This can make it seem like your cycle may have stalled, when in reality its the shortcoming of the color chart. While using this method of speeding up the cycle dont keep any fish in the tank. Its possible that champ is sick and that has caused these other health issues to arise, despite you doing everything right. I was going to go through with euthanizing her on Thanksgiving but having found one more option I decided to use another round of API fin and body, API general cure and do Methalyane Blue dips which I have also been doing for champs fin rot since NOTHING has worked on growing his fins back. I used the prime dosing method in champs tank and sassys since both their parameters rose after doing large water changes . However, I would assume it would be similar to fish in that you need to perform a fish-in cycle. Just came across this youtube video of a talk Dr. Tim gave last year specifically on nitrifying bacteria and how to speed up your cycle by setting up your tank to ideal conditions for the nitrifying bacteria you are trying to jumpstart. Nitrite-loving bacteria then convert the nitrite into nitrate (step 3), thereby rendering it mostly harmless. The KH value is determined by the number of drops that must be added to turn the water in the tube bright yellow. When should I begin testing parameters in this situation? You'll keep adding food regardless of what the test turns up, but if you see that there are nitrites in the water then that's a sign that the nitrogen cycle is underway. Posting my readings below: 14 July Now, there is a lot of debate about this, but DR Tim discovered that not all strains of beneficial bacteria are the same. ammo. Continue doing this each day till the nitrite ranges start going up. In setting up my new tank I decided to give seeding a try. Long story short, Dr Hovanec started his own company, patents were shared and now Dr Tims and Tetra Safe Start are the same stuff. Can I put them in the tank yet? The ammonia went down to around 2ppm over night but nitrites are still high and nitrates are around 80ppm? Two weeks is a long time to go without seeing a hint of nitrite does your filter contain biomedia (like ceramic noodles) or a sponge for the beneficial bacteria to live in? Also, while it might make sense IMO to blend a piece of fish or shrimp and throw it in the water for ammonia. I dont know if hes biting them, tearing them or its actual fin rot. This tank has a filter in it, right? If you have a completely new tank, these are the steps you want to do in the order they should be done for the most "bang for your buck": -Setup the tank, put all filters/heaters/decorations/etc in place. When the food decays, it releases ammonia into the water, kickstarting the nitrogen cycle. im doing prime vs daily water changes so at what point do i need to change my water? After your reply, I went ahead and did 6 50% water changes (2 hours in between each one) to get it back down to 20ppm, but since then, the number just keeps doubling daily. Simply remove the filter from the cycled aquarium and add it to your new tank. This is such a mystery! Your only chance of saving your fish is performing a fish-in cycle. Nitrite is around 2ppm (or 5ppm?) When the ammonia and nitrite levels each present 0 ppm, the nitrate ranges ought to be going via the roof. Thanks for your easy to follow readings . 1.0 nitites- 0 The only thing I can think of is, I fed frozen bloodworms to him about once a week. You should also carry out partial water changes regularly of about 20% of the total volume of the tank with well-aged water and not tap water. We are doing a fishless cycle and have been dosing with ammonia (believe it or not, dollar tree was the only place I could find some without anything added to it!) Also, is there anything else I need to do besides the water change and add prime?? Ammonia came down, nitrites went up. I'm here to teach you everything there is to know about fishkeeping. The 5ppm nitrate you are measuring now is probably from your tap water. Tested my tank with my old & new test kits as well as my friends kit and results were the same. I didnt expect it to be done yet but I thought Id see some nitrites by now. Its possible that the test kit was being misread, as nitrate couldnt spike that high in such a short amount of time. And the new 20 gallons? This was about 5 week ago. Anyways, I am clearly forced to do this in fish cycle. 4. PH: 7.6ppm These days chloramine is used in water supplies instead of chlorine, which means it is harder to remove from water. Waiting for nitrite to actually drop to 0 before dosing ammonia again won't slow the cycle, but rather speed it up. To have a fully cycled aquarium, your water should have no traces of ammonia and nitrite. Fish poop and other organic matter release ammonia. its not like bombarding the tank though. I believe it was a instant, or nearly instant cycle. Constantly keeping your filter on is very favorable to the bacteria. On Timmys tank, this is likely diatoms. . Just how effective these products are is up for debate, but many aquarists swear that it helped their tank cycle faster. The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling Unfortunately, on the nitrate front, I highly recommend contacting your local fish store (not a big box chain like petsmart or petco) or your local aquarium club for help. Of course, this relies on the ammonium being pure, so go slow when adding it, just in case. Ammonia from fish will build up at a much slower rate you should be able to go for a week between water changes! The bacteria need ammonia as a food source to survive. Addict to beta fish. With an old back injury, its increasingly hard for me to keep up with the daily water changes. Its going to be slow, but by stepping carefully, you may be able to save this fish. Well done on making it this far . Since I am using the aqua clear HOB filter that says UP TO 30 gallons on a 3.5 and 10 would this maybe be hurting it? I put a sponge that i use for the mechanical filtration blocking the water but I dont know if that would have caused the tearing or fin damage, I dont know what else to do Even if its tearing I would think I could treat it the same way as rot to PREVENT rot I know less is more thats why I was leaving it alone with the one time dose of aquarium salt but thats not working! You wrote Fish tanks less than 40 gallons: Add Half a teaspoon of Fritz Ammonia (2 ppm). I have been dosing my 17 gallon tank to 4ppm of ammonia. How to Cycle a Fish Tank - Fresh Water Systems Most water supplies now use chloramina instead of chlorine, since it stays in the water longer. Im hoping to get it running this weekend. The ideal is to not purchase tank creatures until your tank has cycled, but if its too late, then a fish-in cycle is the only way. How do I know if my tank is fully cycled if Im doing daily water changes to get my nitrate down? Welcome to the hobby! This is an effective method of speeding the Nitrite Cycle. I know that was a lot of information to cover in one post so hopefully, I didnt repeat myself or confuse you, I almost confused myself there for a second lol but I will wait to hear back from you short recap. A water change will lower the nitrates, so if they increase again, do nothing but a water change and see what level they drop to. Im new to the hobby. My friend had to move out of town last minute and I couldnt let her kill the fish so I now have a 20 gallon with 3 neon tetras, 2 Mollys and I think 2 platys. My husband thought it might speed up the process if we added the safe start to this one as well so he added a bottle last night. I have 3 small tanks which took varying times to cycle (from 1 month to 6 months for one of them!!). Bloodworms shouldnt cause dropsy and the good news is that dropsy isnt considered contagious, so you shouldnt have to treat the tank. To be honest, the nitrites from my previous tests could have been 2ppm or 5ppm, I couldnt really tell the difference from the chart. Also, I would use his filter and buy him another?! I always suggest daily testing when cycling. Sounds like you have found a great local fish store! Here are the ways that you can resort to speed up the Nitrite cycle in your aquarium. Since only so much can colonize your biomedia, adding more shouldnt help. Nitrite: 2ppm I just replaced my shower head with two parts an actual filter that attaches to the showerhead and a filtered head. Am currently using seachem alkaline buffer but I find it fluctuates after a few days. Or is the cycle continuing on? GH-120 A new tank syndrome occurs when your fish or other aquatic life is producing too much bioload for your beneficial bacteria to handled. Per the directions it only takes 1 drop for each tank to turn from blue to yellow so it says that would be the end of the test but continuing on to step 5 it says I determine the KH value by how many drops it would take to get it BRIGHT yellow which would be MUCH more than 1 drop. It those are some beautiful fish you have and it sounds like you have a very good handle on things. Now my most important question is did I ruin the cycle since I didnt do the water change after 14 days? Im sorry to hear about your daughters cycling problems. Its still very much a YMMV kinda thing, but anecdotally, I have seen a lot more success with these two brands than the others. Rapdid temperature swings can cause fish stress. It is very likely you have managed an instant cycle. This is so frustrating, i feel like an IDIOT for still having issues with the darn cycle. Harmful bacteria, algaes and pests such as snails and hydra could all be hiding. Ammonia levels stayed at 8 the In some cases, you might find that your cycle skips the second phase that is to say that the nitrite eating bacteria establish themselves instantly. 3) This is for future reference but how often am I supposed to replace my tanks filter sponge? A water change and gravel vacuum will fix this. 4 days ago i bought two neon tetra fish. PH 7.6. I probably can pick up a 12VDC air pump if necessary. If you google local fish club or look for facebook groups, you might be able to find one near you. Came To Listen: Rahul Gandhi After Manipur Speed Bump - 10 Points Use your test kit to determine what is happening. Thanks for your reply! It does cmalim to soften hard water and the KH seems to be higher then my tap water HOWEVER i am using the tetra strips and i lost the cap so there has been no cap on it (im not sure if that makes a difference). I was planning on buying the cherry primo from Live Rock N Reef. I think Im going to use it on champ what do you think? You mentioned in your guide that if my ammonia goes down to zero, the bacteria starves. For example, A 50% water change would *roughly* drop these readings in half. . After 24 hours, perform an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test of your aquarium water. Hold the bottle vertical and add KH solution ONE drop at a time, be sure to add the number of drops being added. Its a lot of effort and given youll likely need to purchase extra equipment. If you dont have the fish yet, You would perform a fishless cycle with ammonia using this method. Is this normal? My main question is did the cycling start over because we did the major water change? You should be trying to keep it constantly at 8 if thats what comes out of your tap. While the chlorine and chloramines found in tap water may be harmless to you and me, its lethal to the good bacteria. Nitrite: 0 It means its very likely that something inside the cycling tank that is responsible for the pH dropping. 2. Does ammoni and nitrites hurt/kill red ogo like they hurt/kill fish. I am assuming thats a good one since you requested it read a whole lot of reviews on this product as well and it too had great reviews just like TSS. Much appreciated. In fact, its not the same bacteria at all. If you take 50% of your tank water and add 50% distilled (or RO) water, when testing, it will drop your readings by 50%. How to Cycle A Fish Tank - The Spruce Pets however, I do see much quicker positive readings and of ALL of them where Ive never gotten nitrites with TSS. I read somewhere that fish wont die from this instead some could thrive. At this stage, you want to get the nitrate back down to readable levels. If there is no trace of ammonia or nitrite after 24 hours, your tank is certainly cycled. Should I do a water change now with her or just dose with prime? My LFS chastised me stating my tank had not cycled. While all are capable of eating ammonia and nitrites, only a few contain the nitrifying bacteria that will grow in your filter. In your case, there is no clear outcome as the risk of shock to your fish is real whatever direction you take. With that said, there are ways to shorten the time it takes to cycle your tank. I keep testing and have maybe just now got 1 or 2 ppm nitrates. My tap water does read 1.0 before I add anything to it straight out of the faucet so could that be why I am getting readings in 3 of 5 of the tanks or should it be showing zero after a week or so from the water change? Nitrite: 2ppm Also, how do I go about cleaning the tank (without destroying the beneficial bacteria) so that the next fish wont get it? Fill your tank with water and add your plants. Added the turbo bacteria stuff the LFS sold. 2) If I do decide to wait, I have to keep dosing ammonia daily to keep the beneficial bacteria alive, am I right? Many of his discoveries have pushed the hobby forward. I would love to know more about the success and flaws of this setup once you have spent some time getting to know the ins and outs of it. If its pure, then ammonium chloride is roughly 32% ammonia bu weight. Im not sure what is happening here. Does this mean I now have to start my cycle all over again? And best of all, the methods that I cover in this guide have been proven to work. 2) If you do think the above is the best course of action, do you have any tips on how to clean the 1/2 gallon container and treat the water with the fish inside? Its going to be a chore, thats why I suggested the buying a pre-cycled filter method first. Test kits normally have a chemical smell. 5. Cichlids like caves etc. Any suggestions on Champs readings? Firstly, that sounds like an awesome showerhead. Let me know in the comments below! Yes, when using a water changer system, you add the dechlorinator just before you turn on your faucet. The bacteria inside are most likely dead from storage. wrong. I also added it to champs new tank on 10/12, never saw any ammo or nitrites but saw around 10 nitrates on the 25th I did a 90% water change on his tank only because of his fins so im not sure what to do. I went back to my history tab in my settings to make sure this was where I remember posting my comment on 12/9 and its showing the comment (awaiting moderation) however when I come directly to your site the comment seems to have not come through so I copy and posting it again. Ammo: 1ppm Am I only supposed to get it to 2ppm? However, for some reason now during all of my water changes I am showing 1ppm ammo I just did my water change for Timmys tank (ill-use him for example since I have had him almost 1 year now and have always gotten a 0 reading for ammo), readings are Is the ammonia still high because maybe there is food decaying from when we originally were trying to build up ammonia? Fill the test tube with 5ml of tank water. I test the water everyday and the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates continue to be zero. Ive been dosing my tank with ammonia every day to about 2ppm. The easiest way to tell would be to remove your fish and add 4 ppm of 100% pure household ammonia (be careful here, none of the stuff with dyes, fragrances or scents) You likely already have this on hand, otherwise its on the shelf of your local grocery store. ohh, hydra are a nuisance. If you are doing the prime method, you only need to water change when ammonia or nitrites + ammonia reach 4 ppm. Yes, this is spot on! New to Saltwater & Reef Aquariums? Nitrite: 0 Im not saying this to get rid of you, Ill still be here to help. Thank you for sharing this video! Admittedly, Axolotls are a little out of my area of expertise. However given that three of the four have already gone, I dont like your chances of saving this one. You are not using it for your aquariums are you? My question is this, I have an established cold water tank which houses 2 goldfish, the two filters are different, could I somehow use media from the goldfish tank to help speed up the process in my tropical tank? Unfortunately, I dont know anything about dust and ammonia. I just wanted your opinion on Fluval Cycle Concentrated Biological Booster I dosed the 2 small tanks with TSS and that brought my ammo from 0 to .25 (after 4 weeks) 0 nitrites and 10 nitrates. Since the card maxes out at 160, you dont really know what your nitrates are at (they could be 400 for all we know. As well as 1 artificial and one real plant from the existing tanks. One more thing, Id suggest bringing a spare set of batteries, just in case. Getting Started What is the Nitrogen Cycle? I know the bb isnt prominent in the water but I figured It couldnt hurt considering otherwise it would be going down the drain. Does that mean the tank is not safely cycled yet? GH: 120, now- im assuming the 1ppm ammonia is probably ammonium because the showerhead doesnt say it filters that out are your thoughts the same? I didnt know about the cycling process. Generally its somewhere in between. PH: 6.8ppm Stuck on nitrite spike during cycle? : r/Aquariums - Reddit My PH is very high in my water at around 8.2 no nitrites or nitrates. You can test this by measuring your tap water for nitrates before you add it to your tank. The short answer is: It will be done when its done. Not only because you are not running the risk of getting such high nitrite concentrations that the cycle stalls, but also because once the nitrite oxidation capacity catches up, well it'll fall to zero pretty quickly rather than . If its the sponge that came with your filter, it will likely fall apart quickly, aquarium sponges that you cut yourself are often cheaper and better quality. Nitrite: 2ppm And added water conditioner and stress coat plus. Should I go ahead and transfer the Amazon Sword?