Water Testing

[Jue]

Hi

I probably need some advice here - I'm not quite sure what's going on BUT I bought the Master Test kit yesterday to check all the levels and this is what has happened. I was expecting the ammonia and nitrite levels to be ALOT higher from what I had read on the forum

Details of Tank etc
40 Litre tank
Fluval 2+ Filter (only normal sponge inserted at present)
Rena 50w Heater
Standard Aquarium gravel on bottom of tank
6 plants - general for aquarium
1 small piece of bogwood (approx 12 inches)

Was first filled up 3 weeks ago (today)
Added 10ml Stress Coat on 1st day
Added 10ml Stress Zyme on 2nd, 8th & 15th day
5 Guppies added on 16th day. All look healthy. Feeding well and very active.
Feeding on TetraMin tropical flake food

Test Results
Ph - 7.5
Nitrite - 0.2
Nitrate - 7.5
Ammonia - 0 (this was difficult to confirm as the water is slightly discoloured due to the bogwood - however the water didn't change colour when the test was completed and according to the book it said that if this happens then it is 0

Would this suggest to you that everything is ok or that it is likely to get very much higher?

Thanks
Jue

 

[rdd1952]

I don' think it's possible for the tank to cycle in a week and you do still have some nitrite present. It is possible that the Stress Zyme has helped and the plants would also help. Just keep checking the levels daily and do water changes if needed to get the ammoni and nitrite back below .25 or .5 and you should be ok.

 

[Jue]

Hi

Thanks very much for your advice. I'm just really worried about what's going on in there. All my advice had previously come from the LFS and I didn't know anything about fishless cycling until I found this site a couple of days ago.

How long do you think it should take to do the full cycle if I keep going as I am. According to the bottle I need to add the Stress Zyme once a week permanently.

Jue

 

[rdd1952]

I'm not a believer in the "bacteria in a bottle" products like Stress Zyme, Cycle and Prime. I don't think there is any beneficial bacteria in them but don't know that for sure (I will soon though). It will probably take about 2 or 3 weeks for the tank to cycle for the 5 guppies you have now. Then you will be able to add 3 to 5 more. You will get a mini cycle as the bacteria catches back up with the added fish load. This will take a couple weeks again.Eventually, you will have all your fish but it may take 3 or 4 months. Just keep a check on your parameters and don't add any new fish to the tank until you go a full week without any ammonia or nitrite in the tank.

On a different note, I see your Group is "Validating". You will need to go to the email you received when you registered and click the link to validate your membership. Until you do that, you will only be able to post in the Newbie and Beginners sections. If the link don't work or if you didn't get the email, PM a mod and have them do it manually for you.

 

[Jue]

Thanks again. You've been a big help.

I've tried to validate but for some reason I'm not receiving any emails, and I've emailed a few times about it to one of the moderators but I've had no reply. At the risk of sounding stupid - what does PM mean?

Jue

Hi

I've found what you meant by PM. It won't let me do this either. The person I've been emailingwas the forum administrator but I've not heard anything back from them. Any ideas?

 

[rdd1952]

Inchworm is online now. Try to send her a PM (personal message). She should be able to help you.

 

[Jue]

Hi

Thanks for trying to help but everytime I try to send an email to anyone of the moderators I get this:

The error returned was:
Sorry, you are not permitted to send an email via this board

The only one I can email or contact is William the administrator, but I've not had any reply.

Jue