I Have A Bad Confession

[youngfisher]

Well basically, I got my fish tank, filled it up with water, set all the heater/filter everything up, then 3 days later i got 2 plattys, 2 mollys, 2 tetras. and about 8 molly frys.

Unforunatlly, I have not cycled the water or anything. I would like a list of what to buy, to get this tank sorted. And What I would need to do - In teenagers lanuage so I can understand it, im abit brain-dead when it comes to cycling tanks. I do not have any money and my parents are the kind of 'stand on your own two feet' parents, so saturday I am going to buy the supplys what I need etc.

HELP!

 

[DJ ArKaDaRkA]

well all you can do is keep doing waterchanges (WITH DECLOR)

 

[youngfisher]

I have Bacterlife Friendly Bacteria and Bioactive TapSafe.

 

[minxfishy]

Links for fish in cycling is in my sig, in green, you will need to buy a liquid based test kit, API freshwater or Nutrafin mini master. Other than that, stock up on dechlor because you are about to be doing 50% w/c every few hours for a few weeks to come

 

[youngfisher]

I read it, couldnt understand a word of it. Carnt you right in like

-First this
-2nd this
-3rd this

Then repeat 5 hours later.

PLEASE?

 

[minxfishy]

ok then.

1st test water (with liquid based test kit, strips are useless).
2nd, Read results, if ammonia or nitrIte are anything above 0.25ppm, then you need to do a water change to bring them down.
3rd, re-test an hour after water change, if ammonia or nitrItes are anything above 0.25ppm, then you need to do a water change to bring them down.
4th, read part 2 and 3 and repeat as necessary.

This you continue to do until about four weeks later, ammonia and nitrIte are reading 0 and stay 0.

With each water change, match the temperature of the water you are putting back in the tank to that of the tank water, ie, keep it stable, so as not to shock the fish and remember to always dechlorinate the water you are putting back in as chlorine and chloramines in tap water will kill any beneficial bacteria you are growing in your filter media.

The reason you need to do this is because both ammonia and nitrIte are poisonous to fish and will shorten their life or indeed kill them when levels become too high.

 

[Ficious]

I read it, couldnt understand a word of it. Carnt you right in like

-First this
-2nd this
-3rd this

Then repeat 5 hours later.

PLEASE?

I dont understand this...


If you read all of the replies to your other post "Just wondering what would happen if..." youll probably have a handle on it by then. if i were you i would do a 20-30 percent daily water change. all you have to do right now is remove the waste as your filter would be doing so, except your filter is only using mechanical filtration right now and not bio filtration.


read about the nitrogen cycle. im not sure how old you are but once you get this down, you might be a couple steps ahead of your classmates. its a big part of life really (the nitrogen cycle).

 

[youngfisher]

cheers now i understand, look up the forum i stated to things that i have, are either of them decholor's ? if not i will buy some

 

[fatheadminnow]

Hello there, sorry to hear that you are stuck in a fish-in cycle situation.

You are not alone, many people do the same thing you do, but you are fortunate that you have found us.

This is what happens in our filters:

There are usually 3 steps in our filters.

The first step is mechanical filtration, which filters out particles in the water.

The second step in our filters is chemical filtration, this is where you will find Activated Carbon and what not.

The third and MOST IMPORTANT part of your filter is called biological filtration. This is where you colonize beneficial bacteria to process ammonia, which is produced by your fish.

Here is what biological filtration does, step-by-step:

When Ammonia is produced by our fish, autotrophic bacteria begin to grow in our filters to process this Ammonia. Ammonia is the food source for these autotrophic bacteria.

When Ammonia is processed by these beneficial bacteria, the Ammonia turns into NitrIte.

Now, once NitrIte starts to become present in our tanks, another type of autotrophic bacteria starts to grow in our filters to process NitrIte.

When NitrIte is processed by these other types of bacteria, it turns into NitrAte.

Now, there is not type of bacteria that can process NitrAte, and the only way to get NitrAte out of the water is by doing water changes.

Now you have a basic understanding as to what types of bacteria in our filters process Ammonia and NitrIte.

Now I am going to tell you what to do:

Obviously it takes time for these beneficial bacteria to grow in our filters, we are talking 4-6 weeks for enough of them to grow to process all of the Ammonia and Nitrite.

Ammonia is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of ammonia over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent gill damage.

Also, NitrIte is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of NitrIte over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent nerve damage.

NitrAte starts to get harmful to fish if it is 50+ ppm.

Your role in a fish-in cycle:

After you buy a good LIQUID test kit, I would suggest the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, will you be able to test for Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte and pH.

You have to test a couple times every day for ammonia and nitrIte.

If Ammonia and/or NitrIte is over .25 ppm, you must do a water change to bring the Ammonia and/or NitrIte down around .25 or 0 ppm.

Over time, you will see that tour ammonia and/or nitrite is not rising up that fast, and you are doing less water changes to bring them down. This is from the beneficial bacteria that are starting to colonize in your filter to process ammonia and nitrite.

After about 6 weeks, you will see that your Ammonia and Nitrite are always at 0 ppm, and you NitrAte is slowly rising. At this point your are considered Cycled!

Things to remember:

Ammonia is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of ammonia over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent gill damage.

Also, NitrIte is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of NitrIte over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent nerve damage.

NitrAte starts to get harmful to fish if it is 50+ ppm.

The only way to get Ammonia and NitrIte during the cycle is by water changes.

After you have enough beneficial bacteria in your filter, they will process Ammonia and NitrIte for you, and Ammonia and NitrIte will read 0 ppm on your test kit!

Things to buy:

API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

DO NOT buy any strip test kits, as these are not good and VERY inaccurate.

You also need a good water conditioner. I would suggest the API Stress Coat.

A water conditioner takes out chlorine and other heavy metals out of your tap water, which makes the water safe for your fish, and beneficial bacteria in your filter.

You must add water conditioner to your tap water every time you do a water change.

I hope this helps you out a little, and I hope I made it more clear to you what you need to do!?

Regards
-FHM

 

[youngfisher]

when i put the declorer into say the 25% of the tank, how much of it should i put in?

 

[minxfishy]

For the amount you took out, so if you took out 10 litres and your dechlor for instance said 5ml treats 10 Litres, then you would put 5ml in. Or if your adding the dechlor directly to the tank and not to the bucket of water, then 10ml as you double dose when your dosing the tank.

 

[pippoodle]

buy some pond dechlorinator its cheaper and you use less

also where abouts are you there might be someone on the donate list willing to donate you some filter media for your filter

check here http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=150631

Sarah x

 

[karigupi]

Hello there, sorry to hear that you are stuck in a fish-in cycle situation.

You are not alone, many people do the same thing you do, but you are fortunate that you have found us.

This is what happens in our filters:

There are usually 3 steps in our filters.

The first step is mechanical filtration, which filters out particles in the water.

The second step in our filters is chemical filtration, this is where you will find Activated Carbon and what not.

The third and MOST IMPORTANT part of your filter is called biological filtration. This is where you colonize beneficial bacteria to process ammonia, which is produced by your fish.

Here is what biological filtration does, step-by-step:

When Ammonia is produced by our fish, autotrophic bacteria begin to grow in our filters to process this Ammonia. Ammonia is the food source for these autotrophic bacteria.

When Ammonia is processed by these beneficial bacteria, the Ammonia turns into NitrIte.

Now, once NitrIte starts to become present in our tanks, another type of autotrophic bacteria starts to grow in our filters to process NitrIte.

When NitrIte is processed by these other types of bacteria, it turns into NitrAte.

Now, there is not type of bacteria that can process NitrAte, and the only way to get NitrAte out of the water is by doing water changes.

Now you have a basic understanding as to what types of bacteria in our filters process Ammonia and NitrIte.

Now I am going to tell you what to do:

Obviously it takes time for these beneficial bacteria to grow in our filters, we are talking 4-6 weeks for enough of them to grow to process all of the Ammonia and Nitrite.

Ammonia is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of ammonia over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent gill damage.

Also, NitrIte is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of NitrIte over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent nerve damage.

NitrAte starts to get harmful to fish if it is 50+ ppm.

Your role in a fish-in cycle:

After you buy a good LIQUID test kit, I would suggest the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, will you be able to test for Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte and pH.

You have to test a couple times every day for ammonia and nitrIte.

If Ammonia and/or NitrIte is over .25 ppm, you must do a water change to bring the Ammonia and/or NitrIte down around .25 or 0 ppm.

Over time, you will see that tour ammonia and/or nitrite is not rising up that fast, and you are doing less water changes to bring them down. This is from the beneficial bacteria that are starting to colonize in your filter to process ammonia and nitrite.

After about 6 weeks, you will see that your Ammonia and Nitrite are always at 0 ppm, and you NitrAte is slowly rising. At this point your are considered Cycled!

Things to remember:

Ammonia is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of ammonia over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent gill damage.

Also, NitrIte is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of NitrIte over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent nerve damage.

NitrAte starts to get harmful to fish if it is 50+ ppm.

The only way to get Ammonia and NitrIte during the cycle is by water changes.

After you have enough beneficial bacteria in your filter, they will process Ammonia and NitrIte for you, and Ammonia and NitrIte will read 0 ppm on your test kit!

Things to buy:

API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

DO NOT buy any strip test kits, as these are not good and VERY inaccurate.

You also need a good water conditioner. I would suggest the API Stress Coat.

A water conditioner takes out chlorine and other heavy metals out of your tap water, which makes the water safe for your fish, and beneficial bacteria in your filter.

You must add water conditioner to your tap water every time you do a water change.

I hope this helps you out a little, and I hope I made it more clear to you what you need to do!?

Regards
-FHM

Brilliant summary!

Can I just add one thing, which I really appreciated having, get yourself a note book & pen & keep it near your tank & bring it with you here.

You need to work out the amount of water in your tank first, write that in your book, then grab the bucket you will use for water changes (keep this JUST for your tank, nothing else) use a jug to fill the bucket from your tap to measure the amount of water your bucket takes. You will need these measurements to figure out how much of your water treatments to add.

Make lots of notes in your book in a way that makes sense to you, take all the info that people have given you & make the notes you need.

Then everytime you do anything to your tank, write it down with the date, your test results each time, when you did water changes, chemicals added, fishie deaths or odd behavoir & when your tank is cycled you get to keep notes of the good stuff too, like any new fish added, any eggs laid/hatched, fry etc, it becomes like a fishie diary & for me its a great learning tool.

Good luck!!

 

[fatheadminnow]

Hello there, sorry to hear that you are stuck in a fish-in cycle situation.

You are not alone, many people do the same thing you do, but you are fortunate that you have found us.

This is what happens in our filters:

There are usually 3 steps in our filters.

The first step is mechanical filtration, which filters out particles in the water.

The second step in our filters is chemical filtration, this is where you will find Activated Carbon and what not.

The third and MOST IMPORTANT part of your filter is called biological filtration. This is where you colonize beneficial bacteria to process ammonia, which is produced by your fish.

Here is what biological filtration does, step-by-step:

When Ammonia is produced by our fish, autotrophic bacteria begin to grow in our filters to process this Ammonia. Ammonia is the food source for these autotrophic bacteria.

When Ammonia is processed by these beneficial bacteria, the Ammonia turns into NitrIte.

Now, once NitrIte starts to become present in our tanks, another type of autotrophic bacteria starts to grow in our filters to process NitrIte.

When NitrIte is processed by these other types of bacteria, it turns into NitrAte.

Now, there is not type of bacteria that can process NitrAte, and the only way to get NitrAte out of the water is by doing water changes.

Now you have a basic understanding as to what types of bacteria in our filters process Ammonia and NitrIte.

Now I am going to tell you what to do:

Obviously it takes time for these beneficial bacteria to grow in our filters, we are talking 4-6 weeks for enough of them to grow to process all of the Ammonia and Nitrite.

Ammonia is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of ammonia over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent gill damage.

Also, NitrIte is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of NitrIte over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent nerve damage.

NitrAte starts to get harmful to fish if it is 50+ ppm.

Your role in a fish-in cycle:

After you buy a good LIQUID test kit, I would suggest the API Freshwater Master Test Kit, will you be able to test for Ammonia, NitrIte, NitrAte and pH.

You have to test a couple times every day for ammonia and nitrIte.

If Ammonia and/or NitrIte is over .25 ppm, you must do a water change to bring the Ammonia and/or NitrIte down around .25 or 0 ppm.

Over time, you will see that tour ammonia and/or nitrite is not rising up that fast, and you are doing less water changes to bring them down. This is from the beneficial bacteria that are starting to colonize in your filter to process ammonia and nitrite.

After about 6 weeks, you will see that your Ammonia and Nitrite are always at 0 ppm, and you NitrAte is slowly rising. At this point your are considered Cycled!

Things to remember:

Ammonia is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of ammonia over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent gill damage.

Also, NitrIte is toxic to fish if it is over .25 ppm. If fish are exposed to a higher level of NitrIte over .25 ppm, it will give them permanent nerve damage.

NitrAte starts to get harmful to fish if it is 50+ ppm.

The only way to get Ammonia and NitrIte during the cycle is by water changes.

After you have enough beneficial bacteria in your filter, they will process Ammonia and NitrIte for you, and Ammonia and NitrIte will read 0 ppm on your test kit!

Things to buy:

API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

DO NOT buy any strip test kits, as these are not good and VERY inaccurate.

You also need a good water conditioner. I would suggest the API Stress Coat.

A water conditioner takes out chlorine and other heavy metals out of your tap water, which makes the water safe for your fish, and beneficial bacteria in your filter.

You must add water conditioner to your tap water every time you do a water change.

I hope this helps you out a little, and I hope I made it more clear to you what you need to do!?

Regards
-FHM

Brilliant summary!

Can I just add one thing, which I really appreciated having, get yourself a note book & pen & keep it near your tank & bring it with you here.

You need to work out the amount of water in your tank first, write that in your book, then grab the bucket you will use for water changes (keep this JUST for your tank, nothing else) use a jug to fill the bucket from your tap to measure the amount of water your bucket takes. You will need these measurements to figure out how much of your water treatments to add.

Make lots of notes in your book in a way that makes sense to you, take all the info that people have given you & make the notes you need.

Then everytime you do anything to your tank, write it down with the date, your test results each time, when you did water changes, chemicals added, fishie deaths or odd behavoir & when your tank is cycled you get to keep notes of the good stuff too, like any new fish added, any eggs laid/hatched, fry etc, it becomes like a fishie diary & for me its a great learning tool.

Good luck!!

Thats a really good thing to have!

It lets you know everything about your tank!

Nice addition!

-FHM