Anne

Hi everyone, I really need help...
I have a 4 gal biorb for over 1 1/2 month with 3 serpae tetras. I battled pretty bad with the infamous cycle, but thought I finally had it. A week ago the readings for my water were : Ammo 1.0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 10.
I changed the water every 2 days to lower down the ammo... but today my readings were even worse : ammo 2.0, Nitrite 0.5. Nitrate 10.
I am at a loss
I don't overfeed them, well, I think (one flake that I scrumble twice a day...)
Can anyone help, please?

pinkfloydpuffer

That's actually a good thing. It means your cycle is going along. The ammonia is rising, and so is the nitrite. So when the ammonia falls and nitrite continues to rise, you're further. Then the nitrites will drop and the nitrates will rise, and then you're done.

Anne

Oh My God! I thought I was done with the cycle!!! Can it take that long?

pinkfloydpuffer

Yeah, sometimes it takes a while. Are you using anything besides water conditioner in your water? Like maybe AmmoLock? How often do you do water changes? Anything else you do...?

Anne

I have been cahnging the water every 2 days. I always condition the new one, and I sometimes use Amquel+ every other day....
Another quick question : do you think I have one too many fish in my 4 gal?

Lucy

I'm sorry your having problems with your cycle.

For some reason you may have set off a mini cycle. Are you vacuuming the gravel? Another thing that might set this off is changing your filter media too often.

pinkfloydpuffer

Ok
Um, the Amquel+ says it removes ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, correct?
If so, this may be what is slowing your cycle. It could be removing the nitrogen products before the bacteria can process it, thus causing them to die off. That's what Ammolock does. I'd try Prime instead if you can find it.
I'm not familiar with serpae tetras, I can look it up though.

Anne

Hi Lucy!
Yes, I vaccum the gravel everytime I change the water...
On the box of the biorb, they advised to change the filter every month... that's what I do...

pinkfloydpuffer

Ah, there ya go.
Try to only vacuum half the gravel each week.
And what kind of media is in the filter?

Alessa

Changing the filter never allows your tank to cycle. 80% of the bacteria you need for the cycle is there, so you should never replace it. Instead, you should swish it around some used tank water and place it back, not change it.

Anne

Thanks Pink! I will get Prime tomorrow and see what it does...
Thanks for the advice, I would have never thought about that,,,

Anne

Ohhh You mean I should have not change the filter yet... I'm such a novice...
What do you mean by the "media" when you talk about the filter?? (sorry, guys english is not my native language....

Lucy

Keep up with the water changes to get your cycle back on track and just rinse the filter media in used tank water when it gets gunky.
Most of the beneficial bacteria lives in the filter and you can lose a lot by replacing.

As far as bio-load, I don't think you're over stocked but I believe serpaes prefer more swim room than a 4g allows.

pinkfloydpuffer

Oh sorry.
The media is the stuff inside the filter. usually there's some kind of floss or sponge. This really only needs to be replaced when it's falling apart. Rinse it with dechlorinated water every once in a while to clean it. If there is any carbon, I'd just suggest removing it, because it has to be replaced or it'll leak lotsa nasties into your water, and it's not really that beneficial.

Lucy

Sorry, we get used to talking like that and wrongly assume people know what we're saying. lol Filter media is the sponge and catridge that are in the filter.

Anne

Thank you so much for all that info about the filter!!!! I have still so much to learn! But I'm motivated!
I'm thinking about upgrading to a 40 gal in a while, but I'm waiting to be on top of things first! (well, I'm trying hard!)

Alessa

Yes, sorry, we mean the sponge inside the filter. You shoukd never replace it unless it is falling appart.

pinkfloydpuffer

Of course! We're all here to help I'm glad you're taking the time to figure things out so your aquarium will be successful.