Help!! 0.5 ammonia!!

[sallyjano]

Yes nitrites are zero also (didn't ever get a nitrites read). Exciting and that was super quick!!

I want to get three more n tetras so my other 3 are happy but to do that I have to take the old filter off to use on a qt tank.

When do you think it's safe to do that?

 

[mrvincent]

Not now !!! Your main 60g filter is not cycled, and ammonia spike will occur if you do it now. Wait 3 weeks, then your two filter will be cycled.

So you put the 10g filter on the 10g, it become instant cycled and ready for new fish. You can do 100%WC before you introduce fishs in the QT, so they'll get the best water quality possible for eventual treatment.

 

[sallyjano]

Ok thanks......I will be patient......3 weeks it is.

 

[mrvincent]

Ok thanks......I will be patient......3 weeks it is.

It is approx, it's case to case. Can be less as it can be more.

 

[sallyjano]

It is approx, it's case to case. Can be less as it can be more.

And I will know when by doing a water change and seeing the ammonia drop from .5 to 0 in 24-48 hours, right? When that happens I'm ok to take the old media out?

 

[mrvincent]

Yes, dropping in 48 hrs is good.

Just wait 3 weeks, it should be fine, the guy at the lfs told me 1 month, I did it 2 weeks, and my 29g filter was cycled... You have ammonia in the tap, so it should be less than 3 weeks IMO. Your 60g filter will be well fed.

 

[sallyjano]

Update and new question.

So it's now 1 week and 1 day since I upgraded from 10g to 60g with the old media in the new tank. My tap water reads .5 ammonia. My tank is currently about .15 ammonia with no water change for 7 days. 0 nitrites 0 nitrates.

During cycling I know you should do a water change each week, but since my tap is .5 ammonia and the tank has the above readings, should I still do the water change?

 

[mrvincent]

As I did show you, your tap ammonia levels are not so much toxic for fish at your PH and temperature. Just do weekly WC, as it should, I would just mesure your tap ammonia before a water change to make sure it doesn't go out of range.

 

[sallyjano]

Ok thanks. Will do.

 

[sallyjano]

Latest update on my 10g to 60g upgrade with fish in (with old media in tank).

I am now at day 17. Temp 74, PH 7.4, ammonia consistently from .25 to about .10. To date zero nitrites and zero nitrates.

Looking at the cycling charts online they all show nitrites coming in at around day 10. I'm at day 17 and no nitrites. I would have thought it would be faster since I have the old media in and no extra fish.

Any idea why? I probably just need to be patient but just wondering.

 

[mrvincent]

Do you use API ammonia test ? They sometime give false .25 - .5ppm.

I would not stress with this for now, just monitor every weeks that it don't climb.

 

[sallyjano]

Do you use API ammonia test ? They sometime give false .25 - .5ppm.

I would not stress with this for now, just monitor every weeks that it don't climb.

Thanks but it's not that I am worried about the ammonia. I was just curious why I am getting zero nitrites since all the charts I looked at showed nitrite showing up around 10 days with a new cycle and since this is an upgrade I'd have thought it would be faster.....?

 

[mrvincent]

Maybe because this is not a "full cycling" happening. There's already the same of ammonia-->nitrites bacterias than there's nitrites-->nitrates bacteries in your system, as you used the old filter.

To see a nitrite spike the numbers of ammonia-nitrites bacterias must be in larger number than nitrites bacterias. Maybe you'll see a nitrite spike when the main filter will be populated, but it don't think you'll see it, as the number of nitrites-->nitrates bacterias will grow same speed than the ammonia ones, as it's feed by the old filter.

Maybe if you suddendly increase fish bioload, you'll see ammonia spike, then nitrite spike, then nitrates at the end. Or if you add ammonia to the water, nitrite spike will happen.

In this case there's no more bioload than previously.

 

[sallyjano]

Maybe because this is not a "full cycling" happening. There's already the same of ammonia-->nitrites bacterias than there's nitrites-->nitrates bacteries in your system, as you used the old filter.

To see a nitrite spike the numbers of ammonia-nitrites bacterias must be in larger number than nitrites bacterias. Maybe you'll see a nitrite spike when the main filter will be populated, but it don't think you'll see it, as the number of nitrites-->nitrates bacterias will grow same speed than the ammonia ones, as it's feed by the old filter.

Maybe if you suddendly increase fish bioload, you'll see ammonia spike, then nitrite spike, then nitrates at the end. Or if you add ammonia to the water, nitrite spike will happen.

In this case there's no more bioload than previously.

OK thanks. Then I think I'll give it another week and then move over the old media to my QT tank and get some new fish. Just 3 or 4 neon tetras to make up my school. Exciting!!

 

[mrvincent]

I bought some rummy nose tetra recently, and can say it's one of the best purshase I did.

Add some neons to the qt so yo get a school of 6+ neons

 

[sallyjano]

Hmm ok I don't know what rummy nose tetras are like. I will look them up. I normally pick fish for their color. I like the bright colorful ones.

 

[sallyjano]

I bought some rummy nose tetra recently, and can say it's one of the best purshase I did.

Add some neons to the qt so yo get a school of 6+ neons

Ooh I like the rummy nose Ts! Just looked them up. I will look out for them.

 

[mrvincent]

Ooh I like the rummy nose Ts! Just looked them up. I will look out for them.

They a bit bigger than than cardinalis, almost same size than neons, and they do great schools. My lampeye + neons + cardinalis + rummynose like to school together and swim from one side to the other. They're not agressive fishs.

 

[sallyjano]

They a bit bigger than than cardinalis, almost same size than neons, and they do great schools. My lampeye + neons + cardinalis + rummynose like to school together and swim from one side to the other. They're not agressive fishs.

Huh interesting. I didn't realized different types of tetras would school together.... I have 3 neons - going to get 4 more, but I also have just 1 solitary glowlight tetra purchased before I realized they needed to be in a school (no mention of it when purchased at the LFS . He just swims alone poor thing. I've not seen any more of them recently and can't afford the online purchase (the minimum purchase price plus shipping fee is too much for me.....). Do you think maybe when I have the bigger neon school he might swim with them?

 

[mrvincent]

Huh interesting. I didn't realized different types of tetras would school together.... I have 3 neons - going to get 4 more, but I also have just 1 solitary glowlight tetra purchased before I realized they needed to be in a school (no mention of it when purchased at the LFS . He just swims alone poor thing. I've not seen any more of them recently and can't afford the online purchase (the minimum purchase price plus shipping fee is too much for me.....). Do you think maybe when I have the bigger neon school he might swim with them?

The glo tetra must be hiding if he's alone. If you get a school of neon, glo tetra, and rummy tetra, probably the neons and rummy will school and the glo tetra will make a second school.

I mean, my neon, lampeye, and rummy are sometime schooling together. Sometime they split in 3 school, sometime in 2 school of mixed species... When they stresse they form a compact school of all them together.


It will probably hide from other school if he's alone and probably keep hiding, but he's kept in group, maybe this group will school with the rest of the fishs. Getting rid of it can be an option, give it to somebody that already have some, post a ads on local used selling website.