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Okay, great! I feel better now! I was just concerned about whether or not it would effect the health of the fish. Thanks for your responses!

I have the Fluval AquaClear 50 filter and I went to replace the carbon filter for the first time this morning. When I pulled the basket out, a lot of the debris was released back into the tank. Being a total novice, I'm not sure if this is going to cause any problems for my fish or if I should...

Thank you for that information! I researched and found on another forum that the Bolivian Ram needs sand and plants. We used gravel and just have some basic decorations. So I just wanted to make sure that it would thrive well. I want to make sure I'm providing the best home I can for whatever...

Actually, it looks as though my substrate and lack of plants are not good for the Bolivian Ram. So I'll cross that one off my list for now!

Thank you so much!! I did some further research and fell in love with the Bolivian Ram too. Any experience or recommendations for that?

So my tank is fully cycled and we are off to the lfs on Saturday to finally get some fish! We have a 20 gallon tank and are looking for tropical freshwater fish that are good for beginners. Any suggestions? I'm definitely leaning toward guppies, but I wasn't sure as to how many fish we...

Ph levels have been holding steady at 7.6, too

My nitrates FINALLY spkied! I'm doing a happy dance over here! I wanted to double check, but it looks like the tutorial I'm following is saying to do a 50% water change at this point. Does that sound about right? The nitrate test is a brighter red than any of the colors on the chart. Nitrites...

You are a lifesaver! I was so not looking forward to the idea of having to start over. I will do the water change tonight and pick up some coral tomorrow. :)

I will be going to petsmart tomorrow then. Do you think a water change should be done in the mean time? Or once the coral does its thing and gets the pH level where it needs to be, should it all work out on its own?

And with the filter, you don't change any of the media ever? I feel like there is so much conflicting information out there it's hard to keep track of what is right. I was told by a friend of mine who has the same filter and a lot more experience than I do to change the carbon insert once a...

Thank you so much for the information! I'm totally new to this, so I really appreciate it. The pH was at 7.6 the last time I checked it, but I hadn't been keeping an eye on it because I didn't realize it was needed at this point in the process. So a water change wouldn't help get the pH where...

I was a little confused about the issue with prime since I've been following this tutorial (http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html) and it specifically said to use it, so I'm glad that's cleared up! :) As for the answers to the...

Okay, so I followed all the advice given and I feel like I ended up back in the same place. I was dosing the ammonia every other day (as this was when it had dripped to almost 0ppm) and things had seemed to be moving in the right direction again. Then a few days ago I dosed the ammonia again and...

Okay, so my levels about 24 hours later are: Ammonia - between 1 and 2 ppm nitrite - above 5 ppm nitrate - appears close to 5 ppm Maybe a little higher Would you add more ammonia now or see where it is in the morning? I feel a little more positive now that I see things moving in the right...

I thought the same thing, but figured as a newbie, maybe other people were right and my logic was wrong. Haha. Here's to hoping I can get the cycle back on track and have some fish happily swimming in there shortly! :)

Okay, thank you so much. Guess that will be the last time I trust other sites about the test results. Definitely appreciate your help and knowledge! :)

Should I dose the tank with ammonia now that my nirtite levels are readable and check the levels again in the morning?

Yes, I've been using Seachem Prime each time

I am using the API Master Test Kit. When I Googled about the issue I was having, I saw other people say that their test turned the amber color when their nitrates were off the charts, so I thought that was the issue. Now I'm thinking that was just misinformation. The tank is 20 gallons. When...

So I have done multiple water changes over the past few days, about 50 percent each time. I still have about the same level of nitrites (it dropped slightly) and the test results for the nitrates are still looking like they are unreadable. I haven't added any additional ammonia since my original...

Okay. Thank you so much! I will keep doing water changes and see what happens.

So I thought my fishless cycle was going well until the other day. I had been adding the ammonia and saw the levels of nitrites rising. The ammonia had started dropping quickly, down to less than 1 ppm in 24 hours. I thought that the nitrates were really low still because I never noticed a...

I should have probably included that the water changes I did were both about 50% each. And my ph level looks to be around 7.6. If there is any other information that would be helpful to know, please let me know! Trying hard to learn as much as I can as I go! :)

So I thought my fishless cycle was going well until the other day. I had been adding the ammonia and saw the levels of nitrites rising. The ammonia had started dropping quickly, down to less than 1 ppm in 24 hours. I thought that the nitrates were really low still because I never noticed a...