Nitrites
- Thread starter Revenantwing
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
HAHAHA!A bio-load from one Betta? I think not lol.
I think so, actually, I know so.
A tank giving ammonia readings is not cycled, sorry to say.
And java fern and java moss are not going to 0 out nitrates either, it takes heavier planting than that.
How long has this tank been running?
Also what size is the tank?
Revenantwing
Aquarium Advice Freak
5 gallon that has been running for a month with a betta and apple snail.
jetajockey
come get me tang police!
If you haven't used any supplemental bacteria then you are still cycling. You should be seeing nitrates. It's possible that the amount of nitrates being produced is small enough to be consumed by the plants, but if you are still showing ammonia in your tests then the biofilter is still being established.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
A 5g tank running for a month with 1 Betta is barely going to support a bacteria colony. The ammo being registered is mostly likely the bound chlorine from the tap and it's harmless to a fish.
I see people getting so caught up in cycling tanks for months on end to build a colony of bacteria like they're going to put 50 inches of fish in a 5g tank. Then 99% of that massive colony dies off because it can only support the miniscule bio-load that's actually ends up in the tank. I don't know about you, but I'm a fish keeper and not a bacteria keeper lol.
Revenantwing
Aquarium Advice Freak
I tested my tap water before adding prime then after. It shows up at 0.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Obviously, 2 differing points of view on where you're at in your cycle, but with my years of experience with Bettas, I believe your tank is cycled. Bettas react poorly to even marginal water, and yours is a bubble making machine.
"... Betta fish are so sensitive to pH levels and water quality, containers need to be cleaned often."
http://www.everythingbettafish.com/
Your java moss is growing like mad, which is a really good sign. My question about your poorly growing Java fern is, how exactly do you have it planted?
If you bury the rhizome (kind of a bulb looking thing between the stringy roots and leaf stems) into the gravel/sand/etc it will not do well, but you can plant the roots from what I heard. I prefer to attach it to a piece of DW either with thread or wedging the rhizome in a crack in the DW and eventually, it'll grow out and attach itself to most anything.
PlantGeek.net - Microsorum pteropus
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Interesting, I did the same testing and since API can't read chlorine or chloramine you shouldn't see any before (unless you tap water has ammo). But testing after you cure it with Prime you should've seen some ammo reading as it binds the above chems into a non-toxic form of ammo that will still register on the API test.
You can find out how old you test kit chems are, by looking on the bottles and there's going to be a "lot number". The last 4 digits are the month and year they were made (ie 0810=aug/2010) and the liquid is only good for 3-5 years. If a store has had it on the shelf for a long time, even a newly bought kit can be expired.
Keep in mind that although the API test kit is a god send to everyday aquarists like you and I, in the broad spectrum it's not very accurate. There is another kit on the market, (base price 96.99
) that is a bit more accurate (but still not the best) that can be had, buts that's a lot more that I want to spend to test my water lol.
pantherspawn
Aquarium Advice FINatic
not all water has the chloramines added, it all depends on location and local water quality. where i live, the water quality is poor, so they dose highly with chloramines to make the water safer for human consumption. I agree though, in a 5 gallon, i don't think the betta produces enough of a load to move the cycle very far, it sounds like it is happening, but at an extremely slow rate. I would either add something to the tank ie another fish, or remove the betta for now and do a fishless cycle. But thats only if the cycling itself is a major concern to you as a person, if not, then carry on and let nature take its course. As long as the fish and plants are happy, thats the key. IMO
Aquachic4545
Aquarium Advice Regular
We have chloramines in our water which sucks. My LPS recommended a product called Hikari Ultimate Water Treatment. They use it in all their tanks to get rid of the chloramines and the other stuff that makes water bad for the fishies. Basically, the stuff seems to work really well.
Ultimate
Ultimate
pantherspawn
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Cant speak for that product, but I know that a big majority of the people I have ever talked to use prime, myself included. It takes such a small amount to condition the water, that for the price, should last you ages. It def gets the job done.
pantherspawn
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yeah I don't think its even close to cycled. I don't think it has the bio load to support a cycle.
at least not something you will see progressing anytime soon.
at least not something you will see progressing anytime soon.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
techniquily the bacteria will adjust to the bioload so he can still cycle but the bacteria will be a small colony. ammonia is still gonna build no matter how much you have in there.
Revenantwing
Aquarium Advice Freak
my last 4 numbers on the lot or 1010. So im good on that. i guess i gotta test again to be sure. I let my java ferns float around the tank and it was already starting to rot. so i decided to put it into the gravel. I only stick the roots in and leave the rest above the gravel
if my tank isn't cycled ill take do it slowly.
if my tank isn't cycled ill take do it slowly.
Revenantwing
Aquarium Advice Freak
i cant add another fish since he was aggressive when i put a platy in so i had to take her out. Then from there i added 2 shrimp and they were both eaten. My snail is the only happy one :/
EndlersEatGuppies
Aquarium Advice Addict
some cardinal tetra might work!!!
Revenantwing
Aquarium Advice Freak
hes a veil tail. A very mean one :/. Arent those schooling fish?
EndlersEatGuppies
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes they are. How many gallons is the tank?
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