Still cycling...no ammonia, nitrites, OR nitrates!

[Stacie H.]

Hi,

I've had my tank since Valentines Day. I cycled for a month, then started adding fish. Unfortunately, I was relying on strips to test my water, and wasn't getting accurate readings.

Needless to say, I lost several fish. I finally went out and bought a sensible water testing kit (American Pharm Freshwater Master Kit). I had ammonia. I did some water changes...probably too much. It was then suggested I add Bio Spira, which I did after changing out most of the water in the tank.

That was just over a week ago. Since then, I got nothing but murky water...ammonia=0, nitrites=0, and nitrates=0. pH=7.6

My readings have not changed at all and the water is gross. Any suggestions, or should I continue to wait it out? My tank is 36 gal, BTW, and I have 9 neons, 3 rosy tetras, one flame tetra, and one rubbermouth pleco.

I'm very frustrated and embarassed... I should be able to do this!! :x

 

[rich311k]

If the water is that bad do a water change. Are you sure you are doing the nitrate test correctly, that test can be tricky.

 

[Stacie H.]

If the water is that bad do a water change. Are you sure you are doing the nitrate test correctly, that test can be tricky.

I've been following the directions: I use the drops from bottle #1 (either 8 or 10, whatever the directions specify), invert it to mix the vial, shake bottle #2 for 30 seconds, add the same number of drops, cap the vial and shake it for one minute, then let it sit for 5 minutes. The color never leaves the dark yellow range.

If I'm doing something wrong, please let me know!

 

[rich311k]

That sounds right. Those test are not that great under 10. It could be 10 just as easy as 0. Do a water change to clean up the water some and keep testing. How are the fish doing?

 

[Stacie H.]

That sounds right. Those test are not that great under 10. It could be 10 just as easy as 0. Do a water change to clean up the water some and keep testing. How are the fish doing?

Oh, okay. I lost one of my rosys yesterday, but that's the first loss I've had in awhile. The neons and the pleco are going strong!

Should I add my AlgaeFix? It's much needed, but I wasn't sure about whether or not to add it after using the Bio Spira...

 

[Zagz]

Having never used bio spira myself I can only say I have heard it doesn't always work. I would do as Rich suggested and do water change without gravel vac and keep testing and keep an eye on the fish.

Please don't feel embarrassed, we have all been there at one time or another. We have all learned from our mistakes. The important thing is you care enough to keep trying and to get it right for your fish. That matters more than many who keep fish can say.

 

[Stacie H.]

Thanks Zagz!

I've wanted a tank for so long, and feel bad about killing so many fish! I've come to realize I don't understand a thing about water levels!

Appreciate your help....all you friendly Canadians! My hubby is a Newfie. I'm American (we live in TX).

 

[severum mama]

I've had my tank since Valentines Day. I cycled for a month, then started adding fish.

Do you mean that you were adding pure ammonia for a month, as in a fishless cycle, or that you just let the tank run empty? If the tank was running empty for a month with no source of ammonia (either from fishless cycling or the addition of fish), then the tank did not actually start to cycle until you added the fish. Maybe that's why it's not going as quickly as you expected. When you added the BioSpira, did you add fish immediately as well? It's true that BioSpira is live bacteria, but again without a source of ammonia, it is unable to establish itself in your tank and will simply die off.

 

[Stacie H.]

I was adding Cycle and a bit of fish food. I just added the Bio Spira last week, and at that point had already had the fish.

 

[noncentric]

Hi Stacie, just wondering if the Bio-Spira was kept refrigerated until it was used (both at the store and when you got home).

The cloudiness that you noticed after adding the Bio-Spira sounds promising, but usually that should go away within a day or two.

It is perplexing that you haven't seen improvement in a week. Hhmmmm.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Dont use algaefix. When you say your tank is "murky" what exactly do you mean? Is the tank water murky or are the ornaments and such covered in a brown film? A newly established tank is going to go through some algae until all the perameters are established then the algae should subside. Let the tank run its course and let the nutrients build up to the correct levels before worrying too much about any algae or diatoms.

 

[TomK2]

I agree, don't buy the water products for cludy water, or algae, or for cycling (other than Bio-spira). Let your tank settle down, and most of these issues will go away on thier own. Brown algae appears in newer tanks, and then the green stuff comes. Scrape if off if you have to, but don't use chemicals. Algae grows because there are nutrients in the water and there is light, Chemicals just seem to cause problems?