can think of. Anaerobic substrates can produce hydrogen sulfide gas, which is quite poisonous. This would certainly do a number on your plants, maybe even prevent normal bacteria from moving back in.


i could not smell anything from the substrate but my arm smell like Cyno, even though there is no cyno in the tank. 

it says rooted plants suppose to grow in it am confuse
http://www.aquabotanic.com/?tag=anaerobic-substrate


> Rooted aquatic plants are well adapted to growing in an anaerobic substrate. They are able to ‘pump’ enough oxygen to the roots so that in many cases the oxygen actually diffuses into the surrounding sediment. They can also respire anaerobically if necessary and produce lactic acid or ethanol instead of CO2 as a byproduct. The root meristems (growing tips) of some species are even inhibited in the presence of oxygen.


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## zico_aqua (Dec 23, 2012)

H2O2 has seeped into the substrate granules so what plants do not get nutrients no more - all that it gets is H2O2! unfortunately the soil cannot be recovered anyomre as aquarium is a captive system and once an imbalance comes in it's gone i'm afraid. Changing the substrate and starting all over is the only option left now.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

zico_aqua said:


> H2O2 has seeped into the substrate granules so what plants do not get nutrients no more - all that it gets is H2O2! unfortunately the soil cannot be recovered anyomre as aquarium is a captive system and once an imbalance comes in it's gone i'm afraid. Changing the substrate and starting all over is the only option left now.


this is the first time i heard this, i thought h2o2 is only oxygen and water, so how is that possible, i know that it will kill the bacteria temporarily, but i doubt that substrate is no longer useable. this was a newly setup with ada soil, been like 3 months, now do i really need to waste more money?

also h2o2 does not last very long in the water once you add it to the tank


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## zico_aqua (Dec 23, 2012)

true that it does not last very long - but it required exposure to light to disintegrate to H2O+O2, but what about the deeper end of the substrate..it's not in direct light contact - so I thing you can understand what I mean. You can try one thing out - but it's going to be messy - take the soil out - put in a strainer and run water through it with a table lamp spotting towards it, so you have the light and smaller quantity at a time will help out a bit.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

how about stirring up the substrate everyday while lights are on?? or vacuuming it everyday like Darkcobra said?


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## zico_aqua (Dec 23, 2012)

then it won't be long your aquasoil will crumble and become muck! and trust it's a nightmare with aquasoil for that matter any soil. muck will be a bigger frustration for you to handle. And for soil - it compacts in the long run which will later inhibit root growth and might/will cause anaerobic spots(that's very dangerous and all fish keeper knows this)


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

zico_aqua said:


> then it won't be long your aquasoil will crumble and become muck! and trust it's a nightmare with aquasoil for that matter any soil. muck will be a bigger frustration for you to handle. And for soil - it compacts in the long run which will later inhibit root growth and might/will cause anaerobic spots(that's very dangerous and all fish keeper knows this)



any idea how long it would take to turn the soil into muck??

next time people should mention this issue when suggesting to use H2O2, this was never mentioned before or i never heard of.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

happi said:


> after hearing people having success with H2O2 to kill algae i thought i try it. this is my original thread http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=198523&highlight=
> 
> i know what i had was not cyno bacteria as i thought it was, turn out to be green dust algae and i dosed the entire bottle (i was stupid i know) of H2O2 to see what will happen. within 2 days it killed all the algae and plant slowly start to melt away, only left the sticks behind, all the leaves were gone, since that day i did many water changes and i knew it also effected the bacteria and had to recycle the tank again. since then plant never grew even if i add the new plants they would simply melt away within couple of days. right now all the plants are not growing at all, even the new one, i am dosing EI on this tank, its not co2 or ferts issue.
> 
> ...


Hi Happi,

Sorry that you wiped out your tank, dosing a whole bottle will do that. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a strong oxidizer like bleach so basically you sterilized your entire tank. When I treat a tank with H2O2 (either with spot treatment or whole tank treatment) I don't dose more 1.5 ml per gallon (approx 1 teaspoon per 3 gallons) and have never lost a fish or plant.

That said, the H2O2 breaks down rapidly, typically in less than 24 hours, into H2O (water) so it is doubtful if there is any left in your tank. If it were me, I would take the opportunity to do a thorough tank cleaning followed by a major (50%+) water change and then restart my tank just like it was brand new.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

happi said:


> any idea how long it would take to turn the soil into muck??


The H2O2 isn't what turns the AquaSoil (AS) into muck. It attacks organic matter only. As far as I know, AS is completely inorganic, just clay enriched with nutrients and mildly baked.

But I know for certain it's designed to slowly break down, releasing nutrients into the water so plants can use them, and slowly turning to mud in the process.

I believe the concern zico_aqua is expressing is only that excessive handling, such as during a gravel vac, will accelerate the breakdown of the soft AS and may generate too much mud.

It's pretty unlikely there's still H2O2 left in the AS. It should have diffused out and been removed during the multiple water changes. It could be tested for sure by adding a bit of potassium permanganate to the water, and any H2O2 leaking out will neutralize the pink color. But I think you've had enough strong oxidizers in your tank without adding more!


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

DarkCobra said:


> The H2O2 isn't what turns the AquaSoil (AS) into muck. It attacks organic matter only. As far as I know, AS is completely inorganic, just clay enriched with nutrients and mildly baked.
> 
> But I know for certain it's designed to slowly break down, releasing nutrients into the water so plants can use them, and slowly turning to mud in the process.
> 
> ...


am not sure if i said this already, but it has been about 2-3weeks since i dosed the H2O2, after that day i did 70% water change for 2-3days in a row. 

am not sure what to do now, replace the entire aqua soil or try vacuuming it :icon_conf


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi Happi,
> 
> Sorry that you wiped out your tank, dosing a whole bottle will do that. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a strong oxidizer like bleach so basically you sterilized your entire tank. When I treat a tank with H2O2 (either with spot treatment or whole tank treatment) I don't dose more 1.5 ml per gallon (approx 1 teaspoon per 3 gallons) and have never lost a fish or plant.
> 
> That said, the H2O2 breaks down rapidly, typically in less than 24 hours, into H2O (water) so it is doubtful if there is any left in your tank. If it were me, I would take the opportunity to do a thorough tank cleaning followed by a major (50%+) water change and then restart my tank just like it was brand new.


brand new mean: new aqua soil?? or just try to clean the old soil, which is only 3-4 month old.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

We could debate this for days. Sometimes you just have to pick a course of action and see what happens.

So how about this. Try vacuuming a small spot, in the back. Be as gentle as possible while still being thorough.

If it goes well and without the AS falling apart, proceed to vacuum the rest. Then perform a couple of big water changes to flush any detritus and dust out of the water column. Finally, try a new, expendable plant to see if the problem is solved.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

DarkCobra said:


> We could debate this for days. Sometimes you just have to pick a course of action and see what happens.
> 
> So how about this. Try vacuuming a small spot, in the back. Be as gentle as possible while still being thorough.
> 
> If it goes well and without the AS falling apart, proceed to vacuum the rest. Then perform a couple of big water changes to flush any detritus and dust out of the water column. Finally, try a new, expendable plant to see if the problem is solved.



sounds good, either way its gona be hard to work with because its a winter and slow everywhere, otherwise it would be much easier, lets hope it goes well.


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## funkman262 (Nov 11, 2010)

First off, light is NOT required to break down hydrogen peroxide. Pretty much any contaminant will begin the decomposition process, and it will do so very rapidly under the conditions in our fish tanks. Secondly, bacteria are quite resistant to peroxide. Essentially all aerobic bacteria contain an enzyme called catalase that decomposes peroxide in order to utilize the oxygen, and is able to do this at relatively high concentrations. I've seen studies showing that bacterial growth stops around 300 mg/L, but I don't remember what concentration is required at what length of time to completely kill it. So assuming you dumped a liter of peroxide at 3%, you should be fine with a tank of at least 30 gallons (as far as bacteria goes). There may be a lag time for the bacteria to recover, but I doubt the tank has been sterilized.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

funkman262 said:


> First off, light is NOT required to break down hydrogen peroxide. Pretty much any contaminant will begin the decomposition process, and it will do so very rapidly under the conditions in our fish tanks. Secondly, bacteria are quite resistant to peroxide. Essentially all aerobic bacteria contain an enzyme called catalase that decomposes peroxide in order to utilize the oxygen, and is able to do this at relatively high concentrations. I've seen studies showing that bacterial growth stops around 300 mg/L, but I don't remember what concentration is required at what length of time to completely kill it. So assuming you dumped a liter of peroxide at 3%, you should be fine with a tank of at least 30 gallons (as far as bacteria goes). There may be a lag time for the bacteria to recover, but I doubt the tank has been sterilized.


"bacteria are quite resistant to peroxide" ???
3% topical peroxide is ok for tank use and very easy to find almost everywhere. 10ml/g treatment is a dosing used to kill algea and practically all waterborne bacteria and parasites, protazoans, etc. I use it often and to good result.

35% perox-aid is FDA approved for aquaculture. 
Here's just a few of the linked papers I have saved from looking into materials for use in treatment and quarantine. 

http://iai.asm.org/content/70/9/520...&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=720&resourcetype=HWFIG

http://www.drugs.com/vet/35-perox-aid.html

http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/aquatic/fish_culture9.html

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15222055.2012.675992#preview

http://www.fws.gov/fisheries/aadap/PDF/Publications/DRIB 07_H2O2_LMB_columnaris 24apr08.pdf

FWS.gov quote:target concentration of 150 mg per L active H2O2 after several moribund fish from the tank were presumptively diagnosed with external columnaris.


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## funkman262 (Nov 11, 2010)

wkndracer said:


> "bacteria are quite resistant to peroxide" ???


Yes, aerobic bacteria can be resistant to peroxide (as I already discussed)...


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

The only ones not affected, (as you posted), are the ones with the enzyme catalase. 
That said they are few in number respectively as it relates to freshwater aquariums. 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2168761&postcount=25
Considering the poster only dosed to 6ml/g and reported an ammonia spike shortly after I would think the enzyme is lacking from the bactors we prefer to protect in our tanks so caution dosing H2O2 has some merit I think.

I wouldn't consider all aerobic bacteria to be protected,


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## funkman262 (Nov 11, 2010)

Catalase is produced by virtually ALL aerobic bacteria, and I'm hoping that you realize that the nitrifying bacteria within our aquaria ARE in fact aerobic. It is also known that the specific bacteria in our aquaria, such as nitrosomonas, do produce that enzyme. Thank you though for that single data point that entirely proves your point. It must be impossible that the poster in that link dosed the peroxide too close to the filter intake so that the peroxide entered the filter at a barely diluted concentration (in other words, much greater than the 6 mL per gallon of 3% peroxide or 50 mg/L after COMPLETELY mixing with all of the tank water) thus being much greater than can be tolerated by the bacteria (yes, even those that produce catalase).


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

my last guess is anaerobic converting any of the sulfates (potassium sulfate, gh booster etc) i dose in my tank into sulfide, sulfide stunt the plants and kill them. 

the gravel vacuum is working fine and i was able to collect lot of dirt. am going to clean it more tomorrow. hopefully this will get rid of the anaerobic.


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## Aquaticz (Dec 26, 2009)

I have shot small amounts into aqua soil on the front panel of my tank. However I did not exceed 2 ml per gallon. I use aqua soil and would never think to use a gravel vac.i would think every time you stick it into the substrate your pulverizing it. If it were me I would use my fingers to drag through the material and use the vac as a siphon to get rid of the cloud of dust, but never having it indirect contact. 

I missed the size of this tank.
If it were small tank less than say. a 55 gallon I would just replace it.

Best of luck

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

Aquaticz said:


> I have shot small amounts into aqua soil on the front panel of my tank. However I did not exceed 2 ml per gallon. I use aqua soil and would never think to use a gravel vac.i would think every time you stick it into the substrate your pulverizing it. If it were me I would use my fingers to drag through the material and use the vac as a siphon to get rid of the cloud of dust, but never having it indirect contact.
> 
> I missed the size of this tank.
> If it were small tank less than say. a 55 gallon I would just replace it.
> ...


my tank is 90-p ADA which is around 48g.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

to cobra, aqua soil is loaded with organics, it is not inert, nor inorganic
its basically fired dirt IMO.

that being said even if it absorbed the h202, it would break down over time. i think the root cause to melted plants is as some have interpretted.
dead bacteria, = ammonia. too much ammonia can melt a plant

carefully done gravel vac's on aqua soil are OKAY. don't just ram it into the susbrate, but gently wiggle it around, it'll do the job, aquasoil is light and is easily fluffed around by the siphon


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> to cobra, aqua soil is loaded with organics, it is not inert, nor inorganic
> its basically fired dirt IMO.
> 
> that being said even if it absorbed the h202, it would break down over time. i think the root cause to melted plants is as some have interpretted.
> ...


i know ammonia can melt plants, but it has to be in higher levels, if we think about it, when setting up a aqua soil tank, people add lots of plants without any melting etc. 

i know ada soil will break down sooner or later, but i don't want to waste my time on plants if they are going to die, i think i might look into buying more aqua soil and restart everything.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

5ppm of ammo can melt some plants, keep that in mind especially if its contained around the roots

that being said. buying more AS is probably easier


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> to cobra, aqua soil is loaded with organics, it is not inert, nor inorganic
> its basically fired dirt IMO.


I've heard that "fired dirt" analogy before.

I think that firing the clay component to any temperature sufficiently high that the substrate doesn't fall apart way too fast, would also be sufficient to break down most organic components. Sure, the nutrients are still there, nothing short of nuclear processes destroys elements. But in the end, I doubt AS can truly be classified as organic.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

DarkCobra said:


> I've heard that "fired dirt" analogy before.
> 
> I think that firing the clay component to any temperature sufficiently high that the substrate doesn't fall apart way too fast, would also be sufficient to break down most organic components. Sure, the nutrients are still there, nothing short of nuclear processes destroys elements. But in the end, I doubt AS can truly be classified as organic.


its loaded with hemic acid, aka humus,
that is its main buffering compound


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

Humic acid is not a single substance, but a broad mix of organic components.

Even at 100°C, some of it is breaking down. About half is gone at 300°C. By 400°C, almost all of it is gone.

As far as I know, ADA has never revealed to what temperature their substrate is heated. 

But I'd consider the breakdown rate a good a clue. If I had to compare the reported breakdown rate and softness of AS to a known, it would be kitty litter, which is fired to 1,000°C. Or maybe akadama, 800°C.

I know of no other method than heat to slow the breakdown rate of clay to the lifetime AS achieves. And though I hate to bring it up, there's a certain amount of "magic" I've observed surrounding the ADA products and culture, rather than just science.

So, while I am certainly making a few assumptions, I think this is probably one of those times when "organic" is being used to appeal to a certain group of people, rather than truly descriptive of the substrate. While the ingredients that were put in were organic, what comes out of the oven may not be so.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

Highly possible, and i guess if u really stop and think about it. Heat does do a lot of stuff


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## flc (Sep 10, 2012)

funkman262 said:


> Yes, aerobic bacteria can be resistant to peroxide (as I already discussed)...


That's pretty much the classic diagnostic test for aerobic bacteria- add H202 and watch it fizz. Anything that "breathes" oxygen has it in spades, since peroxide is formed in huge amounts as a side product. If organisms (including animals and plants) didn't have a way to deal with it, they'd off themselves fairly quickly.

Superoxide dismutase and catalase. Don't respire without them!


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## funkman262 (Nov 11, 2010)

flc said:


> That's pretty much the classic diagnostic test for aerobic bacteria- add H202 and watch it fizz. Anything that "breathes" oxygen has it in spades, since peroxide is formed in huge amounts as a side product. If organisms (including animals and plants) didn't have a way to deal with it, they'd off themselves fairly quickly.
> 
> Superoxide dismutase and catalase. Don't respire without them!


Glad to see someone else here with a basic understanding of the enzymatic decomposition of peroxides :thumbsup:


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

funkman262 said:


> Catalase is produced by virtually ALL aerobic bacteria, and I'm hoping that you realize that the nitrifying bacteria within our aquaria ARE in fact aerobic. It is also known that the specific bacteria in our aquaria, such as nitrosomonas, do produce that enzyme. *Thank you though for that single data point that entirely proves your point.* (very nice) It must be impossible that the poster in that link dosed the peroxide too close to the filter intake so that the peroxide entered the filter at a barely diluted concentration (in other words, much greater than the 6 mL per gallon of 3% peroxide or 50 mg/L after COMPLETELY mixing with all of the tank water) thus being much greater than can be tolerated by the bacteria (yes, even those that produce catalase).


Thank you so much for providing information that answered questions that have been troubling me in such an informative manner. Years of reading and playing with water boxes I had no idea, somehow missed what must be important.

Your welcome for 'that single datapoint' in the second post. It was simply a recent thread post that I read earlier in the week where the poster blamed it for damage to his cycle bacteria. I have no more information than you do on how the H2O2 was applied in the treatment. But it's not the first post of chemical drama I've read nor do I expect it to be the last. The only point I'm posting to 'prove anything' is that people tanking fish and plants kill a large number of things with it,,, and often.
another one;
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=178738

What's on the web? (Tons of reading if you print it and most is a mix of fact and opinion)
_Overdosing peroxide can kill so I try to use it VERY conservatively! As Tom Bar was saying on __The Barr Report__, “besides gassing fish with too much CO2, Peroxide seems to kill the most, followed by Excel overdosing”. Seen this way, I will certainly not be one of those who dose_
_2 or 3ml per gallon._

_It is sensitive to light and rapidly breaks down in its presence._

_Dilute concentrations added to the tank water can kill all bacteria in the water, including the nitrifying bacteria. It will also kill all micro-organisms, good and bad._ 

_In water, hydrogen peroxide's half-life ranges from 8 hours to about 20 days._
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Algae/hydrogen-peroxide.html#0
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/algae_peroxide.html
http://www.h2o2.com/
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/03/29/uses-for-hydrogen-peroxide-in-the-aquarium-algae-removal/
http://jonesjdavid.com/ENG1_2PLeaside/Aquariums/AquariumBasicsQs9.pdf
http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/268706-peroxide-saves-my-tank-with-pics-to-prove-it/page-33
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...iences-systemic-dosing-hydrogen-peroxide.html

23 quick search threads on TPT.
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=208498&highlight=h2o2 (you've been here)


Reaction in low TDS acidic water, tank water with high DOC, filthy substrate etc.
There are probably thousands of threads regarding hydrogen peroxide use, I'm sure you would find objection within the posted remarks of most.
I said aerobic bacteria including the mentioned nitrosomonas are only a small part of what's in the tank, "they are few in number respectively as it relates to freshwater aquariums" and (imo) they are. 
H2O2 won't even touch myco and bleach ratios strong enough to kill it break down tank seals so it depends on what your after what you use, and how much of it.

It's been years since I had a foobar using it.
Thanks again for providing information and the time spent responding.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

I don't know what the issue is. However, before you do anything you feel is drastic to your substrate, try just poking it with a BBQ skewer/chopstick. Every time I have had a substrate issue, it would have a nasty smell. You may have air bubbles as well, should only be concerning if it smells nasty as with all that H2O2, it wouldn't be surprising if you have air bubbles trapped. I am not saying that this is an end all test, but if you get a nasty smell after stirring it up slightly, that does mean something is wrong, and you don't have to tear up what is there.


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## happi (Dec 18, 2009)

new soil is on the way, hoepfully things goes well this time. should i throw away the filter media from this tank, am guessing it might be effected with H2O2?? but i highly doubt it.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

i'd keep the media
its like a roman empire that grows and evolves with ur tank.. DONT DESTROY IT
it will deffinitely speed up the time it takes for aquasoil's ammonia to be converted to nitrates


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## Chiller619 (Dec 25, 2013)

I have a tank with algae. Tank was great. Tests were all great. 3 rounds of H2O2 dosing at 1ml per gallon and now my nitrite levels are through the ROOF. My API master test kit doesn't even return colors. It just forms a message in the vial that says "good luck." I feel your pain.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I don't believe that ADA Aquasoil holds H2O2 for a long period of time, if at all. Aquasoil probably has a good CEC, cation exchange capacity, which means it holds onto positive ions, usually metallic ions, but there are no cations with H2O2. I agree with Seattle Aquarist, above. Just start the tank over, with new plants, and well cleaned.


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