new readings in fishless/fish cycle...

[jlk]

Amquel Plus works similarly to Prime. It wont remove ammonia but it will help limit its toxicity for fish for 24-48hr period of time. Both products convert free ammonia to ammonium (which is less toxic to fish). You will still get a positive reading for ammonia on your test because the test does not distinguish between ammonia & ammonium. It will help in the meantime but does not eliminate the need for water changes.

 

[librarygirl]

Okay bc I've done like 3 50% water changes and none of my numbers have moved except for the pH :/ does it normally take this long??

How high is the ammonia exactly? And have you tested your tap water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? If not, do so; if there's ammonia in your tap water that could be why your ammonia levels aren't dropping,

 

[DanS180]

How high is the ammonia exactly? And have you tested your tap water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? If not, do so; if there's ammonia in your tap water that could be why your ammonia levels aren't dropping,

Ammonia is floating around 1ppm. I've tested my tap water for ammonia and it came back as 0ppm. I haven't tested for nitrite or nitrate tho.

 

[librarygirl]

So was the 1 ppm of ammonia after the 3 50% water changes or before? If it was after, then ammonia must have been around 2.5 ppms before you started. The higher ammonia rises the more water changes you'll have to do to get it lower.

 

[DanS180]

So was the 1 ppm of ammonia after the 3 50% water changes or before? If it was after, then ammonia must have been around 2.5 ppms before you started. The higher ammonia rises the more water changes you'll have to do to get it lower.

It's been at 1ppm since I've set up the tank, before and after changes. Its just not moving, I'm using an API master test kit

 

[librarygirl]

Hm, well that's mathematically impossible if your tap water has 0 ammonia lol How old is the test kit? Does it have an expiry date on it or are there numbers on the front of the bottle (if so, grab the last 4 numbers which are the date of manufacture). ALso you're adding drops from both ammonia bottles to the tube, right?

 

[DanS180]

Hm, well that's mathematically impossible if your tap water has 0 ammonia lol How old is the test kit? Does it have an expiry date on it or are there numbers on the front of the bottle (if so, grab the last 4 numbers which are the date of manufacture). ALso you're adding drops from both ammonia bottles to the tube, right?

Test kit is brand new, and yes I'm adding drops from both bottles lol this is driving me insane.. I mean i know I have to do a lot of water changes but still, 3 50% water changes and NOTHING changes??? Lol like really???

 

[librarygirl]

Test kit is brand new, and yes I'm adding drops from both bottles lol this is driving me insane.. I mean i know I have to do a lot of water changes but still, 3 50% water changes and NOTHING changes??? Lol like really???

Hm, that is odd. Ok try this: try to drain as much water as you can and just leave a few inches for the fish to swim. Then dechlorinate and refill, wait an hour and test. If that doesn't change the readings something is wrong. Oh and test the tank before the water change so you can compare them to the results afterwards.

 

[DanS180]

Hm, that is odd. Ok try this: try to drain as much water as you can and just leave a few inches for the fish to swim. Then dechlorinate and refill, wait an hour and test. If that doesn't change the readings something is wrong. Oh and test the tank before the water change so you can compare them to the results afterwards.

What happens if nothing changes?? Lol

 

[DanS180]

Okay just got home and tested the water BEFORE the water change and we have a change! Not exactly a good change but something changed.. my ammonia went from 1ppm to 2ppm. Ill do a huge water change, dechlorinate and retest after an hour and let ya know

 

[DanS180]

New results!!! I changed about...70% I'd say. Dechlorinated and refilled, tested about 2 hours later and my ammonia went from 2ppm n .5ppm!!! Still no nitrites or nitrates but at least we have a change finally lol

 

[librarygirl]

New results!!! I changed about...70% I'd say. Dechlorinated and refilled, tested about 2 hours later and my ammonia went from 2ppm n .5ppm!!! Still no nitrites or nitrates but at least we have a change finally lol

Good, that's great. You were probably not changing enough water. Keep an eye on it though, try not to let it get too high again. Even .5 of ammonia is borderline but much better than 2. If it rises more, do another water change.

Sorry if this has been asked or posted, I didn't read back: what size tank is this and what fish are in there?

 

[DanS180]

Good, that's great. You were probably not changing enough water. Keep an eye on it though, try not to let it get too high again. Even .5 of ammonia is borderline but much better than 2. If it rises more, do another water change.

Sorry if this has been asked or posted, I didn't read back: what size tank is this and what fish are in there?

That's okay, it's a 180 gallon freshwater tank, have an array of fish in there.
-redtail catfish
-tiger shovelnose
-silver arowana
-jack Dempsey
-red head synspillum cichlid
- 2 silver dollars
-green terror
-common pleco
-geophagus a.
-sun/eclipse catfish
-black ghost knife

I know, its a crazy range of fish and I haven't decided on which ones I'm keeping yet, bc i know a few of these guys won't be suitable for a 180.

 

[librarygirl]

Oh my GOd lol HOnestly you're like massively overstocked, I can't even say how much. Most of those fish are not suitable at all for the tank you have and some aren't compatible with each other. It's no wonder ammonia levels are rising so quickly; this is going to be nearly impossible to keep up with the water changes needed for these fish as the tank is cycling. Some of these fish can grow MASSIVE, 35"+ I doubt you could even have enough filter space to support all of these fish and there's no way enough bacteria is going to be able to grow to sustain this load.

For the safety of your fish, please rehome/return most of them ASAP; if the ammonia and nitrite doesn't kill them, the stress from being overcrowded and/or aggression will. The only ones you can keep are the silver dollars, then once the tank is cycled with them you can research appropriate fish for that tank.

 

[DanS180]

Lol well a few of those fish were donations from friends, I understand the rtc will get massive, I've read enough about them lol i heard the silver arowana would be okay in that tank given enough space, I think I am gonna b getting rid of a few of em, cichlids mainly for now. they like to attack everyone for territory and I don't like that lol, and I used to have all of these fish in a 55 when they were babies and my levels were perfect all the time. I guess we'll see. I don't mind doing water changes thanks to the Aqueon water changer

 

[DanS180]

And I do have 2 Fluval fx5's hooked up to this tank.

 

[DanS180]

Ok so i know I'm "overstocked" and I do plan on parting with a few fish but i just had a quick question. If i put some live plants in there would that be okay? And would it help the cycle??

 

[jlk]

Add plants any time! The more, the better! Yes, they can help with your cycle as long as you add a sufficient number of them. But, seriously consider Librarygirls suggestion of rehoming some fish.

 

[DanS180]

Add plants any time! The more, the better! Yes, they can help with your cycle as long as you add a sufficient number of them. But, seriously consider Librarygirls suggestion of rehoming some fish.

Thanks!! I just added 6 plants n the tank looks so much better now

 

[paytertot]

WOW that is some stocking! Full tank shot? Lol