When Doing A Fish In Cycle

[sneezy]

is it ok to do more than 1 water change a day when nitrite is spiking. Have just done a daily chnage and nitrites still sitting at 5.0.

Also how big should the changes be. Many Thanks

 

[DJ_$ure$hot]

WOAH, 5.0 is a real high reading for a fish in cycle!! How many fish have you got in there & how big is the tank? Im also doing a fish in cycle & am approaching the end, but my spike never really went past 0.50. Ive been doing 25% water changes everyday though. Right now, Id say about an 80% water change would be needed, but wait for miss Wiggles to c onfirm that 1 for ya

 

[Miss Wiggle]

learning fast.... yes you can do multiple water change and you should be doing big ones with nitrite at that level. do like 60/70% then wait an hr or two and do the same again, can keep them up as many times as need to be to get the nitrite down. Obviously ideally it should be 0, in this situation thats nigh on impossible but you should be using water changes to kee it below 0.25

 

[sneezy]

Ok will do another in an hr. Have been doing 20% changes everyday so far and it has been relatively low. Was quite shocked by todays results. (was away for 4 days so that might be the reason) Ammonia is consistantly at 0ppm and Nitrate at 40ppm so I suppose that is something.

Many thanks.

DJ Sure - It is a tiny tank and I am majorly overstoked but it is the only place I have to put the leftovers of my disasterous coldwater attempt while I do a fishless cycle on my big tank. Most the fish went in my Mums pond

 

[sneezy]

3 water changes later and my nitrites are down to 0.25. That'll be it for the day now because my fish look very annoyed.

My nitrates also seem to have diappeared but hopefully thy will build up again in the next few days

 

[backtotropical]

It's a common misconception amongst hobbyists that water changes are somehow worse than ammonia / nitrite poisoning.

Ammonia and nitrite can be lethal to fish, even in very small concentrations. Water changes will annoy fish at worst, but that said, most fish, maybe with the exception of the most timid of fish, will actually like water changes.

If you have any measurable level of ammonia or nitrite, theres no contest or argument, water changes are the best policy.

Even a 100% water change is nowhere near as bad for a fish as 1ppm of ammonia or nitrite.

If there are any signs of either of those two toxins whatsoever, do as many, and as large water changes as is required to remove it.

The only exception to this rule is in a mature tank which hasn't had the water changed for a long time, this is called 'Old Tank Syndrome' and in this case, large water changes will have a negative effect, but this doesn't apply to 99% of cases.

HTH

BTT

 

[waterdrop]

3 water changes later and my nitrites are down to 0.25. That'll be it for the day now because my fish look very annoyed.

My nitrates also seem to have diappeared but hopefully thy will build up again in the next few days

Wow, I had forgotten all the complications and was just thinking "nitrite spike during fishless cycle" when I saw the 5.0... How awful for the fish!

Getting rid of all the NitrAtes via your water changes is a -good- thing! Nitrates are not somethings we -want-, just something the fish tolerate more as long as the weekly water changes come along and keep them (the nitrates) down.

(Nitrates are also something not great for fishless cycling (its acid and drives pH down and I even sometimes think planaria worms like it, lol) but during fishless it builds up so fast that its not surprising to have periods of high amounts.)

Remember, the scenerio in your head should be: ammonia... gill damage, nitrites... suffocation, nitrates... not urgent like the first two things, but... general possible sign of too few water changes or other poor maintenance. We use nitrate as a test that is like a "canary in the mine", as water changes also clear out other things we don't test for but which need to get cleared out on a regular basis to avoid "old tank syndrome." Just adding this stuff to go along wth BTT's excellent discussion already posted.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sneezy]

Have just tested levels again and both ammonia and nitrites are sitting between O and 0.25 ppm. If I do a 20% chnage before bed and continue with daily 25% changes now the levels have dropped.

Many Thanks

 

[backtotropical]

Sneezy,

Only continue with 25% changes if that is sufficient to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm.

If 25% daily is not sufficient to keep both toxins below 0.25, then the water change % or frequency must be increased, or both.

Don't be afraid to increase water changes if necessary. 50 - 75% water changes are common place when ammonia or nitrite is present.

Good luck!

BTT

 

[sneezy]

Hi.

I did 2 more changes yesterday.

Today I have checked my water and stats are

Ammon - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 40ppm

I am on day 33 of an in fish cycle and used some squeezings of mature media 8 days ago. Could I possibly be cycled? Or has something gone wrong?

 

[OldMan47]

It is possible you are done Sneezy. If your testing confirms it for at least another week, I would be more confident. As BTT said, don't be afraid to go as high as 75% water changes if need be to keep your chemistry in line.

 

[sneezy]

Ok thanks. Will keep checking. Am rehoming the fish elsewhere soon and don't intend to restock (with cherry shrimps) for a few more weeks.

When it is empty will I need to top up with ammonia to either finish the cycle or keep it cycled.

 

[OldMan47]

You will need something to keep the bacterial colony alive. I think of it as just another living thing in my tank that needs to be fed. When there are fish in the tank the fish waste takes care of them but when there are no fish they still need to be fed.