What is this green build up?

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DGJ

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Hi,

I thought I had cycled my tank but it turns out I got that wrong too ?‍♂️ So now it looks like I’m doing a fish in cycle

I have this build up on the top of the substrate.

Also I have tested the water and have the following parameters.

PH 7
Ammonia .25ppm
Nitrite 2.0ppm
Nitrate 20 ppm

I’ve just done a 25% water change
Then dosed stability and prime

is there anything else I need to do.
 

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Looks like algae, which is common in new tanks. Reducing the lighting and manually removing it, will definitely help get rid of it.
 
When there are fish in the tank, whenever there is a reading above zero for ammonia and/or nitrite you need to do a water change, big enough to get them to zero. Test every day and do another water change if the readings have gone up to more than zero again. A tank is cycled when there are 7 days in a row where both stay at zero without having to do a water change.


How did you cycle the tank? Did you add ammonia following the method on here before getting fish?


It is quite possible that having ammonia in the water has casued the algae to grow. The important thing for now is to keep the fish safe, then think about the algae.
 
Looks like algae, which is common in new tanks. Reducing the lighting and manually removing it, will definitely help get rid of it.
This may sound like a silly question, but is there a special way to clean or do I just stick my arm in and clean with a cloth?
 
When there are fish in the tank, whenever there is a reading above zero for ammonia and/or nitrite you need to do a water change, big enough to get them to zero. Test every day and do another water change if the readings have gone up to more than zero again. A tank is cycled when there are 7 days in a row where both stay at zero without having to do a water change.


How did you cycle the tank? Did you add ammonia following the method on here before getting fish?


It is quite possible that having ammonia in the water has casued the algae to grow. The important thing for now is to keep the fish safe, then think about the algae.
I didn't follow the method, I hadn't found this forum when I first bought the tank, I spoke to the LFS and was told that as it was 2nd hand it wouldn't need much cycling because the media would kick in straight away and all I needed to do was throw some food in to spike Ammonia and then put prime and stability in every day for 2 weeks then add fish. Same guy that sold me the tetras and goldfish!

It was only when I found this forum and read up that I bought a kit and decided to test and have found the parameters are all over the place and that I have incompatible fish!!!

So I have just done the water change and have dosed stability and prime, will check the levels tomorrow and post on here each day to ensure I am getting everything under control.

So with Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate all present, does this mean the tank is cycling?
 
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Ok that's great, thank you.

One of those on order from Amazon now!

So is a large water change 50%?
 
I spoke to the LFS and was told that as it was 2nd hand it wouldn't need much cycling because the media would kick in straight away
That depends. If the media was still wet or even just damp most of the bacteria in the media would still have been alive. But if the media was totally dry, they would have died.
But there is another factor as well. In tanks that have been running a long time, the bacteria aren't just in the media, they are everywhere in the tank. So the amount in the media is small. And if the tank had a lot of live plants, there would be virtually no bacteria in the media even if it was still wet.

The amount of water to change is enough to get the levels to zero. With a nitrite reading of 2 ppm, a 50% water change will only get it down to 1ppm which is still too high. Either change 90%, leaving just enough water for the fish to be able to swim, or 2 x 60% water changes. As long as the new water has water conditioner added, and the temperature of the new water is the same as the tank water, the fish will be OK. Swimming in poisonous water is not good for fish.
 
That depends. If the media was still wet or even just damp most of the bacteria in the media would still have been alive. But if the media was totally dry, they would have died.
But there is another factor as well. In tanks that have been running a long time, the bacteria aren't just in the media, they are everywhere in the tank. So the amount in the media is small. And if the tank had a lot of live plants, there would be virtually no bacteria in the media even if it was still wet.

The amount of water to change is enough to get the levels to zero. With a nitrite reading of 2 ppm, a 50% water change will only get it down to 1ppm which is still too high. Either change 90%, leaving just enough water for the fish to be able to swim, or 2 x 60% water changes. As long as the new water has water conditioner added, and the temperature of the new water is the same as the tank water, the fish will be OK. Swimming in poisonous water is not good for fish.
+1 to the above.
 
Ok thanks guys,

will do another test tomorrow and do the water change accordingly!

the tetras made it back to the fish shop ok and are now in quarantine.
 

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Looking ahead to the algae issue when the cycling is resolved...with fish in the tank nutrients are aplenty, and in the presence of light this means algae. Plants, especially floating plants like Water Sprite, Frogbit, Water Lettuce, will really help by reducing the light and sucking up nutrients rapidly. Fish appreciate floaters as well, because most forest fish do not naturally occur in brightly lit waters.

A white substrate also encourages algae because it reflects light more than a darker substrate. Floating plants help here too of course, but you can also use chunks of bogwood, or dried leaves on the substrate. Many fish like these addition too.
 
The fish in this tank are fancy goldfish. Are floating plants - or any other plant - possible with goldfish or will they eat them?
 
This may sound like a silly question, but is there a special way to clean or do I just stick my arm in and clean with a cloth?
I personally use a sponge, but you may use whatever you wish. Make sure that your hands/arm are clean before sticking them in the tank. Also, don’t use any sponge/cloth that has previously been used with chemicals or for cleaning.
 
The fish in this tank are fancy goldfish. Are floating plants - or any other plant - possible with goldfish or will they eat them?

Good point. Water Sprite probably would get eaten. When I had my goldfish in the garden pond, I had Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce and they were not eaten, probably because they are tough. Water Lettuce (the sometimes called "dwarf" water lettuce is actually the same plant, it just doesn't grow as large indoors) and Frogbit might fare better.
 
Hey Guys,

Just got home from work and tested the water again with the below results, I dosed stability, do I do another water change on top of the one I did yesterday?

Levels are the same as yesterday with a slight drop in Nitrate, does that mean anything?

PH 7
Ammonia .25ppm
Nitrite 2.0ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
 
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