Goldfish Zen . Wanting utopia for them.

[My Fish Babies.]

Well I had to make an executive decision today! Put money towards active filter pads OR invest in another HOB Filter? I went with the filter! I picked up a penguin 350 to go along side my 400. Should be plenty of filtration for the fish babies new home now. I am still up in the air about what I will do with my 29 gallon and if I keep it I would want to keep the 200 running on it any way. With that said...... I also picked up a heater to warm up the 55. I hope this will entice the bacteria to move their little butts along. I hated to get it because I know after my cycle is done I will have little use for it but one never knows. This morning no change in any test results.

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Wow the heater must be doing something Ammonia dropped to 1ppm while at work. Dosed back up to 4. No Nitrites just yet.

 

[jlk]

Thats an improvement! Odd though theres no nitrites with an ammonia drop- have you checked your nitrate levels as well?

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Thats an improvement! Odd though theres no nitrites with an ammonia drop- have you checked your nitrate levels as well?

I thought so too. Just ran another test ammonia is now at 4ppm nitrates at zero and nitrite still at zero to the best of my knowledge I have been doing it all by The book. Maybe I just have a lazy cycle going on. Figured I would see where the ammonia is at in a few days. It's really only been two weeks. Tank temp was only at 70 I now have it cranked up to 84

 

[jlk]

Keep us posted!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Some changes to report.....
High Ph dropped from 8.2 to 7.8
Ammonia dropped from 4.0 ppm to 2.0 ppm
Nitrite reading NOW! at 0.25 ppm Finally a reading.
Nitrate reading still 0
What I did last night was take out the filter pad from the 29 gallon and put it into one of the 350 slots. It was only really two weeks old but maybe that kick started things a bit.

Wondering what to look for or to expect next? (I have to admit its a bit frustrating but also kinda fun doing this LOL)

 

[jlk]

Thats an improvement! What to expect next- your ammonia will being getting closer to zeroing out completely on a daily basis & your nitrites are going to spike high (5+ppm) very soon. And your going to wish the nitrite tube would turn blue every single day but this will take some time. You will also want to start to test everything on a daily basis now & redose ammonia daily when it drops below 2ppm. Only dose enough ammonia to bring it back up to 4. Keep a close tab on the ph as well- if it drops any further, then its time for a big water change to re-establish your buffers.

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Happy Easter!
Well the Easter Bunny Brought me Nitrates this morning 20 ppm!
Nitrite at 5.0 ppm
Ammonia drop to 1 ppm from 4
PH high range testing back to 8.2.

WOW I seem to have went from going slow with this cycle to a fast pace!

 

[jlk]

Thats great!!!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Good Morning! Just posting some test results........
PH High Range holding steady at 8.2 still
Ammonia is zeroing out over night
Nitrite is 5.0 ppm +
Nitrite is at 160 ppm

I seem to be moving in the right direction.....but I am not sure if I should be doing anything else right now? I know I have to wait for both Ammonia and Nitrites to begin to zero out over night. I Also have been dosing Ammonia back up to 4.0 ppm when it drops to zero to continue to feed the bacteria. Should I be doing anything about Nitrates right now? I understand water changes will bring them down or should I just not worry about them until my Nitrite readings begin to lower?

 

[jlk]

Your doing well! No need to worry about the nitrates yet- when your fully cycled, they will be addressed with a big water change. Just continue to monitor & redose amm. If your nitrites persist in being sky-high for a lengthy period of time (@2wks), then it may be time for a water change to bring them under control. Your nitrites have only been high for a couple of days & your getting lots of nitrates, so things are progressing well!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Just wanting to log in some updates for today.

Ammonia is zeroing out VERY FAST in a 12 hour period.
Nitrite can be read now at the 5.0ppm reading no longer appears off the scale.
Nitrate exactly at 160 ppm
High Range ph steady at 8.2 still.

 

[jlk]

Thats great!!!!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

So....This is where I am at.......
Ammonia is dropping to zero FAST! I dosed it up to 4 last night at 10PM and at 6AM I was at zero!
Nitrites are somewhere between 2 and 5 ppm still has been hovering around there for about four days now.
Nitrate still at 160ppm
High Range PH at 8.2 still.

Thinking out loud here probably because I read too many posts................Am I still OK? Normal readings for cycle? Should I be considering a water change? This has been a "lazy" cycle from the beginning so maybe I just need to wait it out.

 

[jlk]

Your cycle looks great! The nitrite>nitrate phase typically takes twice as long as the amm>nitrite phase. Waiting on that blue tube is the hardest part! If you want to do a big water change to bring your nitrites & nitrates down to a lower level and re-establish your buffer levels, go right ahead! Just make sure temperature-match & condition the new water. Dont be surprised though if the nitrites shoot right back up after the next amm dose. When you hit the 2wk mark for the nitrites persisting in being high, let us know & we can try something else!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Todays results.
High range ph 8.2 no change holding steady
Ammonia drops to 0 after 5 hours now.
Nitrite 0.50ppm Yay!
Nitrate 160ppm+

My question for today is.........When I first put the drops in for the nitrite test and shake (and I shake it a lot) I get the purple color immediately like showing the 5.0 to 2.0 ppm range. As it sits for five minutes per API directions it gets lighter ending result at 0.50ppm reading. If it sits for about two minutes more it turns to the color for the 0.25 ppm reading. Am I correct with going with the 5 minuet reading? Maybe my tank is verging on the 0.25 ppm Nitrate reading? I hope this makes sense. Finally should I still be dosing up to 4.0 ppm ammonia every day?

 

[jlk]

Quick question first- as you are dropping the nitrite drops in, does the bottom of the tube turn purple before you even shake it? Second thing I would like you to do are few dilution tests- fill 1/2 tube with tank water (1/2 way to white line), 1/2 with tap water & see how this looks. Then do 1/10 tank, 9/10 tap & test. I suspect your nitrites are in fact skewing your test results because they are so high- the test will turn an odd pale purplish color. When you do the dilution tests, watch for the drops to turn purple on the bottom before you shake as well. If you were getting an actual reading of .50 or .25ppm nitrite, the test would start off baby blue (like the chart) and gradually over a 5min time frame develop a purple tint or hue. Lets see how the dilution tests look- I think its a time for a big water change & slight readjustment in strategy!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

Hi jlk YES! as i put in the drops the bottom of the tube turns purple. The 1/2 dilution test gives a reading of 5.0 ppm. I am not sure what you mean by a 1/10 tank and 9/10 tap and test.

 

[jlk]

1/10 tank, 9/10 tap is the equivalent of a 90% water change- basically, its just 1 part tank to 9 parts tap or just a tiny bit of tank water, rest tap. The 50-50 dilution test though gave me me the answer. Your nitrites are so high that your getting incorrect readings on your test. If the drops start turning purple as soon as they are dropped in, you have very high nitrite levels. When your ready (you dont have to do this tonight), do a complete water change with temperature-matched & conditioned water. Wait atleast 1/2 hr & retest your nitrites & see where they are. Dont be surprised if they are still high. Then skip the ammonia for 24hrs & we can go from there.

 

[barterking85]

Following I have a 115 gallon 6' tank with a gold fantail, calico fantail, Choclate fantail, lionhead, black moor, and 2 red cap orandas I love my fancies lol can't wait to see finished pictures