Cycling issues, any advice?

[11bkd]

Hi again,

My recent rant was about my mum doing some water changes while I was on holiday without using dechlorinator and destroying my bacteria. I understand she was only trying to help but ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......my poor fish!

In my wee community tank with plants it has rebalanced the bacteria really quickly and it's currently 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5.0 nitrates. I'm really pleased with it's progress.

However my second tank is an 80l housing a black moor and a goldfish and despite twice daily water changes of 50% the levels are awful. Tonight the levels were ammonia 0.5, nitrites 1.0, nitrates 10. How can these be right? I'm using an API liquid kit, the filter has been cleaned in tank water but not changed, the plants are fake, there is no lighting but it's in a well lit room from a window at each end and I've not been overfeeding.

If anyone can shed some light on what's going on please do, I understand this is a long process but the water results are not what I was expecting! Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks, X

S

 

[Rivercats]

With those readings it appears you tank is cycling. When was it set up and when did you add the fish.

Two goldfish in a 21 gallon tank won't work. How big are they now? You said one is a moor but what is the other? Goldies need a lot of space to grow, they produce copious amounts of waste and ammonia, and are just messy fish in general. What kind of filter are you using?

 

[11bkd]

Hi, the tank has been cycled for a while and was doing great. The fish in it are juveniles and only an inch each so there's more than enough space just now. They have a fluval 3+ in there and get 2 or 3 water changes a week. My mother added chlorinated water and killed all my bacteria so I'm having to do a lot more to balance out again

I'm concerned that the levels have been so high all week, surely that's not normal?

X

 

[11bkd]

Just noticed I put 80l, meant 40g. Must have had a brain freeze!

 

[Rivercats]

Okay a 40g tank is a much better size for the goldfish. Your tank is having to completely recycled if the BB was all killed off. So you have to monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels daily and do a WC anytime they get over .25ppm. It's like your having to do an fish-in cycle all over again.