New Tank, Not Cycled

Two weeks ago bought a 20 gallon tall, added water and water conditioner to it. A week mater bought some bioboost and added it in. Bought fish two days ago and worried the ammonia is top high for them. Just finished doing a test on the water. PH 6.5-7 NH3NH4 1.2-2.4 both NO2 and NO3 0. I'm aware a new tank will have ammonia until it cycles. How will I know it cycles? Once I see the nitrites increasing because that's been 0 since we got the tank. Should I be doing daily water changes? with the conditioner and should I be adding the bioboost? or should I not be doing water changes and keep calm lol it's tough being a first time fish parent lol thanks for the help everyone. I feel my ammonia is very high but from what I was reading (hopefully understanding) that a ph over 7 and under 6 causes the ammonia to increase really fast. So I believe I'm at an ok state

 

Since you are doing a fish in cycle the most important thing you can do is keep the ammonia level down as low as possible with water changes.

If you don't already have it get a bottle of Prime. It is a water conditioner that has the added benefit of detoxing low amounts of ammonia thus leaving it available to feed the cycle but keeps it safe for the fish.

Run the tests. If the ammonia plus the nitrites are less than one add enough Prime to treat the full volume of your tank. If it is above one do a water change to get it back below one and then add prime.

 

Since you are doing a fish in cycle the most important thing you can do is keep the ammonia level down as low as possible with water changes.

If you don't already have it get a bottle of Prime. It is a water conditioner that has the added benefit of detoxing low amounts of ammonia thus leaving it available to feed the cycle but keeps it safe for the fish.

Run the tests. If the ammonia plus the nitrites are less than one add enough Prime to treat the full volume of your tank. If it is above one do a water change to get it back below one and then add prime.

My nitrates haven't gone past 0, I'm aware I need some ammonia to start nitrates. Should I be doing water changes daily or when the ammonia is above 1.2? I'm aware a new tank will have high ammonia so doing water changes will keep it lower since I'll have natural high amonia? Does that sound about right? Once I stop seeing a lower ammonia I'll know I've done enough water changes?

 

The cycle needs an ammonia source. In your case that ammonia source is your fish. They are in there eating, breathing and pooping. All those things produce ammonia. That ammonia is food for your cycle.

A cycle is simply growing ammonia eating bacteria. That bacteria grows mostly on your filter media but also grows on every surface in your tank.

It takes time for the bacteria to start growing. The first bacteria is one that eats ammonia. The waste from the ammonia eating bacteria is nitrite. The second bacteria is one that eats nitrites. Then the waste from the nitrite eating bacteria is nitrate. There usually isn't another bacteria to eat the nitrates so they have to be removed with water changes. Nitrates are the final stage of the cycling process so unless you have them in your source water you probably won't see them for a while.

Right now the most important thing you can do to protect your fish is to keep the ammonia and nitrites (once they start showing up) as low as possible with water changes. Water changes should not hurt your fish as long as you use a water conditioner in the water you are replacing and making sure the temp is close to the same as what you took out.

Ammonia can build up pretty fast so it is possible you will have to do water changes every day or every other day to keep it as low as possible.

I can't over stress the importance of SeaChem Prime while doing a fish in cycle. It is first and foremost a water conditioner but it has the added benefit of neutralizing low amounts of ammonia thus protecting your fish from its damaging affects yet leaving some there to feed the growing bacteria..

While cycling my last tank I never saw an ammonia spike because I was doing water changes every other day for most of the cycle and every day when the nitrites spiked. I know the ammonia was there because the tank did in fact cycle.

 

The cycle needs an ammonia source. In your case that ammonia source is your fish. They are in there eating, breathing and pooping. All those things produce ammonia. That ammonia is food for your cycle.

A cycle is simply growing ammonia eating bacteria. That bacteria grows mostly on your filter media but also grows on every surface in your tank.

It takes time for the bacteria to start growing. The first bacteria is one that eats ammonia. The waste from the ammonia eating bacteria is nitrite. The second bacteria is one that eats nitrites. Then the waste from the nitrite eating bacteria is nitrate. There usually isn't another bacteria to eat the nitrates so they have to be removed with water changes. Nitrates are the final stage of the cycling process so unless you have them in your source water you probably won't see them for a while.

Right now the most important thing you can do to protect your fish is to keep the ammonia and nitrites (once they start showing up) as low as possible with water changes. Water changes should not hurt your fish as long as you use a water conditioner in the water you are replacing and making sure the temp is close to the same as what you took out.

Ammonia can build up pretty fast so it is possible you will have to do water changes every day or every other day to keep it as low as possible.

I can't over stress the importance of SeaChem Prime while doing a fish in cycle. It is first and foremost a water conditioner but it has the added benefit of neutralizing low amounts of ammonia thus protecting your fish from its damaging affects yet leaving some there to feed the growing bacteria..

While cycling my last tank I never saw an ammonia spike because I was doing water changes every other day for most of the cycle and every day when the nitrites spiked. I know the ammonia was there because the tank did in fact cycle.

That makes more sense, I understand. For water changes should I be doing 15% or 25% of my 20 gallon? Or will I figure out what's good for the tank? I'll pick up that seachem prime (seeing loads of people use it) I'm using aquaplus by nutrafin. When I use the water conditioner do I use for what I'm putting back into the tank? Or for the full tank size? (Say 5gallons gone from tank, do I add enough conditioner for those 5 gallons I'm adding or the whole 20 gallons) I'm also using bioboost. Should I add that every water change or just weekly like the bottle said? Thanks again for all your help

 

That makes more sense, I understand. For water changes should I be doing 15% or 25% of my 20 gallon? Or will I figure out what's good for the tank? I'll pick up that seachem prime (seeing loads of people use it) I'm using aquaplus by nutrafin. When I use the water conditioner do I use for what I'm putting back into the tank? Or for the full tank size? (Say 5gallons gone from tank, do I add enough conditioner for those 5 gallons I'm adding or the whole 20 gallons) I'm also using bioboost. Should I add that every water change or just weekly like the bottle said? Thanks again for all your help

You just need to figure out how much water you need to change to keep the levels as low as possible. For me 30% worked. Let your water test determine how much works for you.

I don't use any of the bottled bacteria so can't advise you on the bio-boost. Personally I wouldn't be adding it but that has to be your choice. I am not sure the product you are using actually has the right kind of bacteria. Lots of them tell you to add it every week and if you have to do that it is either them wanting to sell more product or they know it isn't actually feeding the cycle and helping to grow a good colony of bacteria in the tank.

If you get Prime you will no longer need to be adding the aqua plus since both products are water conditioners. You need to add enough Prime to treat the full volume of the tank not just the amount you are replacing.

You need to add it anytime you see ammonia and/or nitrites in the tank. In other words, on the days you don't have to do a water change go ahead an put a full dose of Prime in the tank to detox the low levels of ammonia.

If you don't already have one I also highly recommend you get an API Master Freshwater Test Kit. With it you can know exactly what is happening in the tank and can catch small problems before they become big problems.

 

You don't use the bio boost until 24 hours after you add the Prime.

 

You don't use the bio boost until 24 hours after you add the Prime.

I know it is said that is the case when using tetra safe start but don't know that it is necessary with all bottled bacteria. Take Stability for example. It is a bottled bacteria and I see folks saying all the time that they use stability and prime.

I am thinking that the products designed to be added every day for a period of time and then once a week or so from now on do not contain the correct bacteria thus the use of Prime doesn't affect them.

 

I know it is said that is the case when using tetra safe start but don't know that it is necessary with all bottled bacteria. Take Stability for example. It is a bottled bacteria and I see folks saying all the time that they use stability and prime.

I am thinking that the products designed to be added every day for a period of time and then once a week or so from now on do not contain the correct bacteria thus the use of Prime doesn't affect them.

Prime and Stability are manufactured by the same company. They are designed to work together. If you're not using Stability, wait 24 hours before adding a BB product.

 

OurFirstTime, I clicked on the pic on your sig, and it shows you have a Top Fin Silentstream 20.

I have one of those that came with my Top Fin 20 gallon starter kit, so I am familiar with it. I re-purposed the same filter and installed it on a 10 gallon tank.

May I make a suggestion with some tips on how to increase the mechanical and biological filtration on that particular filter. Out of the box, these filters offer very minimal capacity for mechanically and biologically clean the water. For $10 and a few minutes of your time, you can boost the performance of this little filter dramatically with some easy DIY mods.

First, buy a 3-pk sponge filter set for an Aquaclear 50 like this one in this .

Take one and cut a hole in one end so you can shove it on the end of the intake pipe. Here is a

for a youtube video where someone does this.

This acts as a pre-filter for your Top Fin 20. It will catch the large stuff and will start to house some beneficial bacteria.

Next, take another sponge and cut it in an "L" shape like in the pic below.

Top Fin 20 2

• Islandvic
• Oct 7, 2018

You may have to play around with the exact cutting of it to make it fit right. Insert it in the back of the reservoir so the water from the impeller assembly gets discharged directly into this sponge.

Now you have 2 sets of course sponges filtering the water and house some beneficial bacteria.

Next, insert your cartridge filter diagonally into the reservoir. By doing this, it creates a larger space between the cartridge and the discharge chute of the filter.

Top Fin 20 1

• Islandvic
• Oct 7, 2018

In the 2nd pic, it shows how I inserted the cartridge diagonally.

The pic also shows the bag of bio-media I placed inside of it. It is Fluval Bio-Max that I had already cycled from my Aquaclear 110 and placed into a small bag.

You can buy this Aquaclear Bio-Max 50 insert () and shove it into the reservoir. Doing so will exponentially increase the capacity to colonize beneficial bacteria in the filter.

If you are using your SilentStream 20 in it's stock setup, every time you throw the cartridge away, what very little beneficial bacteria is able to grow in it gets thrown away also. That blue plastic insert is supposed to allow beneficial bacteria to grow on it, but I personally would not rely on that to actually work.

By inserting the sponges and placing a bag of bio-media into your silent stream filter, you have now increased it's ability to mechanically clean the water and given the beneficial bacteria a great place to start colonizing.

I hope some of these tips that worked for me help out.

Good luck

 

OurFirstTime, I clicked on the pic on your sig, and it shows you have a Top Fin Silentstream 20.

I have one of those that came with my Top Fin 20 gallon starter kit, so I am familiar with it. I re-purposed the same filter and installed it on a 10 gallon tank.

May I make a suggestion with some tips on how to increase the mechanical and biological filtration on that particular filter. Out of the box, these filters offer very minimal capacity for mechanically and biologically clean the water. For $10 and a few minutes of your time, you can boost the performance of this little filter dramatically with some easy DIY mods.

First, buy a 3-pk sponge filter set for an Aquaclear 50 like this one in this .

Take one and cut a hole in one end so you can shove it on the end of the intake pipe. Here is a

for a youtube video where someone does this.

This acts as a pre-filter for your Top Fin 20. It will catch the large stuff and will start to house some beneficial bacteria.

Next, take another sponge and cut it in an "L" shape like in the pic below.

Top Fin 20 2

• Islandvic
• Oct 7, 2018

You may have to play around with the exact cutting of it to make it fit right. Insert it in the back of the reservoir so the water from the impeller assembly gets discharged directly into this sponge.

Now you have 2 sets of course sponges filtering the water and house some beneficial bacteria.

Next, insert your cartridge filter diagonally into the reservoir. By doing this, it creates a larger space between the cartridge and the discharge chute of the filter.

Top Fin 20 1

• Islandvic
• Oct 7, 2018

In the 2nd pic, it shows how I inserted the cartridge diagonally.

The pic also shows the bag of bio-media I placed inside of it. It is Fluval Bio-Max that I had already cycled from my Aquaclear 110 and placed into a small bag.

You can buy this Aquaclear Bio-Max 50 insert () and shove it into the reservoir. Doing so will exponentially increase the capacity to colonize beneficial bacteria in the filter.

If you are using your SilentStream 20 in it's stock setup, every time you throw the cartridge away, what very little beneficial bacteria is able to grow in it gets thrown away also. That blue plastic insert is supposed to allow beneficial bacteria to grow on it, but I personally would not rely on that to actually work.

By inserting the sponges and placing a bag of bio-media into your silent stream filter, you have now increased it's ability to mechanically clean the water and given the beneficial bacteria a great place to start colonizing.

I hope some of these tips that worked for me help out.

Good luck

I've seen a few videos with tanks that have those sponges and I've always wondered what they did. Thanks for the awesome tip, I'll look into something like this to use. Thanks again really helpful