Mini Cycle

[Neptune350]

I am posting this message here because I have 5 Malawi's in my tank and I am concerned that they my die if this situation gets out of control.

After having the fish in the tank for one week, the water started to turn cloudy. I am feeding them Hikari Cichlid Gold (says it "Never Clouds The Water"). I did about a 20% water change and vaccumed the gravel. The water was still cloudy the next day and I tested the water. Amonia was at .25 and Nitrite 0. The following day the Amonia was at .50 and the Nitrite at .50.

I've done a water change but the numbers remain the same. HELP!! I don't know what to do. The fish are acting normal but I'm afraid the numbers will jump and my fish will start to die. These fish have developed real personalities in just the first week and I don't want to lose any of them. I've been told that African Cichlids are "hardy" fish. Any thoughts on how much they can withstand or what to do to help them?

Any information/suggestions are welcome.

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

try adding activated carbon to your filter, that should clear up the cloudy water.
as for the levels of ammonia/nitrite, there will always be a mini cycle when you add fish to your tank, just keep an eye on the fish and they will tell you if anything is wrong.
HTH,
AA

 

[Neptune350]

Already added the carbon (can't believe I actually did something right ). The fish seem to be acting normally but hey are hungry. I read that you should stop feeding the fish during a mini cycle to cut down on the amonia released by the fish and the food. Was this correct and if so how long can my guys go before it becomes a problem? It's killing me not to feed them because they are begging whenever I get near the tank.

 

[semper fi]

how long has this tank been set up and what size is it?

 

[Neptune350]

46g and took almost three months to cycle without fish. I'm running a Penguin 330. Didn't add fish until the numbers were steady for 48 hrs after intitial cycle was complete.

 

[semper fi]

when you vaccummed the gravel did you go deep into the substrate? if so, you more than likely lost some of your beneficial bacteria. also with adding the fish and a weakened bacteria colony probably threw the tank into the mini cycle. fish should be added slowly to newly cycled tanks. the bacteria colony needs a chance to multiply to accomodate the increased bio load.

 

[Neptune350]

I was afraid that I overcleaned. The numbers were fine until I did that. How long will this last? Is it ok to feed them?

I also have a sudden and intence grrowth of alge on the rocks in the tank. Does this have any effect? Do you recommend any of the so called "alge killers" I've seen at the LFS?

 

[semper fi]

what type of algae is it?

 

[Joviella]

Hi, I got told that Hikari Cichlid Gold was not a good diet for malawis.....was my info wrong?......sorry if this seems like a hi-jack of your thread.....its not intended to be.

 

[Neptune350]

The alge looks like green dust on the glass. Don't really know much about the stuff so I don't know how else to describe it. It is growing like crazy. In the last couple of days it has spread from the rocks to the glass and substrate.