cycling question!

[Paulcm10]

I have been trying to cycle my 20g high tank for about 2 months now. I just now got my testing kit in from the mail and tested my water. I am disappointed with the results since i have been doing my water changes weekly.

my results are
ph - 7.6 (i need my ph to be on 6.8)
ammonia- 0ppm (the only thing I'm happy about)
nitrite - 5.0ppm or maybe a bit higher
nitrate - 10ppm-20ppm (i can't really tell if its on 10 or 20 but i would like it on 10ppm)

so my question is besides ammonia how do i lower my ph to 6.8 and my nitrite down to 0ppm?

 

[Paulcm10]

here's the results

 

[smomus]

Why are you trying to lower your ph?

 

[Austin.b]

I'm not good at cycling questions, so I'll leave that for another person. Sorry about that.

To lower your pH, you can try DW, indian almond leaves, peat in your filter, or you can try RO water. The tannins in DW, IAL leaves, and peat is what lowers your pH. Not the actual item it self. You can also try using a different substrate if the pH really matters for you. One of my tanks with fluval shrimp stratum lowered my pH quite a bit! The substrate has peat in it. I'm at about 6.9 pH from like a 7.8 lol

 

[jetajockey]

You can lower nitrite with water changes. If there's no fish in the tank I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Paulcm10]

Why are you trying to lower your ph?

I'm trying to lower my ph for my shrimps cause supposively they need 6.6-7 ph

 

[Paulcm10]

I'm not good at cycling questions, so I'll leave that for another person. Sorry about that.

To lower your pH, you can try DW, indian almond leaves, peat in your filter, or you can try RO water. The tannins in DW, IAL leaves, and peat is what lowers your pH. Not the actual item it self. You can also try using a different substrate if the pH really matters for you. One of my tanks with fluval shrimp stratum lowered my pH quite a bit! The substrate has peat in it. I'm at about 6.9 pH from like a 7.8 lol

yah i have DW but i don't think it has much tannins in it haha

 

[jlk]

Are there fish in this tank as well as shrimp? As suggested, water changes are necessary to drop your nitrite level. Once a week is not sufficient- you should be testing daily and doing water changes as needed to drop toxin levels. I dont know how tolerant shrimp are of high nitrite levels, but I would try to drop your nitrites down to .25ppm or lower especially if there is fish. This may take more than one 50% wc. I would not be overly concerned with your ph right now- wait until your tank is fully cycled & established before trying to do any ph adjustments because ph can fluctuate during the course of a cycle. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions!

 

[Paulcm10]

Are there fish in this tank as well as shrimp? As suggested, water changes are necessary to drop your nitrite level. Once a week is not sufficient- you should be testing daily and doing water changes as needed to drop toxin levels. I dont know how tolerant shrimp are of high nitrite levels, but I would try to drop your nitrites down to .25ppm or lower especially if there is fish. This may take more than one 50% wc. I would not be overly concerned with your ph right now- wait until your tank is fully cycled & established before trying to do any ph adjustments because ph can fluctuate during the course of a cycle. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions!

currently i don't have any shrimps. i have one guppy. i was doing a fish in cycle but i was planning on getting a bamboo shrimp today =p. I also do have tiny MTS in the tank. would it hurt to do a 50% water change tonight and tomorrow night? i was thinking thats overdoing it.

 

[jlk]

Your guppy will be happier & healthier if you can drop the nitrite down with a water change or two. Just make sure you use temperature-matched, properly conditioned water. I would also suggest waiting to add anything new to the tank until it is stable (zero amm & nitrite).

 

[Paulcm10]

Your guppy will be happier & healthier if you can drop the nitrite down with a water change or two. Just make sure you use temperature-matched, properly conditioned water. I would also suggest waiting to add anything new to the tank until it is stable (zero amm & nitrite).

well i can do one water change tonight and tomorrow night? or too much?
and how do i match the temp? do i take out the heater from my tank? cause that seems like a hassle to do haha.
and when you say new are u talking about fish/inverts or anything? or like plants, dw, and rocks?

also what do you think of the aqueon water conditioner? someone told me they aren't as good as the prime.

 

[smomus]

well i can do one water change tonight and tomorrow night? or too much?
and how do i match the temp? do i take out the heater from my tank? cause that seems like a hassle to do haha.
and when you say new are u talking about fish/inverts or anything? or like plants, dw, and rocks?

also what do you think of the aqueon water conditioner? someone told me they aren't as good as the prime.

That's not too much. Do at least 50% until everything is under control. To temp match you will probably be ok just to gage it with your fingers. By new they mean fish/inverts. Other things won't really make a difference.
I use API stress coat. Never used prime or aqueon. I'm sure others will come in about it

 

[jlk]

well i can do one water change tonight and tomorrow night? or too much?
and how do i match the temp? do i take out the heater from my tank? cause that seems like a hassle to do haha.
and when you say new are u talking about fish/inverts or anything? or like plants, dw, and rocks?

also what do you think of the aqueon water conditioner? someone told me they aren't as good as the prime.

Yes, your fine to do a wc tonight & one tomorrow. I dont have any personal experience with the aqueon condit, but Prime is the generally recommended because it helps to detox ammonia & nitrites & is very concentrated. I actually use pond stuff but thats another story.

For temperature-matching, just adjust your tap water so it matches the temp of your tank water. A thermometer would help but using your hand is accurate within a few degrees.

I would wait on fish/inverts until your tank is stable & then add any new additions slowly & gradually so your bb can adjust to the increased amount of ammonia. Plants are great to add anytime & can help your cycle! Your fine to add any decor whenever your want just make sure any rocks are aquarium safe.

 

[Paulcm10]

ok so i just did my 50% water change and i had a horrible time trying to put the water back in.. i didn't wanna pour it in and just kill my guppy haha.
also i tried using my fingers to gage the temp but it was hard to tell =p but i used the thermometer that i have in my tank and it was a few degrees off. my tank was 76 and the tap water was 80.. i couldn't get it lower than that though..

also hmmm what about AmQuel plus by Kordon? its an ammonia detoxifier. also it detoxifies nitrate nitrite ammonia chlorine and chloramines.
is that effective if i use it or will it hurt my tank in the long run?

 

[jetajockey]

amquel is fine, it's just like prime.

 

[jlk]

Yep, Amquel Plus is fine!

 

[Link119]

Dont bother playing the ph game, unstable ph is the worst for you fish's health. If your ph is under 8.2 dont bother trying to change your ph. Fish can adapt to high ph, but not fluctuating ph.

 

[Paulcm10]

Oh ok I thought I wasted my money buying the amquel plus cause I read online that some ammonia neutralizers can harm your aquarium in the long run.
also I guess my fish will be fine with 7.6 but everyone is telling me to match my ph with my tap water. I just don't get how I do that haha

 

[jlk]

Match your temp not your ph. 7.6 is fine so dont worry about it!

 

[Paulcm10]

Well how big of a difference can the water temp be for it to be harmful to my fish?
And when I get my rcs will they breed in a 7.6 ph?