30g Tank

[ItalianM87]

hello all, im new to this hobby .i currently have a 30g tank with a Aquaclear 50-70 filter. I'd like to buy fish soon but not sure when the tank is going to be ready. My ammonia readings are always high and im not sure why. I had the tank running for about 2-3 weeks now.

Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: 8.0ppm
pH: 7.6
Nitrate: 5ppm

water temp: 65-70F

Here are some pics of tank and readings

http/img143.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2372rc3.jpg
http/img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2371iy6.jpg

 

[rabbut]

hello all, im new to this hobby .i currently have a 30g tank with a Aquaclear 50-70 filter. I'd like to buy fish soon but not sure when the tank is going to be ready. My ammonia readings are always high and im not sure why. I had the tank running for about 2-3 weeks now.

Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: 8.0ppm
pH: 7.6
Nitrate: 5ppm

water temp: 65-70F

Here are some pics of tank and readings

[URL="http/img143.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2372rc3.jpg"]http/img143.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2372rc3.jpg[/URL]
[URL="http/img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2371iy6.jpg"]http/img530.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg2371iy6.jpg[/URL]

Hi,
Firsrt off, are you fishless cycling, where you intentionaly add an ammonia source to the tank, or have you just filled the tank with water and let it sit for the duration of the two weeks? If you are fishless cycling, the ammonia is quite high for a starting reading, as the multiplication of your ammonia eating bactiria significantly slowers past 8ppm of ammonia, and the fact that 8ppm is the highest your kit will read, it is more than likely that the ammonia in your tank is greater than this. Cirtainly after two weeks, I would expect to have seen some nitrite by now.
From here, I would recomend a 50% waterchange, to try to lower the ammonia reading. If this is a fhishless cycle, you should be aiming for 4-5ppm, with a temerature as high as possible (but below 36 centigrade) to encorage bactiria growth.

HTH
rabbut

P.S, to the forum

 

[part-timer]

raise the temp a fair bit for sure - this has been shown to speed up the growth of needed bacteria and as already said don't add anymore ammonia just now. The readings are already more than high enough to build up the cycling process. As you have nitrate present then signs are that it is happening so once the ammonia starts dropping to around 4 test for nitrite and after a day or 2 go back to adding ammonia to keep around 4 (ammonia levels drop rapidly in a cycled aquarium). Ammonia conversion starts quite quickly and builds up but conversion of nitrate to nitrite can take a little longer and this gives a better indication of a tank being ready for inhabitants.

Its not an option for many, but if you can get hold of some gravel or filter media from an established aquarium this will speed things up rapidly.

 

[ItalianM87]

i was adding API Ammo-Lock thinking it would lower my ammonia. i quess that was bad move? i also added AquaClear Ammonia Remover Filter Insert into my filter. should i take it out? and stop adding ammo lock?

 

[part-timer]

in a cycling tank don't touch things like ammo-lock - the ingredients that help with ammonia also contribute to the ingredients that ammonia test kits look for so you end up with a false reading and lose track of where you are in the cycling process. Best thing right now is a few water changes to dilute the amount of ammonia and ammo-lock in your tank till your test kit can give a realistic reading. Ideally make sure the water you add is treated to remove chlorine etc as this can kill off the bacteria you need for cycling but once you have an ammonia level your kit can measure, you're back on track.

 

[rabbut]

i was adding API Ammo-Lock thinking it would lower my ammonia. i quess that was bad move? i also added AquaClear Ammonia Remover Filter Insert into my filter. should i take it out? and stop adding ammo lock?

In a word, yes, as ammo-lock gives false readings, and the ammonia remover is doing the job of your filter bactiria, which IMO is a bad thing. These medias have their uses, but I do no belive that you should run a tank when it relys on chemical filtration to keep its inhabitants alive. These media out-compete your filter bactiria and leave the tank vunerable, should the media become saturated quicker than normal, as ammonia will build up quickly and poison the fish, as the media previously removing the ammonia is no longer able to do so.

HTH
rabbut

 

[ItalianM87]

i raised the temp to 86F (max), and about to do a 50% change, should i remove the Ammonia Remover media filter that i added?

[URL="http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754142&kw=2754142+&sr=1&origkw=2754142"]http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?...;origkw=2754142[/URL]

 

[part-timer]

in my opinion take it out along with the water change. You need ammonia for the cycling process to work - if the ammonia is being 'artificially' removed it will hamper the development of the natural bacteria you need for cycling and delay the process.

Fishless cycling can take longer overall but the benefits are that you can stock your tank almost immediately once cycling is complete so stick with it! If you have nitrate then things are happening, but your tank is overloaded with ammonia (or more likely not so much overloaded but the ammo-lock is affecting the biological load) so once the ammonia issue is under control you won't be too far away.