exciting news! lol

[JoBodude]

ok my 20gl. is FINALLY stabling!~ YES~ ok anyways i havent tested it in a few days then tonight i did and it was like 0.25!~(it was 4!) anyways i thought i did something wrong lol so i redid it and it said the same thing, so i did a water change and tested it again, it was still the same! (ok 0.25 is the best i can get in my tanks) cuz i tested my betta bowl and i have had that tank set up since summer and with a betta in it since summer and it was 0.25, and the fish in the 20gl. right now are awesome! i am planning on introducing more fish slowly, first a pleco (it is getting algea) then some more danios,cories, and neon tetras! yay, anyways just wanted to tell you!

 

[canarsie11]

What is .25?

 

[yvez9]

is it ammonia that is at 0.25?

If so, hold off adding more fish because yuour nitritites are spiking...

 

[JoBodude]

spiking? huh? plz explain

 

[JoBodude]

anyone? i kinda need to know

 

[JoBodude]

*_bump bump_*

 

[Skylar]

It means that there is a rise in the nitrites, I do believe, but it also means your tank is not cycled. Some of your more sensitive fish may die. The nitrites will probably go down in a few days.

 

[yvez9]

so was it your ammonia that is reading 0.25?

that's good news, but you'll need to get a nitrite test kit. Nitrite is toxic to fish too. Ammonia is broken down into nitrites. Nitrites are later broken down to nitrates which are harmless if you keep up regular water changes

It will eventually go down, you just have to wait it out. It took me 6 weeks to get 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite...

 

[JoBodude]

yeah the ammonia is 0.25

well when i go to the petstore to get my tank divider i will stop and get a nitrite kit

 

[JoBodude]

ok the ammonia is 0! yay! so is it still spiked?

 

[mandi]

The amonia wasn't spiked -- the nitrite was. Have you tested that?

When cycling a tank you should (in theory) see an amonia spike (high numbers) then as those start to drop and go to 0, there will be a nitrite spike (high numbers), and then those will level off and go to 0, and there will be a nitrate spike (end of the cycle -- do a water change to lower this). -- I believe that's the general pattern (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

You're definately getting there! Won't be too long now.

 

[glolite]

Yes the nitrite can still spike after ammonia is nil. Keep on water changing is the answer. Patience pays!!

 

[yvez9]

did you get a nitrite test kit?

 

[skye4jc]

ps... a 20 gal is too small for a standard pleco. might think about a rubber-lipped pleco or another type of algea eater (golden/chinese, oto etc)... otherwise he's gonna be waaaayyy to big. (think 18 -20 inches of fish lying in the bottom of your little tank! ouch )

 

[JoBodude]

skye-ino about the pleco thing, i am thinking BNose or Bulldog

no i havent gotten the kit yet, saturday probably