How Close Am I To Cycleling

[norlando097]

hey guys,

So I’m fairly new to the tropical scene and I had added fish to a new tank a few weeks ago with a completely cycled filter (it was running for 3 months) and new black sand substrate. So after a week thinking it there would be enough BB in the sand I got a completely new filter and did not add any old filter media to it. I now know that was a mistake but there was nothing I could do about it. Within the next couple days I noticed one of my corydoras was extremely white so I tested the water and the parameters were way too high so I did a 90% water change and lost the Corydora within an hour of changing the water. At this point I know I’m cycling again. So I have been doing regular water changes ( about 30% daily) and I added bio spira to try to speed up the process. Yesterday I did yet another water change and when I got home from work today I found another dead cory. This is getting extremely frustrating because i do not have another tank to put my fish in with a cycled filter. I just tested my water and ammonia is at .25, nitrites are 0, and nitrates are in between 5-10. I have been dosing with prime as well with every water change. How much longer do you think I have??

 

[Jenoli42]

hey guys,

So I’m fairly new to the tropical scene and I had added fish to a new tank a few weeks ago with a completely cycled filter (it was running for 3 months) and new black sand substrate. So after a week thinking it there would be enough BB in the sand I got a completely new filter and did not add any old filter media to it. I now know that was a mistake but there was nothing I could do about it. Within the next couple days I noticed one of my corydoras was extremely white so I tested the water and the parameters were way too high so I did a 90% water change and lost the Corydora within an hour of changing the water. At this point I know I’m cycling again. So I have been doing regular water changes ( about 30% daily) and I added bio spira to try to speed up the process. Yesterday I did yet another water change and when I got home from work today I found another dead cory. This is getting extremely frustrating because i do not have another tank to put my fish in with a cycled filter. I just tested my water and ammonia is at .25, nitrites are 0, and nitrates are in between 5-10. I have been dosing with prime as well with every water change. How much longer do you think I have??

how long have you been doing Daly 30% changes?

you're cycled when your parameters are at 0,0,5-20. so it sounds like you're close ?

 

[norlando097]

how long have you been doing Daly 30% changes?

you're cycled when your parameters are at 0,0,5-20. so it sounds like you're close ?

Like 3 weeks

Like 3 weeks

But don’t water changes lower the parameters anyways. Like I’m scared to not to water change for 2 days

 

[TexasGuppy]

When using prime, you only have to water change when ammonia plus nitrites are 1 or higher. Otherwise, just dose Prime. What's your pH? If affects cycle performance as well as toxicity.

 

[norlando097]

1 or .1??

 

[TexasGuppy]

1.0

 

[norlando097]

Ph is 7.2

1.0

Then why are my fish dying due to ammonia. Possibly just not healthy cories when I got them?? And should I dose the reccomended amount or more than that

 

[pugletfan]

Prime detoxes ammonia and nitrite up to 1 ppm combined (ammonia + nitrite). So every day you test your water. If ammonia + nitrite < 1 ppm, dose your tank with Prime. If ammonia + nitrite > 1, do a 50% water change and dose tank with Prime. Hopefully you are close!!

 

[norlando097]

Prime detoxes ammonia and nitrite up to 1 ppm combined (ammonia + nitrite). So every day you test your water. If ammonia + nitrite < 1 ppm, dose your tank with Prime. If ammonia + nitrite > 1, do a 50% water change and dose tank with Prime. Hopefully you are close!!

Should I just do a normal dose if it’s less than 1 ppm

 

[pugletfan]

Should I just do a normal dose if it’s less than 1 ppm

Yes, add Prime to your tank according to the volume of your tank.

I've been doing this for 3 weeks with my quarantine tank (also cories). I had moved a bag of cycled media to my QT tank from my lightly stocked main tank, but apparently the beneficial bacteria in that media were not large enough to keep up with 5 cories. I've finally started seeing 0 ammonia instead of 0.25 or 0.5.