Fishprobs93
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2019
- Messages
- 7
Long story short, I am trying to do a fish in cycle. I got a 10 gal tank 1 and a half weeks ago, and a few fish that all died pretty much immediately. I had no idea what I was getting myself into or how any of this worked and was told it was safe to bring them home same day. I exchanged them for more and all but one of those died off too. It wasn't until then that I started doing some research and learned all the basics about the nitrogen cycle and cycling the tank. So I currently have one neon tetra in my tank (poor little lonely fella) and one live moss ball at the bottom. I've been testing the water daily using the API freshwater master testing kit. The water levels have been pretty consistent at 0 for Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia. There have been a few nights of a small spike to 0.25 ammonia but it didn't seem to affect the little guy at all. I honestly haven't been changing the water because I read that a little ammonia is necessary to build up the bacteria in the tank so I've been keeping an eye on it. It goes back to 0 by the following day, but there are still no Nitrites or Nitrates found. I am BEATING the Nitrate bottle on a hard surface and following the directions to a T, so I am fairly confident the results are accurate. The main difference I have seen is the PH has drastically dropped. It was 8.2 and now it's at 6.8. I believe that's a good thing though I don't really know much about what contributes to that change. I also have a heater now and the tank is consistently at 77-78 degrees F.
Anyways, it took him a few days originally to come out of his hiding corner and to eat but it’s been almost a week now of him swimming around happily, warming up to us, and eating. Today, he’s been hiding more, swimming around less, and doesn't seem to have much of an appetite(though he is eating a little). It's pretty obvious that we've taken a step back here. Not ALL the way, but it's a noticeable difference. His little fins are twitchy but I'm not sure if that's from him trying to stay in one place or a sign of an issue.
I tested the water this evening and the Ammonia levels are at 0.50 for the first time. Still 0 for Nitrates and Nitrites. I'm guessing that might be why he's acting a little off. Luckily I ordered Seachem Prime the other day and it's arriving tomorrow. My question is... the right thing to do in order to bring the Ammonia down is a water change right? Should I do it tonight or would it be better to wait until tomorrow when I can do the change using the Prime? The other chemicals I have are Tetra AquaSafe and API Quick Start. I'm a little nervous about doing the change while he's acting off because I've read about water changes killing fish, so that's why I'm thinking it might be best to wait for the Prime. I also don't want him to be suffering for another 24 hours if the ammonia is at 0.50 and might rise from here. Any other advice is welcome too!
Anyways, it took him a few days originally to come out of his hiding corner and to eat but it’s been almost a week now of him swimming around happily, warming up to us, and eating. Today, he’s been hiding more, swimming around less, and doesn't seem to have much of an appetite(though he is eating a little). It's pretty obvious that we've taken a step back here. Not ALL the way, but it's a noticeable difference. His little fins are twitchy but I'm not sure if that's from him trying to stay in one place or a sign of an issue.
I tested the water this evening and the Ammonia levels are at 0.50 for the first time. Still 0 for Nitrates and Nitrites. I'm guessing that might be why he's acting a little off. Luckily I ordered Seachem Prime the other day and it's arriving tomorrow. My question is... the right thing to do in order to bring the Ammonia down is a water change right? Should I do it tonight or would it be better to wait until tomorrow when I can do the change using the Prime? The other chemicals I have are Tetra AquaSafe and API Quick Start. I'm a little nervous about doing the change while he's acting off because I've read about water changes killing fish, so that's why I'm thinking it might be best to wait for the Prime. I also don't want him to be suffering for another 24 hours if the ammonia is at 0.50 and might rise from here. Any other advice is welcome too!
