Fish In Cycle

[Yavin]

Hi

Just after some advice. I have a pair of Sunset Platies in my Fluval Edge. It's their second day in the tank. I am taking nitrite and ammonia readings twice a day using Tetra test kits. This evening they were as follows:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.8 mg/l

Nitrite is increasing as was 0.3mg/l yesterday.

Do i need to start carrying out water changes?

Thanks

 

[Skins]

Hi

Just after some advice. I have a pair of Sunset Platies in my Fluval Edge. It's their second day in the tank. I am taking nitrite and ammonia readings twice a day using Tetra test kits. This evening they were as follows:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.8 mg/l

Nitrite is increasing as was 0.3mg/l yesterday.

Do i need to start carrying out water changes?

Thanks

Yes, i would say a 75% water change is in order to remove most of the nitrIte you currently have. When you see your ammonia or nitrIte exceed 0.25ppm then a water change(75%)is required. Your fish-in-cycle should take about 4/6 weeks to complete so expect quite a few water changes to start with but as you reach the later stages they do become a lot less.

Keep us posted, Keith.

 

[Newbie_87]

Hi

Just after some advice. I have a pair of Sunset Platies in my Fluval Edge. It's their second day in the tank. I am taking nitrite and ammonia readings twice a day using Tetra test kits. This evening they were as follows:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.8 mg/l

Nitrite is increasing as was 0.3mg/l yesterday.

Do i need to start carrying out water changes?

Thanks

Hi welcome to TFF

If I'm honest with you this possibly wasn't the best idea, is there anyway you could rehome the fish and do a fishless cycle?? If not, then you need to invest in a liquid test kit as strips are not accurate and very unreliable. Nearly everyone on this forum will recommend API freshwater master test kit, they cost about £20-30 but very good value as will last a long time. When fish-in cycling you need to keep toxic substances (ammonia and nitrITE) to 0ppm (parts per million) as these can cause damage to your fish and if left alone will eventually kill them. In order to reach 0ppm you need to test your water and do the required water change (with declourinator) as required, anything between 25% & 90%. Ideally test twice a day (morning and evening) and if levels are high perform a water change, sometimes twice daily.

Is there anyone you know with a well established (6 months +) aquarium who could offer you some mature media? or maybe your LFS?

Apologies for the barage in information but I'm trying to be as helpful as poss.Sure some more members will chip in soon with some aditional advice.

 

[Yavin]

Unfortunately I don't have the option to re-home them. Just to confirm the test kits i am using are all Tetra Liquid kits. I have been checking the Oxygen, Ammonia and Nitrite daily. Also have a Nitrate kit but not used it yet.

The tank itself was set up a week ago with only plants in it and as already mentioned the fish are on their second day in the tank. They are feeding well although still a little timid.

 

[Skins]

Unfortunately I don't have the option to re-home them. Just to confirm the test kits i am using are all Tetra Liquid kits. I have been checking the Oxygen, Ammonia and Nitrite daily. Also have a Nitrate kit but not used it yet.

The tank itself was set up a week ago with only plants in it and as already mentioned the fish are on their second day in the tank. They are feeding well although still a little timid.

At the bottom of this post in my signature there is a link to a thread on "fish-in-cycle".

Keith.

 

[Yavin]

Thanks!

I noticed the link on your post and have been reading it. Some very useful information!

 

[Newbie_87]

Ah sorry! Just assumed they were strips...my bad. Just keep an eye on your levels and keep up on the water changes, fishes should be ok. I would advise only feeding every other day till the cycle has calmed down a wee bit. I was in your situation about a month ago and still kind of am as not finished stocking our Fluval edge...good luck

P.s no need to worry about nitrate just yet

 

[Skins]

Ah sorry! Just assumed they were strips...my bad. Just keep an eye on your levels and keep up on the water changes, fishes should be ok. I would advise only feeding every other day till the cycle has calmed down a wee bit. I was in your situation about a month ago and still kind of am as not finished stocking our Fluval edge...good luck

P.s no need to worry about nitrate just yet

+1 Keep the feeding to a minimum, overfeeding in a fish-in cycle will result in more fish poo+rotted down un-eaten food=ammonia(poison).

Keith.

 

[Yavin]

Checked again today after the water change yesterday.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.3 mg/l

Will carry out another water change today.

Just a question on feeding. To try and keep the nitrite down should i feed every day or every 2 days? Don't want the little critters to go hungry!

 

[waterdrop]

You can feed them every day. Just make it small such that ideally they eat it all within 2 or 3 minutes and it doesn't hurt if a day is skipped every now and then. While its helpful, the process is going to lead to nitrite spikes regardless of your feeding habits. The two platies will be putting off considerable ammonia from the act of respiration and each 1ppm of ammonia will be converted to 2.7ppm of nitrite(NO2) so spikes are inevitable and as said, it will take a month or two for the A-Bac and N-Bac colonies to grow to the correct sizes.

Since ammonia causes gill damage and nitrite causes nerve damage, your job is to stick with your twice daily testing schedule and develop a pattern of water changing to keep your fish safe such that you can change water again when you get home from being out if it is necessary.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Skins]

Checked again today after the water change yesterday.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.3 mg/l

Will carry out another water change today.

Just a question on feeding. To try and keep the nitrite down should i feed every day or every 2 days? Don't want the little critters to go hungry!

Like Newbie_87 said it won't hurt feeding them every other day untill you start to see your ammonia and nitrItes being processed later in the cycle, then you could go back to feeding once every day. Its a case of at the moment the beneficial bacterias are unable to cope with the ammount of waste products(poo/un-eaten food)they need to process.

Keith.

 

[Yavin]

Well still sticking to the same readings. Came home from work at midnight and carried out some checks.

Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0.8mg/l again

carried out a 50% water change and will check again in the morning.

 

[waterdrop]

At least it's looking like it's in the nitrite spike (second phase of cycle) and means you are moving along in the process...

 

[Yavin]

The Ammonia has been 0 since the day the day the fish went into the tank.

 

[waterdrop]

That probably just shows you happened to have more A-Bacs than N-Bacs initially, it's random, of course, what you'll happen to get from a given tap water supply at a given moment when you first fill your new tank.

~~waterdrop~~