Ammonia spike in a 3 gallon tank with one Platy.

[Aneamals]

Me and my mom visited a new lfs today. My mom told the owner about how an ammonia spike killed my platy which was in a 3 gallon tank that was cycled. He told me that was weird because one platy shouldn't have caused that, especially following the one inch of fish per gallon rule. I told him it didn't happen that suddenly, the ammonia gradually rose each day, so I tried to change the water daily to keep it controlled. It still gradually rose, and one day that I couldn't change the water, I found my fish with fin rot and dying.

I told him how I cycled my tank, which was with a raw shrimp left to rot for weeks, until the tests read good readings. He told me I shouldn't have done that, and that I should've used Seachem Stability, and that probably was the reason why the ammonia rose, because the shrimp made the water rotten. I told him I had removed the shrimp and changed the water before putting the fish in the tank. I was told by members of this forum that the fault is using a small tank, as things can rise very quickly. But the lfs owner said it was because I cycled it wrong. He also recommended doing a fish-in cycle, which I'm terribly afraid of.

What do you think about the lfs owner's advice? I personally didn't like it. But I don't know, I'm still a beginner. My mom was convinced by him.

 

[Delapool]

Me and my mom visited a new lfs today. My mom told the owner about how an ammonia spike killed my platy which was in a 3 gallon tank that was cycled. He told me that was weird because one platy shouldn't have caused that, especially following the one inch of fish per gallon rule. I told him it didn't happen that suddenly, the ammonia gradually rose each day, so I tried to change the water daily to keep it controlled. It still gradually rose, and one day that I couldn't change the water, I found my fish with fin rot and dying.

I told him how I cycled my tank, which was with a raw shrimp left to rot for weeks, until the tests read good readings. He told me I shouldn't have done that, and that I should've used Seachem Stability, and that probably was the reason why the ammonia rose, because the shrimp made the water rotten. I told him I had removed the shrimp and changed the water before putting the fish in the tank. I was told by members of this forum that the fault is using a small tank, as things can rise very quickly. But the lfs owner said it was because I cycled it wrong. He also recommended doing a fish-in cycle, which I'm terribly afraid of.

What do you think about the lfs owner's advice? I personally didn't like it. But I don't know, I'm still a beginner. My mom was convinced by him.

It sounds to me that you have a pretty good idea of what works and testing.

I'd agree that 3gal is pretty small and may not have helped but it depends on your filter as well. Some small hob filters are pretty terrible. I like to add some extra ceramic bio-media noodles anywhere I can jam them in. The cartridges I'm careful to just swish in old tank water (not all at once) and I don't replace them very often.

Sounds like you had a mini-cycle (assuming the cycling with shrimp went fine).

Is the tank still running? I'd just leave it running and let it continue cycling the ammonia it does have. Were you getting high nitrites as well?

 

[Masha]

I'm sorry your fish died.

We've all had that experience of employees at pet shops or fish shops giving us contradictory advice. It is confusing because you expect them to know their business!

It sounds as though the person you spoke to did not know much about the different ways one can do a cycle. His method might work as well, but that doesn't mean that the method you tried was doomed to failure or wrong. It sounds as though you were on the right track, but the combination of a very small tank, and bad luck means that it failed.

I think you already know this, but I'd just like to underline that keeping the water quality in a tiny tank like that one good is really difficult. There are also very few fish you can keep safely in such a tank. Is there any chance you can upgrade to a 10 gallon?

 

[Aneamals]

I dumped the 3 gallon tank, and now I'm cycling a new 10 gallon tank. I'm using raw shrimp again, because it worked last time with both the 3 gallon quarantine and the 29 gallon main tank.

Nitrites were perfectly at 0, it was just the ammonia that rose. Even the nitrates were super low due to the daily water changes.

 

[Fresh2o]

Will you be using some of the media from the filters in the 29 or 3 to jump start the process in the 10?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Aneamals]

Will you be using some of the media from the filters in the 29 or 3 to jump start the process in the 10?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Yes, I'm using the filter that was on the 29 gallon main tank, and the fake plants and rock decorations from the old 3 gallon tank.

 

[Delapool]

I dumped the 3 gallon tank, and now I'm cycling a new 10 gallon tank. I'm using raw shrimp again, because it worked last time with both the 3 gallon quarantine and the 29 gallon main tank.

Nitrites were perfectly at 0, it was just the ammonia that rose. Even the nitrates were super low due to the daily water changes.

It may have been a mini-cycle then. Ammonia spike then a nitrite spike would have followed.

Did you see much ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (ie what were highest levels) from using the dead shrimp cycling method?

Last one is what is your tank ph?

 

[Aneamals]

It may have been a mini-cycle then. Ammonia spike then a nitrite spike would have followed.

Did you see much ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (ie what were highest levels) from using the dead shrimp cycling method?

Last one is what is your tank ph?

The highest levels of Ammonia, during cycling, were 4ppm, for Nitrites, they were 10ppm, and Nitrates, 40ppm.
I don't know if maybe the mini-cycle happened because of when I changed the activated carbon. I also swished the filter media around the bucket of old tank water, and maybe I swished too much.

 

[Fishobsessed7]

Do you have ammonia in your tap


Fishobsessed7

 

[Delapool]

Really odd as that all looks good. Last one would be to check ph hasn't dropped below 6.5 and slowed down the bb.

 

[Aneamals]

Do you have ammonia in your tap


Fishobsessed7

Thankfully no.

 

[Aneamals]

Really odd as that all looks good. Last one would be to check ph hasn't dropped below 6.5 and slowed down the bb.

Well, during the cycle, the pH did rise from 7.5 to 8.2. But with time it went back down to 7.5. And oddly, my tap water is 6.6.

 

[Aneamals]

Oh, the filter wasn't a good filter either. It was a Top Fin hob filter for 30 gallons. But I thought since it was for 30 gallons, that it would do great on a 3 gallon, despite it being a low quality filter.

 

[sinibotia]

Oh, the filter wasn't a good filter either. It was a Top Fin hob filter for 30 gallons. But I thought since it was for 30 gallons, that it would do great on a 3 gallon, despite it being a low quality filter.

Honestly I've found that below 30 gallons, HOB filters work just fine. However that is a MASSIVE filter for that tank. All your water was going through that water 50 times an hour- that's almost a full turnover every minute.

 

[Aneamals]

Honestly I've found that below 30 gallons, HOB filters work just fine. However that is a MASSIVE filter for that tank. All your water was going through that water 50 times an hour- that's almost a full turnover every minute.

Holy moley. Then I think that's a good thing right? XD

 

[sinibotia]

Holy moley. Then I think that's a good thing right? XD

Not unless you had a hillstream loach! Most fish, even the most current loving, are going to get absolutely exhasted and overwhelmed with that kind of current.

 

[Aneamals]

Not unless you had a hillstream loach! Most fish, even the most current loving, are going to get absolutely exhasted and overwhelmed with that kind of current.

OH POOP. I had no idea. Though, my fish seemed perfectly fine the first 2 weeks. But by the third is when he got fin rot and wouldn't eat and couldn't swim right. Is a filter for 30 gallons ok in a 10 gallon tank?

 

[sinibotia]

It really depends on the fish involved. I had a 60 gallon tank filter on a 20, but that was for a weather loach that actually swam up the filter every once in a while and LOVED the rediculous water flow. A top fin 30 will cycle the water in a 10 gallon 15 times an hour, or once every 4 minutes, which is still a lot but manageable for a lot of fish. I think top fins have a knob to adjust water flow; if fish seem overwhelmed just turn it down.

 

[Aneamals]

It really depends on the fish involved. I had a 60 gallon tank filter on a 20, but that was for a weather loach that actually swam up the filter every once in a while and LOVED the rediculous water flow. A top fin 30 will cycle the water in a 10 gallon 15 times an hour, or once every 4 minutes, which is still a lot but manageable for a lot of fish. I think top fins have a knob to adjust water flow; if fish seem overwhelmed just turn it down.

Yeah, the Top Fin filter has a low and high setting, so I'll lower it if I notice anything odd.

 

[Delapool]

Well, during the cycle, the pH did rise from 7.5 to 8.2. But with time it went back down to 7.5. And oddly, my tap water is 6.6.

That is strange. Is tap ph straight from tap? Also town water or well?