Trouble with fish-in cycling.

Hey everybody

As you can see in my bio, I have two tanks. The first one is established all with good readings.

The second one however is a different story.

I decided to start another tank up in hopes of raising some of my guppy fry who are about 4 weeks old. I unexpectedly inherited some fish from my brother who just left the country. Before I received the fish, I was just using fish food to start the cycle without fish in there.

I had no choice but to put the inherited fish in my new 10 gallon because putting them in my established tank would double the bioload.

The fish are 2 female fancy guppies, 1 male fancy guppy, and 3 harlequin rasboras (3 HRs died during the 3 hour drive up to my apartment). They have been in there for about 2 and a half weeks now with the highest ammonia test being 0.25.

I change 3-4 gallons daily to keep the ammonia to a minimum. The fish all seem fine and continue to show normal behavior. I am pretty confident that they would survive the cycle with my daily water changes but on the 15th of March, 1 week from today, I am leaving for spring break and I will be gone for a week. I am not concerned about the fish not eating for a week, I am concerned because I don't think my cycle will be complete by then and without the daily water changes, I feel like they will all die.

Sorry for the extremely long post. Does anybody have any suggestions on what I could do? Anything I could buy such as TSS or prime?

 

Borrow some filter media from your established 10 gallon if possible.

If you can't, stick some additional media in that tank for the next week. When you go to leave, stuff it into the new tank's filter alongside the cycling media.

It should help anyway.

It's a little late in the game for TSS.

It's a little bit of a crapshoot. You could always put these new fish into your existing tank with your other fish. Then again, by doing that, you'd be increasing your bioload to the point where you'd probably need to do water changes.

 

You could do 40 - 50 % w/c with Prime.

 

What I would have done is just moved the old filter over to the new tank completely and put the new one on the old tank. I also would have cut some of the old filter media and shoved it in the new filter.

 

The cycle in your established tank will be strong enough (very, very, VERY good chance) to accept half of these fish with no problems. That would cut the bioload for the other 10 in half which means the bacterial colony that is present in that 10 right now would very likely be able to keep up with the lesser bioload. Plus being as you won't be feeding them for a week, the bioload will be even less yet so I don't think it should present many if any problems.

 

Yeah, what she said......

 

If it were me, I would put in a bottle of SafeStart and know that I wouldn't be doing any water changes for the next 14 days even if I were home.

 

If it were me, I would put in a bottle of SafeStart and know that I wouldn't be doing any water changes for the next 14 days even if I were home.

Well someone above said its too late to use TSS and I am not sure if it is safe to use for with fish already in the tank.

BTW, my tap water has ammonia in it so I would assume that it would be even harder to cycle.

 

Well someone above said its too late to use TSS and I am not sure if it is safe to use for with fish already in the tank.

BTW, my tap water has ammonia in it so I would assume that it would be even harder to cycle.

If you can get the ammonia in your tank as close to 0 as possible before adding the TSS, it would increase the chance of it working. How much ammonia is in your tap? I have between 2 and 3ppm in mine and I managed to get TSS to work for me twice, although it did fail one time, but even then it worked somewhat, the tank was not cycled on the 14th day, but it was cycled about a week later.

 

If you can get the ammonia in your tank as close to 0 as possible before adding the TSS, it would increase the chance of it working. How much ammonia is in your tap? I have between 2 and 3ppm in mine and I managed to get TSS to work for me twice, although it did fail one time, but even then it worked somewhat, the tank was not cycled on the 14th day, but it was cycled about a week later.

A very small amount is in my tap 0.25

The closest I've gotten it down to was 0.25

 

Cycling with ammonia in your tap is a two steps forward one step back process. Do you still have a Nitrite reading? I in gerenral recommend Prime to anyone with ammonia in their tap even after the tank cycles since you will stillbe adding excess ammonia with your waterchanges every week. But if you go with TSS, You cannot use Prime until after the 14day period, it can mess up The TSS and cause it to fail.

EDIT: for the record Toosie's suggestion is good too.

 

Cycling with ammonia in your tap is a two steps forward one step back process. Do you still have a Nitrite reading? I in gerenral recommend Prime to anyone with ammonia in their tap even after the tank cycles since you will stillbe adding excess ammonia with your waterchanges every week. But if you go with TSS, You cannot use Prime until after the 14day period, it can mess up The TSS and cause it to fail.

EDIT: for the record Toosie's suggestion is good too.

Yeah its really frustrating. To be honest, I don't think anything in that tank is going to be alive when I get back..

 

Yeah its really frustrating. To be honest, I don't think anything in that tank is going to be alive when I get back..

That's why I think it is really best to throw in a bottle of SafeStart.

As LexI can attest, SafeStart can work in a situation such as your's (that's why I advised using it)

In your case, you would want to do enough water changes to get the ammonia levels as close to zero as you can. (I realize you will never get it below .5ppm because that is what is in your tap water.)

Then if using any water conditioner that detoxes ammonia, wait 24 hours after adding the water conditioner to add the SafeStart.

While it is not 100% certain that the SafeStart will work (but it much more than likely will) the worst that could happen is that it will be like you never added it and went away (which is your other option).

But I really believe if you does with SafeStart you will come back to living fish.

 

I wouldnt use TSS at this point as it will be a complete crapshoot. There is a product by Microbe-Lift called Nite Out 2 that is fantastic. 5 ml per 10 gallons of water every other day. It took my 10 gallon tank about a week to cycle once I started using the Nite Out 2. It worked fantastic and is way cheaper than TSS - really surprised that there aren't more folks here on the forum endorsing it.

 

I vote for plain old water changes and Prime. You can't really go wrong that way, just extra work.

 

I vote for plain old water changes and Prime. You can't really go wrong that way, just extra work.

plus it builds character. lol

 

I've been thinking..... Spring Break is highly over-rated. I think you should just stay home and do water changes instead.

 

I wouldnt use TSS at this point as it will be a complete crapshoot. There is a product by Microbe-Lift called Nite Out 2 that is fantastic. 5 ml per 10 gallons of water every other day. It took my 10 gallon tank about a week to cycle once I started using the Nite Out 2. It worked fantastic and is way cheaper than TSS - really surprised that there aren't more folks here on the forum endorsing it.

I vote for plain old water changes and Prime. You can't really go wrong that way, just extra work.

The problem is that the OP is going away for Spring Break and will not be available to put Nite Out in his tank every two days or do daily water changes. That is why I believe SafeStart is the best choice.

 

I would just stay home, have no fun, and do the water changes. LOL Your only really option if you are going to be gone is to try the TSS, and keep your fingers crossed.

 

I would just stay home, have no fun, and do the water changes. LOL Your only really option if you are going to be gone is to try the TSS, and keep your fingers crossed.

If you are going on vacation and TSS is you only option. I would take your fish out of the tank (any pet store will give you some of those little plastic bags for free), empty your tank completely, rinse your gravel REALLY well with tap water, replace your filter media with brand new....put everything back together, use tetra aqua safe to treat the water for chlorine, and add your fish and TSS to the tank at the same time. Fish ONLY, do not put your old bagged water into the tank. Use a net; fish only.

So, basically: start over. TSS is known to fail when its not used from the "get go".

 

Not sure why everyone is claiming that TSS will fail unless at the start of the cycle. TSS fails in the presence of nitrogen buildup. It can be added to s tank years down the road that breaks its cycle. As the OP has been testing and has very low levels, odds are it will work. And, even if it doesn't it will definitely keep the levels low while away.

I recommend doing a large water change. If using Prime or another detoxing agent wait 24 hours and dose the TSS. It is the only option I can see, short of rehoming the fish.

 

Not sure why everyone is claiming that TSS will fail unless at the start of the cycle. TSS fails in the presence of nitrogen buildup. It can be added to s tank years down the road that breaks its cycle. As the OP has been testing and has very low levels, odds are it will work. And, even if it doesn't it will definitely keep the levels low while away.

I recommend doing a large water change. If using Prime or another detoxing agent wait 24 hours and dose the TSS. It is the only option I can see, short of rehoming the fish.

+1 to catsma! I agree!

 

I've been thinking..... Spring Break is highly over-rated. I think you should just stay home and do water changes instead.

My family and I go to Arizona every year over spring break to watch my SF Giants during their spring training. Been doing it for as long as I can remember. Baseball is my life!

And while everyone is suggesting TSS, I've been doing some research and I can't quite figure out what size bottle I would dump in my tank. Hopefully a small one.. I'm broke!

 

I believe the smallest bottle treats 30 gallons, so you should be fine with the smallest bottle.

 

I believe the smallest bottle treats 30 gallons, so you should be fine with the smallest bottle.

Use the whole bottle.


using Tapatalk

 

using Tapatalk

This drives me INSANE!!!!! Does it have to appear on every post? I mean, my posts don't automatically say what computer I'm using....



rant over..... maybe

 

Happy now?

 

So I never really realized how pricey TSS was. It might not be expensive to most of you, but I just can't seem to afford paying $15 on something that might not even work.

I pay for my own school, and pretty much everything else and I don't even have a job at the moment lol

I will probably just keep up with the water changes and hope for the best!

 

Sorry, is there anyway you can get a small bottle of prime? What is your nitrite reading today?( I have a reason for this question, honest).

 

Sorry, is there anyway you can get a small bottle of prime? What is your nitrite reading today?( I have a reason for this question, honest).

Ammonia and nitrite are still 0.25..

I can go to my lfs and petco and see how much there smallest bottles of prime
is.

 

The prime will help protect your fish between water changes. Could you try what Tootsie suggested and move part of the fish? I have some adpted methods I use to deal with the ammonia in my tap, but it won't work with your limited time frame and a nitrite reading. Unfortunatlly as you are seeing the ammonia in your tap will drag the cycle out longer.

 

My girlfriend just bought me 50ml bottle of TSS! What should I do with it? I don't want to just dump it in.

Also, should I do a water change before? Once I dump it in, should I stop with the water changes?

 

I would do a water change first, at least 50% and then dump All of it in. You have to wait 2 or more weeks before your next water change. The directions on the bottle are pretty accurate.

 

I would do a water change first, at least 50% and then dump All of it in. You have to wait 2 or more weeks before your next water change. The directions on the bottle are pretty accurate.

The directions don't even say that but that's what I've been told to do regardless. Thanks for your input.

 

TSS is usually intended for starting a tank that has never had fish in it. So in this case it will be good to do a water change first. The rest of the directions still apply.

 

TSS is usually intended for starting a tank that has never had fish in it. So in this case it will be good to do a water change first. The rest of the directions still apply.

Oh ok. That makes much more sense. I will be sure to do that! Thanks!

 

Yeah, no water changes for at least 14 days after adding it!

 

Yeah, no water changes for at least 14 days after adding it!

Ok. Should I do it now? Or wait until next thursday (when I leave for about 8 days) and do water changes until then?

 

I would do a water change and add it now. That way by the time you return the tank should be cycled and ready for its first weekly water change. What a sweet girlfriend you have

 

Thanks jdhef and lexi. I really appreciate all the help you guys gave me! I will update you guys asap!