Cycling, I messed up...

[pattersonbear]

I was cycling my first tank, a freshwater ten gallon community, with Tetra SafeStart Plus and my parameters were all good (ph 7.0, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0.25) But last night when I checked my numbers, my ph was at 8.4 and ammonia at 0.25-0.5. I don't know what to do. I haven't done any water changes yet, and I don't yet have any fish. It has been about 10 days since I started the tank. I added Tetra SafeStart Plus again this Monday, but everything has seemed fine. What should I do?

 

[johnbirg]

HI and welcome to Fishlore.
Are you continuing to add an ammonia source? You need to keep feeding the bacteria right up to the tank being cycled and then adding your fish. If you don't keep adding either ammonia or ammonia-producing items like fish food the ammonia converting bacteria can starve and you will have to start cycling again. I would do about 40% water change to reduce the pH and that won't effect the cycling process.

 

[pattersonbear]

Okay. So I should do a water change and then add ammonia. Can I just start adding fish a few at a time, or will that not work?

 

[GlennO]

Much better to continue cycling without fish. That will also allow time to see what your pH stabilises at.

 

[johnbirg]

If you add fish while there is still ammonia present you will be changing to a fish-in cycle. You will have to add something like seachem prime which will make the water safe for 24-48 hours until the tank finishes cycling. You need to follow the directions and continue with water changes until that happens.

 

[bizaliz3]

Tetra safestart plus is really designed to be used for fish-in cycles....

Where do you suppose the ammonia reading is coming from if there are no fish?

And what would cause the ph to spike so significantly?? That is alarming to me....

I find those things to be strange. Unless tetra safe start has ammonia and ph effecting qualities....I've never used it personally.

 

[FinalFins]

What decor? what's the substrate and decor. Maybe you have limestone or one of those substrates that really raises pH.

 

[johnbirg]

I did ask what was being used as an ammonia source but question not answered.

 

[pattersonbear]

I don't have an ammonia source... this is my first tank and I did not know to continue putting ammonia in. My decor is some fake plants, gravel, a java fern, some moss balls, and a barrel decoration.
What should I do? A water change? please help...

I figured out what happened... my sibling got mad at me and added a teaspoon of baking soda into my aquarium!!!!
How do I fix it?

 

[KribensisLover1]

WHAT?!!

 

[pattersonbear]

Yeah. I don't know what to do.

 

[KribensisLover1]

Me neither sorry to overreact. Others will help I’m just new

 

[pattersonbear]

Okay. I hope I can fix it...

 

[jdhef]

Where do you suppose the ammonia reading is coming from if there are no fish?



I find those things to be strange. Unless tetra safe start has ammonia and ph effecting qualities....I've never used it personally.

This is something I've wondered about for a long time. Apparently, to keep the bacteria in the bottle of SafeStart alive, it is packaged in a "Stabilized Ammonia Solution". I don't know what that is, but I've often wondered if it will test positive for ammonia.

 

[GlennO]

Even without a dedicated ammonia source a new fish tank will still generate a very small amount of ammonia. I don't know where it comes from but that's what used to happen in the old days. We didn't understand the nitrogen cycle but knew that a new tank required a few weeks before adding fish. The cycle was very fragile with only a tiny colony of BB so fish had to be added very gradually.

 

[EmbersToAshes]

If someone put something in the water and you have no fish I would do almost if not a compete water change. Make sure you keep your bb filter parts wet while you do this and it shouldn't effect your cycle, just fix the pH spike. Then move your an aquarium to a safe place. A quick spike like that most likely would have killed your fish if you had any.

 

[pattersonbear]

Okay. I will do a complete water change... and then what? Should I start over? Wait until my numbers are stable and start gradually adding fish?
Thanks to everyone who is helping me.

 

[TWiG87]

You shouldn’t have to completely start over. Refill with new water, continue to monitor to your cycle process for a week or two until it stabilizes. Once your readings are steady, you can probably add some fish slowly

 

[pattersonbear]

Okay, will do. Thanks!