New to Fish Cycling- Please Help

[MortisiaDowler]

Hello everyone!

Well I have a few questions as my husband messed up really bad. While I was on holiday he wanted to surprise me with an aquarium. He went to Pets At Home and bought a 30L Biorb Tube. They advised him from the pet shop to fill it up and add the Water Conditioner and the Biological Booster sachets that came with it. Also they told him to go back the next day and get some fish. He bought two female Sailfin Mollies on Monday night and since then they are in the aquarium. They told him to go back in 2 weeks and pick any more fish he might want and also they would do a water check. They didnt mention anything to him about a Fish Cycle. I came back this morning and I am shocked and scared at the same time. The water is still crystal clear but after the small research that I have done I have realised that the tank needs to cycled. I know he means well with the present and all but can we save those fish?

I ordered an API Stress Coat+, API Stress Zyme+, API Accu Water, API QUick Start and API Freshwater Master Test Kit and I will receive them tomorrow morning. So the fish have been in the tank since Monday October 1st. Just 3 days. He fed them on Monday and Tuesday.

From the small research that I have done I see that depending on the ammonia levels I will have to change around 50% of the water daily. Is that correct? Do i need to buy any more chemicals?

Will the API Stress Coat+ dechlorinate the water? Are there any chemicals that I cant put in the water with the fish? Can I remove the fish from the tank during the water change or keep them in? Will that stress them?

I know that I should not wash anything with a soap and use a new bucket just for fish water changes. I know that I will need to pretty much match the water temperature of the new water with whats in the tank. Any more suggestions will be more than helpful!!

Thank you in advance!!!

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

Can you return any of that stuff you ordered?

API Stress Coat dechlorinates the water and helps reduce damage to the fish from poor water quality (ammonia, nitrite, etc). If you have a basic water conditioner/ dechlorinator, then you don't need both. You can use one or the other to dechlorinate the water.

----------
API Stress Zyme is not necessary. It helps to break down rotting organic matter in the gravel and that gunk should really be removed with a gravel cleaner. You can get a basic model gravel cleaner (see following link) from any pet shop or online and use it to drain water out of the tank and remove the gunk in the gravel at the same time.
https://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html

----------
API Accu Water is a flocculant and causes fine particles in the water to clump up and sink to the bottom. You don't need this. If the water is milky cloudy it is usually a bacterial bloom and doing a 75% water change and gravel cleaning the substrate will fix it. Most new aquariums also go milky cloudy for a couple of days after they are set up.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

----------
API Quick Start is filter bacteria in a bottle. This is worth using. The best way to use this is to double dose every day for a week then stop using it. It contains dormant beneficial filter bacteria that wake up and start growing in the tank when they are added to the water. Try to add the liquid to the aquarium near the filter so it is drawn into the filter. However, it doesn't matter too much where it ends up as it will eventually grow in the filter.

----------
API Freshwater Master Test Kit is good and will test the water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH. Don't bother testing for nitrates until the tank has been run for at least 3 weeks. Nitrate test kits will read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading.

Ammonia and nitrite can be checked each day during the first month or so (depending on how long the filter takes to cycle), and then you check these if the fish look unwell or die or the water goes cloudy. You probably won't get a nitrite reading for about 2 weeks so don't worry too much if you only get ammonia readings during the first few weeks.

Keep test kits & water conditioners cool and dry, I kept my kits in a plastic container with lid, in the fridge. You should also check the expiry date on the test kits because they are sometimes expired when you get them.

*NB* Keep test kits away from children and animals. The kits contain some pretty toxic chemicals that can poison them.

Wash the test phials out under tap water after using them and wash your hands with soapy water after working in the tank and doing water tests.

--------------------------
When doing a fish in cycle, you should only feed the fish a couple of times a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate each day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading. You want to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels as close to 0 as possible. If you get any ammonia or nitrite readings, do a water change.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

If you are adding a liquid bacterial supplement (API Quick Start) then just do a water change and do not gravel clean for the first couple of weeks. You can move the gravel cleaner across the surface of the gravel to pick up uneaten food and fish waste, but don't push it into the gravel until the tank has been going for a few weeks otherwise you can suck out the bacterial supplements.

Try to maximise surface turbulence/ aeration in the aquarium to keep the oxygen levels in the water as high as possible. This helps the filter bacteria grow and reduces stress on the fish.

--------------------------
Sailfin mollies (Poecilia velifera) will probably get a bit big for your tank. And having 2 females, you will get babies in a month or so. Mollies are livebearers and produce live young about once a month. Female mollies that have been in a tank with males can carry up to 6 sperm packets that they use to fertilise batches of eggs without the male being present. They use one packet per batch of eggs so you could get babies for the next 6 months.

If you have plans on getting a bigger tank in the future, then you can keep them, otherwise you might want to look at replacing them with smaller fish like guppies.

Do not add any more fish to the aquarium until it has cycled. This will take about 4-5 weeks. During this time the ammonia levels will go up. After a couple of weeks the ammonia will drop to 0. When this happens the nitrite will go up. A few weeks after the nitrite has gone up it will drop to 0 and the true nitrates will go up.

When the ammonia and nitrite have both gone up and come back down to 0, and the nitrates start to go up, the filter will be cycled and you can add fish if there is room.

If you can post a picture of the filter we can tell you how to clean it.

 

[MortisiaDowler]

Hello thank you so much for your help. I will be changing the water today once I do the ammonia readings. From what I understand would I have to do the 75% water change daily until the cycle is complete?

Also, I will be returning the items that are not useful. Thank you for that!! Today I will also add some artificial plants in the tank as it is pretty much bare and I know that fish need someplace to hide.

As for the mollies, I will try to give them to someone with a big aquarium and get smaller fish. But I will do that once the cycle is complete. I will have to do some research on that as I don't want my fish to suffer.

Also I have one more question. Can I remove the fish from the tank during the water change and cleaning? Or I should never remove the fish from the tank? I will update in a couple of hours with the filter information and readings.

This is the aquarium that I have: http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/biorb-tube-30-led-aquarium-black
Thr filter is in the center and bottom of the aquarium.

p.s. do you think marimo moss balls help with the cycle?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[fluttermoth]

You don't need to remove the fish from the tank when you do water changes; it's more stressful for them to be caught and moved than it is for them to stay in the tank.

The best way to do a water change is to use a gravel cleaner with a siphon tube attached.

Switch off all the electrics, then take out 50 or 75% of the old water. You can clean the filter media (that's all the stuff inside the filter) in that old water, but don't try and get it too clean, as you'll disturb the bacteria.

Then add the new water, which needs to be roughly the same temperature and dechlorinated. Pour it in gently so you don't swish everything around.

Live plants of any kind are always useful in a cycle. They will take up some of the toxins, like ammonia and nitrite, to use as food, and often bring in more of the useful bacteria on their leaves.

 

[Colin_T]

... I will be changing the water today once I do the ammonia readings. From what I understand would I have to do the 75% water change daily until the cycle is complete?

Also I have one more question. Can I remove the fish from the tank during the water change and cleaning? Or I should never remove the fish from the tank? ...

Yes you do a water change any day there is ammonia or nitrite in the water. You only need to do it once a day but it should be done if there is an ammonia or nitrite reading. This will probably be every day while the filter is developing. When the filter has cycled, you can do a water change once a week.

Change 75% of the water when you do a water change. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Fluttermoth covered leaving the fish in the tank during water changes. Just leave the fish in the tank and use a gravel cleaner (like the one in my previous link) to drain some water out and then fill the tank back up.

------------------------
re: cleaning the filter. Do not clean the filter for the first 6 weeks because you can wash the filter bacteria out and slow the cycling process. After the filters have been run for 6 weeks, then you can clean it in a bucket of tank water.

 

[MortisiaDowler]

You don't need to remove the fish from the tank when you do water changes; it's more stressful for them to be caught and moved than it is for them to stay in the tank.

The best way to do a water change is to use a gravel cleaner with a siphon tube attached.

Switch off all the electrics, then take out 50 or 75% of the old water. You can clean the filter media (that's all the stuff inside the filter) in that old water, but don't try and get it too clean, as you'll disturb the bacteria.

Then add the new water, which needs to be roughly the same temperature and dechlorinated. Pour it in gently so you don't swish everything around.

Live plants of any kind are always useful in a cycle. They will take up some of the toxins, like ammonia and nitrite, to use as food, and often bring in more of the useful bacteria on their leaves.

I thought I didn't have to touch the filter at all when doing the water change as any bacteria there is helpful for the tank cycling?

 

[MortisiaDowler]

Yes you do a water change any day there is ammonia or nitrite in the water. You only need to do it once a day but it should be done if there is an ammonia or nitrite reading. This will probably be every day while the filter is developing. When the filter has cycled, you can do a water change once a week.

Change 75% of the water when you do a water change. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Fluttermoth covered leaving the fish in the tank during water changes. Just leave the fish in the tank and use a gravel cleaner (like the one in my previous link) to drain some water out and then fill the tank back up.

------------------------
re: cleaning the filter. Do not clean the filter for the first 6 weeks because you can wash the filter bacteria out and slow the cycling process. After the filters have been run for 6 weeks, then you can clean it in a bucket of tank water.

Thank you so much for your help. I'm still waiting for the test kit to arrive and once here I will test the water and update you.

Again thanks very helpful!

 

[MortisiaDowler]

Yes you do a water change any day there is ammonia or nitrite in the water. You only need to do it once a day but it should be done if there is an ammonia or nitrite reading. This will probably be every day while the filter is developing. When the filter has cycled, you can do a water change once a week.

Change 75% of the water when you do a water change. Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Fluttermoth covered leaving the fish in the tank during water changes. Just leave the fish in the tank and use a gravel cleaner (like the one in my previous link) to drain some water out and then fill the tank back up.

------------------------
re: cleaning the filter. Do not clean the filter for the first 6 weeks because you can wash the filter bacteria out and slow the cycling process. After the filters have been run for 6 weeks, then you can clean it in a bucket of tank water.

I took the readings and I have:
Ph: 7.6
High range ph: 8.2
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm
Nitrate: I didnt count it.


After the readings I did a 75% (20L) water change which I treated with API Stress Coat. Temp at the moment is 30C. Two to three degrees higher than usual tank temp.I turned off the heater and turn it back on in an hour so the temp can regulate a little bit.

I added 8ml of API Quick Start.

Shall I feed the fish tonight or leave it for tomorrow. It took me almost an hour to do everything.

 

[TallPaul]

He bought a Biorb. That's case for divorce right there.

The fish don't need to be fed every day. That's one of the big mistakes people make, they overfeed them and then the left over food rots at the bottom and fouls up the aquarium with ammonia.

Do you have any live plants? You can buy java fern, java moss and anubias already attached to aquarium decor like rocks or driftwood pieces and can just plop them straight in. Surface plants like water spangles are brilliant at soaking up ammonia and will certainly help but will likely slow down the cycle a little.

I'd recommend some live plants, if anything the fish will enjoy them more and it's a more natural environment for them.

 

[MortisiaDowler]

He bought a Biorb. That's case for divorce right there.

The fish don't need to be fed every day. That's one of the big mistakes people make, they overfeed them and then the left over food rots at the bottom and fouls up the aquarium with ammonia.

Do you have any live plants? You can buy java fern, java moss and anubias already attached to aquarium decor like rocks or driftwood pieces and can just plop them straight in. Surface plants like water spangles are brilliant at soaking up ammonia and will certainly help but will likely slow down the cycle a little.

I'd recommend some live plants, if anything the fish will enjoy them more and it's a more natural environment for them.

Well yeah I have read really bad things about the biorbs but a guy he knows has the same as ours and he never had any problems with water quality. We have limited space so it's good for one or two small fish for us. But personally I would for a rectangular tank like the one I had a few years back. More space for the fish to swim and more space for decoration.

As for live plants I was thinking of moss balls.

 

[TallPaul]

Well yeah I have read really bad things about the biorbs but a guy he knows has the same as ours and he never had any problems with water quality. We have limited space so it's good for one or two small fish for us. But personally I would for a rectangular tank like the one I had a few years back. More space for the fish to swim and more space for decoration.

I just see them as super expensive for what is little more than a perspex bowl/box. Now that you have it though there's no point deliberating over it. Is it the cube rather than the orb? They're just generally a bit better for simple things like sticking a thermometer or heater too

 

[Colin_T]

Wait until tomorrow before feeding the fish again.

What is happening with the heater?
30C is a bit high for most fish so if you can lower the temp to 24-26C it would be better for them.

With practice the water change will become quicker. I use to do a fish room with 40 tanks in 4 hours, so you should be able to get the time down after a few more goes.

 

[MortisiaDowler]

I just see them as super expensive for what is little more than a perspex bowl/box. Now that you have it though there's no point deliberating over it. Is it the cube rather than the orb? They're just generally a bit better for simple things like sticking a thermometer or heater too

I have turned it off and I am waiting for the temp to go down. I'm kind of stressed because it's still at 30C.

 

[Colin_T]

Did you add hot water to the tank when you did the water change?

Or is the tank in a hot room?
If it's in a hot room you can leave the heater off for a few days and see how the temperature goes.

 

[TallPaul]

I have turned it off and I am waiting for the temp to go down. I'm kind of stressed because it's still at 30C.

Water takes longer to heat up and cool down than solid objects. It may take all night to drop a few °C.

What is the heater? Most aquarium heaters have a little non on top that you twist, you should usually see a little red bar go up and down to indicate the selected temperature, although my Amazon special has microscopic measurements etched into the top that you need a magnifying glass to read.