New 50L Aquarium

[Guest72461]

I've checked the stats again today, ammonia rose a fraction, as did nitrite, so I did a 40% waterchange. I'll check ammonia + nitrite again later to see if/how much the waterchange helped. I am keeping an log spreadsheet with the stats and % waterchange done, to monitor things.

Despite the lack of perfection in the water stats, the 3 little glowlight tetras aren't just fine, they're in breeding mode now! The 2 little males are fin-flicking for all they're worth, buzzing around the female who acts completely disinterested as they always do! I really hope all of these fish survive into good old age

 

[Guest72461]

A small update: ammonia dropped slightly (to below 0.25), nitrite rose a bit (to 0.25) so I've done a 50% water change. Nitrate also rose (still under 5) so it looks like the cycle is well underway... no casualties or problems as yet (crosses fingers).

 

[waterdrop]

As long as you're siphoning out in that sort of situation then 75% doesn't hurt. Remember it's mostly a myth that water changes under these kinds of good controlled situations are harmful to fish, instead, by far, ammonia and nitrite are stressful to them. And even zero readings are still fine for providing ammonia to the bacteria, just like in a normal running tank with a mature filter.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

The time involved for a decay process and pure ammonia dosing will be about the same. As WD said, the only real problem with organic sources of ammonia is controlling the dosage rate. For WD or I, the dosing would be simple, just feed the tank as if it was the size it is and had fish in it. For a new person, I have no idea how to convey how little food that really is. If you have kept fish for years, you will almost automatically use the right amount of food for a tank which means you will get about the right amount of resulting ammonia. As long as you keep an eye on your ammonia and never let it get above 5 ppm, all should work out just fine for you.

 

[Guest72461]

The ammonia and nitrite seem to be over the worst (ammonia stayed 0.25 or less, the nitrite wasn't much above 0.25 and I have been doing waterchanges religiously!)... nitrates are slightly higher than before (but still below 5).

I have been reading up some more on the fish-in cycle, and felt I should mention a few things in case others are reading this topic and considering doing the fish-in method.

Since I put the plants and fish in the tank, I have been using Prime to dechlorinate (which converts/detoxifies ammonia and nitrite), not plain dechlorinator.

And, on the advice of the LFS, I have also been adding a smidgen of Stability to the water (the bottle says to add it to the water for the first 7 days). I was under the impression that it was a general 'health tonic' for the tank, to help buffer anything drastic going on while the tank cycles. Therefore, I didn't put 2 and 2 together and have been thinking the cycling speed of my tank was normal, but according to AquariumWiki page on Nitrogen Cycle (just one example), the nitrogen cycle/fish-in/fishless cycle is supposed to take ages, a month+. So, I reckon the Stability MUST be working in my tank as the nitrates are already starting to rise and ammonia and nitrite are coming down.

Going to do a 50% waterchange now. Still no casualties, everyone's perky and active in the tank

 

[Guest72461]

Just checked the water and pH is still 7.8, ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is a little over 0 as well

Is my tank finished cycling now? Can I go buy some more glowlights?

 

[OldMan47]

As long as you keep doing frequent large water changes, you will not know how your cycle is going because there will never be a build in the chemicals in your tank. If you see any level of ammonia or nitrites in your water, the cycle is not done yet. Since you are seeing both at 10 days in I would say you have had no benefit whatever from that nostrum they sold you. At 10 days in, a simple fish-in cycle would have almost gone past the ammonia phase on its own by now. It would certainly be producing lots of nitrite by now.
Before adding any more fish, keep a close eye on your tank chemistry for at least a week and try it without any water changes during that time. If you never see any ammonia or nitrites, maybe you really are done, but I seriously doubt it.

 

[Guest72461]

Did a water check this morning: ammonia, nitrite and nitrates are all down to 0 again. I didn't check yesterday, and haven't done a waterchange 2 days now. Will keep a check on things without doing any waterchanges and will watch for any spikes.