What did i do to my cycle (HELP!)

[Ezzie]

Yeah, so its another "help save me and my cycle" threads but im needing some kind of help and guidance from some people that know much more then me!

I had a guppy tank fully planted (Fluval EBI- 10 gallons) with 8 guppies running since february no issues, it was totally cycled and was coming back with perfect readings every random test i would do, none died and everyone was happy

Female guppy had some babies so i decided that as my tank was looking a little shabby i would re-decorate when the babies get big enough to move to my mothers established tank. The time came, babies (and remaining females) were moved and i started my new re-scape.

Since my tank was over growing with algae i did a total clean of the glass.
I rinsed HALF of the gravel (kept the remaining half dirty) and saved HALF of the already cycled water that was in there. I also cleaned the piping and parts of the filter.

I had found an amazing driftwood piece that i had left leeching for 2 1/2 weeks prior to putting it into my tank, i thought this was long enough considering it isnt that big of a piece.

I conditioned the other half of the clean water (PRIME and API QUICK START) filled everything and it looked great.. until we had problems...

Now my cycle is everywhere, my PH is totally out of whack (it was so LOW it wasn't even reading on the chart) and i think my 2 remaining male guppies will die pretty soon, i don't know what to do!

I REMOVED the driftwood (i suspect this was the issue) and i am leaving it to leech again in a bucket, changed half of the water (2 different times, one a couple days ago, one today) and retested the water and this is what we have:

ammonia: .25ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: 0ppm (MAYBE A LITTLE HIGHER THEN THIS POSSIBLY INBETWEEN)
ph: 6.4

Ugh, WHAT HAVE I DONE? I don't know where to go from these readings..
-Do i just start from the beginning and do a 100% water change?|

-Do i just leave it and let my cycle get back together (and risk my two guppies)?

-Did i destroy my cycle?

-Why isnt my ph getting higher? (i tested my conditioned water i used for the change and it was at 7+ which was what it was BEFORE when it was cycled)

Please, feel free to ask as many questions as you want, i want to get to the bottom of this ASAP!

 

[Cactuspixie]

Driftwood softens water, so perhaps the sudden drop in ph has negatively impacted your BB? You can use purigen to prevent that, or use coral rubble to balance the softening effect of the driftwood.

 

[waterfaller1]

It looks like you caused a mini cycle. Keep up on water changes and testing and get that ammonia reading down. Are you using API or some type of titration test kit, or test strips?
Whenever a tank is young it is still unstable, even after the cycle. You have to proceed cautiously on how much you clean until it is good and established. You would do best to use a gravel vac or similar, instead of rinsing it.

 

[Ezzie]

Shouldnt i be leaving my ammonia present to build back the bacteria and increase my nitrates considering they are basically 0?
I use API liquid testers.
Should i just leave it with the PH it has or do more water changes to get that down as well? I would prefer to not continue adding chemicals and such that im not sure about (like corals and stuff) im afraid ill end up doing more bad then good.
Should i add some more hardy fish to help get the ball moving again or leave with my 2 guppies (which one is close to dying anyway)?

 

[Cactuspixie]

Shouldnt i be leaving my ammonia present to build back the bacteria and increase my nitrates considering they are basically 0?
I use API liquid testers.
Should i just leave it with the PH it has or do more water changes to get that down as well? I would prefer to not continue adding chemicals and such that im not sure about (like corals and stuff) im afraid ill end up doing more bad then good.
Should i add some more hardy fish to help get the ball moving again or leave with my 2 guppies (which one is close to dying anyway)?

If you can house the fish elsewhere while you cycle the tank again that would be good for them, otherwise just persevere, but keep up the pwc to minimise their suffering. Guppies are pretty tough- I don't know if there are more suitable fish for the purpose. With the wood gone, and regular pwc with treated tap water, your ph should rise naturally (provided that your tap water isn't very acid)

 

[Ezzie]

I will look into getting some purigen, i think i have seen that at my local aquarium shop but i cant remember for sure. Does it sit inside your filter or just insider your tank somewere?

 

[Ezzie]

They didnt have an issue with the PH as it was while the tank was cycled and it was proberly 7+ on the charts (which is what it was when i added the clean water) so PH isnt an issue for them, i prefer to leave things if the fish are not harmed by it instead of fussing with it and stressing everyone out..

What amount of pwc should i be doing?

(sorry for all the dumb questions, i am so peeved that my tank went wacko, i was looking so forwards to re-stocking it)

 

[Cactuspixie]

I will look into getting some purigen, i think i have seen that at my local aquarium shop but i cant remember for sure. Does it sit inside your filter or just insider your tank somewere?

Inside your filter, but you need to be aware that once your tank is cycled, removing it will affect your tanks balance.

 

[Ezzie]

Mhmm, i think ill go without it then, like i said im a little hesitant to go out and try all these things if im not 100% confident with it.
This is my first "real" tank that im taking so much care with testing and such.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Mhmm, i think ill go without it then, like i said im a little hesitant to go out and try all these things if im not 100% confident with it.
This is my first "real" tank that im taking so much care with testing and such.

Go with your gut

Maybe experiment with the dw- test the ph of your tap water, then test the ph of the bucket of water your dw has been in for a couple of days?

 

[Coyne]

What amount of pwc should i be doing?

(sorry for all the dumb questions, i am so peeved that my tank went wacko, i was looking so forwards to re-stocking it)

Change as much water as you need to in order to keep the ammonia and nitrites at or below .25ppm. I wouldnt do more than 50% at a time unless is an emergency.
The amount you do is the amount you reduce your readings by. If you do a 25% PWC then you will reduce your ammonia/nitrite levels by 25%.

Do you have filter media from your other tank that you could put into the one with the messed up cycle? If so, that would help things along.

 

[Ezzie]

I will after it soaks for a day, i know my tap water is a constant 7 which is normal i assume as my fish didn't have an issue until the wood, That's basically the only thing changed except for the clean but i didn't think that cleaning would set off such a huge swing of PH Everything i was researching was telling me that it shouldn't change much but for some reason mine did

 

[Ezzie]

I do have an established tank with an oscar but last time i changed filter media from his tank to another it seriously messed up the chemistry, I could try to replace some of the ceramic tubes with some seeded ones if you think it could help the situation =)

 

[waterfaller1]

It would help, even just a cup or so of them. It takes a bit for a colony to establish, that is why you have to be careful in the beginning. Good luck.

 

[Ezzie]

I changed the filter noodles (is that what you call them?) with seeded ones from my long established tank and have bought some more plants for when i can re-scape the tank

i did a water test today and these were the results:

ammonia: .50ppm
nitrite: 0ppm
nitrate: 0ppm
ph: 6.0

Ammonia climbing that rabidly with just 2 guppies is that normal?
Should i do a water change or let the tank balance itself out normally?

 

[waterfaller1]

Your fish won't handle .50 ammonia. Do a pwc to get it down to at least .25.

 

[Ezzie]

I will do a water change today and then re-test =) How long do you think until i start seeing some kind of balance?

 

[Cactuspixie]

I will do a water change today and then re-test =) How long do you think until i start seeing some kind of balance?

I would think you'd easily be looking at a few weeks as it seems you're back at stage one of the cycle :-(

 

[Ezzie]

I don't mind that im back at the beginning of the cycle A little annoying but i can still plant my new plants and give them a head start

Also gives my driftwood a chance to continue doing its thing and hopefully by the time the tanks re-cycled it will be reading to add!

 

[Cactuspixie]

I don't mind that im back at the beginning of the cycle A little annoying but i can still plant my new plants and give them a head start

Also gives my driftwood a chance to continue doing its thing and hopefully by the time the tanks re-cycled it will be reading to add!

I commend your patience and commitment.
:thumbsup: