Cycling Help for 2.5 week old tank

[missmountain]

Hey helpful fish people!

I need some advice on how to proceed with my 2.5 week old aquarium.

Basically, over the past few weeks, I have been regularly freaking out and doing a ton of unnecessary things to my water (there is a lot of conflicting information out there in the fish world which has definitely confused me a little). I am going to admit everything I have done (please don't judge me), and now that I am in a calmer place with everything and have accepted that this isn't all going to happen overnight, am wanting to know how to move forward here.

Okay, here we go:

The tank is 25 gallons with a Penguin 200 HOB filter. I have gravel, artificial plants, and 2 small oranda goldfish (will be upgrading when they get too big, don't worry!).

I had the tank up and running with dechlorinated water (Prime) and the filter for about a week before adding fish.

Day 1: I went to get some hardy starter fish for the cycle, but instead walked out with 2 orandas and a bottle of Tetra SafeStart, which I hadn't heard of previously. I added the entire bottle and the fish.

Day 2: I freaked out and thought the fish had Ick. I purchased some QuickCure, and added it to the tank. Oh, I also misunderstood the fish shop guy's instructions when he said to "remove the carbon." Being a newbie, I assumed that by "carbon", he meant the whole filter cartridge. So I did. *facepalm*

Day 4: Realized the fish didn't have ick after all (it was just normal wen growth, which there is surprisingly little information about online). Also realized at this time that the fish shop guy meant to actually remove ONLY the carbon but leave the filter cartridge (oh my god). Put it back in immediately, also added aquarium salt and a new bottle of Tetra SafeStart.

Day 8: Ammonia at 1.0ppm. Added Prime, which I now know may or may not have a negative effect on the TSS. (I did not do a water change because my understanding was to not do one while using TSS unless ammonia gets super high)

Day 13: Ammonia still hovering around 1.0. Did a 25% water change (with Prime as the dechlorinator, used only in the new water) and added MicrobeLift Night Out II good bacteria, according to the directions.

Day 14: Ammonia at 0.5 ppm.

Day 14-17: Continued use of Night Out II until my bottle ran out. Ammonia steady at 0.5. Nitrites at 0 and I saw trace amounts of Nitrate.

Day 18: Added another bottle of TSS, since I was out of Night Out II and the store convenient to me at the time didn't carry that brand. And I know you can't really overdose TSS, so...

Day 19: Today! Ammonia at 0.5, Nitrites at 0, Nitrates at about 10 (but tap water comes up at 5...the tank water is just a touch darker than the tap with the Nitrate test)


Sooo...that's all I have up until this point. Why is my ammonia stuck at 0.5? I am hesitant to do water changes with the TSS, because I know the directions say to try and avoid it if possible, but now that I've added a total of 3 bottles so far, I guess I'm not sure where I stand as far as time frame...

What should I do now? Just sit back and wait, and watch? The fish are doing well and show no signs of stress (I have been feeding them very sparingly)...one's tail was all torn up when I got him, and it has been growing back rapidly.

I'm trying to shake my impatience and realize that all of this does take time. I just want my tank to cycle so I can start feeding them veggies and making food for them and begin to really watch them thrive!

Any ideas??

 

[threnjen]

Hi there

Fish-in cycling can take weeks to months. It's a very slow process. There is nothing at all unusual about your current readings. But I would stop wasting your money on the bottled bacteria. Only very rarely do people have any luck with it. It definitely does not cycle your tank instantly.
The bottled bacteria is also suspended in a weak ammonia solution. When you dump in a big bottle the ammonia will usually rise a tad before the heterotrophic bacteria from the bottle eat it (this is helpful bacteria that doesn't colonize your filter)

With the two goldfish in a 25, you're probably just in for a lot of water changes while you wait to cycle. I guess I can't advise you about the TSS because I personally don't think it does much. But others may give you other experiences.

You should also check your tap water for any ammonia levels.

 

[missmountain]

Thanks, threnjen!

My tap water has 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and it looks like about a 5 in nitrates.

I haven't done any PWC's since adding the last bottle of TSS on Thursday night, and today (Sunday) the ammonia seems to have dropped slightly. Not quite down to 0.25, but definitely less than 0.5. I tested it twice to make sure Still nothing for nitrites.

 

[Coursair]

You can add some live plants. Tie some Anubias or Java Fern to driftwood or smooth rocks. No sharp decor. They are tough enough to survive Goldfish usually.

Feed them defrosted skinned Green Peas at least 1x weekly. No floating food !!!
Sinking Pellets
Or soak reg flakes or pellets till they stop floating.

Plan on at least a 40g for two Orandas. A 30g is bare minimum, but more water will stay cleaner.

Goldfish I think need 4x normal filtration ?? If I remember right.

Don't waste money on bacteria, just keep testing and water changes. You may want to invest in a Python system.

Some plants are good Nitrate sponges as well. If the fish eat some that's fine.



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[Coursair]

Here are comparison photos for Fancy Goldfish growth. Not my pics...saved for reference



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[captaincritical]

I wouldn't spend anymore money on bottled bacteria. Do you have access to any seeded media from someone else's tank? That could help to speed things along.

My best advice would be to leave things as they are, keep testing daily, and do PWCs with Prime as necessary to lower your levels of ammonia and nitrites/trates. Also, it would probably be in your best interest to upgrade the tank size sooner rather than later. More water means more room for error.

 

[ClassicRocker]

Wouldn't be too quick in judging SafeStart! Numerous people, including us, used SafeStart w/our betta and it worked for us in a short amount of time.....less than a month! Perhaps we got a good bottle of it, but it can work! Just like some experienced Aquarist highly recommend using API QuickStart and it worked for them!

Now, I'm an "old timer" at 65 yrs old, but when I read great reviews and recommendations about certain products, and wife and I try them and they WORK, I'm the next one to recommend that product. We use Prime and have pellets by Hikari, Omega One Buffet and NLS Betta Formula.........because of their high ratings among a lot of "fish keepers".

 

[Brookster123]

Wouldn't be too quick in judging SafeStart! Numerous people, including us, used SafeStart w/our betta and it worked for us in a short amount of time.....less than a month! Perhaps we got a good bottle of it, but it can work! Just like some experienced Aquarist highly recommend using API QuickStart and it worked for them! Now, I'm an "old timer" at 65 yrs old, but when I read great reviews and recommendations about certain products, and wife and I try them and they WORK, I'm the next one to recommend that product. We use Prime and have pellets by Hikari, Omega One Buffet and NLS Betta Formula.........because of their high ratings among a lot of "fish keepers".

the tank could have just cycled on it's own in a month. How can you be sure the safe start had anything to do with it?? 2 weeks.. Fully cycled.. Than we can talk success!

 

[ClassicRocker]

Well, look at it this way........how can anybody be sure that any product works? After using SafeStart, our parameters were great. Before SafeStart.......we won't go there!! We used Jungle Lifeguard for a white fungus problem and the white fungus is all gone now, which means, the product worked!

the tank could have just cycled on it's own in a month. How can you be sure the safe start had anything to do with it?? 2 weeks.. Fully cycled.. Than we can talk success!

 

[Brookster123]

Well, look at it this way........how can anybody be sure that any product works? After using SafeStart, our parameters were great. Before SafeStart.......we won't go there!! We used Jungle Lifeguard for a white fungus problem and the white fungus is all gone now, which means, the product worked!

I don't want to get too off topic here, meds are one thing, bottled bb is a whole different product. I know prime works, water tests don't lie. I'm not saying that safe start does not work, I just have yet to see the miracle cycle it promotes..

 

[ClassicRocker]

I understand. It did work for us, BUT will say this.........was it SafeStart or was it something else, we don't know. We don't have nearly enough experience to really know.

I don't want to get too off topic here, meds are one thing, bottled bb is a whole different product. I know prime works, water tests don't lie. I'm not saying that safe start does not work, I just have yet to see the miracle cycle it promotes..

 

[missmountain]

Okay friends, a quick update!!

Tank is now about 3.5 weeks old.

Ammonia is *almost* to ZERO!!! When I test the tank water side by side with tap water, there's just the slightest difference. In fact, I didn't even notice a difference at all until I put them on a white surface, and then I could see that the tank water is just a tiny hint greener than the tap water.

Nitrite is at ZERO.

Nitrates are at about 10, I think. I got a reading of almost 40 on nitrates the 2 days ago, so I did a very small 20% water change at that time and now it looks like they are back to 10.

So...is it almost ready?? I'm going to test through the weekend, and crossing my fingers everything keeps moving along, and going forward will just be routine maintenance and no more cycling!!