water change?

[ahollland92690]

My tank is still in the cycling mood...almost 2 weeks now. there's a small comet/ feeder fish in the tank and two snails to kinda create waste to help the cycling process....my ammonia is up a little bit but all my others (nitrates and nitrites) are still zero, (think there is some nitrates) but my question is should i do a water change? or will that hurt the cycle process and start it over?

 

[marchmaxima]

When you say "up a little bit", what's your test readings for Ammonia?

Also, how big is your tank?

When you're cycling using fish, you need to monitor daily. If the ammonia or nitrite reaches 0.5ppm, do a PWC to lower it to 0.25ppm or under. If it hits 1ppm, DEFINITELY do a PWC urgently. Don't wait as 1ppm is getting up to toxic and your fish/snail will be very unhappy. You want to aim to keep ammonia and nitrite at 0.25ppm or below.

It traditionally takes a longer time to cycle a tank using this method. Be prepared for it to take 2 months or so. Until then, I'm afraid that you're in for a bit of maintenance effort. But press on, keep an eye on those levels and your efforts will be rewarded

The cooler water will also contribute to a longer cycle. As you have a Comet, you can't really increase the temperature. However, you can add a plant or two. They will probably come with some nitrifying bacteria to help things move faster. Adding a bit of gravel from an established tank is even better. If you do have access to an established tank you can trust, squeezing the muck from their filter pads and dumping it into your tank is pretty much guarenteed to shorten your cycle time.

Otherwise, I would expect to see nitrite rise in the coming week or so. Although be patient... The Nitrite stage lasts longer than the ammonia... at least it always does for me.

 

[ahollland92690]

well my ammonia reading is the next color up after zero, 0 ppm is bright yellow and the next color is a yellowish-green (lol im not at home right now to test so i dont know the exact ppm but i will be later tonight and can post that later), i have a 26 gal bowfront fw aquarium, my temp is about 78 degree and my comet is crazy swimming around, kinda skiddish but thats cute, the snails are fine they move pretty quick.
i was debating on buying a live plant from my friend who already has an established tank to kinda get a more kick to my cycle,(all i have are fake silk plants, plastic decorated rock, and 2 lava rocks.) but i always check my levels once a day when i get home from my classes at college.

 

[fort384]

IF you trust that your friends tank is healthy, see if he will stick a piece of sponge in his filter for a week and then add that sponge to your tank. Or, as march said, see if u can get some gravel from his tank. You can tie it up in a piece of panty hose or something porous so it doesn't mix with your gravel if it is a different color. Any seed material from an established healthy tank will give your cycle a jump start. If you go with buying a live plant just be aware that live plants require a little additional care to keep alive, and stock lighting is often not sufficient enough to maintain even low light plants.

 

[marchmaxima]

Agree with Fort.

You can tie it up in a piece of panty hose or something porous so it doesn't mix with your gravel if it is a different color.

Make sure the stocking is new and unwashed.

 

[ahollland92690]

well im not getting a plant, im really broke so i cant afford a new lighting system and plant care (doing good to pay for gas to get to school and work), im just going to stick with what i have already in there...

not exactly sure what to do now.... :/
the ammonia increased even more to 1.0 ppm, everything else is zero....i know im suppose to be patient but im thinking this is the actual start of my new tank cycle ??? so im thinking im just going to keep testing it everyday for another week and see what happens, and not do any water changes and just kinda let it go.....unless anybody else has any better ideas.

i have added ammonia lock, i did about a 25% water change about a week ago...and the ammonia just gets worse.

 

[fort384]

If you are cycling your tank with fish, you should be changing the water every day, around 25-50% of it at least. You need to keep your ammonia levels below .5 (preferably below .25) to keep it safe for your fish. If you let it go, your fish (at least some of them) are most likely going to end up dead.

It will take a couple of weeks of daily partial water changes before the nitrifying bacteria gain a foot hold and can start successfully converting the ammonia to nitrite, and then eventually to nitrate.

Ammonia lock has little effect on this... if you are cycling correctly and maintaining a good partial water change schedule, you won't need it at all.

Generally speaking, chemical additives for fish tanks (with the exception of a good dechlorinator) are sold to beginners who don't know any better. Most veteran fish keepers will tell you it is best to not use ammonia lock, pH adjusters, water clarifiers, algaecides, etc. These products mask problems - they don't fix them. It is much better to uncover the cause of the issue, and fix that, so that there is no need for a band aid.

In the case of cycling a tank, constant partial water changes are the best course of action, rather than ammonia lock.

 

[ahollland92690]

well theres just one 13 cent fish (comet feeder fish) and two snails. i will do a water change today.
but what you are saying is i should do about a 25% water change about everyday?

 

[dkpate]

25-50% everyday. The high ammonia can burn your fishes gills.

 

[DragonFish71]

To keep your little friends healthy then yes, you really should do partial changes everyday while cycling. Only use dechlor to treat the water, and dose for the size of tank, not how much you're changing. Don't use ammo-lock or any other water treatments as those can upset the cycle. In all actuality I've never had a tank take 2 months to cycle. I use seed gravel in a stocking (clean stocking) and a bacteria supplement from the store. Don't use those for water changes by the way. I learned that the hard way, but for seeding a tank they're fine.

Now on to the live plant. Depending on what type of plant it is, your stock lighting might be fine. But you don't want to add it to a cycling tank. Plants prefer an already established tank, they like the nutrients from the fish waste. Hardy plants like the java family and anubias are fine for low light, low tech systems. They also can stand up to the cycling process, but again, it's not recommended to have plants and cycle.

 

[fort384]

you are saying is i should do about a 25% water change about everyday?

It depends. In a 26 gal with just 1 fish you may not have to change that much. Test your ammonia and change water accordingly to keep it below .25.

 

[ahollland92690]

ok thanks, ill test everyday and try to change water wen i need to

 

[FishEggs]

will your friend give you some of his/her filter media/pad to put in your filter? that would give you a huge jump on the cycle almost to the finish line. of course if his/her tank is not healthy then your tank would get whatever his/her tank has.

 

[ahollland92690]

well not sure if his is healthy ill have to ask when he gets back in town...hes in new york for the next two weeks

 

[marchmaxima]

In all actuality I've never had a tank take 2 months to cycle.

I have. In my case, the cycle stalled for a bit. But you're right, this wouldn't necessarily be the norm.

Keep up the water changes... Test every day. If either ammonia or nitrite get to over 0.5ppm do another PWC. I agree, no additives.

You'll get there!

 

[ahollland92690]

ill try the best i can!

 

[Da Squid]

Prime would be ok, wouldn't it? That dechlorinates the water and conveniently also helps with ammonia. It should never be used as a crutch, but its probably the one chemical they wanna use right? thump me if i'm wrong here.

 

[ahollland92690]

ok i know this is going to sound like a dumb question but...a water change is just taking water out and adding new clean water right?

 

[DragonFish71]

da squid,

Prime is perfectly fine. I use it in all our tanks, even while cycling and it's never stalled a cycle.


ahollland,


Yes. While you're cycling you don't want to clean the gravel too much. Just skim over it to get some of the particles out of it, but not a full cleaning.

 

[marchmaxima]

How's this one going ahollland??