Started New Tank (Nursery) - Need Advice Please!

[fluffycabbage]

Ive got a new tank on the go, preparing it for being a nursery. I put in about 40% main tank water and filled rest with dechlorinated tap water. Filter media is mature.

Ammonia 0.4 (ish), Nitrites 0.25, Nitrates 2.

What do i need to do now? A water change? Add plants? Chemicals? Im assuming not fish yet!

Thanks

 

[fluffycabbage]

Ive got a new tank on the go, preparing it for being a nursery. I put in about 40% main tank water and filled rest with dechlorinated tap water. Filter media is mature.

Ammonia 0.4 (ish), Nitrites 0.25, Nitrates 2.

What do i need to do now? A water change? Add plants? Chemicals? Im assuming not fish yet!

Thanks

Ive put 3 live plants in there today, and just tested.
Ammonia <0.5, Nitrites 0.05, Nitrates 25

Whats caused this nitrate spike?

 

[BethK]

even though you have transfered mature media, the tank still needs to settle and you will experience a mini cycle.

 

[fluffycabbage]

ah right ok thanks any ideas on timeframe at all? or are they all different? would it be bad to add the fry now then?

thanks for your advice

 

[BethK]

yes it would be bad to add fry now, you need to get your stats down to 0, doubt there is a time frame but my mini cycle in my last tank only last about 10 days

 

[fluffycabbage]

yes it would be bad to add fry now, you need to get your stats down to 0, doubt there is a time frame but my mini cycle in my last tank only last about 10 days

Ok thanks - will just leave it and test in a few days then

 

[BethK]

test every day, ammonia up, water change around 50%, want the water to be as stress free as possible.

Although, someone else will come along with more experience to help x

 

[Curiosity101]

Have you tested your main tank??? When you mixed 40% main tank water with tap water I would expect to see 0,0 on ammonia and nitrites unless some were coming from your main tank/tap water. (more likely to be your tank tbh).

I'm more worried about your main tank and fish than about this nursery tank. As those first set of results imply you main tank was at ammonia 0.8 and nitrites at 0.5

Good points, the levels have dropped in your nursery tank meaning that there are some bacteria in the filter Unless you are going to feed the bacs with some sort of artificial ammonia then wait till the levels drop to 0,0 then introduce fry or an adult fish to keep the tank cycled.

Problem is you wont know exactly what amount of ammonia the tank can cope with. So even once you've got 0,0 results you may find your levels increase again once you introduce fry/an adult.

Eitherways, don't do any water changes and don't just let the tank sit once your levels drop to 0,0. If you just leave it then the filter bacs will begin to die off and you'll have to cycle it all over again.

Do you have fry waiting to go in it already?

Oh and the Nitrate 'spike' you refer to isn't a spike at all.
It's the result of the filter bacs completing the nitrogen cycle and so is a good sign.

However I would imagine your previous reading of 2 was probably false...or you left the 0 off and it was meant to say 20?

 

[fluffycabbage]

Have you tested your main tank??? When you mixed 40% main tank water with tap water I would expect to see 0,0 on ammonia and nitrites unless some were coming from your main tank/tap water. (more likely to be your tank tbh).

I'm more worried about your main tank and fish than about this nursery tank. As those first set of results imply you main tank was at ammonia 0.8 and nitrites at 0.5

Good points, the levels have dropped in your nursery tank meaning that there are some bacteria in the filter Unless you are going to feed the bacs with some sort of artificial ammonia then wait till the levels drop to 0,0 then introduce fry or an adult fish to keep the tank cycled.

Problem is you wont know exactly what amount of ammonia the tank can cope with. So even once you've got 0,0 results you may find your levels increase again once you introduce fry/an adult.

Eitherways, don't do any water changes and don't just let the tank sit once your levels drop to 0,0. If you just leave it then the filter bacs will begin to die off and you'll have to cycle it all over again.

Do you have fry waiting to go in it already?

Oh and the Nitrate 'spike' you refer to isn't a spike at all.
It's the result of the filter bacs completing the nitrogen cycle and so is a good sign.

However I would imagine your previous reading of 2 was probably false...or you left the 0 off and it was meant to say 20?

Thanks for the replies. I have just tested the main tank, readings are Nitrite 0.025, Nitrate somewhere between 25-50, more at the 50 end though, ammonia <0.5

Why are the nitrates so high in the main tank, when they were almost 0 only a few days ago? Could it be the fin rot medication, and taking out the carbon filter? I have no idea. Only added the plants a few hours ago.

What on earth is happening? what do i need to do with the main tank?

(the nursery tank i will be doing a 50% water change later tonight)

Thanks for the help

Oh and yes, i have platy fry born yesterday in a breeding net

 

[Curiosity101]

Right... in your current situation I suggest you do a 50% change on your main tank. Not the fry tank.

You need to get the ammonia and nitrites down, but it wouldn't hurt to lower the nitrates aswell. I find it hard to believe your nitrates went from 0 to 25-50 within a couple of days. More likely you miss tested the nitrates before.

As for the cause of the spikes... it really depends, could be many reasons. Were you definitely fully cycled before? Could do with knowing what filter you have on the tank, and is the stocking in your sig correct?

For your fry tank, like I said it's hard to say how cycled it'll be... or rather what amount of bioload it'll take at the moment. But if it were me I'd just wait for it to read 0,0 and then move them over straight away.

 

[fluffycabbage]

ok no problem - trouble being that there's fin rot medication in there. im assuming i'd have to more in afterwards?
i did a 50-60% change on monday, and thats what the stats were. some stats have been erratic sometimes, making me wonder about the test kits themselves

the tank was defo fully cycled, i inherited it, and the tank's been going nearly 10 years, owned by the same person. stats are good almost all of the time. just not now!

the filter is the Juwel standard H which comes with the tank. got mature media in there, plenty of floss. not rinsed filters in tank water for 3 weeks. lots of aeration.

stocking - 6 corys, 2 mollies, 1 golden loach, 7 zebra snails, 10-12 platys (dont know exactly, some could be hiding when i count them, but im pretty sure there arent any more than 12!), and now the fry.

i'll defo wait to put the fry in the nursery tank, thats no problem. i'd rather get the big tank sorted first anyway.

 

[Curiosity101]

Only wait until the fry tank drops to 0,0 though. Put the fry in straight away once that happens. Then just keep an eye on it to check how well it holds for their bioload.

As for the main tank, yeah I'd still do a 50% change, and then re-dose the tank for the volume of water you've replaced. Again (like with the fry tank) just keep an eye on stats.

I reckon if the tank has been drained and moved for you to 'inherit' it. Unless it's from a family member in the same house? Then chances are some of the media will have dried out or similar. Anything you can think of?

 

[fluffycabbage]

ok will start doing that now then, thanks.

i inherited it about 3 months ago, and we've been fine up til when we had algae spike a few weeks ago when it was hot, and most of the oxygen disappeared from the tank (yes some died). Apart from that, there's never been a problem.

When it was transported the sponges werent submerged for about half an hour, they were still wet when i got home, so i dont think that would be the problem. there really isnt anything i can think of! the only probs we've had is the algae (which has almost gone now) and the one cory with fin rot

 

[fluffycabbage]

right thats all done now - will re-test both tanks in half an hour. Oh i found 7 more fry too

 

[fluffycabbage]

right thats all done now - will re-test both tanks in half an hour. Oh i found 7 more fry too

Ok levels in main tank are now ammonia <0.5, nitrate 5, nitrite 0 - almost back to normal now

nursery tank ammonia <0.5, nitrate 25, nitrite 0.5 - not quite there yet