Our first tank

[Retired Viking]

I would suggest endlers and guppies as well

Just make sure they are all males or you will end up like me with a fry invasion

 

[fishy_sean94]

They've all gone back to normal now it seems

Is it best to stick to doing a water test every week or should I do another test sooner as I've changed the water?

 

[JuiceBox52]

They've all gone back to normal now it seems

Is it best to stick to doing a water test every week or should I do another test sooner as I've changed the water?

Stick with once a week unless there is an issue

 

[fishy_sean94]

Well today is my weekly water test and I’m a bit disappointed as the results seem to be the exact same as they were last week prior to the 50% water change



Does this seem normal as its still cycling?
I don’t believe I’m over feeding the fish (put 2 tiny pinches of flakes in per day) and nothing else has been added or changed in the tank.

Should I do another 50% water change now or?

 

[seangee]

Yes you should, and 75% would be better. The nitrite is at a dangerous level and the ammonia looks like it is good or almost good - so your cycle is progressing.

 

[Essjay]

With a nitrite that high you need to do a big water change asap. You need to keep nitrite as low as possible during fish-in cycling, so test every day and do a water change whenever the reading is above zero. Same for ammonia.

 

[fishy_sean94]

Okay another big water change done.
Used a new syphon this time to take out and add in the water more gently which seemed to make the fish stress free.

Will do a test tomorrow.
Is it pretty normal to get results like I’ve been getting in a new tank? Would feeding them less help, or adding in any treatments to the water?
The only ‘extras’ I have to put in the water is the Aqua purifying ball things which I’ve added some of.

 

[Essjay]

A fish-in cycle does have the potential to allow ammonia and nitrite to get high enough to kill the fish. Reducing feeding to once every two or even 3 days will reduce the amount of ammonia produced by the fish. Live plants help as they take up ammonia as plant food. Using Tetra Safe Start can help speed up the cycle.
But whenever ammonia or nitrite test above zero, water changes are the only way to keep them under control. Using a water conditioner which detoxifies ammonia will help to keep the fish safe until the next water change - the detoxifying effect only lasts for 24 hours, then it becomes toxic again. The detoxified ammonia still shows up in the ammonia test though. Seachem Prime also detoxifies nitrite but again the effect only lasts 24 hours.

 

[seangee]

Will do a test tomorrow.
Is it pretty normal to get results like I’ve been getting in a new tank? Would feeding them less help, or adding in any treatments to the water?
The only ‘extras’ I have to put in the water is the Aqua purifying ball things which I’ve added some of.

Pretty normal. The full cycle can take up to 12 weeks and you are in the final stretch. Feeding less will help and so will adding live plants. Nitrite is the most poisonous of the ntrogen compounds. It can only form once you have the bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite, and the bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate can only establish once nitrite is present.

I would suggest daily tests from now and large water changes any time you detect nitrite. That won't harm the bacteria but will save your fish. Just be patient, it will happen and you are more than half way there.

 

[fishy_sean94]

So after doing a water change last night I’ve done another test just now and the results seem pretty much the same again?



So not even 24 hours after doing the change the results look bad.
Surely something isn’t right or I’m doing something wrong?
Do I really need to do a 50%+ water change every day (assuming that’s even doing anything, I never did another test straight after changing it).

 

[styla12]

So after doing a water change last night I’ve done another test just now and the results seem pretty much the same again?

View attachment 100666

So not even 24 hours after doing the change the results look bad.
Surely something isn’t right or I’m doing something wrong?
Do I really need to do a 50%+ water change every day (assuming that’s even doing anything, I never did another test straight after changing it).

I can see your nitrite seems lower than it was before so that's a positive sign.

Your nitrate seems to be around 20 so that's not bad either. Have patience and the cycle will work.

I would strongly encourage you to do another 50%+ water change and add Tetra Safe Start to give your cycle a boost. Double the dose it says on the bottle for your tank size as it only has good bacteria. I used this to cycle my tank and was cycled in 2 weeks. So, based on my experience and that of family friends whose tanks i set up it really worked wonders.

 

[Essjay]

You need to test every day and do a water change whenever you have ammonia or nitrite above zero. If that means doing a water change every day, that's what it needs. And the amount depends on how high the readings are. A 2 ppm reading would need almost all the water changing, for example.

Yes, lots of water changes are stressful for fish, but living in water with ammonia or nitrite is even more stressful.
Ammonia burns their skin and gills.
Nitrite binds to their blood and prevents it from taking up oxygen. In simplistic terms, nitrite does to fish what carbon monoxide does to us.

 

[fishy_sean94]

Thanks for the tips/info, I've ordered a bottleof the Tetra SafeStart which will be here tomorrow.

Do I add a dosage of that at any time directly to the tank or at the same time as doing a water change?
And how often should I add a dosage of it?
And I assume I continue adding the AquaSafe to new water as normal even when using the SafeStart?\\I

Today I shall do another water change, is it worth doing another test as soon as I've done a water change or does it take a while for it to all 'circulate'?

Apologies for the many questions I just like to do things correctly and don't want to mess it up.

 

[styla12]

Thanks for the tips/info, I've ordered a bottleof the Tetra SafeStart which will be here tomorrow.

Do I add a dosage of that at any time directly to the tank or at the same time as doing a water change?
And how often should I add a dosage of it?
And I assume I continue adding the AquaSafe to new water as normal even when using the SafeStart?\\I

Today I shall do another water change, is it worth doing another test as soon as I've done a water change or does it take a while for it to all 'circulate'?

Apologies for the many questions I just like to do things correctly and don't want to mess it up.

Here's what you should do:

1. Perform a big water change asap of 75% adding your tap water conditioner as always (there should never be a case where you dont add two water conditioner)
2. Wait 24 hours before adding Tetra safe start as the tap water conditioner can kill the safe start bacteria. So if your bottle comes tomorrow then hopefully it will have been 24 hours
3. Shake the bottle thoroughly for at least 1 minute to disperse the bacteria (your arms should be dead by the end of this).
4. Read the dosage on the back of the bottle for your tank size and put in double of what it states.

Tetra Safe Start is designed to be an instant cycle solution and can be added with the fish in the tank. Ideally when Safe start is used you want to leave it alone for 2 weeks and let it work it's magic. However, if you notice that your nitrites are super high again do perform a 50%+ water change.

 

[fishy_sean94]

Thanks very much