1st Amonia

[Wordy]

Hi all,

I'm currently doing a fishless sycle in my new tank and on Wednesday went down to the local pets at home to get the water checked, I was advised that the water had a high amonia content and shouldn't add any fish to it yet. (fair enough, it had only been set up about a week.) I was told to do a 15% water change that day, and on Friday then the tank should be ok. I've done the water changes and thougth It'd be a good idea to get the water checked before I added the fish. Been down today a girl there did a test and said everything was ok, but she'd just double check with a manager, he said the amonia conect was ok but now the nitrite level was a bit high and I should do 30% water changes(with my Tapsafe product added to the water) every other day for a week and then get the water checked. I'd just like to get some of your ideas please as to whether this is the best way of getting the conditions right

Thanks

 

[aaronnorth]

Your tank is going though a stage called 'cycling' (Nitrogen Cycle)
It is when the bacteria build up to convert nitrogenous waste to make it less harmful to fish:

Ammonia > NItrIte . NitrAte

Nitrate is harmless to fish, once you see a spike in Nitrate the tank will be ok to add fish (providing ammonia & nitrite are undetetcable). We then remove Nitrates with water changes.

Fishless cycling
Nitrogen Cycle

 

[Wordy]

So would doing 30% water changes every othe day help, or should I just leave the tank and let it get on with the cycle?

 

[aaronnorth]

Doing water changes while cycling is good, as it keeps the levels of ammonia down, while bacteria population is low, and slowly building so it can handle the increase in ammonia when fishes are added.
Tae a look at this thread HERE