Started my cycle FINALLY! How do my numbers look?

[chrono1081]

Hi guys,

I was finally able to find the 100% pure ammonia (I thought I had it earlier but when I shook the bottle, it bubbled so it was the wrong stuff), and I finally got an AP Freshwater test kit.

Here were my steps:

1. Add water, plants (some real some fake) and decorations.

2. Test the water:

Main tank:
Ph: 6.4
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
NitrIte: 0ppm
NitrAte: 0ppm

Quarantine tank:
Ph 7.6
Ammonia: 0.5ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm

3. Add ammonia to try and get 4 - 5 ppm

Main tank (8 gal): 4 drops added
Quarantine tank(1 gal): 1 drop added

I'm currently waiting 20 minutes then checking the ammonia levels again. Am I off to a correct start?

[HeatherW]

couple of questions. did you add water conditioner to the water? what size tank? what is the temp in your tank / do you have a heater?

[chrono1081]

Originally Posted by HeatherW

couple of questions. did you add water conditioner to the water? what size tank? what is the temp in your tank / do you have a heater?

Yes I added water conditioner the day I added the water, and I have a heater. The heater isn't adjustable though and keeps the water at 78 degrees.

[HeatherW]

OK, that is fine. if you could raise your temp it will help speed up your cycle, but it is not required! you will still cylce just fine with the heater you have now. there is a link on here that will help you calculate how much ammonia you will need. you will need to take your tank size (8 gallons) and use that to calculate how much ammonia. you need to know the % ammonia to do this - my bottle didn't have that info, so I wasn't able to use it, but maybe you will. also do you know your filter info? how many gallons per minute? this will tell you how long it will take your filter to cycle your tank and all that ammonia.

but yes, you are off to a good start!

[boadams87]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

Yes I added water conditioner the day I added the water, and I have a heater. The heater isn't adjustable though and keeps the water at 78 degrees.

This may help

http://www.fishforums.net/aquarium-calculator.htm

[chrono1081]

Thanks guys for the help

I think I'll run out and grab another heater that is adjustable, and a bubble wand (since the FAQ suggests it).

The ammonia bottle doesn't list its percentage so I'm adding drops slowly and checking the water. As for what my filter cycles at I don't have that information either :/

My ammonia increased very slightly after the last dose so I'm going to let it rest an hour or so and then check it again to see the levels.

Also, the faq asks for seeding material. I have no way of getting that as no one I know has a freshwater aquarium. I do have a water plant in there from the pet store so I'm not sure if that will help. Is there any other solutions that may help?

All we have where I live is a Petco and a Saltwater aquarium store.

[boadams87]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

Thanks guys for the help

I think I'll run out and grab another heater that is adjustable, and a bubble wand (since the FAQ suggests it).

The ammonia bottle doesn't list its percentage so I'm adding drops slowly and checking the water. As for what my filter cycles at I don't have that information either :/

My ammonia increased very slightly after the last dose so I'm going to let it rest an hour or so and then check it again to see the levels.

Also, the faq asks for seeding material. I have no way of getting that as no one I know has a freshwater aquarium. I do have a water plant in there from the pet store so I'm not sure if that will help. Is there any other solutions that may help?

All we have where I live is a Petco and a Saltwater aquarium store.

Ask petco for some seeded media! Does the SW store sell any FW fish? Ask them

[boadams87]

Originally Posted by boadams87

Ask petco for some seeded media! Does the SW store sell any FW fish? Ask them

The plant wont help much but they love a cycling tank

[HeatherW]

Originally Posted by chrono1081

Thanks guys for the help

I think I'll run out and grab another heater that is adjustable, and a bubble wand (since the FAQ suggests it).

The ammonia bottle doesn't list its percentage so I'm adding drops slowly and checking the water. As for what my filter cycles at I don't have that information either :/

My ammonia increased very slightly after the last dose so I'm going to let it rest an hour or so and then check it again to see the levels.

Also, the faq asks for seeding material. I have no way of getting that as no one I know has a freshwater aquarium. I do have a water plant in there from the pet store so I'm not sure if that will help. Is there any other solutions that may help?

All we have where I live is a Petco and a Saltwater aquarium store.

yep - my ammonia did not have a percentage on it either. I think I figured out it was like 1.5% or something close to that.

what kind of filter are you running - we can figure out the gpm for you. for now I would say dose, test it in 15min, dose again, test in 15 min until you get to 4ppm (or just under) less is better than too much and then needing to do a water change.

seeding material - I didn't have any friends either. it was reccommended to me to get an agels plus "active" filter. I debated about this for a while and finally broke down and ordered one. Great decision! it really made a difference in speeding up my cycle. just remember you do NOT need seeded material - it just speeds things up. you can cycle with out it just fine.

oh - and buble wand - not a requirement - get one only if you want one in your tank. as long as you have a good filter in there it is not required

[jlk]

Heres the link for buying an 'active', seeded filter from Angelsplus. Make sure it says 'active' or your just buying a plain, new filter. We do need to figure out something here first.

Your using the same water source for both tanks? What type of substate do you have in each tank & is there any driftwood in either tank? Your phs are drastically different with the 6.4 being almost too low to actively cycle. I would like you set out some tap water- if you have an extra airstone/bubbler, place it in the tap water. If not, just give it a good stir every so often. Check your ph tommorrow after its had a chance to gas out. This will give us your actual ph & we will have a better idea of what is going on here.

Second thing, is test your tap water for ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate so you know what you are starting with & what you are putting in your tanks & post the results for us. Good luck & keep us posted!

Sponge Filters for aquariums

[chrono1081]

Originally Posted by HeatherW

yep - my ammonia did not have a percentage on it either. I think I figured out it was like 1.5% or something close to that.

what kind of filter are you running - we can figure out the gpm for you. for now I would say dose, test it in 15min, dose again, test in 15 min until you get to 4ppm (or just under) less is better than too much and then needing to do a water change.

seeding material - I didn't have any friends either. it was reccommended to me to get an agels plus "active" filter. I debated about this for a while and finally broke down and ordered one. Great decision! it really made a difference in speeding up my cycle. just remember you do NOT need seeded material - it just speeds things up. you can cycle with out it just fine.

oh - and buble wand - not a requirement - get one only if you want one in your tank. as long as you have a good filter in there it is not required

I looked all over the box for my aquarium but it gives no info about the filter :/ Its this aquarium here:

Aqueon Evolve 8 LED Aquarium Kit, 8 gallons: Amazon.com: Pet Supplies

Originally Posted by jlk

Heres the link for buying an 'active', seeded filter from Angelsplus. Make sure it says 'active' or your just buying a plain, new filter. We do need to figure out something here first.

Your using the same water source for both tanks? What type of substate do you have in each tank & is there any driftwood in either tank? Your phs are drastically different with the 6.4 being almost too low to actively cycle. I would like you set out some tap water- if you have an extra airstone/bubbler, place it in the tap water. If not, just give it a good stir every so often. Check your ph tommorrow after its had a chance to gas out. This will give us your actual ph & we will have a better idea of what is going on here.

Second thing, is test your tap water for ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate so you know what you are starting with & what you are putting in your tanks & post the results for us. Good luck & keep us posted!

Sponge Filters for aquariums

The same water was used for both tanks. The water has been sitting in the tanks for a few days already before my kit came.

As for the substrate the quarantine tank is just black gravel from petco, and the other aquarium is black aquarium sand from petco.

Should I maybe buy some of the PH Up that they sell?

[jlk]

Is the higher ph the one with the sand? No ph chemicals- this is can complicate things greatly. We need to where your tap sits tommorrow & go from there.

[chrono1081]

The higher PH is the one with the gravel. The lower one is the one with the sand.

I have a bucket of tapwater sitting and I will test it tomorrow since it has nothing in it.

[jlk]

Thats a bit odd. Ok, lets see how your tap reads & we will go from there!

[chrono1081]

Sounds good Thanks everyone for the help so far

I screwed this up once (I had a previous thread where all my fish and my shrimp died) and I don't want to screw it up again.

[chrono1081]

Ok here are my numbers today, including my tests from my tap water. (I must have screwed something up yesterday since my pH is vastly different for my quarantine tank:

Living Room Tank:

pH: 6.4 (same as yesterday)
Ammonia: 4ppm (added yesterday)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm

Quarantine Tank:

pH: 6.6 (lower than yesterday, again I think I just messed up)
Ammonia: 4 ppm (added yesterday)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm

Tap Water:

pH: 6.8
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm

Is there something I should do to raise the pH?

[jlk]

6.8 for your tap is fine but your tanks are running a bit on the low side. I would consider adding some crushed coral in a mesh bag or piece of pantyhose to your filters to help keep your tanks stable at your taps ph (or even a touch higher). It will be bit of trial & error to figure out the right amount but it should help you out.

[boadams87]

Originally Posted by jlk

6.8 for your tap is fine but your tanks are running a bit on the low side. I would consider adding some crushed coral in a mesh bag or piece of pantyhose to your filters to help keep your tanks stable at your taps ph (or even a touch higher). It will be bit of trial & error to figure out the right amount but it should help you out.

I ask a very reputable lfs about cc they said as long as it was in the tank it would continue to rise? So once it gets to where we want it di we take it out? They just suggested some neutral regulator. Added each time did a wc!

[jlk]

It wont continue to rise- chemistry is a bit complex but there are limits to cr corals buffering capacity & other factors that come into play as well. As we are just seeking stability of the taps ph, cr coral (or argonite) should be sufficient. Adding ph chemicals to try & 'regulate' a certain ph is not the wisest choice as it can lead to crashes & fish demise if left unregulated or properly maintained. Natural choices are easier & less expensive for most hobbiests.

[boadams87]

Originally Posted by jlk

It wont continue to rise- chemistry is a bit complex but there are limits to cr corals buffering capacity & other factors that come into play as well. As we are just seeking stability of the taps ph, cr coral (or argonite) should be sufficient. Adding ph chemicals to try & 'regulate' a certain ph is not the wisest choice as it can lead to crashes & fish demise if left unregulated or properly maintained. Natural choices are easier & less expensive for most hobbiests.

That's what I thought about adding stuff, so how much to add to raise it?