cycling tank is annoying

[richardh]

Wow someone was listening! Finally got a greenish tint to my ammonia test. It's either .50 or 1.0. Either way I'm thinking a pwc? Help.

1ppm is not really a green tint! But yes, definitely do a PWC. I suggest at least 50%, then check tomorrow. If in doubt, PWC every time. Your fish will thank you for it... well, if they could talk they would

 

[brad15]

Yellow is 0 . All other readings are in the green family. From 2 weeks with yellows, to see green is progress.

 

[richardh]

Yellow is 0 . All other readings are in the green family. From 2 weeks with yellows, to see green is progress.

It's a happy moment .....now get that PWC done

 

[librarygirl]

Yep it's starting! You want to keep on top of those water changes when you see ammonia if you want to keep your fishy friends. With ammonia at 1 it can cause burns on the fish so do at least a 50% water change; even so your ammonia would be at .5 which is high for my liking but it's better than 1. If it's in you to do another 50% water change to get the ammo down further I'm sure your fish would appreciate it. You're doing well so far!

 

[brad15]

I did roughly a 30% change. Ammonia is back down in the yellow. Hope that's good. Till tomorrow. What can I expect now and roughly how long? Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[librarygirl]

I did roughly a 30% change. Ammonia is back down in the yellow. Hope that's good. Till tomorrow. What can I expect now and roughly how long? Thanks for the help everyone.

It can take a while I"m afraid. The ammonia phase usually lasts 2-3 weeks until it starts to stay at 0 on its own. Then comes the nitrite phase where nitrites will rise steadily and they are as toxic as ammonia and they'll spike very quickly so you'll need to stay on top of testing and water changes. The nitrite phase usually lasts anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on various factors. Then once nitrites fall to 0 and stay there on their own and ammonia stays at 0 and you have nitrate you'll have a cycled tank. Hang in there.

 

[brad15]

Wow that's a long time but it is what it is. Thanks for the info. Kinda fast foward but when it comes time to clean my fluval, how do I go about it and not destroyinmy cycle? Also regarding current cycling, does ph play an important role? I'm trying to keep it at roughly 7.

 

[Mikey214]

Wow that's a long time but it is what it is. Thanks for the info. Kinda fast foward but when it comes time to clean my fluval, how do I go about it and not destroyinmy cycle? Also regarding current cycling, does ph play an important role? I'm trying to keep it at roughly 7.

Apparently the ph plays a huge role mine dropped down to 6.0 and it stalled my cycle for like five days now , I can not keep the ph up for the life of me ! I did a 50% water change today and added more crushed coral so hopefully that helps maintain my ph. Good luck!

 

[librarygirl]

Wow that's a long time but it is what it is. Thanks for the info. Kinda fast foward but when it comes time to clean my fluval, how do I go about it and not destroyinmy cycle? Also regarding current cycling, does ph play an important role? I'm trying to keep it at roughly 7.

Are you adding any additives to keep it at 7 or is that your natural water's PH?

Cycling can cause PH fluctuations if your water is low on buffers; we'll just have to see how it goes. Usually water changes can restore the PH during cycling if it drops. If it drops a lot and very often we may need to add something like crushed coral to buffer the water, but that's not needed now. Just keep testing PH when you test the other things and make sure it stays steady. When you want to clean your filters, you just swish the media in old tank water during a water change to loosen up the debris and gunk then put them back in.

 

[brad15]

Ok thanks. I'm using seachem alkaline and acid buffers to keep as steady as possible.

 

[librarygirl]

Ok thanks. I'm using seachem alkaline and acid buffers to keep as steady as possible.

YOu probably don't need to add those things. Fish can adapt to your PH level so there's no worry there and once you get fish the least amount of chemicals you have to add the better. Plus the chemicals can be tricky over time if they build up and you might add too much or too little with water changes and can cause fluctuations; something fish do not like.

I'd stop adding them and see what your tank's PH does naturally. Just my .02 though.

 

[ashleynicole]

YOu probably don't need to add those things. Fish can adapt to your PH level so there's no worry there and once you get fish the least amount of chemicals you have to add the better. Plus the chemicals can be tricky over time if they build up and you might add too much or too little with water changes and can cause fluctuations; something fish do not like.

I'd stop adding them and see what your tank's PH does naturally. Just my .02 though.

+1 those additives are bad news and can cause major issues. For the most part its best to leave the Ph alone.

 

[brad15]

Then why test for ph? I'm confused. Also after each and every pwc am I supposed to add a conditioner? Any recommendations in specific brand? I'm using aqua plus but lots of people seem to use prime.

 

[richardh]

I've used aqua plus and had no problems with it. The lfs in my area don't stock prime, so not sure of its any good. In answer to your question, yes, you must treat any water that you add.

If you are changing water the old fashioned way with a bucket, like me :S, treat every bucket with the recommended dose for the volume in the bucket. Mine works out at around 5ml per bucket.

 

[librarygirl]

You test for PH initially to see what your tank's PH is to make sure it isn't something crazy (too low <6 or too high >9). During cycling you test to make sure the PH stays stable; cycling can cause fluctuations in PH and if it drops too low the cycle can stall. Then once you get fish you test PH now and then to ensure it stays stable as fish do not like PH fluctuations and dramatic fluctuations can cause fish problems.

You have to add dechlorinator with every water change. Tap water usually has chemicals like chlorine or chloramines in it which can 1) kill your beneficial bacteria in the tank and 2) kill your fish. You want to treat the water BEFORE putting it into the tank.

 

[brad15]

Ok thank you.