Akasha72's 50 Litre Cycle Log

[Akasha72]

Sat 29/10/11 water tested at P@H. PH 6.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0


Sun 30/10/11 Fish unwell 50% water change

 

[CezzaXV]

If I were you I'd invest in your own test kit. If you're cycling a tank you're going to need to be testing the water at least once a day.

 

[Akasha72]

I've ordered one from Ebay, it should be here either today, tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest

 

[Akasha72]

According to the idiot at P@H todays results are as follows:

Ph about 7
Ammonia 0.25 ....?
Nitrite 0
Nitrata 0


Sorry but I had no confidence in this e-jit what-so-ever. I'll wait until my own test arrives now

 

[CezzaXV]

Ammonia at 0.25 sounds about right if you're doing a fish-in cycle. Do a big water change and get it down to 0, and keep doing that every time either ammonia or nitrite goes above zero.

 

[Akasha72]

thanks, I'm just sat watching them now. My neighbour just popped in with a frozen block of bloodworm (something I've not given them yet) and they went crazy. Now they're all pretty motionless. I'm trying to work out if they're just 'pigged out' and having a rest or if that ammonia is creeping up.
I've really not been well at all today and a 50% water change is more than I can manage. Do you think a water change today is necessary and if so will 20% be enough to stabilize that ammonia?

 

[Akasha72]

changed 20 litres of water

 

[Akasha72]

Platies layed on gravel with clamped fins. Changed 20% and will do a big one later after work. Hoping that test kits arrives today

 

[orandas]

with clamped fins.

do a 90% water change immediately. Lots of large daily water change.

 

[Tizer]

As the above poster said, probably better off doing a big water change, make sure you dechlorinate the new water or it will damage the bacteria in your filter.

Fish in cycle is quite easy to do if you have the time, but a lot of water changes are needed, especially if you are feeding them lots, as more food = more ammonia. Remember fish are cold blooded, they need very little food to survive, that said, careful not to starve them

 

[Akasha72]

Home from work now. No test kit yet. Going to take some water down to P@H and see what things look like roughly then head back and do a BIG water change after lunch. One of my platies is still layed on the gravel and looks quite sick so I'm guessing that ammonia is well up. Will post the result in a bit

 

[orandas]

Home from work now. No test kit yet. Going to take some water down to P@H and see what things look like roughly then head back and do a BIG water change after lunch. One of my platies is still layed on the gravel and looks quite sick so I'm guessing that ammonia is well up. Will post the result in a bit

big water change first, then go to p@h, like u said i wudn't bother with their test results.

and if u r going to p@h, might aswell take ure tap water too, for testing

 

[Akasha72]

results was terrible.

PH 7
Ammonia 0.5 - 1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

Came home, dismantled everything, got my syphon in there and sucked all the poo and mess out of the gravel along with nearly all the water. Re-filled the tank and put everything back - along with some more gravel that I'd washed in the old tank water. The fish are moving round a lot more now, the water is a bit cloudy but expected that after stirring up the gravel. There's a part of me that's hoping that the ammonia has now peaked but I'm not counting on it

 

[CezzaXV]

This isn't the ammonia peak, far from it. You've got weeks and months of this ahead of you.

 

[Akasha72]

I may well give in before too long then. My filter is now a month old and I just feel I'm going nowhere.