Help with cycling

[Jordep91]

Hi all,
Made a booboo and went like a bull in a China shop thinking I know best due to having fish previously as a kid, adopted some fish off mother. Got tank set up, dechlorinated, left it for few weeks due to being on holiday. Come back off holiday, out adopted fish in along with rasboras and guppies, found out about the cycle and now in a bit of a hole.

I'm abit unsure on what to do next, I've got an ammonia reading of about 1ppm, but my nitrites and nitrates are both 0ppm, I've been doing about a 30% water change every couple days for about 2 weeks, whilst adding seachem prime/stability but nothing seems to be changing, should I just stick it out and carry on with water changes or what?

Now have a ill looking guppy that's very lethargic, slightly red gills, a very little bit of his tail missing.
Also, I have live plants

Thanks

 

[Essjay]

You can either continue doing water changes - at least 50% every time there is a reading above zero - or read this

Rescuing A Fish In Cycle Gone Wild - Part Il

Part II SO YOU STILL WANT TO KEEP CYCLING WITH FISH? If you are determined to ignore the above advice in Part I and still think you want to proceed with a fish in cycle, then you need to be aware of the information presented below. SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT AMMONIA Ammonia in water exists...

www.fishforums.net

It explains how to cope with both ammonia and nitrite without doing water changes. Though as you'll see from that link, low pH is better and if you have high pH, you'll need to do those water changes.


Other things to help -

Feed the fish less. They need less food than you'd think, so reduce the amount and feed every other day.
Get some live plants. Floating plants are very good for taking up ammonia as fertiliser and they don't turn it into nitrite. Even something like stems of elodea left to float will help.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Oops you're not the first nor will you be the last

You're going to have to do daily water changes, at least 50%. Keep using Prime. Ammonia reading will peak then drop as nitrite starts to rise. Nitrite will then peak and drop as nitrate starts to rise. When your tests read 0 for ammonia and nitrite your tank will be cycled

 

[Jordep91]

Thanks for the replies!
My PH is 7.5, I'll keep on with 50% water changes and hopefully start seeing nitrites/nitrates soon! I've been feeding them once in the evening, not as much as I used to, feel bad, they seem so hungry!

I've got live plants, I believe I had that elodea, plenty of, grows like crazy! Think I'll get some floating this weekend to help. I'll have a read through that post as a back up and extra info.

Thank you both for the advise! Hope I don't lose too many/if any fish

 

[Jordep91]

Picture of tank and poorly fish for reference

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Thanks for the replies!
My PH is 7.5, I'll keep on with 50% water changes and hopefully start seeing nitrites/nitrates soon! I've been feeding them once in the evening, not as much as I used to, feel bad, they seem so hungry!

I've got live plants, I believe I had that elodea, plenty of, grows like crazy! Think I'll get some floating this weekend to help. I'll have a read through that post as a back up and extra info.

Thank you both for the advise! Hope I don't lose too many/if any fish

Just keep on top of those daily water changes, the bigger the better! You can feed the fish once every other day, they'll be absolutely fine

Lovely tank! I'd would take that parlour palm out though, pretty sure thats just going to rot and create a bigger problem for you. More stem plants will definitely help though.

Do you know the hardness of your water?

 

[Byron]

I will just say that with those plants in the photo I am very surprised you have ammonia above zero. They look to be doing well. Are you using any fertilizer, either substrate tabs (these would really benefit the sword plants) or liquid fertilizer? The guppy may well be totally unrelated to ammonia/cycling issues. If the others are swimming normally. Those few fish should not be producing ammonia beyond what the plants can easily take up. And you will never see nitrite, and nitrate may not appear for weeks if ever.

Be careful with the additives...Stability probably won't do harm but it isn't much good either. Tetra's SafeStart would be better. None of the other bacterial additives are worth it (except Dr. Tim's One and Only but that is not for this tank with fish, so far as I know). And Prime detoxifies ammonia/nitrite/nitrate for 36 hours they say, but it still shows on our basic tests. Do not overdose Prime, it has a chemical in it that is negative to plants taking up metal nutrients. Personally I would not use it. The API Tap Water Conditioner is better.

Adding floating plants is all I would do, they will help.

 

[Jordep91]

Thanks for everyone's replies!

I've taken the parlour palm out just in case, it did look a bit brown and dying. I done about 60% water change last night and have got the ammonia down to 0.2ppm, going to do another tonight hopefully that'll get it down even more. I have safestart being delivered today and have been advised by someone else to put a lot in after 24hrs and once ammonia is on 0. Going shopping for some floating plants and more stem plants this weekend so hopefully they'll help to. Think will also change to the API Tap Water Conditioner once I run out of Prime.

In regards to fertiliser, I have tnc complete liquid, did hold off using it due to not knownthe effect of it in regards to ammonia and due to obviously changing a lot of water and didn't want to waste it. Will definetly look in to root tabs though!

The poorly fish is still alive and kicking, hoping once ammonia gone it'll get better, is there any medication that might be worth giving it?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

No medicine, just clean water hold off on the tnc for a bit, the plants will be utilising the ammonia at the moment

 

[Jordep91]

I thought that fish was getting better but its not seem even more lethargic than before, the red gills have gone now tho and she's not eating. She was staying at the top of the water, I've put her in a separate bowl because she looked to be struggling against the currant. Bit unsure what to do here's the best pic I could get for ref