windowarrior
Aquarium Advice Newbie
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2017
- Messages
- 2
Hi,
I've been trying to cycle my 10gal since this past September and it still isn't ready. The first 3 months I'm almost ceretain I wasn't using enough ammonia due to the fact that the calculator I was using was asking for litres and I was putting in gallons.
Since December I've had a bubbler going, heater is up to 85F, my filter is an aqueon quiet flow, I have the API master test kit, and country ammonia. Tap water was tested and has no signs of nitrates. Tabk pH is around 8.
The current state is about 2 weeks ago I was reading nitrites levels off the charts and nitrates off the charts. My ammonia levels (dosing up to 3ppm) would fall to 0 after about 36-48 hours. I did a 50% water change to bring the nitrites down to a readable level, nitrates are still off the charts. I decided then was a good time to make the switch to an aquaclear filter for better maintenance in the future, so I put in an aquaclear 20 beside the aqueon, moved the bio stones from my aqueon to the aquaclear and put in a new stones into the aqueon. Both filters are currently running.
Anyways my situation hasn't really changed from the beginning of February. I'll put in 3ppm of ammonia and after 24 hours there's about 0.5ppm remaining and 0.5 nitrites, with nitrates off the charts. If I leave it another 12ish hours it'll be 0 and 0ppm.
My water level drops pretty quickly with a bubbler and two filters so I have to add in about a litre of water every 3rd day. I treat the water after it is in the tank.
In terms of living creatures in the tank I have 2 small snails that hitched a ride from the live plant I had before I removed it. I cleared out a lot of snails at first but left two. I've never seen more than 2 snails at a time in the tank since.
I'm looking for advice on where to go with my tank right now. I have a betta fish that I adopted in a 1gal bowl right now and I've been trying to get the tank ready for him for a while now! I was hoping it would be ready for when I had to pick him up at the beginning of December, but I still can't turn 3ppm of ammonia to 0 with 0 nitrites in 24 hours!
Please let me know if I can change the way I'm handling this cycle.
I've been trying to cycle my 10gal since this past September and it still isn't ready. The first 3 months I'm almost ceretain I wasn't using enough ammonia due to the fact that the calculator I was using was asking for litres and I was putting in gallons.
Since December I've had a bubbler going, heater is up to 85F, my filter is an aqueon quiet flow, I have the API master test kit, and country ammonia. Tap water was tested and has no signs of nitrates. Tabk pH is around 8.
The current state is about 2 weeks ago I was reading nitrites levels off the charts and nitrates off the charts. My ammonia levels (dosing up to 3ppm) would fall to 0 after about 36-48 hours. I did a 50% water change to bring the nitrites down to a readable level, nitrates are still off the charts. I decided then was a good time to make the switch to an aquaclear filter for better maintenance in the future, so I put in an aquaclear 20 beside the aqueon, moved the bio stones from my aqueon to the aquaclear and put in a new stones into the aqueon. Both filters are currently running.
Anyways my situation hasn't really changed from the beginning of February. I'll put in 3ppm of ammonia and after 24 hours there's about 0.5ppm remaining and 0.5 nitrites, with nitrates off the charts. If I leave it another 12ish hours it'll be 0 and 0ppm.
My water level drops pretty quickly with a bubbler and two filters so I have to add in about a litre of water every 3rd day. I treat the water after it is in the tank.
In terms of living creatures in the tank I have 2 small snails that hitched a ride from the live plant I had before I removed it. I cleared out a lot of snails at first but left two. I've never seen more than 2 snails at a time in the tank since.
I'm looking for advice on where to go with my tank right now. I have a betta fish that I adopted in a 1gal bowl right now and I've been trying to get the tank ready for him for a while now! I was hoping it would be ready for when I had to pick him up at the beginning of December, but I still can't turn 3ppm of ammonia to 0 with 0 nitrites in 24 hours!
Please let me know if I can change the way I'm handling this cycle.
