Okay this may be a long one, please stay with me.
Got my 30 gallon early December. Upgraded from a 10 gallon. Used 10g biomedia to seed 30g and let run with Aqueon 75 filter, air bubbler and temp at 75' for two weeks. Went through the whole bacterial bloom and cleared. At this time I didn't have API master kit so couldn't test. I put a couple zebra Danios in from my 10g and left them in for a week with once a day feedings. At this time I was doing 30% WC once a week.
Water went through another bloom of some sort. white cloudy, then cleared. At this time I did a NO,NO and added the rest of my 10g stock. ( I know I should have added them more slowly now)
By this time my API master kit arrived from Petco and I did my first tests. I was at about 4 ppm ammonia and freaked out. So I began doing 50% WC daily along with siphoning all uneaten foods at bottom. I've been struggling with ammonia for about 2 weeks now (awaiting my order of Seachem Prime along with Colony bacterial booster and Ammo Lock). My ammonia slowly began coming down to now I am at my current API master results as follows:
pH = 7.6
NitrAte = 3 ppm
NitrIte = .50 ppm
Ammonia = .50ppm
So what is going on here? Did I not cycle fully the first time and rushed my fish in? If so what is the best course of action going forward?
Thanks for any help
Got my 30 gallon early December. Upgraded from a 10 gallon. Used 10g biomedia to seed 30g and let run with Aqueon 75 filter, air bubbler and temp at 75' for two weeks. Went through the whole bacterial bloom and cleared. At this time I didn't have API master kit so couldn't test. I put a couple zebra Danios in from my 10g and left them in for a week with once a day feedings. At this time I was doing 30% WC once a week.
Water went through another bloom of some sort. white cloudy, then cleared. At this time I did a NO,NO and added the rest of my 10g stock. ( I know I should have added them more slowly now)
By this time my API master kit arrived from Petco and I did my first tests. I was at about 4 ppm ammonia and freaked out. So I began doing 50% WC daily along with siphoning all uneaten foods at bottom. I've been struggling with ammonia for about 2 weeks now (awaiting my order of Seachem Prime along with Colony bacterial booster and Ammo Lock). My ammonia slowly began coming down to now I am at my current API master results as follows:
pH = 7.6
NitrAte = 3 ppm
NitrIte = .50 ppm
Ammonia = .50ppm
So what is going on here? Did I not cycle fully the first time and rushed my fish in? If so what is the best course of action going forward?
Thanks for any help