Lost In the World of fishless cycling...I'll take all the help I can get!

[katfish25]

Hi all,

I'm a novice at this so please forgive me!

Info:
The tanks have been set up for about 4 weeks. I have two 5.5 gallon tanks with heaters set at 80 degrees (originally set at 83) & corner filters. I am planning on getting bettas for the tanks.

The tap water was treated with prime & sat for a couple days before adding ammonia. Added ammonia, tested 2 weeks later & it was 2 PPM. Add more ammonia & tested another week later on 7/6/16 & it was 4 ppm, nitrites was 0 & nitrates were 5 ppm.

I thought my ammonia was to high at 4ppm so I did about a 40% water change, waited 24 hrs, tested the water & my ammonia level did not drop. It's still at 4ppm. pH (regular) = 7.6, pH (high) = 8.0, nitrites = 0, nitrates = 20

I also tested my tap water (which I never did in the beginning) after letting it sit out for 24 hrs. The result are exactly the same as the tank (see above paragraph).

I tested pH & high range pH because both readings were 7.6 & I thought it might be higher since that's where the API kit maxes out. So now with both results which do I go by?

So for my next step do I do another water change & re-test again in 24 hrs? I've added ammonia twice but I never tested my tap water previously. Would there have been enough ammonia in my tap water without adding more?

Basically my questions are:
1. Do I do another water change & re-test in 24 hrs?
2. Which pH reading do I go by?
3. ...or do I just start over again?
3b. What are the chances my test kit is bad? It says it expires in 2021.

I'm thoroughly confused at this point!

Thanks so much for your advice!

 

[ImACoolguy]

Basically my questions are:

1. Do I do another water change & re-test in 24 hrs?

2. Which pH reading do I go by?

3. ...or do I just start over again?

3b. What are the chances my test kit is bad? It says it expires in 2021.



I'm thoroughly confused at this point!



Thanks so much for your advice!

Hello, cycling can be very confusing for those just learning how it works.

If I read this correctly you have ammonia in your tap water? I wouldn't add any more ammonia to your tank if the tap alone brings it to 2ppm.

1. I would give a full panel of the tap water results. Then a full panel of tank results.

2. pH swings are common during cycling. Your tap pH can be calculated by testing a bucket of tank water that has gassed off for 24 hours. If you have nothing in the tank to alter pH (driftwood tannins, crushed coral, etc) then your pH will be around that number.

3b. I have seen cases of 'bad' test kits but it's rare. If you have a local LFS that does liquid test kit tests, you can have them run it to double check.


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[gilpi]

I would not worry about your pH that range you mentioned 7.6 to 8 is ok.
I'm curious, what filter are you using?

 

[katfish25]

I would not worry about your pH that range you mentioned 7.6 to 8 is ok.
I'm curious, what filter are you using?

I have attached a pic of the filter I'm using. It's a corner filter driven by an air pump. It's rated for 10 gallons. Is this ok?

 

[gilpi]

Well... it can work providing you have enough flow going through the filter media and I would get rid of the carbon and replace it with floss. This would give you more media for the good bacteria to reside.
Try not to clean the floss/media too much and when you do, just give it a light rinse and reuse it, discarding it means throwing away the biological filter you so hard have waited for to cycle.
Cycling as mentioned above, can be intimidating and takes some patience, it will cycle.
Again, I wouldn't worry so much about the pH, you need to concentrate more on the ammonia level and then start to monitor the nitrites, they should come up and once it does, you should see it go down and then that's when you're almost done.

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[54seaweed]

Well... it can work providing you have enough flow going through the filter media and I would get rid of the carbon and replace it with floss. This would give you more media for the good bacteria to reside.
Try not to clean the floss/media too much and when you do, just give it a light rinse and reuse it, discarding it means throwing away the biological filter you so hard have waited for to cycle.
Cycling as mentioned above, can be intimidating and takes some patience, it will cycle.
Again, I wouldn't worry so much about the pH, you need to concentrate more on the ammonia level and then start to monitor the nitrites, they should come up and once it does, you should see it go down and then that's when you're almost done.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

very sound advice


this article should also help you understand what is going on

Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

when I used to keep fresh water I really never gave it any thought .
my train of thought was add water than fish . I always skipped the cycling process . no wonder things never lived as I learned over the years .
short cuts don't work as I found out .

once I learned to follow the proper steps things turned around and I kept fresh water fish for years with no major issues , now I turned it up and a lot of what I learned in fresh water still helps me today in salt water .

go slow take your time and things will be great . 30+ years later I still come across something I didn't know . I am highly impressed on how much knowledge is on this forum .

never think a question is to stupid to ask as one day that one question can save you .

look forward to see your future progress

seaweed