5 gallon Fluval Spec V

[Tacocat]

Hello there! This is going to be my journal for my 5 gallon that is currently undergoing a fish-in cycle. I will be updating this weekly or something, as I just want to update any changes and have people alert me if something is off.

Current stats:
5 gallons
No fertilizers
Plants: Java moss, 3 ludwigia palustris, 2 of which are snipped off a big one, and duckweed (might replace with frog bit)
Livestock: 4 female cherry shrimp, 2 fancy guppies, 2 dwarf rasboras and 1 one eyed cardinal tetra who's partner died in transportation and a ramshorn
Latest readings: Ammonia - .25 ppm(going to change water today), Nitrite - 0ppm, Nitrates - 0ppm

(these pictures are before I replanted 2 ludwigias)

 

[Tacocat]

Here are some pictures from just now

 

[PheonixKingZ]

That’s a good start!

Has lots of room for improvement.

 

[Tacocat]

Just fyi I'm relatively new to fishkeeping, and I've had a 10 gallon in the past, but this is the first time I've paid this much attention to fish.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Just fyi I'm relatively new to fishkeeping, and I've had a 10 gallon in the past, but this is the first time I've paid this much attention to fish.

That’s a good thing!

The more you put into this amazing hobby, the more you get out of it.

 

[Tacocat]

Update on water changes: My exams are starting tomorrow, and my parents are getting needlessly worried, but without their permission, I cannot do a water change. So from now until my exams are over, I'm going to perform biweekly 75% water changes, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, or maybe Tuesday and Friday. Anyway, until exams are over I will not be able to perform daily water changes unless the conditions are extremely and I mean extremely drastic. My parents won't let my fish be above school, and I guess that's a good thing.

 

[Tacocat]

But I might be able to sneak one in today, due to my being ready for tomorrow's exam

 

[Dajuyu]

Just fyi I'm relatively new to fishkeeping, and I've had a 10 gallon in the past, but this is the first time I've paid this much attention to fish.

Just a question why do you downgrade from 10G to 5G instead ?
Unless you are lightly stock and dont plan to add ... its hard to keep water param for 5G compared to 10G .

In my eyes 5G requires loads of more effort ..

 

[Tacocat]

Just a question why do you downgrade from 10G to 5G instead ?
Unless you are lightly stock and dont plan to add ... its hard to keep water param for 5G compared to 10G .

In my eyes 5G requires loads of more effort ..

It's because the last time I had a tank was 5 years ago

 

[Tacocat]

We left it when we moved to Canada, and this is our first tank in Canada

 

[Tacocat]

Once exams are over, I'll see if I can convince my parents to let me buy a tank so I can breed L-183 plecos in a 20 gallon

 

[Tacocat]

Day 2 of recording: Anomaly

I'm still stumped at where the ammonia is going in my tank. Yesterday I recorded Ammonia .25ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, and Nitrates 0ppm. Today, I noticed pretty much 0 ammonia, no nitrite, and still no nitrates! Whaaaaat

Yes, I agree that the ammonia looks higher than 0, but from the light I've been using, it's about 0

 

[Tacocat]

These pictures might be better. Actually, it seems the Nitrates is slightly above 0. Thats a good sign!

 

[BluewaterBoof]

Tank looks good! Keep it up!

I would imagine the duckweed is helping in reducing the ammonia. Fast-growing plants are great for nutrient control but keep an eye on how much you are feeding the fish. For a fish-in cycle I suggest minimal feedings to keep the ammonia low.

 

[hansgruber7]

The API testing kit is great but it's well known for zero ammonia appearing slightly like 0.25 in certain lighting.