fishnob

Quick run down: Was given bad info about using Aquaclear cycle to cycle my tank with fish. Anyway I have now educated myself and haven't used it since the initial treament. I need help with my reading and where I am at in the cycle. The tank has been running since Oct 12th and now that I have educated myself I am sure it is overstocked.

I have a 55 G tank temp is set to 76-78 F my reading are as follows. These were taken using the API master test kit liquid version.

ammonia = 1.0
nitrite = 1.0
nitrate = it was a colour between 0 - 5.0

I didn't know if I should test with the low pH or the high so I did both.

Low PH = 7.6
Hight PH = 7.4

Ok so what i know with my little knowledge is that I am still not cycled. I have been doing 25% water changes every week.

After I realized I couldn't trust the advise of my LFS I found this site and it has been great.

I am pretty sure my tank is a little overstocked right now, but as soon as I can get this tank to cycle I am going to be setting up a 2nd 55 G to fix this over popolated mess the LFS has got me into.

So after that long post my question is this. How are my readings? Where do you think I am at in the cycle? I want to do another 25 % water change tonight to bring down the ammonia level - do you think that is a good idea? All fish seem to be doing fine, but I want them to thrive, any advise on what more I can do from now on would be great.

Lucy

Welcome to FishLore!
Go ahead and do another water change. Imo, with fish in the tank, daily water changes should be done to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels down.
It takes longer to cycle that way, but as you know, it's for the health of your fish.

Without knowing previous readings it looks to me like you're in mid cycle.
Depending on how overstocked you are, it might take longer for the ammonia to drop.

Many members have gotten bad info. I'm glad to see you've done some research on your own and trying to do what's best.

Good luck and don't forget to share some pics.

Beth1965

Welcome to FIshlore!! As you can see, you'll get good info here.
Lucy's info sounds good.
What do you have for fish now in teh tank?

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore!!!!!!!
theres been ALLOT of us that were where you are now..its not fun but we do learn allot from other members helping us....I also agree with lucy and you need daily water changes to keep the fish safe....see if you can find some prime water conditioner as that will detoxify the ammonia/ nitrites (killers of fish) for 24 hours until your next water change...but it will keep it all still available to cycle the tank....being overstocked(if you are as I cant see your fish list) will make it harder to control the ammonia and cycle the tank..but not impossible..will just take longer...I would continue with the daily water changes and the prime for at least 4-5 weeks to feel safe on the cycle completed...good luck !

fishnob

Thanks for the quick responses Lucy and Beth. Yes I wish I would have known to take reading earlier, this is the first but will not be the last.

To answer the fish question. Please please do not judge on what I have in the tank right now as I know it is very bad...trying to fix it. I will also update in my profile so it is there for the other users to read.

2 Neon Tetras
6 Glow Light Tetras
1 Rose Tetra
1 White Skirt Tetra
1 Black Skirt Tetra
2 Red Eye Tetras
1 Red Platty
2 Tuxedo Platty's
2 White Molly's
1 Neon Sword Tail
1 Dwarf Gourami
3 Zibra Danios
1 Green Cory
1 Weather Loach
1 Fancy Guppie
2 Rainbow Sharks
1 bala shark ( so upset about this one, I had no idea they grew so big, I will get them a huge tank)

I am edititing here because I forgot to mention I have been doing daily tests for Ammonium with the crappy test sticks until I purchased the good api kit. Anyway the daily tests were showing .05. Now this is what is weird. I would do the test, change the 25% water, wait for about a few hrs and do the test again. The readings never changed.

Shawnie

other than your bala(which you know about now ) and your loach(which I dont know about as ive never kept them) your tank isnt that bad ..dont be so hard on yourself

Lucy

I don't trust the strips, I've compared them and have gotten different readings from strips from the same container.
To get a more accurate reading test 24 hours after the last test and right before a water change. Glad to hear you've switched to a liquid test kit.

fishnob

Thanks Shawnie!!!!! I do fell a bit better, it is overstocked for the cycle process though right? I am not trying to be hard on myself = ) but I am trying to better understand this hobby! From what I have now read I should have only maybe had the danio's in for the cycle proccess??

Meenu

I agree that your tank isn't so bad. Most of your stuff is fine.

-The tetras like to be in schools, not sure if all your different kind are schooling together.
-Your cory would probably love more of his friends in with him, maybe 4-5 more.
-I've had aggression problems with my zebra danios when I've had just a few. You might think about adding 3 more.
-Do you know the genders of your livebearers? They will breed like crazy if you have females, so be prepared to see some fry in your tank.
-I'm not sure about the rainbow sharks, can you keep 2 in a tank?

We'd love to see pictures, and of course, welcome to fishlore.

Shawnie

I dont think it is...all your fish are small bio load makers....other than the schools not being up to par (cories and guppies like some of their own to feel safer, and 2 rts might be an issue but tolerable with hiding spots) you are fine with your stock...so maybe return mr bala and your weather loach( I just saw they can get up to 12 inches) you will be fine!! but definitely find some prime even if you have to order it online ...

Lucy

Most of us prefer to cycle with out fish.
There are quite a few alternate ammonia sources like household ammonia (no additives), fish food and raw shrimp that can be used.
Cycling without fish means no water changes during the cycling process (yay!) and no fish are harmed from the toxins (double yay!)

jprime84

I was in a similar situation as you, and with Prime from Seachem, I only did weekly water changes and did not lose a single fish in my 20g tank despite nitrite spikes of 3ppm. Not only that, but they all got fat and feisty.

Just give it a good dose every day, monitor your readings, and dont overfeed the fish and you should be fine.

fishnob

WOW great to hear Shawnie and Mommy!

Wow thanks for the info on the weather loach! This one I rescued from my Aunt when her tank sprang a leak. I had no idea they got that big.

I was wanting to add more Cory's and tetra's but I wasn't sure if I could as I thought I was over stocked. Great news!!!!!! Do you know if different species of Cory's will school?

Now for the Bala and weather loach - I don't want to return them to the creepy LFS as I know they will just sell them to someone else that has a small tank, as they aren't at all honest. I really do like the bala, but I don't want it to not live a good life. If I was to add a bala or two as they like to school and move the weather loach with it, what size of tank would I need? Just to house the bala's and the loach?

Do you think it is safe for me to add some more cory's now during the cycle or should I wait?

For the livebears question, I have no idea what sex they are...ohh ohh, better go look at that now!

Lucy

Please wait, you wouldn't want to expose any more fish to ammonia and nitrites because they're toxic to your fish.

Shawnie

balas can get over 12 inches and can crack a too small of tank just from swimmin side to side..so unfortunately, there is no room for him or others with the fish you have...even if you got rid of all your other fish, balas would outgrow the 55g ...I agree with lucy..dont add ANYTHING until the tank cycles....then you can go from there..yes different cory species will school together...at this point, i would rehome the bala and loach and leave not add anything else for at least a month or more...daily water changes as the tetras and others are small and more sensitive to water conditions..find the prime..and enjoy the tank for now once it cycles , we can help you go from there with proper schools and such...feed only once a day as well..no need to add to the waste and the extra ammonia for cycling...

fishnob

Ok I will go get the prime today! I will not add any extra fish until I am up and cyceld. I do want to rehome the bala and the loach but in my home. I would like to know what size of tank I should look at getting to house them? Or am I looking at something like a 200 G tank to do this? The outcome would be the 55 g with the rest of my fish that I have and then a 2nd tank size to be determined for the Bala's and the loach.

BTW I checked and it looks like I have 2 male Platy's and 1 female. Now the 2males are tuxedo platy's and the female is a red platy, do I have to worry about them breeding?

fishnob

After the advise I got here, I did a water change on Oct 30. It was a about a 40% change. I wasn't able to get prime, so I ordered it online and it arrived today. So I just did another test, and my reading are much different. Not sure what to do now? These readings are from Nov 1 at 1:00 pm.

Readings:

Ammonia = .25

Nitrite = 5

Nitrate = 5

So I am worried about the high nitrite levels, should I be? Should I do another water change and add the prime?

Advise Please

thorpbrian

I'd definitely do another water change today and I would do daily water changes of 25 to 50 percent with prime until you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 10 plus nitrate.

AlyeskaGirl

Hello,

You need to be doing daily water changes....since you did 40% on the 30th, you need to do another one asap, i'd do 50%. You add the Prime to the new water first, before you fill the tank back up. You can add it to the whole tank volume. So, treat the new water then figure out your dose for what is left for the whole tank, about 1/2 capful should be fine after you do a change. Don't worry about overdosing, it can be used up to 5x normal dose, says on bottle.

fishnob

Ok So I did a 50% water change yesterday and then added the prime. Before the water change my readings were

Ammonia 0 -.25 (between 0 and .25)
Nitrite 5
Nitrate 5

I am happy to report my readings as of today are:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 5-10 (between 5-10)

Looks like I am almost cycled! My question is this, should I do another 50% change today? Also when I add the Prime this time, I should only add enough to cover the water that was replaced correct? As I added the prime yesterday and I added enough for my full tank volume.

The other thing I am wondering is am I getting false readings because of the prime?.

Thanks in advance for the advise!

Lucy

You're getting there!
I treat the new water before I add it, I think 2 drops per gallon. If you add the water to your tank first, add enough for the whole tank. (I think that's what the directions say)
According to seachem's website, Prime dissipates after 24 hours. As long as you wait 24 hours to test, it should be accurate.
I'm looking for the article to link to.
Continue the water changes until your tank is completely cycled.
Won't be long now!

Here's the the link:
Prime FAQ

fishnob

Well more questions. I am still trying to get cycled...Just want to know if I need to be doing anything else, and if my readings make sense.

Nov 3 was the last date I reported my readings, I will update below.

Nov 3

Ammonia 0
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 5-10 (between 5-10)

50 % water change as well as prime added.

Nov 4

Ammonia 0
Nitrite .25
Nitrate 5

50 % water change as well as prime added.

Nov 5

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 1.0
Nitrate 5

50 % water change as well as prime added.

Nov 6

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 1.0
Nitrate 5

50 % water change as well as prime added.

Nov 7

Ammonia 0 - .25
Nitrite .25
Nitrate 5

50 % water change as well as prime added.

Nov 8

Ammonia 0
Nitrite .5-1.0
Nitrate 5

50 % water change as well as prime added

Nov 9

Ammonia 0
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 5

I am leaving the water change for tomorrow, as it is just to late...


All fish are doing fine, just not sure why thoose nitrite's won't go down? Also I noticed the time strip on my filter says it is time to change. After reading many posts on here, I don't think I want to change it, just maybe open it and take out the activated carbon? I am using a Tetra Wisper X70 that have the carbon built into the "pocket" type filter.

Is the carbon messing up with my cycle? Should I change it? Just take out the Carbon? Or leave it be until I cycle?

Thanks everyonet that has already helped me out, I am not going over the particulars or fish tank etc as I hope everyone can read the thread. (I know, I know I need to updadate my aquarium info)

Lucy

I'd just dump the carbon. You don't want to change cartidges now, just rinse it out in used tank water.

fishnob

A new Question this time. I have been doing daily water changes and monitoring my results each day. On Nov 11 I started seeing the same readings everyday

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = .25
Nitraties = 5

So this made me think I was almost cycled. Then today I did my test and I am getting

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = 0 YAY YAY YAY
Nitrates = O OHHH no what happend!

Yes I did shake it, and did test again to make sure. What could be going on here? Nothing has changed - no fish added nothing taken out of the tank.

What do I do?

Ok I tested again after reading on here that someone had the same thing happen and it was becasue the test tube had no been cleaned out properly.

So I rinsed the tube did not use any cleaners and did the test again. I am still showing 0 Nitrates. I would like to think it is a fluke with the test...but through all the tests I have never had a reading of 0 Nitrates. Help Please. I have no idea what to do.

Lucy

Weird.
If you could fill in your aquarium info...how many and what kind of fish?
When was your last water change and how much did you change out?

Shawnie

any live plants in the tank? again as lucy suggested, filling out your tank info will help allot....what fish in the 55g tank? if its understocked with smaller fish, the daily water changes (which are needed when you have ammonia/nitrites as you know) could have cleaned it all up

fishnob

I would fill out my Aquarium info, but I have tried and for some reason it isn't saving them I have tried 3 times now.

Sorry I wasn't through enough - but I will post the info again. I did say that I was doing daily water changes...

If you want readings for all days please refer to http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/aq...-am-cycle.html

Up until Nov. 11th my nitrities were anywhere from .25 - 1.0 and Ammonnia was solid at 0 and Nitrates were solid at 5.
Nov 11th I started to see a trend in readings, that is why I choose this date to go from.

Nov 11th -
Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = .25
Nitrates = 5

30 % water change completed after readings were taken. I used aquaplus for my water conditoner.

Nov 12th

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = .25
Nitrates = 5
30 % water change completed after readings were taken. I used aquaplus for my water conditoner.


Nov 13th

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = .25
Nitrates = 5
30 % water change completed after readings were taken. I used aquaplus for my water conditoner.

Nov 14th

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = .25
Nitrates = 5
30 % water change completed after readings were taken. I used aquaplus for my water conditoner.

Nov 15th

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = .25
Nitrates = 5
30 % water change completed after readings were taken. I used aquaplus for my water conditoner.

Nov 16th (today)

Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = 0
Nitrates = 0

No water change today, waiting to get some help....I have no idea what happend?

Here is the list of fish currently in the tank..

2 Neon Tetras
6 Glow Light Tetras
1 Rose Tetra
1 White Skirt Tetra
1 Black Skirt Tetra
2 Red Eye Tetras
1 Red Platty
2 Tuxedo Platty's
2 White Molly's
1 Neon Sword Tail
1 Dwarf Gourami
3 Zibra Danios
1 Green Cory
1 Weather Loach
1 Fancy Guppie
2 Rainbow Sharks
1 bala shark ( so upset about this one, I had no idea they grew so big, I will get them a huge tank)

EDIT: I think I was able to get the aqurium info to save this time, please let me know if you can see it now.

Also all fake plants

Shawnie

I added your stock in the tank for you and it should be listed now
thats a weird situation for sure....whats the lot # on your nitrate bottle?

id give it a couple days and test again ...with all 0's at least you know the fish are safe

fishnob

Thanks Shawnie: I thought I had it finally working myself. Right after I posted I tried updating the info again, and then I could see it. Anway it is now there again thanks for that.

The lot # on the bottle is 17AO609 Bottle # 1
18A0809 Bottle 2

I am worried about just sitting and waiting....now I am new to this, so I might be thinking wrong. BUT if there are no nitrates right now...what is going to happen with the ammonia and nitrites? Do I have to worry about them spiking in the middle of the night?

Shawnie

oops maybe you fixed it then either way, im glad its done so we all dont keep asking you ..i know thats a pain ...

theres not much you can do right now and if there is a spike in the night, it shouldnt be that much to do a ton of harm...sitting and waiting is what id do with all 0's ....do you have live plants ? cant remember if I saw that or not...