Starting over....

[browniecookie]

Hello! I am new at this hobby, this is my 2nd post. About a month ago I started up my 10g tank after a 48 hr cycle (which I'm learning now that I did totally wrong) and basically all the fish died within 7 days. I've been doing some research and found useful info on how to cycle correctly, I'm just a little confused because the info I have read recently is based on starting a brand new tank. My tank has been running for about a month now, but I haven't had fish (or fish food) in it for several weeks, and I have never performed a water change. After the last one died, I decided to hold off on doing anything to the tank because I would be going out of town and I wanted to figure all this out and do it right I'm pretty sure I've got some bacteria in there already.

Anyhoo, I just need to know exactly what to do next. Based on my recent research on this website, I have purchased ammonia, the API test kit, Tetra SafeStart Plus, airstones, air pump, airline......when I first started my tank I only had the gravel, the filter, and the heater, and API Stresscoat. Do I need all of this stuff? Am I missing anything? Should I do a water change (and if so, what percentage) before I start testing and adding ammonia, etc? Should I take out my decorations and wash them since they seem to be covered in fuzz (I think that used to be fish food)?

Thanks for any help!

 

[11bkd]

Hi, I'm also fairly new to this but I got some good advice which might suit your circumstance too. I inherited a 'failed' tank with 3 fish hoping for survival after many had died.

I was told to give the tank a good clean and start again. Bactria is good yes, but the wrong kind of bacterial growth can be toxic for fish. Obviously I did a fish in tank cycle which takes a lot of effort to not cause distress to them.

As for the kit, I use Nutrafin Aqua Plus with every water change etc to deactivate the chlorine in tap water, my Freshwater test kit, filter, gravel & decor and that's about it. I was told to keep it simple till I knew what I was doing. (Still not 100% on what I should be doing but getting lots of advice on here!)

Good luck with the tank, I'm loving mine now

X S

 

[browniecookie]

Update: I tested my water tonight using the API Freshwater kit, here are my readings before AND after a 25% water change (including 5mL of Stresscoat added):
pH 7.4
ammonia 2.0ppm
nitrite 0.0ppm
nitrate 0.0ppm

Are these "good" results? Or should I add bacteria and ammonia until I get a nitrite reading? Or is it possible my tank has already gone through a complete nitrogen cycle since I had all those fish in it before?....either way, I am going out of town for the weekend and will retest waters on Sunday night. No new fish will be acquired until I figure this out
Thanks for any clarification!

 

[shellieca]

Update: I tested my water tonight using the API Freshwater kit, here are my readings before AND after a 25% water change (including 5mL of Stresscoat added):
pH 7.4
ammonia 2.0ppm
nitrite 0.0ppm
nitrate 0.0ppm

Are these "good" results? Or should I add bacteria and ammonia until I get a nitrite reading? Or is it possible my tank has already gone through a complete nitrogen cycle since I had all those fish in it before?....either way, I am going out of town for the weekend and will retest waters on Sunday night. No new fish will be acquired until I figure this out
Thanks for any clarification!

You are not cycled because you are still reading ammonia. When doing a fish less cycle (which I think is what you're doing), depending on tank size, you dose ammonia to 4 ppm, let it go until it drops to 1 or less then redose. If your nitrites get too high for a week or more, your Ph drops to 6.5 or lower or nitrates sky rocket then you'll need to do a water change as those things can stall your cycle. There's no need for regular water changes unless you have fish in the tank. Because your tank sat empty for a few weeks without anything feeding the BB it probably died off & you're now rebuilding it.

 

[browniecookie]

Thanks shellieca! Yes, I am attempting a fishless cycle in my 10 gallon tank that used to have fish in it. I have the ammonia to add to it. How long does that take to affect the readings, i.e. a few minutes or a few days? I'm leaving town early tomorrow morning, so I'm wondering if I should continue to mess with this tonight, or just wait until I get back.

 

[shellieca]

I'm not 100% sure what you're asking. Most people test every 24 hrs with a fish less cycle, that gives the BB time to process it, once the BB is high enough the ammonia will be gone within 24 hrs. So the only thing you might do tonight is dose the ammonia to 3-4 then it should be good for a few days. Check it when you get back.

 

[Mebbid]

When you add the ammonia let the water circulate for an hour before testing the ammonia ppm. Basically all you need to do is test the ammonia frequently before you notice it starting to drop. After it starts dropping then you will need to start testing for nitrites. Basically keep that up until the tank cycles from 4ppm ammonia to 0 ammonia / nitrites in a single day. After that do a complete water change and add fish

 

[Mebbid]

Thanks shellieca! Yes, I am attempting a fishless cycle in my 10 gallon tank that used to have fish in it. I have the ammonia to add to it. How long does that take to affect the readings, i.e. a few minutes or a few days? I'm leaving town early tomorrow morning, so I'm wondering if I should continue to mess with this tonight, or just wait until I get back.

I would just add the ammonia now and let it start working. It will take a few days for the BB to start to have an effect on the ammonia.

 

[browniecookie]

My readings on Sunday evening were: Ammonia 2ppm, Nitrite 0 ppm, Nitrate 0 ppm. So I added some ammonia and rechecked it an hour later (last night) and it came up to 4 ppm. The nitrite/nitrate levels stayed at 0 ppm. I've been checking today and readings are still at 4/0/0. At what point should I add the Tetra SafeStart Plus?

 

[Mebbid]

Adding it now should be fine.

 

[Caver]

I strongly suggest you look at some of the stickys regarding fishless cycling or google it and study. The cycling process usually takes WEEKS...not hours or a couple of days, unless you seed the filter with media from a already properly running tank.

Even with the bottled start up stuff, it takes a few weeks for the good bacteria to build up.

Make sure your Ammonia has no soap or surfactants on the ingredients list. The ONLY place I could find it in Austin was Ace Hardware.

Dose your Ammonia up to about 2-3 ppm measured an hour or so after you put it in.

Measure your Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates once a day and re-dose your Ammonia when it drops below 0.5 or so. Repeat this.

Eventually your Nitrites will rise as well as the Nitrates. I've read mixed opinions about doing water changes when the Nitrites/trates get real high...but eventually the Nitrites will drop to near zero.

When your tank will process 2-3ppm of Ammonia down to zero Ammonia & zero Nitrites and lots of Nitrates within 24 hours, you're done.

At least this is how I understand the process after a week of reading!

Then do water changes back to back, till your Ammonia & Nitrites are zero and your Nitrates are below 20 and add some fish.

I've got a 6g desktop that has been going fishless for almost 3 weeks that I seeded with some filter squeezings from a friend that is showing signs of nearing the end of it's cycle and a 20 long that I hope will be done in another week or two. Hoping to put some shrimp in the 6g over the July 4th weekend.

Good luck!

 

[browniecookie]

I'm confused! I added the bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus last night around 8p EST. Just checked levels at 4p: ammonia 2.0/nitrite 0.0/nitrate 5.0. What does this mean? If the tank had completed the cycle, shouldn't the ammonia be 0.0? What do I do?

 

[Mebbid]

I'm confused! I added the bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus last night around 8p EST. Just checked levels at 4p: ammonia 2.0/nitrite 0.0/nitrate 5.0. What does this mean? If the tank had completed the cycle, shouldn't the ammonia be 0.0? What do I do?

You just need to wait. Eventually the BB will start to colonize the filter and start using up the available ammonia.

I would take a look at this article.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[Fishperson]

I'm confused! I added the bottle of Tetra Safe Start Plus last night around 8p EST. Just checked levels at 4p: ammonia 2.0/nitrite 0.0/nitrate 5.0. What does this mean? If the tank had completed the cycle, shouldn't the ammonia be 0.0? What do I do?

Actually it is doing quite well. There are 2 types of bacteria, nitrosomonas and nitrobacter. Basically, safestart has some of both. The nitrosomonas "eat" the ammonia and give off nitrite. Then the nitrobacter "eat" the nitrite and produce nitrate, which you remove through water changes. So far, in less than a day, your bacteria took 2 ppm of ammonia and turned it into nitrite, and then nitrate. So that is good. Just wait until you can have 4 ppm of ammonia, and in 24 hours or less the you get a reading of 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. Then your done. So your doing good. The cycle should be done in a week or two, which is really good, just make sure you check that the ammonia dropped to 0 in 24 hours. And remeber, Safestart doesn't instantly cycle your tank. But it gives the beneficial bacteria a kickstart. It just takes a bit of patience.

to AA!