Ammonia Control

[tamtam]

wow. I'm pretty amazed your fish haven't died.. that's seriously high ammonia for them to be dealing with. You don't need to remove the decor or vacuum again unless you think the gravel needs it. What was your water change schedule like before this giant spike?? In a tank of this size and a fish in cycle you would probably be needing daily changes of about 50% to keep the levels at a safe spot for your fish.

You'll have to keep up with daily testing and water changes any time it gets above .25ppm. Sadly this could take several more weeks. Average cycle is between 6-8 weeks but sometimes that number can really go up.

have you checked out this article? if not I highly suggest it. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/fishin-cycling-step-dark-side/

 

[paytertot]

No, inch per gallon isn't accurate at all. Not normally.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/stock...1/Stocking-Guidelines-for-Newbies-/Page1.html

 

[ThomasG07]

No, inch per gallon isn't accurate at all. Not normally.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/stocking-guidelines-for-newbies/?/34/1/Stocking-Guidelines-for-Newbies-/Page1.html

Hmmm because that's what I have heard from everyone else even the people at petsmart

 

[ThomasG07]

Alright guys I got home today and my ammonia is low like it was after I did my last water change yesterday and now I have a Nitrite spike!!!!! Wooooo!!!!! So I'm getting there. What do I do now that my nitrite is way up? More water changes?

 

[paytertot]

Alright guys I got home today and my ammonia is low like it was after I did my last water change yesterday and now I have a Nitrite spike!!!!! Wooooo!!!!! So I'm getting there. What do I do now that my nitrite is way up? More water changes?

Only if it goes off the chart. Cuz once it gets up to that darkest color, you don't know if it really is 5ppm or if its just higher than the test aol show. It can stall the cycle if they get super high.

 

[Bettafanatic]

If nitrites get above 0.25, do a water change. They are extremely toxic to fish

 

[paytertot]

Wait wait wait.... This is a fish in cycle??? I guess I got confused, but if you have fish, you cant let ammo OR nitrites get above .25 ppm
I'm sorry I think I got my threads mixed up!

 

[jetajockey]

Both nitrite and ammonia toxicity are dependent on various factors, so its hard to draw a safe/unsafe line in the ppm readings.

Nitrite toxicity is much easier to deal with because a small concentration of salt can eliminate the fishes adverse reaction to it. So the constant pwcs in this phase are not as necessary assuming the nitrite levels aren't growing at an off the charts rate.