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  1. shellieca

    Ammonia Issue

    I would let the water test tell you when to do the water change. I did a 50%+ if my ammonia or nitrites were >.25 or if my nitrates were >20.
  2. shellieca

    Ammonia Issue

    The best advice I have is . . . . don't make it too complicated or stressful. Have you test your tap water? I would start with that as it could have some ammonia in it. I suggest you test only every 24 hrs unless you have something extraordinarily high. I don't know all of your tank parameters...
  3. shellieca

    High ammonia question

    How much ammonia are you talking about? If your tanks are fully cycled they should be processing out the ammonia within 24 hrs so it shouldn't be an issue. On a mature tank the weekly water changes are more about nitrates typically.
  4. shellieca

    New 3.3gal betta tank

    Welcome. In order to cycle the tank properly you need to supply an ammonia source; pure ammonia, fish food, raw shrimp, a fish; otherwise the BB will not build up. I personally am a fan of sponge filters for Betta tanks that are 10g or less. I wouldn't add any tank mates in a 3.3g tank. Most...
  5. shellieca

    No Nitrites Yet

    Glad to hear there has been movement. Its tough to be patient with it sometimes. Keep us posted.
  6. shellieca

    No Nitrites Yet

    Welcome & congrats on the larger tank. In fish cycling can take 6-8 wks, give or take. My 46g bow front if I remember correctly took 6 wks with me doing 50% +/- water changes every 2-3 days depending on test results. Nitrites on this tank showed up about 4 wks into the process. I would recommend...
  7. shellieca

    feeding my betta

    What is the food you're feeding him? Some foods are larger in size than others & some swell more in their tummies than others will. I feed my Bettas New Life Spectrum, 5-6 pellets once a day, if I feed Omega One I feed a little less because the pellets are larger. Neither of these tend to swell...
  8. shellieca

    Prime! The magic concotion??

    Yes you can add it with fish in the tank. Keep in mind it does NOT remove ammonia only converts it to a less toxic form for 24-48 hrs which means you still need to do water changes. You still need to find the reason your ammonia is so high. I'm not familiar with your full story so not sure what...
  9. shellieca

    Ammonia high no nitrites but got natrates

    Its not out of the question to see nitrates early, if I remember correctly I did. Personally, just keep testing & do the necessary water change since you have fish. Don't sweat it too much.
  10. shellieca

    Ammonia high no nitrites but got natrates

    Have you tested your tap water? Sometimes there's nitrate in it & that could be what you're getting when you test.
  11. shellieca

    ph is low and ammonia is high help before fish dies!!

    What kind of test kit are you using, liquid or strips? What sized tank & what is the filtration? When you say clown pectis do you mean clown pleco? If so, my udnerstanding is that they are messy fish & therefore are probably the reason for the ammonia spike. The cloudiness is typically a...
  12. shellieca

    Is my tank cycled already?

    I would be cautious about adding fish, only a few at a time. 2 Barbs in a ~23g may not be producing enough ammonia to feed much BB & the little bit of seeding you did is fine for them. Adding fish may overwhelm what BB you do have. Just make sure you continue to test, especially after adding...
  13. shellieca

    Minnows for cycling?

    I think this is getting off topic & some comments are a little rude. To the OP, because you have seeded media in your filter there should be little to no cycle to have to worry about. Whether you do fish LESS or fish IN, IMO, doesn't matter. Fish IN works fine, its what I've always done. I...
  14. shellieca

    Nitrite reading?

    Does not look like 0 nitrites to me. I'd say you've had some progress. :-)
  15. shellieca

    Start up--High nitrites and a few questions

    I see you're using seeded media from a smaller tank but what is your ammonia source in the new tank to keep feeding the BB? In order to build up the proper amount of BB in the larger tank you'll need to properly dose it with ammonia. Nitrites should process out & sense you are doing a fishLESS...
  16. shellieca

    Minnows for cycling?

    If the filter media is seeded well you really shouldn't have a cycle. I've transferred media from an old tank to a new one & there was never a cycle in the new tank. If you can get pure ammonia, I'd go that route, dose the new tank & see what happens.
  17. shellieca

    Cycling help!

    Are you seeing nitrites, you should be? As for the filter media, when you do a water change take the filter media & clean it in the USED tank water. That should get the gunk off it & it should perform better. The gravel will have some BB but typically the filter media has more, change out the...
  18. shellieca

    Minnows for cycling?

    Why not just do fishless? You really shouldn't have much of a cycle, if any, since you're using seeded filter media.
  19. shellieca

    Ammonia in tap water

    What is your exact tap water reading for ammonia? If your tank is fully cycled there shouldn't be an issue; the BB will process the ammonia out like it should.
  20. shellieca

    Nitrite levels?

    Did you add a bunch of fish all at once to the newly cycled tank? If so, it's possible the BB was overwhelmed & you are experiencing cycling again or a mini cycle. What's the tank size? What fish are in it; type & #'s of each? What's the filtration? Have you changed out any filter media? When...
  21. shellieca

    mystery snail wont move

    Have you tested the water in the new tank (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates) recently? I would start there, they can be pretty sensitive to water parameters. Snails can be a little like fish, sometimes it takes them a little while to re-adjust. So long as he/she doesn't smell, is still alive I...
  22. shellieca

    Tank for Betta

    If you run a filter you are cycling the tank. IMO, a 1g is too small for a filter & is more hassle than its worth. IME, running a filter on a 1g creates too much current. I personally only use a 1g tank for a hospital or QT tank. The smallest I permanently house a Betta in is a 2.5g tank & I'm...
  23. shellieca

    Question about betta behavior

    They can & will jump. He was probably more excited over the food than he usually is & jumped. I suggest covering the "tank" with something so he doesn't eventually jump out when you're not around. My males don't jump as much as my females.
  24. shellieca

    Unusual nitrite reading during fishless cycle

    After 2-3 months the tank should be cycled or at least very very close. Only test every 24 hrs & see what you get. If you dose the ammonia to 2-3 wait 24 hrs then test everything. If you are getting 0 ammonia/nitrite, <20 nitrates you're cycled. If your nitrates are still around 80 you may need...
  25. shellieca

    Cycling Ammonia

    You should use pure ammonia. Do you have an Ace Hardware anywhere? That seems to be the best place to find it.
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