Fish-in Cycling

[2tanks1month]

So, now my tank has been "fish in cycling" for 7 weeks. PH 6.8, Ammonia .25, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0 , I've been doing water changes daily if not twice daily. Depending on ammonia levels. Am I doing something wrong or do I need more patients. I have a 36 gallon with 9 barbs 1 rainbow shark and 2 clown plecos. Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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[BBradbury]

Cycling a Tank w/ Fish

So, now my tank has been "fish in cycling" for 7 weeks. PH 6.8, Ammonia .25, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0 , I've been doing water changes daily if not twice daily. Depending on ammonia levels. Am I doing something wrong or do I need more patients. I have a 36 gallon with 9 barbs 1 rainbow shark and 2 clown plecos. Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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Hello 2t...

If you don't grow the bacteria colony needed to use the ammonia and nitrites, the tank won't cycle. To grow the bacteria you need a steady source of food in the water. For the bacteria, it's ammonia and nitrite. If you remove a lot of tank water, you remove the food the bacteria need to grow. Bacteria are like anything else that is alive. If you don't feed it, it won't grow.

You should be testing the water daily for traces of ammonia and nitrite. If a test shows a trace, you remove just a quarter of the water and replace it with fresh, treated tap water. This will get the water chemistry back into the relative safe zone for the fish and leave enough nitrogen in the tank to grow the bacteria. If you remove more water to help the fish, you delay the growth of the bacteria. This is why you use hardy fish that don't mind a little nitrogen in the tank temporarily.

Test every day and replace the water when needed. When several tests show no trace of ammonia or nitrite, the tank is cycled. At that point, you change out half the water weekly to maintain stable water conditions.

B

 

[2tanks1month]

Thank you.
I think I've been changing too much water.
Should I use a ammonia block? Like Ammo Lock or ammonia remover?
I use Prime when doing water changes.


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[Yorg]

Hi 2tanks1month:

Did you observe higher ammonia and nitrite readings over the 7 weeks? For instance, was your ammonia 4ppm a few weeks ago and now down to .25ppm?

-Yorg

So, now my tank has been "fish in cycling" for 7 weeks. PH 6.8, Ammonia .25, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0 , I've been doing water changes daily if not twice daily. Depending on ammonia levels. Am I doing something wrong or do I need more patients. I have a 36 gallon with 9 barbs 1 rainbow shark and 2 clown plecos. Any info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.


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[2tanks1month]

Yes the ammonia has spiked to 4 at one point about 10 days ago but no nitrates or nitrites. I also was using Stability for 7 days.
I water changed it down, at first it was hard to get it down, 2 times a day then it has gotten easier to control.


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[jess.irene]

Hi,
I have a similar problem, I am also fish in cycling, but did not have a test kit for about the first two weeks. I did a 50% water change two days before the kit arrived, and readings have been; ph; 7.6, ammonia; 0.50ppm, nitrite; 0ppm, and nitrate; 5ppm, for around the last ten days, I did a 25% water change yesterday but still no change.
Am I doing something wrong?
I have a 3ft tank with 80L, 14 tiny swordtail feeders, hornwort, elodea, and frogbit, and an aqua one 103f internal filter, as I am setting up for a turtle.
Help!