new tank with fish cycling:ammonia and nitrite reading need help!!!

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bvmbics

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Apr 6, 2014
Messages
4
hi guys i need help!!!
Set up a new aquarium on the 10th april 2014.A 20 gallon tank running on dolphine cannister filter with 2 plants also.before i added the fish i added live bacteria FritzZyme® 7and on the the 10th i added 3 zebra danios.Ammonia reading stay around 0.5mg/l and nitrite and nitrate is 0(never gone up), ph is aroung 6.8.In this 20 day period i have done a 25% water change after which the ammonium droped to 0 and the same with nitrite and nitrate.Today the ammonium is around 0.5mg/l again nitrite and nitrate both 0, ph 6.8.Is this normal?Why am i not getting any nitrite and nitrate readings yet?.Is this because i added the live bacteria?.Should i do a water change even with this ammonia and ph.On the ammonia test kit it says a reading of 0.5mg/l with this ph is ok.What is to be done please help..:banghead: The fishes seem ok not gasping for air although i did see them chasing each other today i dont know if this is a sign of stress.But overall they seem ok.
 
Before I give advice about the cycle, please be aware that zebra danios are very active fish and it is recommended that they be kept in a larger tank.

First of all, do you have a liquid test kit? These are much more accurate than the paper strips.

In my opinion the bacteria in a bottle do nothing to help with a cycle. They won't do any harm but the certainly won't help. They are not even hit or miss.

Don't panic your test kit is reading the total ammonia in your system. The good news is that only a percentage of that ammonia is toxic to your fish and this percentage depends on the ph and temp of the water. The lower the ph and temp the lower the percentage of toxic ammonia. The good news is that your ph is low. At the moment your fish will be fine.

You need to measure the parameters daily. If ammonia goes above 0.5 I would do a water change.

The way you can keep ammonia down is but feeding very lightly once a day until the cycle is complete. And changing water once a week every week till the cycle is complete (minimum 25%)

You could also return the danios and purchase a more suitable species for that size tank. Ammonia will not build up as quickly with smaller fish. Or you can buy a larger tank. Ammonia will not build up as quickly in a larger body of water.

Good luck.
 
Here is a guide to how toxic your ammonia is. Find your total ammonia on the left (0.5ppm = 0.5mg/l) then match your temp and ph in the table. If the number is green then no need to panic.

You can also add floating plants such as hornwort and pennywort that will use ammonia as a food source.
 
cycling

Before I give advice about the cycle, please be aware that zebra danios are very active fish and it is recommended that they be kept in a larger tank.

First of all, do you have a liquid test kit? These are much more accurate than the paper strips.

In my opinion the bacteria in a bottle do nothing to help with a cycle. They won't do any harm but the certainly won't help. They are not even hit or miss.

Don't panic your test kit is reading the total ammonia in your system. The good news is that only a percentage of that ammonia is toxic to your fish and this percentage depends on the ph and temp of the water. The lower the ph and temp the lower the percentage of toxic ammonia. The good news is that your ph is low. At the moment your fish will be fine.

You need to measure the parameters daily. If ammonia goes above 0.5 I would do a water change.

The way you can keep ammonia down is but feeding very lightly once a day until the cycle is complete. And changing water once a week every week till the cycle is complete (minimum 25%)

You could also return the danios and purchase a more suitable species for that size tank. Ammonia will not build up as quickly with smaller fish. Or you can buy a larger tank. Ammonia will not build up as quickly in a larger body of water.

Good luck.
The test kit i have are the liquid ones for ammonia and nitrite and the strip for the ph nitrate,GH KH.
What are the species ideal for my 20 gallon tank (80 l).I eventually wanted to have gold fish but wanted to cycle with zebra danios as i heard that they are more tolerant, will give them back to the pet shop once done cycling.Dont know if this is a good idea.
 
The test kit i have are the liquid ones for ammonia and nitrite and the strip for the ph nitrate,GH KH.
What are the species ideal for my 20 gallon tank (80 l).I eventually wanted to have gold fish but wanted to cycle with zebra danios as i heard that they are more tolerant, will give them back to the pet shop once done cycling.Dont know if this is a good idea.


Zebra danios are a good choice for cycling. But not for a 20gallon. From a personal point of view the fish I use to cycle my tank would remain in my final stocking plan but that's up to you :)

Danios are quite messy fish and very active albeit beautiful and full of character. They produce much more waste than say a small school of neons so ammonia can build up very quickly I smaller tanks.

Goldfish are notoriously messy there waste output is known as the bioload as this puts a strain on the biological filter and their bio load is considered very high. Goldfish also grow very big and are not suitable for a 20gallon in the long term. I don't know what the recommended tank size is for goldfish, I suppose it is type dependent. Ask that question in the cold water section.

As for species suitable for a 20 you would be more successful posting a new thread asking other people as my experience with stocking is limited.
 
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