Anyone else have problems with nitrite?

[Jujubee]

I'm trying to figure out what types of plants I do want to keep. I'll probably keep it low tech for now since I still don't know what I'm doing with them haha but do need a better light regardless and need to find a hood I can place them in. I will probably go with leds as well.

I do not though, I work for Lifetouch photography taking pictures of children haha. It's a temp job until I start school for nursing in jan.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Your tanks will give you plenty of practice nursing
That's a special job, good luck with that.
I probably won't be looking for an online collection of pictures of children

That's that, back on point!
Led is what I will be upgrading to when I can afford to. The lifespan is what interests me. Good for the environment.
They do small type single bulbs/holders that clip on. They look like bulbs not tubes. As I said before it is the temperature of the light that you should look for.

 

[Jujubee]

As for lights I will continue my search I still need to get plants as well. I have a light on the bulbs right now but it isn't made for an aquarium just for now to give them something. I really would like a hood bc I want hatchets and they jump

I do have this to say, I lost an african dwarf frog today and don't think I want my other two :/ I like them but fish seem to be more my calling. I'm going to call around and see if anyone will take them off of my hands. I know they don't have a very long lifespan to begin with and the two I had gotten when I was 18 lived for a year. I'm a little upset but eh :/

As for my 20 gal there is ammonia present about .50 atm I'm hoping this helps kick start the cycle! I will probably add a little bit of fish food and leave it at that for now. Would it be a good idea to add some of the water from my 10 gal to the 20? I know there isn't much bacteria in the water itself so if it's pointless I wont

 

[J.Mcpeak]

What I do if I'm planning a temporary tank for new stock,
Place filter in tank which holds stock, some bac. will establish in filter after a few weeks, the load splits between two filters.
When ready, move filter complete with bac. to new tank.

Problems with this method, two tanks need minor attention.
Plus points, both systems more than manageable over 24 hrs.
Main system requires less effort than new system.

Another method I use in an emergency, if your filter has biological media like glass bio balls or Rena stars take a few pieces from filter, 10-15% of total no more! add to new filter, ta da. Ready to go.
Rena stars are good because they specify how many litres per star.
Needs monitoring but the levels don't go up like you have just witnessed as some bac is present. Much more manageable day to day, worry free with care.

I have never used fish less cycling method. Always one of the above or the same start as you, fish in a new tank, run around worried for a few weeks.

Sorry about the frog, if you like fish more that will really suck when they go.
My puffer dying killed me. I got a new puffer. Felt great again!

 

[Rivercats]

Would a hood like this be okay? LED Aquarium Hood - 30 in. x 12 in. | thatpetplace.com

Just with a stronger bulb?

Go with the one you PM'd me about. This isn't a good Led for planted tanks.

 

[Jujubee]

So! Update on the 20 gal. I just got my plants, the guy was very nice and has 20 years experience. I convinced my husband to go with me because I found him on Craigslist and have never met with someone to purchase anything, he was apprehensive since it was an hr long drive. I had to go in the area anyways to pick up equipment for work. So, we get there the guy has a basement just for fish. He had over 30 aquariums! It was amazing. I was so overwhelmed I felt like like a child in dream land, not even joking this guy had some amazing tanks and amazing fish. I was able to get a bunch of low light plants for 20 dollars! It was hard to understand his accent though, so as far as what all I purchased I'm not sure besides sprites. Here's the first picture of the 20 gal
Of course it's not done but deff getting somewhere. I have a make shift light on it for now until my light comes in this upcoming week
Ahh!



I'm so excited!

 

[Jujubee]

My husband was equally impressed and even happy he went with me

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Kid in a candy store is exactly how I describe my first visit to a fish store, loads of tanks, loads of fantastic things I'd never seen before! That never grows old that feeling!

Good tactic with your husband, safety aside it should be easy to cash fish cheques if he's a fan

Oh but it's really important, blink blink!

Best of luck with that tank!

 

[Rivercats]

When you can get individual pic's of the red/pink plants and the small grass since it looks like you have dwarf hair grass which is a high light, need CO2 and good ferts plants. And most all red plants need higher light, CO2 or liquid carbon, and good ferts. Also get pic's of the green plants so we can see what exactly you have.

 

[Jujubee]

Will do, I'll get on it in just moment. He did say he uses co2 I forgot to ask about the ferts but I do know I need them for the grass and the little red ones. You mentioned that before. The other red ones he gave me he said some people say they are hard to grow and take care of but he's found it easy with co2 and moderate light. He uses fluorescent lights and they were not very powerful they did have a whiter huge though than a blue green or pink to them. I'll send pic in just one moment

 

[Jujubee]

The little grass looking one and the reddish green ones next to it were the ones that were in my 10 gal. I moved them to the 20 gal and focus a light directly on them for several hours a day I then move the light to let the light hit the rest of the plants and bulbs

 

[Jujubee]

Will my cycle take a longer time since I do have 4 fish in the 10 gal? I have .25 ammonia and 1-2 nitrite nitrates stay around 5-10. I did two water changed back to back to drop nitrites and I usually do everyday since nitrite can get kind of high. I need to do another to drop it more. Just throwing it out there since it's been giving me some trouble. On regular ph test it says 7.6 on high range 7.4 idk what that means exactly but it seems to be in those ranges. For all of my tanks.

 

[Rivercats]

Usually that means your ph is 7.5. And yes a fish in cycle can take longer since you have to do a lot of WC's for the safety of the fish.

From the pic's I can see dwarf hair grass which will do better pulled apart in 1/2 chunks and planted in a checkerboard pattern. I see Alternanthera reineckii which is the one with greenish tops of leaves and pinkish bottom of leaves in pic 3. Then some type of Rotala in pic 3 also. Hornworm is green plant on the second pic, far left.

 

[Jujubee]

I will read up on each individual plant, thank you for identifying them! I have ammonia present in the 20 gal so I'm hoping to have a quicker and painless cycle.

I just did a big water change on my 10 gal so in just a little Ill do another test. I was thinking about getting 2 cherry barb to help the cycle in the 20 gal but I'm not so sure it's the best of ideas :/

 

[Rivercats]

Are you doing a fishless cycle in the 20g? If so I'd just finish it out that way or you'll be doing daily testing and a lot of WC's on that tank also.

 

[Jujubee]

That's very true! I already have to do wc on my fry and frog tank as well. It's a lot of work, well worth it but lots and lots of work

 

[Rivercats]

Until you can get a water changer then I wouldn't add more work for myself...lol!

 

[Jujubee]

Good news at least!
10 has .25 ammonia
.25 nitrites

And my frog tank seems to be having a small cycle too with .25 ammonia and .25 nitrites 5 nitrates.

I did add a handful of substrate to the fry tank to hopefully plant some bb in there to keep levels down I still did a wc to bring everything down. Ammonia was at .50 nitrites at .50 they are both down to .25

So now there's a pattern of .25 in all of my tanks haha now just to have it hit 0!

 

[Rivercats]

Just keep up on your WC's now and you'll get there soon especially if you have nitrates showing.

 

[Jujubee]

Nitrates have been showing just as long as nitrites! The nitrites have just been very difficult to lower. This is the first time I've been able to get it down to .25 it was so high even 3 wc a day wasn't brining it down enough. Finally it broke In my 10 gal at least.
I used water from the 10 gal for my 1.5 fry tank. The frog tank idk what's up with that, I wasn't expecting it to cycle haha.