Ammonia at 1.0 for a Fish in Cycle

[landongolds]

Hi everyone! I’m new to this forum and hoping that some of you may be able to help me out.

I have a 5 gallon rectangular tank with an internal filter. The tank is moderately planted with Riccia, rotala, Java ferns, and Taiwan moss.

Temp: 76-78°
pH: 6.8
Ammonia: ~1.0ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: ~5ppm (these just showed up today, it had previously been 0ppm)
gH: about 7 I believe

I initially decided on a fish less cycle and added some fish flakes in there for an ammonia source, trying not to overdo it. I did this for the first two weeks, but the ammonia simply reached 1.0ppm and stayed there for the whole time regardless of how much fish food I put in (within reason, it’s a small tank). I also initially seeded the tank with a scoop of established gravel, but removed it after the first week.

Two and a half weeks in, after seeing no changes, I got impatient and decided to try a fish in cycle. I purchased a 3.38oz bottle of SafeStart Plus and added half of it to the tank along with some fish flakes as if it didn’t already have the ammonia in my tank to feast on. For the past 3 or 4 days I’ve seen no changes in any parameters except for that this morning I had ~5ppm of nitrates that had previously been at 0ppm.

My question is: is it safe to try a fish in cycle while my ammonia is still 1.0? Should I expect it to ever go down? And what am I doing wrong?

Thanks so much!

 

[Aiken Drum]

No. Do a big water change, 100% preferably, before starting a fish in cycle.

 

[landongolds]

No. Do a big water change, 100% preferably, before starting a fish in cycle.

Okay, are there any big negatives to doing a 100% water change that I should be aware of?

 

[Aiken Drum]

If you are going to go from doing a fishless to a fish in cycle you are starting from scratch. There might be a little beneficial bacteria from your aborted fishless cycle that will be useful to keep, so dont let your filter media dry out. No real downside to the water change, but you need to do it to get your ammonia down to near zero. You will probably want to redose your safestart.

Do you know how to do a fish cycle?

With regards to your fishless cycle, i have a few comments.

- 2.5 weeks isnt very long to give a fishless cycle. They normally take 4 to 6 weeks to complete but can take months.
- IMO fishfood isn't a good way to dose ammonia. Getting a good level of ammonia will be very difficult. Pure bleach would be better, an ammonium chloride product specifically made for fishless cycling better still. With a good ammonia source like these its far easier to get to the 4ppm you need at the outset and far easier to accurately dose.
- It doesnt look like you did anything to seed the beneficial bacteria. Filter media from an established aquarium is best, perhaps you have a friend who keeps fish who could let you have some? If you cant get your hands on any established filter media, then a biological booster product like the safestart you put in after you decided to go fish in is the 2nd option. These biological booster products can be a bit hit and miss, at best they speed up the cycle and sometimes do nothing, but without anything seeding the cycle they take months and im not surprised you saw no progress after 2.5 weeks.

 

[landongolds]

If you are going to go from doing a fishless to a fish in cycle you are starting from scratch. There might be a little beneficial bacteria from your aborted fishless cycle that will be useful to keep, so dont let your filter media dry out. No real downside to the water change, but you need to do it to get your ammonia down to near zero. You will probably want to redose your safestart.

Do you know how to do a fish cycle?

With regards to your fishless cycle, i have a few comments.

- 2.5 weeks isnt very long to give a fishless cycle. They normally take 4 to 6 weeks to complete but can take months.
- IMO fishfood isn't a good way to dose ammonia. Getting a good level of ammonia will be very difficult. Pure bleach would be better, an ammonium chloride product specifically made for fishless cycling better still. With a good ammonia source like these its far easier to get to the 4ppm you need at the outset and far easier to accurately dose.
- It doesnt look like you did anything to seed the beneficial bacteria. Filter media from an established aquarium is best, perhaps you have a friend who keeps fish who could let you have some? If you cant get your hands on any established filter media, then a biological booster product like the safestart you put in after you decided to go fish in is the 2nd option. These biological booster products can be a bit hit and miss, at best they speed up the cycle and sometimes do nothing, but without anything seeding the cycle they take months and im not surprised you saw no progress after 2.5 weeks.

Okay, thanks. I guess the whole fish food thing was wishful thinking on my part.
I'll do a massive water change and see if I can work out a fish-in cycle. And yes, I've read up on a few people's experiences with these cycles and it seems like the best bet is to use a very small, hardy fish and closely monitor ammonia and nitrite levels throughout the weeks following the initial dosing of safestart/introduction of the fish. Feedings would be light and sparse and the water parameters would be closely monitored. I would plan on doing ~30% water-changes if I see ammonia/nitrite spikes along with more safestart. Does that sound correct? Thank you for your help!

 

[Aiken Drum]

Start with 1 small hardy fish/10 gallon. Daily water tests, if you see any detectable ammonia or nitrite, 25% (or 30%) water change. When you are consistently seeing 0ppm ammonia and nitrite and your nitrates are rising you are cycled for the fish you have and you can look to add more.

With a 5g though, your options are limited on fish. What are you looking at? A single betta?

 

[landongolds]

Yes, I was planning on either a female betta or a male/female pair of sparkling gouramis.

The small hardy fish I was thinking of would be a female Endler that my LFS sells as 15 cent feeders. Lord willing if they saw it through the whole ordeal, my guess is they'd be okay with the future inhabitants especially considering the abundance of cover and hiding places in my tank.

 

[Aiken Drum]

You learn something new everyday. Ive never heard of a sparkling gourami. My online search says 5 or 6 fish minimum and 15g minimum tank size, so that probably isnt a good choice for a 5g.

I would also not use a fish for cycling that you dont intend to keep long term. If you plan on a betta then just go with that for cycling. I wouldnt be putting any other fish in a 5g with a betta.

 

[landongolds]

Yeah, they're a very interesting fish in my opinion. Many aquarists successfully keep them in planted 5 gallon tanks as mated pairs and they can do quite well. The reason to keep 5-6 as far as I can tell, is to reduce rivalry among males.

Okay, I wasn't sure if the betta's ammonia production would be too much to keep up with but I guess you have a point.

 

[Aiken Drum]

You have clearly done more reseach on the gouramis than i have. Next time i go to the fish store ill see if they have any in stock.

If you keep up with water testing and water changes as needed with a betta, the fish in cycle can be done with minimal risk. Bettas are very hardy.

 

[landongolds]

Well, thank you for your help, Aiken! I plan on following your advice.