Cycling Issues

[newtanksyndrome]

Hello, we have a 29 gallon fish tank and we are worried about the readings of the testing. We started by filling the tank and used "Stability" for 7 days. Little did we know that we needed to use something to remove the chlorine. We had the water tested several times at the shop and were told after 2 weeks that the tank was ready. We bought 2 platties, and 2 black shadow tetras. Two weeks later we returned to the shop to buy more fish. The shop tested the water and said that the amonia was a little high but if we made a water change of 5% the water should be good again so we bought 2 skirted black tetras and 2 mollies. We tested the water after a week and the results were a high ph of 7.6, amonia of .50, nitrite of 0 and nitrate of 0. We have made 2 other water changes since and the readings are still the same. The water is also cloudy. Ps during the fishless period the water did go cloudy and cleared up before we got the fish. Should we see readings for the nitrite or the nitrate. Did we slow down the cycle with the water changes. Our tank is now 5 weeks old, is the cycle going to happen soon or did it happen? We are being told to do nothing and wait but reading other peoples comments it seams like we should be doing water changes. Should be change the filter or not, we've been told to wait because we don't want to loose any good bacteria. Our water temperature is about 76. We are looking forward to your input.

 

[fatheadminnow]

It looks like you are in what is called a "fish-in cycle."

Follow this link here for a detailed description on fish-in cycling, and what to do.

Do not change your filter media. the only time you should change your filter media is if it is falling apart, and cannot hold beneficial bacteria efficiently.

Also, you need to buy a good liquid test kit. I would recommend the API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

Your LFS (Local fish shop) uses Strip test kits to test the water, which is very inaccurate.

Your pH is fine, so you don't have to worry about that.

Any reading in Ammonia or NitrIte that is over .25 ppm is toxic to fish, and a water change is mandatory to get this down as soon as possible!

I am sorry to say that your LFS has given you some wrong advice, but I am glad that you have found this site.

We are willing to help!

Read that thread that I have provided the link for, and come back with your questions, as I am sure you will have some!

-FHM

 

[newtanksyndrome]

did a 40 % water change treated the water in the process.

do have a api kit, the reading on ammonia was at 1 before the water change

after the water change it drop to 0.50

I will do another water change tomorrow

also did a ammonia test on my tap water just to see. I was surprise to see that I had 0.25 reading from the test
does this mean that, my ammonia reading will always been 0.25 at the best

I was mention that the ammonia in the tap not toxic to the fish but I would like you guys input on this

thx

 

[fatheadminnow]

It is not uncommon to have ammonia in your tap water, but once your tank is cycled, your bacteria in your filter will be able to process this extra amount of ammonia.

I would also purchase a bottle of API Stress Coat Plus. This is a very good water conditioner, that you should add to the water every time you do a water change. This also changes ammonia, that is in your tap water, to ammonium, so it will be safer for your fish when you do water changes.

Also, it is possible that the ammonia reading you are getting from your tap water is ammonium, not ammonia, but our test kits still pick it up as ammonia.

Did you read that thread that I have provided the link for?

You have to do enough water changes to get the ammonia reading down to as close to zero as possible.

Also, when you start to see NitrIte, you will have to do the same thing that you did with ammonia, and that is doing enough water changes to keep the NitrIte down to as close to zero as possible.

-FHM

 

[newtanksyndrome]

Ok


Bought the API stress coat + did a 50 % WC treated the water with the stress coat. Also bought a bigger Gravel Washer ( 20 to 55 gallons ) does a much better job at cleaning the gravel compare to the smaller one I had before.

ammonia reading look alot better now

Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 7.6 so I did a high PH to see 7.8

I will check the reading daily for several weeks to come and do WC accordingly

Will all these water changes slow down the cycling?
Trying to set the temp right with tetras, mollies and platys any ideas on the right setting for them? going for 78 ATM

 

[arobinson1984]

Your temperature seems about right.

The water changes won't harm the cycle as long as they are not too often, dont do more than 2 a day, but make sure you do them daily if needed to ensure your fish are healthy (judging by the test results)

After a week or 2, nitrITES should start to show up on your readings, make sure you do your water changes to keep this low as nitrITES are even more dangerous to fish than the ammonia.

Overall most cycles take around 6-8 weeks, you will know when the cycle is finished because you should have 0 readings for ammonia and nitrITE over at least a 7-8 day period.

Andy

 

[fatheadminnow]

Good.

I hope you found some good advice on that thread I gave you the link for, on how to do a fish-in cycle.

No, doing water changes is not going to slow the cycling down, as the bacteria live in the filter, not in the water.

If the ammonia gets over 8 ppm, which it wont because you will not let it get that high, then that is when the cycling starts to stall.

At 8 ppm, we actually start to grow a different form of bacteria in our filers, not the ones we want.

78 sounds good to me. If want more information on your fish and their living conditions, click in my sig where it says Great Fish Information(any species), and have a read on there.

Try to keep the ammonia reading at or below .25 ppm, by doing water changes accordingly.

So far it looks like you are doing a good job.

In a couple weeks, if not sooner, you will start to NitrIte appear on your water tests. Treat NitrIte the same way you treat ammonia, by doing water changes to keep it down at or below .25 ppm.

-FHM

 

[newtanksyndrome]

We really appreciate all the help thank you the tank is already looking great and the fish are more active but now we think that our platty is pregnant and readdy to drop according to the pics on this site. Should we run out and get a special holing tank made for this asap. I can see the white little ball at the end of her fin.

Many thanks again

 

[fatheadminnow]

I would go and get a breeder net, and put the fry in there, if that is what it is.

I don't know how the outcome is going to be, being that you are currently cycling a tank and all, but I guess you will find out.

-FHM

 

[waterdrop]

Try to keep the ammonia reading at or below .25 ppm, by doing water changes accordingly.

This is correct advice. In a fish-in cycling situation the goal is to reduce permanent damage to the fish (ammonia causes permanent gill damage, nitrites(NO2) cause permanent nerve damage.) There is no need to be concerned about the cycle itself. Even if ammonia test results indicated zero, there would still be enough ammonia to feed the bacteria (that is how they eat after a filter is properly cycled.) So the cycle will continue well enough even if you are forced into multiple water changes.

You have to be a bit of a detective to figure out a pattern of the percentage and frequency of water changes to perform that will keep you below 0.25ppm for both ammonia and nitrite. The trick is to get it so that, say, 12 hours later, when you get up in the morning or come home to the house at night and do the testing, you find that it has -only- risen to 0.25ppm and can then perform another water change, knowing that will get you through the next 12 hours... some sort of pattern that accomplishes it like that.

Fish-in cycling usually takes about a month and you'll know the water changes are probably finally over when you can go two days without doing them and still get double-zeros for your readings. At that point you just test twice a day for the next week to be sure and then consider yourself cycled, dropping into normal weekly tank maintenance.

~~waterdrop~~