Well lets start off with the small problem, i have 2 goldfish in a tropical tank with my dwarf cory and cory julii. the goldfish are happy so im not too worried. my big problem is that due to my ignorance i never cycled my tank(10 us gallons) and the ammonia reading at this very second is about 6ppm...... and my nitrate reading 20ppm. (im using api liquid testers). i have been doing 40%ish water changes everyday trying to lower ammonia but its not working... ive cutback a lot on the feeding of my fish.. i started dosing seachem stability yesterday and also prime.i dont know what to do... my fish seem very happy especially the cories they like to chase eachother around and butt noses all the time. so the question is should i continue doing the same thing with the water changes and dosing.. or anyone care to share what they would do??? thanks
Newbie Mistake
- Thread starter trevorjd
- Start date
I would return most of your fish to your LFS as most are not suitable for that size tank. The dwarf cory maybe also need to be returned..do you know what species it is? If not you can post a picture and someone should be able to ID it for you. Now I would return it anyways just so you can do a fishless cycle on the tank as doing a fish-in can cause permanent damage and shorten their lifespans.
You will need to be doing larger and/or more frequent water changes than that. Here are two articles for fish-in cycling that may help you, ONE and TWO.
If you do return the fish (highly recommended) then you should follow THIS article. You can find ammonia at Ace Hardware.
You will need to be doing larger and/or more frequent water changes than that. Here are two articles for fish-in cycling that may help you, ONE and TWO.
If you do return the fish (highly recommended) then you should follow THIS article. You can find ammonia at Ace Hardware.
They usually will, especially if you were to give them back for free. I realize that is not a favored option though. You can also try re-homing on craigslist.
If/when you return them and start a fish-less cycle we can help you come up with a suitable stocking for the tank
If/when you return them and start a fish-less cycle we can help you come up with a suitable stocking for the tank
well i went to my lfs..(petland) and the lady was trying to tell me tat since theyve lived this long they wil be perfectly fine so i told her tat i disagree and she told me that i was just "trying to get rid of the fish" but they do in fact accept donations
so i am now about to put my fish in a portable container and will start cycling tonight
but since i already bought it would you recommend using my seachem stability?
I'm so glad to hear you're doing whats best for the fish, though I'm sure you'll miss them!
Most bacteria in a bottle don't work (I would recommend Dr. Tim's One & Only or Tetra Safe Start) but like you say it shouldn't hurt to add it
Most bacteria in a bottle don't work (I would recommend Dr. Tim's One & Only or Tetra Safe Start) but like you say it shouldn't hurt to add it
Hey Trevor, I'm a bit of a newbie too but I have agree with Mariah about the bacteria in a bottle (personal experience). I just got through a very long fish-in cycle with my 26gal (newbie mistake too). Here are the things I think helped me the most:
1. Read (if you haven't already) all of the articles at the top of the "Cycle your tank" section of the forums.
2. Good/Active filter media.
- AngelsPlus.com sells active sponge filters here http
/www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSpongeActive.htm . A little expensive with fast shipping but IMO worth it. I did see changes in a few days.
- I also got some BioHome Ultimate filter media (media is a bit big so might be impractical if you dont have a large filter). It also came with little bacterial gel balls, I cant say for sure they worked but I did notice ammonia levels drop in a few days and they've been at 0ppm since. I got mine off ebay (1.1lbs for $15 plus shipping) from TYNEVALLEYAQUATICS. They're in the UK so shipping can take a few week or 2.
3. I read somewhere that overdosing water conditioner can slow down the cycle. Again, I can't verify whether that's true or not but why take the chance right? so i bought an infant medicine dropper to measure it in ML accurately.
Lastly if all else failed, I was planning on buying a large container (or another small aquarium) to temporarily house the fish (and do frequent water changes) while properly cycling the main tank. (seems like the route you're going)
As for your fish stock I don't know enough to comment on your selection, but Mariah knows her stuff so i'd take her advice on that one.
I hope any of that is helpful and wish you luck!
1. Read (if you haven't already) all of the articles at the top of the "Cycle your tank" section of the forums.
2. Good/Active filter media.
- AngelsPlus.com sells active sponge filters here http
/www.angelsplus.com/FiltersSpongeActive.htm . A little expensive with fast shipping but IMO worth it. I did see changes in a few days.- I also got some BioHome Ultimate filter media (media is a bit big so might be impractical if you dont have a large filter). It also came with little bacterial gel balls, I cant say for sure they worked but I did notice ammonia levels drop in a few days and they've been at 0ppm since. I got mine off ebay (1.1lbs for $15 plus shipping) from TYNEVALLEYAQUATICS. They're in the UK so shipping can take a few week or 2.
3. I read somewhere that overdosing water conditioner can slow down the cycle. Again, I can't verify whether that's true or not but why take the chance right? so i bought an infant medicine dropper to measure it in ML accurately.
Lastly if all else failed, I was planning on buying a large container (or another small aquarium) to temporarily house the fish (and do frequent water changes) while properly cycling the main tank. (seems like the route you're going)
As for your fish stock I don't know enough to comment on your selection, but Mariah knows her stuff so i'd take her advice on that one.
I hope any of that is helpful and wish you luck!
This is the Fishless Cycling article Ninjouzata and vrob speaks of
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/
Highly recommended to go this route rather than the fish in cycle which is far more stressful for both you AND the fish, also fish in takes much longer and much more hard work as LOTS of water changes needed.
You'll need a liquid test kit, most members here use API Master FW Test kit. Decent value for money and is far more reliable than strip dip kits.
http
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/Highly recommended to go this route rather than the fish in cycle which is far more stressful for both you AND the fish, also fish in takes much longer and much more hard work as LOTS of water changes needed.
You'll need a liquid test kit, most members here use API Master FW Test kit. Decent value for money and is far more reliable than strip dip kits.
well i added ammonia last night for the first time... kinda went overboard and ammonia was between 3-4 ppm and now im checking it and m ammonia is approx. 1ppm but my nitrites are 0..? any ideas on what to do?Ninjouzata said:I'm so glad to hear you're doing whats best for the fish, though I'm sure you'll miss them!
Most bacteria in a bottle don't work (I would recommend Dr. Tim's One & Only or Tetra Safe Start) but like you say it shouldn't hurt to add it
Did you change any of the water?
nope i emptied my tank of water, filled it back up with dechlorinated water, let my tank run for an hour then added seachem stability. followed by my ammonia dose and then waited yet again for about an hour and my ammonia was at about 3ppm. this was yesterday, now today i come home to check my tank, check my levels and then i see the oddness... do i add more ammonia? maybe the ammonia didnt cycle entirely throughoutthe tank yesterday when i checked?
What are the water parameter readings exactly for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH as well?
trevorjd said:
Glad to hear it. Also happy to hear you were able to move the fish and start fishless. Like Ch4rlie said, fish-in cycle is really stressful on everyone. Listen to these guys and you'll pull through. Wish you luck!
Just be patient now. In the article, after you have added your first dose of ammonia, you should be waiting for 3 days (I know how hard that is, believe me) and then testing for ammonia and nitrite. The nitrate you are getting could be from your tap water.
I probably wouldn't have used the startup. I never have used that stuff and if you are using the same filter that was with the fish with the same media, I would wager you already had some of the bacteria growing already. I can't see the startup stuff hurting that much though.
I probably wouldn't have used the startup. I never have used that stuff and if you are using the same filter that was with the fish with the same media, I would wager you already had some of the bacteria growing already. I can't see the startup stuff hurting that much though.
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