Urgent - Ammonia between .25 and .5 ... got new fish!!

[HalfmoonBetta]

HI so I didn't have ammonia testers. I went to PetSmart today to buy them and ended up coming home with 4 guppies, assuming ammonia was fine. I have not yet added the guppies, and tested my water first. The test seemed to be between .25 and .5 for ammonia! Is it safe to put the guppies in now? Or should I do a water change first? I already have a betta in there. If so, how much, and how long should I wait before adding the guppies?

10 gallon tank

 

[Motherlovebetta]

HI so I didn't have ammonia testers. I went to PetSmart today to buy them and ended up coming home with 4 guppies, assuming ammonia was fine. I have not yet added the guppies, and tested my water first. The test seemed to be between .25 and .5 for ammonia! Is it safe to put the guppies in now? Or should I do a water change first? I already have a betta in there. If so, how much, and how long should I wait before adding the guppies?

10 gallon tank

Did you test your nitrites and nitrates as well? Are the guppies in a bag still?? They can’t stay in there. How long has the tank been running? Did you cycle it? If you have prime you could use that and it should detoxify the ammonia. I would monitor that betta with the guppies very closely.

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

Did you test your nitrites and nitrates as well? Are the guppies in a bag still?? They can’t stay in there. How long has the tank been running? Did you cycle it? If you have prime you could use that and it should detoxify the ammonia. I would monitor that betta with the guppies very closely.

1. My nitrite seems a tad high, nitrates are fine.
2. Guppies are still in bag. My siblings also got fish and I have been dealing with them (sister's betta is attacking new frog and I'm trying to deal with that)
3. I have a starter thing and some treatments. I'm not sure what prime is...
4. My betta is not aggressive, but I will still monitor.
5. I've had this tank for over a month.

 

[Kassh4815]

What were your nitrites and nitrates? This will help us understand where you are in the cycling process.

how long has the tank been up? How big is the tank that it has a front a beta and soon to be multiple guppies (unless I’m misunderstanding something)

prime is the go to water conditioning for the majority of people here. Conditions water and temporarily binds ammonia and nitrites so you can address any issues

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

What were your nitrites and nitrates? This will help us understand where you are in the cycling process.

how long has the tank been up? How big is the tank that it has a front a beta and soon to be multiple guppies (unless I’m misunderstanding something)

prime is the go to water conditioning for the majority of people here. Conditions water and temporarily binds ammonia and nitrites so you can address any issues

1. Just redid a test, as the last one was several days ago. Nitrates is at 40, Nitrite seems to be around 5 which is more than I last checked.
2. The tank gas been up for a month. It Is 10 gallons!
3. My mother just came over and put like 15-20 drops of API betta water conditioner in. I do not think I have prime. I also have AquaSafe conditioner and API quickstart

 

[Motherlovebetta]

I think the frog is in another tank and I believe it said 10g in previous post. I’m guessing your tank isn’t fully cycled. I also am guessing the guppies can’t stay in the bag overnight.

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

I think the frog is in another tank and I believe it said 10g in previous post. I’m guessing your tank isn’t fully cycled. I also am guessing the guppies can’t stay in the bag overnight.

Oh yeah, sorry, the frog and other betta are in a different tank.

 

[Kassh4815]

My bad I’m maybe some messages did t load I didn’t see where you said it was a 10 gallon before.

your nitrites are really high, I would suggest a 50 percent water change everyday until your cycle has completed. You have to put in a conditioner that removes chlorine this is one reason to have prime.

you can put the guppies in but ammonia and nitrites are like poison so my suggestion is to get some prime snd do water changes daily until your ammonia is 0 and your nitrites are 0 that’s a signal your tank has been fully cycled.

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

My bad I’m maybe some messages did t load I didn’t see where you said it was a 10 gallon before.

your nitrites are really high, I would suggest a 50 percent water change everyday until your cycle has completed. You have to put in a conditioner that removes chlorine this is one reason to have prime.

you can put the guppies in but ammonia and nitrites are like poison so my suggestion is to get some prime snd do water changes daily until your ammonia is 0 and your nitrites are 0 that’s a signal your tank has been fully cycled.

The API removes chlorine, and so does the AquaSafe. I will see about getting prime. Thank you so much for the help! Should I start the water changes today? (It's like 10pm where I am)

The API removes chlorine, and so does the AquaSafe. I will see about getting prime. Thank you so much for the help! Should I start the water changes today? (It's like 10pm where I am)

The QuickStart says "the nitrifying bacteria in Quickstart quickly consume ammonia and nitrites by immediately establishing the bacterial filter to help prevent new tank syndrome." I've had this tank for a bit, but would that still be useful?

 

[Kassh4815]

If your nitrites are not at 0 then yes.

Think of it like breathing smoke, It irritates the lungs makes your throat hurt, that’s what ammonia and nitrites do to the fish gills.

one day you will test and everything will be 0 except nitrates. That’s how you know you are fully cycled. If nitrites go to 0 and ammonia is .25 or something. You could be over feeding but when nitrites drop and nitrates go up. Your cycle should be good.

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

If your nitrites are not at 0 then yes.

Think of it like breathing smoke, It irritates the lungs makes your throat hurt, that’s what ammonia and nitrites do to the fish gills.

one day you will test and everything will be 0 except nitrates. That’s how you know you are fully cycled. If nitrites go to 0 and ammonia is .25 or something. You could be over feeding but when nitrites drop and nitrates go up. Your cycle should be good.

Thank you!

 

[Kassh4815]

Then you can just do weekly / bi weekly water changes depending on the stock to keep nitrates in check.

i have a 55 gallon African cichlid tank and these things are massive eaters and bigger waste makers, so I get to do 25 gallon water changes 2x a week haha.

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

Then you can just do weekly / by weekly water changes depending on the stock to keep nitrates in check.

i have a 55 gallon African cichlid tank and these things are massive eaters and bigger waste makers, so I get to do 25 gallon water changes bi weekly haha.

Wow, that sounds rough, haha! BTW, how much of the water conditioner can I use? I'm worried about overdosing. Should I do it for 10 gallons, or less?

 

[Kassh4815]

With prime in a 10 gallon I believe it’s 25 percent of a cap. When you water change dose it for the entire tank not just how much water you put in. That’s always worked for me.

if somebody already put in conditioner today then you might lower the dose but not. By much. Look at bottle to dose correctly.

it’s good that you started testing it’s the best you can do to make sure your fish are happy and healthy. Is this your first tank?

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

With prime in a 10 gallon I believe it’s 25 percent of a cap. When you water change dose it for the entire tank not just how much water you put in. That’s always worked for me.

if somebody already put in conditioner today then you might lower the dose but not. By much. Look at bottle to dose correctly.

it’s good that you started testing it’s the best you can do to make sure your fish are happy and healthy. Is this your first tank?

Okay! I have had bettas in the past, but they were in 2-3 gallon tanks. I'm not quote sure how they survived tbh, I did 100% water changed every fee months when the tank got overly disgusting, then threw the fish back in! I never tested the water or heated it or anything. So yes, I'd consider this my first tank.

 

[Kassh4815]

here are some of my “lessons learned” from when I started.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle and doing a “fish in” cycle it’s like homework but if you do it right your water will never get disgusting.

The yellow tint you see in some aquariums (outside of those with untreated mopani wood which causes tannins) is high nitrates, algae also forms faster when nitrates are high.

Don’t change your filter media every few weeks like recommended, it’s supposed to look gross, you can swish it around in some tank water you have scooped out to get some of the crud off but really they last months. changing it every 2 weeks or once a month can cause your cycle to restart.

if you can (maybe not with these guppies) get a small tank to quarantine your fish when you get new ones or replace any. This will save you the headache of getting ich from the fish store and having to treat your entire tank.

ask questions here…. Use the emergency template so that we get all the information needed. The people here are always polite and a huge resource for help!

good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Here is my tank. I just changed the water so it’s not crystal clear but not bad

 

[HalfmoonBetta]

here are some of my “lessons learned” from when I started.

Read up on the nitrogen cycle and doing a “fish in” cycle it’s like homework but if you do it right your water will never get disgusting.

The yellow tint you see in some aquariums (outside of those with untreated mopani wood which causes tannins) is high nitrates, algae also forms faster when nitrates are high.

Don’t change your filter media every few weeks like recommended, it’s supposed to look gross, you can swish it around in some tank water you have scooped out to get some of the crud off but really they last months. changing it every 2 weeks or once a month can cause your cycle to restart.

if you can (maybe not with these guppies) get a small tank to quarantine your fish when you get new ones or replace any. This will save you the headache of getting ich from the fish store and having to treat your entire tank.

ask questions here…. Use the emergency template so that we get all the information needed. The people here are always polite and a huge resource for help!

good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Here is my tank. I just changed the water so it’s not crystal clear but not bad

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the help. <3

 

[Kellye8498]

Don’t change your filter media every few weeks like recommended, it’s supposed to look gross, you can swish it around in some tank water you have scooped out to get some of the crud off but really they last months.

I have had the same filter cartridge in my HOB in one tank for over a year. It’s still holding up and when it is close to the end of its days I just snip the filter floss off of it and cut a slit in my new cartridge and push that floss from the old filter inside the new one. It works like a dream and keeps the tabk cycled. Just fyi for easy filter changes without losing the cycle.

 

[FishDin]

The only safe level of ammonia and nitrite is zero. You tank is not cycled. You should not be adding more fish to a tank that can't handle the current bioload of one betta.

You need to test your water daily and do water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrate each below .5

Your testing will tell you how to proceed. If either ammonia or nitrite is above .5, do a 50% water change.
Test again next day. Do water change if needed, otherwise test again tommorrow. Your tank will be cycled (and safe) when ammonia and nitrite reach zero and remain there. That means the bacteria that process these chemicals are established in high enough numbers to handle the waste your tank is producing.

These bacteria will not remove nitrates. You will do that by performing regular water changes forever. Try to keep your nitrates below 20.

Your tank is in the process of cycling already and I don't think it has far to go before it is done. You just want to keep you fish safe until then.