Results After Day 16 Of New Cycle

[lowthy76]

ok guys had the new tank for 16 days now and today i did a water test and the results are as follows


nitrate.......40ppm

ammonia......0.25

nitrite....0.25

yesterday i added 5 black tetras to the tank along with the 2 panda corydoras and 2 chinese algae eaters.


is this normal after 16 days? or is it bad? the fish all seem in good health, but ideally i want to put a breeding pair of apistogramma's in it.

the water is 6.9 ph

thanks for any answers in advance Dan!

 

[Rickzayne]

Any ammonia or nitrite is bad

 

[KittyKat]

yesterday i added 5 black tetras to the tank along with the 2 panda corydoras and 2 chinese algae eaters.

Why did you add these fish? What species is the algae eater and how big is the tank? (Most become very aggressive with age.) Tetras and Corys should have larger groups in cycled aquariums. Corys also should have sand substrate.

is this normal after 16 days? or is it bad?

This is normal and bad. Start on the water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 ppm as possible, try to, for the sake of your fish, never allow either of these to come close to 0.25 ppm. Depending on the size of the tank, you may need to do as many as 2-3* 90-95% water changes per day, but if you haven't been doing regular ones, start with smaller (and more regular) ones and work your way up. Use a dechlorinator which will "deal" with ammonia, for example Prime or Stress Coat.

the fish all seem in good health

They're already being harmed by the ammonia and nitrite, both of which will have long term effects on the fish. Do the water changes to minimise the harm and do not even think about any new fish for at least another 4-8 weeks (until the filter is cycled and there are no ammonia or nitrite readings for at least two weeks with normal water changes).

Your water pH sounds perfect for the Corys, tetras and Apistos, and luckily for your fish, ammonia in soft water is slightly less harmful than in hard water, but it will take longer for the cycle to complete than it would have done in hard water. You may want to add some undemanding plants because they will use up some of the ammonium.

 

[lowthy76]

yesterday i added 5 black tetras to the tank along with the 2 panda corydoras and 2 chinese algae eaters.

Why did you add these fish? What species is the algae eater and how big is the tank? (Most become very aggressive with age.) Tetras and Corys should have larger groups in cycled aquariums. Corys also should have sand substrate.

is this normal after 16 days? or is it bad?

This is normal and bad. Start on the water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 ppm as possible, try to, for the sake of your fish, never allow either of these to come close to 0.25 ppm. Depending on the size of the tank, you may need to do as many as 2-3* 90-95% water changes per day, but if you haven't been doing regular ones, start with smaller (and more regular) ones and work your way up. Use a dechlorinator which will "deal" with ammonia, for example Prime or Stress Coat.

the fish all seem in good health

They're already being harmed by the ammonia and nitrite, both of which will have long term effects on the fish. Do the water changes to minimise the harm and do not even think about any new fish for at least another 4-8 weeks (until the filter is cycled and there are no ammonia or nitrite readings for at least two weeks with normal water changes).

Your water pH sounds perfect for the Corys, tetras and Apistos, and luckily for you, ammonia in soft water is slightly less harmful than in hard water, but it will take longer for the cycle to complete than it would have done in hard water. You may want to add some undemanding plants because they will use up some of the ammonium.

ok its a 2 foot 60 litre aquarium with a sand substrate, i have 8 live plants in there from day one, which are growing really well.
i have a stingray 15 filter which is doing its job, and the chinese algae eaters will be moved into my main established aquarium, i bought the 2 chinese algae eaters on day 2 as i know they are very hardy

 

[KittyKat]

ok its a 2 foot 60 litre aquarium with a sand substrate, i have 8 live plants in there from day one, which are growing really well.

…I think you will have to be doing lots of water changes as that's quite a heavy first stock for an uncycled aquarium. Have you already finished your first one? Also, you might want to check the ammonia and nitrite reading after dechlorinating the tap water.

i have a stingray 15 filter which is doing its job, and the chinese algae eaters will be moved into my main established aquarium, i bought the 2 chinese algae eaters on day 2 as i know they are very hardy

Since you already have an established aquarium, can you move all your fish into there while you finish cycling? Or at least seed the new filter heavily?

A 60 litre aquarium is not really suitable for any of the algae eater species, even in the short term. To be honest, it's a bit cruel of you to put fish into water which is toxic, on purpose and knowing that they will be exposed to things which can harm them.

 

[lowthy76]

ok its a 2 foot 60 litre aquarium with a sand substrate, i have 8 live plants in there from day one, which are growing really well.

…I think you will have to be doing lots of water changes as that's quite a heavy first stock for an uncycled aquarium. Have you already finished your first one? Also, you might want to check the ammonia and nitrite reading after dechlorinating the tap water.

i have a stingray 15 filter which is doing its job, and the chinese algae eaters will be moved into my main established aquarium, i bought the 2 chinese algae eaters on day 2 as i know they are very hardy

Since you already have an established aquarium, can you move all your fish into there while you finish cycling? Or at least seed the new filter heavily?

A 60 litre aquarium is not really suitable for any of the algae eater species, even in the short term. To be honest, it's a bit cruel of you to put fish into water which is toxic, on purpose and knowing that they will be exposed to things which can harm them.

the water testing kit i used is 5 years old, maybe that is giving me a false reading, i use ro filtered water bought from my lfs and really all the fish are doing VERY well! all acting normaly all eating normally, and when i bought the new fish yesterday, i got my water tested and the lady said it was ok to put fish in, i did ask her the question your not only saying that just to sell fish are you? and she said she would never do that and was very informative, and i would never intentionally hatrm fish, i am not a cruel person

 

[KittyKat]

the water testing kit i used is 5 years old, maybe that is giving me a false reading

Very possible, check the expiry date and try with a new kit (or ask the LFS to test and give you the exact readings).

i use ro filtered water bought from my lfs and really all the fish are doing VERY well! all acting normaly all eating normally

How exactly did you prepare the aquarium for the fish? Describe all steps.
RO water, do you mix anything back into it?
Not all signs of ammonia and nitrite poisoning are visible. If there is any ammonia or nitrite in the water, even if it's not enough to affect your fish visible, it is very likely to cause the fish to have health problems and a shorter life span than it should normally have.

and when i bought the new fish yesterday, i got my water tested and the lady said it was ok to put fish in, i did ask her the question your not only saying that just to sell fish are you? and she said she would never do that and was very informative, and i would never intentionally hatrm fish, i am not a cruel person

Did she ask you if your filter was cycled? If not, she was either unaware of what a cycle is or lying to you.

No offence, but since you would never intentionally harm fish, why exactly did you (paraphrasing) buy the algae eaters because they are very hardy? If your filter is cycled, then any fish would have been fine, regardless of its ability to survive bad water conditions. What I'm trying to get at is, do you know how the nitrogen cycle works and about cycling filters?

 

[lowthy76]

the water testing kit i used is 5 years old, maybe that is giving me a false reading

Very possible, check the expiry date and try with a new kit (or ask the LFS to test and give you the exact readings).

i use ro filtered water bought from my lfs and really all the fish are doing VERY well! all acting normaly all eating normally

How exactly did you prepare the aquarium for the fish? Describe all steps.
RO water, do you mix anything back into it?
Not all signs of ammonia and nitrite poisoning are visible. If there is any ammonia or nitrite in the water, even if it's not enough to affect your fish visible, it is very likely to cause the fish to have health problems and a shorter life span than it should normally have.

and when i bought the new fish yesterday, i got my water tested and the lady said it was ok to put fish in, i did ask her the question your not only saying that just to sell fish are you? and she said she would never do that and was very informative, and i would never intentionally hatrm fish, i am not a cruel person

Did she ask you if your filter was cycled? If not, she was either unaware of what a cycle is or lying to you.

No offence, but since you would never intentionally harm fish, why exactly did you (paraphrasing) buy the algae eaters because they are very hardy? If your filter is cycled, then any fish would have been fine, regardless of its ability to survive bad water conditions. What I'm trying to get at is, do you know how the nitrogen cycle works and about cycling filters?

yes she knew it was 2 weeks old, the tank that is, i was thinking of putting some media from my established aquarium in to the new one, that should help and also im going to buy some water tomorrow from my lfs which comes with added minerals, as i know that ro filtered water removes beneficial things to, and do a 50 percent water change, im thinking my water testing kit may be wrong, as the test in my lfs showed different results to mine, they still werent brilliant but they were a better result than mine showed

 

[KittyKat]

yes she knew it was 2 weeks old, the tank that is, i was thinking of putting some media from my established aquarium in to the new one, that should help and also im going to buy some water tomorrow from my lfs which comes with added minerals, as i know that ro filtered water removes beneficial things to, and do a 50 percent water change, im thinking my water testing kit may be wrong, as the test in my lfs showed different results to mine, they still werent brilliant but they were a better result than mine showed

If the filter has been running in some water for two weeks, it does not mean the filter is cycled. It means that the filter has been in water for two weeks. If you have not been adding ammonia to the water, after being in water for two weeks, the filter is almost no different than it was after being in water for 5 minutes. If you have not been adding a source of ammonia to the water for these two weeks, your filter is most definitely *not* cycled. Please go read about cycling, the process itself and especially about fish-in cycling because you are now in a fish-in cycle.

If this is the case, the lady you spoke to does not know what cycling means. Cycling means growing nitrifying bacteria by feeding them ammonia. If you have not been feeding them ammonia, they have not been growing and the filter has not been cycling.

Adding media from your established filter to the new filter is called "seeding", and I recommend you do this quickly. If possible, replace all new media with established media (you can remove up to 1/3 of the old media from the established filter without it affecting the established tank).

I strongly recommend that you, if possible and there are no compatibility issues, move your new fish to your established set-up, read about cycling and fish-less cycle your new filter: it will help you learn about the process.

 

[lowthy76]

yes she knew it was 2 weeks old, the tank that is, i was thinking of putting some media from my established aquarium in to the new one, that should help and also im going to buy some water tomorrow from my lfs which comes with added minerals, as i know that ro filtered water removes beneficial things to, and do a 50 percent water change, im thinking my water testing kit may be wrong, as the test in my lfs showed different results to mine, they still werent brilliant but they were a better result than mine showed

If the filter has been running in some water for two weeks, it does not mean the filter is cycled. It means that the filter has been in water for two weeks. If you have not been adding ammonia to the water, after being in water for two weeks, the filter is almost no different than it was after being in water for 5 minutes. If you have not been adding a source of ammonia to the water for these two weeks, your filter is most definitely *not* cycled. Please go read about cycling, the process itself and especially about fish-in cycling because you are now in a fish-in cycle.

If this is the case, the lady you spoke to does not know what cycling means. Cycling means growing nitrifying bacteria by feeding them ammonia. If you have not been feeding them ammonia, they have not been growing and the filter has not been cycling.

Adding media from your established filter to the new filter is called "seeding", and I recommend you do this quickly. If possible, replace all new media with established media (you can remove up to 1/3 of the old media from the established filter without it affecting the established tank).

I strongly recommend that you, if possible and there are no compatibility issues, move your new fish to your established set-up, read about cycling and fish-less cycle your new filter: it will help you learn about the process.

ok i will add the mature medium from my other tank and i have been using aqau care biological supplement(friendly bacteria) as recommended on the bottle

 

[lowthy76]

yes she knew it was 2 weeks old, the tank that is, i was thinking of putting some media from my established aquarium in to the new one, that should help and also im going to buy some water tomorrow from my lfs which comes with added minerals, as i know that ro filtered water removes beneficial things to, and do a 50 percent water change, im thinking my water testing kit may be wrong, as the test in my lfs showed different results to mine, they still werent brilliant but they were a better result than mine showed

If the filter has been running in some water for two weeks, it does not mean the filter is cycled. It means that the filter has been in water for two weeks. If you have not been adding ammonia to the water, after being in water for two weeks, the filter is almost no different than it was after being in water for 5 minutes. If you have not been adding a source of ammonia to the water for these two weeks, your filter is most definitely *not* cycled. Please go read about cycling, the process itself and especially about fish-in cycling because you are now in a fish-in cycle.

If this is the case, the lady you spoke to does not know what cycling means. Cycling means growing nitrifying bacteria by feeding them ammonia. If you have not been feeding them ammonia, they have not been growing and the filter has not been cycling.

Adding media from your established filter to the new filter is called "seeding", and I recommend you do this quickly. If possible, replace all new media with established media (you can remove up to 1/3 of the old media from the established filter without it affecting the established tank).

I strongly recommend that you, if possible and there are no compatibility issues, move your new fish to your established set-up, read about cycling and fish-less cycle your new filter: it will help you learn about the process.

ok i will add the mature medium from my other tank and i have been using aqau care biological supplement(friendly bacteria) as recommended on the bottle

 

[KittyKat]

ok i will add the mature medium from my other tank and i have been using aqau care biological supplement(friendly bacteria) as recommended on the bottle

Sorry to disappoint, but these bacteria in a bottle things don't appear to do anything in about 60-90% of the cases I have seen and the times something happens, it can just as easily be luck I'm afraid that I'm not your good news bearer today…

 

[lowthy76]

ok i will add the mature medium from my other tank and i have been using aqau care biological supplement(friendly bacteria) as recommended on the bottle

Sorry to disappoint, but these bacteria in a bottle things don't appear to do anything in about 60-90% of the cases I have seen and the times something happens, it can just as easily be luck I'm afraid that I'm not your good news bearer today…

so adding the mature medium from my other tank then doing a 50 percent water change with ro filtered water will basically make it ok? please give me some good news lol

 

[KittyKat]

so adding the mature medium from my other tank then doing a 50 percent water change with ro filtered water will basically make it ok? please give me some good news lol

Adding as much mature media as you can will make it much better.

Doing enough water changes (50-95%) to keep ammonia and nitrite unreadable and adding something which converts ammonia to ammonium will make it better. You will most likely need to do water changes on a daily basis for the next 4-8 weeks.

Fish-in cycles stuck.. it would be much easier for you to heavily seed the new filter and fish-less cycle (you'll only need a couple of water changes then, before you add the fish). Have you read about cycling, specifically the stuff in the beginners resource centre? Please do that because you will understand better why the water changes are important and the mature media will help, and I can better explain to you precise concepts. There is other information on the interwebs about it, but some of it is about as wrong as the advice the lady at the LFS gave you, so be careful.

 

[HayzH]

i put my fish in a uncycled tank after 5 days of it running....they had all died by 3 days later with just 0.25ppm of Ammonia
if it were me, i would put them into you established tank and do a fishless cycle on the newer tank.
The water they tested in the LFS was your tap water....so its bound to be ok...the filter hadnt cycled yet.
they may look healthy now...but they are suffering..Get a new Master testing Kit and if they tested your water in the LFS and it was ok.... then why are you using RO?
coincidently....
the tank my fish died in is now on Day 14 of its "fishless" cycle...and it still hasnt started cycling yet.....so it takes alot longer than two weeks!! xx