So confused!!!!

[smdane]

Alright, I'll admit, chemistry is not my area of interest. But, I have been doing so much research about cycling a tank, I'm running in circles so I'm asking for help!!!

We have a 29 gallon tank and we set it up with a few tiger barbs and corey. It's been up for 2-1/2 weeks and weve been through a lot of tiger barbs, the catfish are doing great!

First off, I think one of our problems was over feeding which we have been vacuuming to get rid of the food. We have been doing water changes. We use a conditioner. We test our tank at least every other day and we add bacteria to it. (we don't know how much the bacteria is doing, it's a powder type but the fish seemed to perked up when we first used it)

Alright, now here's the kicker, our tests show no nitrate or nitrite in the readings and safe ppm of amnonia. We just bought tetra safe start kit, with safestart, aqua safe, and easy balance. We have been using aquaeon water conditioner. Has anyone put the safe start in the tank while fish is in it? ANy other suggestions to help our barbs would be lovely.

The test kit we have is api 5 in 1 test strips, if there is a better one, please let me know, I know there has to be some sort of nitrite in there!

I have also read adding some salt helps with stress, but coreys can't handle it?

There is so much info out there...my head hurts!!!!

 

[LyndaB]

Welcome to the forum.

I think part of the problem is all the additives that you have for this tank. If you added the fish and did not add Tetra Safe Start prior to putting the fish in, you may as well forget the TSS. And please don't add any other bacterial additives. Most of them do not even contain the proper type of bacteria. It's basically a huge waste of your money.

Don't put any more fish in until you are cycled. Since you started 2 1/2 weeks ago, you probably have another 2 weeks to go until you are cycled. Your fish are basically in a toxic environment when there is any trace of ammonia.

Do 50% water changes every other day or daily depending on your test results. The test strips are not accurate. You should pick up an API master kit (liquid). Costs about $23 and will last for hundreds of tests.

Do not put salt in the tank, as it is not necessary at this stage of the game.

 

[eco23]

This guide will be your (and your fishes) best friend for a while -
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

 

[smdane]

Thank you so much for your advice!!!

 

[jcolon]

to AA! :thumbs:

No worries ... you're in the same boat as many other members once and still are ... you came to the right place.

First thing I recommend is you toss test strips ... strips = junk. Get the API test master kit which is MUCH more accurate and will save you $$$ in the long run.

Second ... forget using any more bacteria in a bottle ... those tend to create more problems down the road. Let's just say the those bacteria can be unstable and have been known to crash ... leaving you with an uncycled tank.
I'd say moving forward ... let nature provide the bacteria for free. The link below will provide instructions on cycling with fish. You basically have to continue with doing water changes, keeping ammonia below 0.25ppm. Get yourself a bottle of seachem prime dechlorinator / conditioner for water changes. It's really concentrated and will lock ammonia for 24+ hrs giving your fish breathing room, but still letting bacteria consume it.

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Water changes and testing is really all that's needed. I'd say don't add any more stock until you're cycled. Keep us updated ... Good luck!

 

[jcolon]

This guide will be your (and your fishes) best friend for a while -
I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Oh yeah ... I should've mentioned ... aside from my previous advice ... keep an eye out for eco23!

 

[jetajockey]

Tetra safestart works, you already have it, use it. It's meant to be used with fish-in cycling anyway.

 

[TCool]

Just a quick note on the bacteria. My fiance has a degree in microbiology and we've had a discussion about this before, so I know what I'm talking about (kinda).

Anyway, if the bacteria doesn't need to be refrigerated and says it can last for a very long time, then it is the wrong type of bacteria. It is a type that can be put into a dormant state before being reactivated by adding it to the tank. Apparently, these bacteria do consume some ammonia but they're not the type that will get your tank cycled.

The kind you want cannot be put into a dormant state and therefore they can't survive very long periods of time in a bottle. So, chances are you don't have the right stuff.

Also, the safe level of ammonia is zero, so if you have some it's not really safe. And, I'd have to disagree with LyndaB (sorry Lynda) and say that you should put salt in the tank (aquarium safe salt obviously). The salt will help the fish when the nitrites spike by preventing the absorption of the nitrites into the gills and will help to keep them alive. I think the boxes of aquarium salt say 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. You could cut that in half and still have plenty of salt.

EDIT: Just want to point out I know nothing about Coreys, so if they truly can't handle salt then don't put it in. But, if they just don't like salt then I'd say go with a very small amount. It doesn't take much to give them protection against nitrites.

EDIT AGAIN: So, I decided to go back to my original research and calculate what you'd actually need for protection. What you would need is a third of a teaspoon for protection of up to 2 PPM of nitrites. So, add a teaspoon and you're protected for up to 6 PPM of nitrites. This obviously isn't guaranteed protection, but helps a ton. Just remember tho, the best protection against nitrites is having none at all, so this method should only be used when it needs to be and shouldn't be used as a replacement for good maintenance.