40 Gallon help.

[dylanh]

Hello everyone.. Ive relatively new to the aquariums and such. Ive had a 15 gallon tank now for about 5 months and no problems what so ever.. Ive now recently bought a 40 gallon tank to upgrade to.. now i know a little of the basics like let it run for a while maybe a week or two..? or more.. so its been running for about 3 days. ive transfer some of the old tank water into the new one... still have my fish in the 15 gallon tank just transferred a little water.

i bought a API test kit for PH and Ammonia NH3/NH4 so the water show much differnt for each tank ill list the details here..

15 gallon= 8.0 ammonia.. whicth doesnt sound good but the fish seem fine..and must of been like that for a while.. and the ph is 6..

40 gallon = about 0.25 Ammonia and the ph is 7.2. the water now is cloudy a little.. i did at some ammonia tablets to this tank in the begging ( petsmart employee idea) also put some live plants in this tank also.thought it would help the water?

so any help would be nice and any tips helpfull ideas would be great. here are some pitures of each tank.

 

[FishingMouse]

0 ph is badbadbad. You want it between 6.5-7.5 for most fish. Ammonia, nitrites should be 0, and nitrates should be at least below 30 ppm, but preferably around 20 or so. I would say your 15 gal is not properly cycled if your ammonia is 8.0.

 

[dylanh]

0 ph is badbadbad. You want it between 6.5-7.5 for most fish. Ammonia, nitrites should be 0, and nitrates should be at least below 30 ppm, but preferably around 20 or so. I would say your 15 gal is not properly cycled if your ammonia is 8.0.

Oh im SORRY mess up =/ .. its about a 6.25 in my 15 gallon.. my Bad.

 

[FishingMouse]

Oh im SORRY mess up =/ .. its about a 6.25 in my 15 gallon.. my Bad.

Okay okay. That was worrisome. Do about 50% water change to get the ammonia down. Also, plants need care too! Root tabs, some sort of co2 setup (DIY, liquid are good for small tanks) and need full-spectrum 6500 K lights for plants to grow at all.

 

[Fishperson]

Is it just me, or do most fish die after a day in 8.0 ammonia?!?!?!?!?!?!
Ammonia should NEVER get that high, not even when cycling!!

 

[dylanh]

Is it just me, or do most fish die after a day in 8.0 ammonia?!?!?!?!?!?!
Ammonia should NEVER get that high, not even when cycling!!

YIKES! That's what i thought! i just did another water change.. and put some ammonia down tablets..

 

[New2me]

Is it just me, or do most fish die after a day in 8.0 ammonia?!?!?!?!?!?!
Ammonia should NEVER get that high, not even when cycling!!

My thoughts also?? Perhaps a mix up with interpreting test results?!

 

[FishingMouse]

It also sounds like the tank wasn't actually cycled......just running the tank empty doesn't do anything, you need to use ammonia to kick start the nitrogen cycle. I'm on the app so I can't link it, but there are articles and stickies on this site for how to do fish in and fishless cycles.

 

[librarygirl]

Yikes, ammonia is at 8 after 5 months? Hm, something is off, the tank should be cycled by now. Have you added any fish recently or/and changed the filter media? What fish are in the tank? Have you tested your tap water for ammonia? When was the last water change? I'd do some 50% water changes ASAP to get that ammonia down. If you're upgrading the fish from the 15 to the new tank, you can just move the filter over onto the new tank and run it with the new filter (or move the filter media into the new filter if it will fit and move the fish in. Although the change in ammonia levels might shock them. Maybe do a few 50% water changes a day over the course of a couple of days to try to get ammonia down some so the fish aren't exposed to high toxins and so that they aren't shocked when moved to the new tank.

Here are some links if ou haven't seen them:
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice