Hello, new here, and already crashed my tank :(

[jlk]

Do you mean test the new water for temp or chemical-wise?

 

[melosu58]

Moving this to the FW Getting started forum. You`ll get more looks there.

 

[e30 gangsta]

Do you mean test the new water for temp or chemical-wise?

chem wise, nitrate, ph, hardness, etc.

Moving this to the FW Getting started forum. You`ll get more looks there.

Thanks Melo, I like that the mods are active on this forum.

 

[jlk]

I would test your tap right now for these numbers so you know what you are putting in your tank. It will give you a reference point for your tank water. If you are getting detectable amm/nitrite out of your tap, then you can expect to see this in your tank until its consumed by your bacteria (which you are working on establishing). You really only need to check these numbers once for right now & then perhaps once few months after just to make sure they are fairly stable (or if something changes in your tank tests). Ph will need to be checked after it has sat out for 24hrs, preferably with an airstone/bubbler in it. If you dont have one, then just give the cup of water a good stir every so often to help dissipate gasses.

 

[e30 gangsta]

My tank currently has a air stone in it. For the tank water id have to stir it. I read that once it sits, and the c02 comes out of the water, the ph goes up is that correct?

I will post up what im getting out of the tap, and what is currently in my tank once I get home around 5pm.

 

[jlk]

With your tap, it really depends on your water chemistry on whether you ph will go up or down after it gasses out. A test after some tap water has sat out for 24hrs, will give you your answer.

 

[e30 gangsta]

Will do, thanks again! I will post my current tank readings once im home and go from there. Thanks guys!

 

[e30 gangsta]

OK guys did my api test.

ph color was dark blue. higher than 7.6 for sure.
ammonia 1.0 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 0 ppm

Got home and the fish were dead so I officially crashed the tank.

Thoughts as to why all the fish died? High ph and ammonia?

 

[jlk]

Im sorry!! Yes, it was most likely your ammonia levels. 7.6 for ph really isnt bad (mine is higher). My suggestion would be to consider finishing this tank with a fishless cycle but this will be up to you.

 

[nanofish]

High ammonia for sure. Like others have said you can do a fish in cycle but you had some fish with a big bioload for a ten gallon tank. That didn't help at all.

 

[e30 gangsta]

No fish in the tank now. so I'm taking all the help I can get for a fishless cycle. fresh start new water etc. so where do I start?

 

[nanofish]

Sorry if my last post sounded a bit short/rude. I didn't intend for it to sound like that. One thing you can do that will help you speed up a fishless cycle is to find some seeded material. Lots of options for that if you know someone else that has a fishtank. You could also ask the fish store if they can give you a small handful of gravel.

 

[Sisserydoo]

I'm no expert on fishless cycling, I've never done it. But I don't think you should change the water, because you need ammonia to start the cycle any way. Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

 

[jlk]

Read up on the fishless cycling links in the 'getting started' section. You will need to procure yourself an ammonia source for cycling before you do anything. This may prove to be alot harder than it seems! Google the store locator for 'Ace Hardware' in your area & see if theres one in reasonable driving distance. If so, go pick up some Ace Hardware 10% Janitorial strength ammonia ($2 bottle). If not, you want to try & find pure ammonia (ammonium hydoxide & water)- no additives such as dyes, perfumes, surfectants, etc. The bottle should not foam/bubble when you shake it. A third option would be to purchase the ace stuff online (amazon sells it) but its pricey ($30). Lets start there & we will help you through this!

 

[nanofish]

I didn't use the Ace brand but I did find a suitable ammonia at a dollar store. The price was right but I had to do a little more intial experimention to make sure I added the right amount. That's a fourth option for you besides the three jlk gave you. I'm agreeing with Sisserydoo that you won't need to change your water. Just let it go while you find an ammonia source.

 

[jlk]

I'm no expert on fishless cycling, I've never done it. But I don't think you should change the water, because you need ammonia to start the cycle any way. Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

I would leave things be for now until an ammonia source is found. Once we get some amm, i would do a 100% water change solely for the reason that bacterial starter liquids were added & these can have an affect on fishless cycles. Better to start from scratch as long as the filter media stays put.

 

[e30 gangsta]

let's take it step by step. new water time. ro, tap, or distilled? or a mix of ro and distilled? help plz

 

[librarygirl]

let's take it step by step. new water time. ro, tap, or distilled? or a mix of ro and distilled? help plz

Hi and welcome. Sorry about your fish.

Your tap water is fine to use. You don't want to mess too much with water source unless you have a very good reason and RO/Distilled water needs to be replenished with minerals. Tap water is safe to use 99% of the time so let's use that. You may want to test your tap water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH just to see what the levels are (some tap water for example has ammonia, or nitrite, or nitrate, so we'll get an idea of the baseline).

There's a link in my signature below: new empty tank. That will guide you step-by-step through the process of fishless cycling the tank. In the meantime we can help you choose fish that are more appropriate for a 10 gal tank. There's also a link in my signature below called: guide to starting a freshwater aquarium. It has some useful info for new aquarists.

 

[Koikid88]

my local stores said 1 week of cycling should be enough as long as I used a bacteria starter.

Horrible information. You should complain. Never solely trust a petstore employee, especially from a store with no fish experts. My lfs requires employees to pass a test, and they are also considerate enough to direct to some one else if they can't answer a question. Not so much at chain stores like petco and petsmart..

At least you didn't jump in head first into saltwater, and lose hundreds of dollars in fish.

Don't know if anyone else has mentioned this to you; even once the tank is cycled, don't add all your fish at once. Your bioload has only built up a certain amount of BB. If you pile fish in at once, it won't be able to handle all the waste. Most likely resulting in a minicycle, and boom, there goes your ammonia spiking again.


^^ only read the first couple posts...



I personally would of only emptied 50-75% of the water, and let some of the old water with dead fish particles floating around stay in there lol

Almost in week 6 of my fish in cycle for 90g. Only 1 sick red eye tetra so far, which I blame bullying for, plus the stress of ammonia and nitrites.

I was actually recommended from a knowledgeable lfs employee to use an ammonia detoxifier during fish in cycle for added assurance. He said he's been doing fish in cycles for 20 years, and about the last 10 he's been using detoxifier, which he said has resulted in less sick fish, although it makes the cycle roughly 2 weeks longer. Since it doesn't eliminate it, it just protects the fish from it.
Use around half of the directed dose.

 

[Koikid88]

OK guys did my api test.

ph color was dark blue. higher than 7.6 for sure.
ammonia 1.0 ppm
nitrite 0 ppm
nitrate 0 ppm

Got home and the fish were dead so I officially crashed the tank.

Thoughts as to why all the fish died? High ph and ammonia?

Like jlk said, Ph isn't all too important, as long as it doesn't fluctuate while fish are in it. Must stay fairly consistent. Just don't put a fish that requires 5.5ph into 8.5 water.

A healthy tank will have 5-20 ppm of nitrate as well! Just a heads up