Help, Cycling, New to aquariums and fish

[ErT]

Hello everyone.. I am new to this but it sounded like fun for my free time, i'm sorry if these are dumb questions , just want the fish to do good.. I got a tank about a month ago and started trying to cycle with fish.. 20 gallon tank with 5 glofish tetras and 3 platys.. I used Tetra safestart live filter bacteria as the bottle said to and have done everything right to my knowledge. I have been testing with test strips everyday or everyother day, and the ammonia was up but have yet to get any nitrites/nitrates.. I thought maybe the strips are bad so i got the API master test kit today and did a test with these results..

ammonia - 4ppm
nitrite - 0ppm
nitrate- 0ppm
ph- 7.2 +

It's been like this for 3-4 weeks i'm guessing and was wondering if i did something wrong for the nitrites/nitrates to not start up? I've got mixed answers on water changes during this time, some people said to do big water changes when ammonia gets so high and others said not too because it will get rid of the bacteria, but have done a few water changes when the test strips said ammonia was up to around 8ppm.. Any ideas on what I should do or not do? Thanks to all who try to help.. I'm just worried for the fish.. thanks
-edit- Forgot to mention that as i bought everything I had no idea of the nitrogen cycle until i started researching.. Pet store workers didn't mention it???

 

[jlk]

Welcome to AA!!!

Good job on investing in a liquid test kit for your parameters! Start by testing your tap water and posting your results here. This will be step one to getting your tank in order and back on track.

Are you using a good water conditioner such as Prime? This will also be helpful during the cycling process. Bacterial additives are very hit or miss and sometimes can skew the results you would expect to see during the cycling process.

Right now with fish in the tank and very high ammonia levels, water changes are definitely in order to drop this way down (assuming your tap does not contain ammonia). Ideally, you want to keep toxin levels at or below .25ppm. Here is some more cycling information- feel free to ask any questions!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

 

[ErT]

Thanks for the reply.. Yes I have been using Aqua Safe water conditioner/ dechlorinator from the beginning and with every water change. I am waiting for Prime I ordered it should be here sometime this week.. I am on my way to work right now , I will be done in a few hours and I will test my tap water when I get home and post results and also check the link out for cycling.. What percentage of a water change do you think I should do? One decent one or a few smaller ones back to back or every day? Thank you again!

 

[robbyno22]

I had to do 2 50% WC's every day for over a week until my ammonia levels dropped. I would also get another bottle of safe start, and add 10 mls with each water change. If your ammonia is still really high after 2 changes, I would add a 3rd

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[ErT]

ok thank you for the input as well.. i was doing wc's everyday or so and then someone told me it would mess with the bacteria forming to start the nitrites and to let it spike and it should then drop down, but is that only for fishless cycling? I dont want to stress the fish in high ammonia but also want my cycle to start and with all the mixed answers i have got i became confused lol.. Thanks!

 

[robbyno22]

Mine didn't take very long doing the water changes. From my understanding, with fish in, you need to keep the levels low, but the bacteria doesn't live in the water, so changing it won't throw you off too much

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[ErT]

Oh thats right it's in the filter.. Thank you again! WC time then to test my tap water

 

[jlk]

Your perfectly fine to do wcs during a fish-in or fishless cycle. Your nitrifying bacteria excrete a sticky substance that allows them to adhere and colonize the surfaces of your media and tank surfaces. Wcs do not remove them. Nitrifying bacteria multiply at a very slow rate so patience is needed for them to develop. Wcs are a must to keep your fish healthy and toxins low so do not be fearful of them or worry!

 

[ErT]

0 ppm ammonia in tap water.. doing a water change real quick.. should i test the tap for every test?

 

[ErT]

ok thank you!

 

[ErT]

Back again lol.. After a 50% WC These are my results

Ammonia - .50 -1.0 ppm ( hard to tell )
Nitrite - O ppm
Nitrate - O ppm
PH - 8.2

Should I do another WC to get the ammonia down some more or should I wait a certain amount of time before another WC? Thanks everyone

 

[robbyno22]

Wait an hour after the first, and do another one

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[Old Scales]

You don't have to test your tap water before every water change. You just do this at the beginning so you have a baseline to go by what your tap water is. It's good to test your tap at least once during your wet season and once during your dry season as the values can change somewhat. Many people with sketchy water quality will check about once a month. Write down your tap water test values somewhere as your baseline reference.
Good luck.

 

[octanejunkie]

+1 on testing tap water monthly, or is RO and forget about pre-testing

Put some floating plants like anacharis and hornwort to suck up the remaining ammonia

8.2 pH is real high... what you gonna put in there?

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[ErT]

yeah i thought the p.h was high but i heard that a constant ph is better than trying to keep changing it? and I put java moss in a few days ago and have some java fern on its way .. Thanks again off to work.

 

[octanejunkie]

Constant is better than fluctuating, pH is relative to what you're gonna keep in there for livestock.

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[ErT]

well before i knew about the cycling ( pet store people didn't mention the cycle) i got my tank and had it run for 2 days and then i bought 3 platys, and 5 glofish tetra .. I was looking online and seen the p.h was pretty close to the preferred zones of both fish, so as of now i have those 8 fish and java moss in there.. I really dont want to have to take any fish back considering me and the fiancee' have found a love for all of them ( each have there own personalities lol) and named them all, but whatever is best for them is what i will do .. just got done with a 30-40% WC , waiting a little bit and going to test the water.. thanks!

 

[ErT]

After todays 50% WC, test results are..

Ammonia 0.25-0.50 ( can't tell)
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
PH 8.2

Been around a month or more and still no nitrites or nitrates.. Hope im not doing something wrong.. Should I get some established filter media or something? thanks all good night

 

[octanejunkie]

After todays 50% WC, test results are..

Do this daily until ammonia is zero. Remove waste and dead things from tank. Add nitrifying bacteria additive to filter after each WC. Add floating plants like anacharis and hornwort.
Should fix itself in a week.

However, I wonder if your test kit is duff, pH is too high for any of your livestock to tolerate for long. What test kit are you using?

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[ErT]

Just got API Master test kit 2 days ago finally..