Help Needed. Cycle crashed Ammonia high

[lullasmomma]

Hello Everyone.

I have a 55 gallon tank housing 2 EBA and 2 albino corycats that I rescued from a broken tank. Until yesterday my ammonia had been reading about .25 consistantly despite best efforts to water change every other day, nitrites 0, nitrates about 15. Yesterday I tested and ammonia was about 5ppm, nitrites 0, and my nitrates gone, just vanished. Temp on tank is 80. I have a fluval 75 HOB with sponge, filter floss, carbon, biorings. I also have an in tank sponge filter rated for 150g but it has only been in tank 10 days.

I did a 60% water change and dosed with Prime. So my question is this. Some have suggested I add a bacterial product to my filter such as Tetra safe start or Micro-lift nite out 2. Will either of these raise the ammonia further? Do I still use prime to dose tank before adding this or will it interfere with the bacteria accessing the ammonia. Won't one of these cause a nitrite spike since there is ammonia present? Is one better than the other?

I really do not want to lose these guys. Any input appreciated.

 

[Aiken Drum]

You need to cycle the tank. This will typically take a couple of months. 2 EBAs will be quite a lot of bioload for a fish in cycle so expect a lot of water changes for a while. How big are the fish?

Test your water daily. Your target should be to keep ammonia + nitrite combined below 0.5ppm through water changes until your tank cycles and can maintain 0ppm without water changes. I would be doing 50% water change daily until you are at this 0.5ppm combined target.

Feed lightly, as much as your fish eat in 1 minute daily, or 2 minutes every other day. Dont add more fish until you are cycled for your current stock. Once you are cycled for these you can add a few more if that is your plan, rinse and repeat with cycling for the increased stock.

You can speed up your cycle with bottled bacteria as you suggest. A better way is to introduce some filter media from an established filter. Perhaps you have e a friend who keeps fish who could let you have some? Bottled bacteria is always hit and miss. If not stored and transported in temperature controlled conditions the bacteria will have died off before you even get hold of it and do nothing. As to which of these 2 products is best, i couldn't say. Ive always had best results with Dr Tims One and Only. None of these products will add ammonia. They might help, might do nothing, certainly not a magic bullet. At best they will speed up your cycle process from several months to several weeks.

When doing water changes you always need to use a water conditioner. Prime is a water conditioner. Prime also makes the claim to temporarily detoxify ammonia and nitrite. However dont rely on this, the only surefire way to control ammonia and nitrite in an uncycled tank is water changes.

You are right that getting the cycle going will produce nitrites, which is also toxic to fish. But its a necessary part of the cycle process you have to go through.

Have you tested your tap water? Best to make sure you arent adding in any ammonia with every water change which could complicate things.

Not sure where your nitrate went. Possibly your water changes just took it below a level where your test kit can read it. Also double check you are doing the nitrate test correctly. Assuming you are using API liquid test, gotta shake the heck out of bottle #2.

 

[lullasmomma]

You need to cycle the tank. This will typically take a couple of months. 2 EBAs will be quite a lot of bioload for a fish in cycle so expect a lot of water changes for a while. How big are the fish...

Not sure where your nitrate went. Possibly your water changes just took it below a level where your test kit can read it. Also double check you are doing the nitrate test correctly. Assuming you are using API liquid test, gotta shake the heck out of bottle #2.

Hi there. Thank you for this response. I have tested my tap water. There is no ammonia there but I also use Prime as my water conditioner anyhow. I am using API Master Kit. I ordered a Kh and Gh test as well. I was able to get cycled gravel from my LFS keeper. I would have prefered filter media but I just brought it home and dunked that media bag directly in my filter before placing my own bio-rings back on top.

The Acara are about an inch and a half each so pretty young. The 2 corycats are tiny little guys of less than an inch and I took them in from my daughter when she sprang a leak and needed a home for them. They are not very old either. My plan for anything new was halted by this crash. Once stable the only addition I am planning on is 4 new corycats to complete a school for these two. I figured in a 55 the 2 acara would be pushing the load, hence the 75 HOB plus the 150 sponge filter. The only other additions on top of this will be floating plants. I have ordered Hornwort, water lettuce, mermaids weed and parrot something or other (not very technical, I know). I am hoping the plants will help balance the eco-system.

As for the biologics, I did purchase Nite Out 2 and Special Blend. I did not add them last night after reading the bottle. The instructions stated that I need to ensure enough Kh and that makes me assume that this product could result in a swift ph drop. My water (Gh) is very hard and ph is high but uncertain about Kh. Therefore I have ordered an RO system to be installed in my kitchen. This was going to be my next project with the tank before the current nitrate dip. I feel doing too much at once will get complicated. So, currently I am watching the ammonia and performing the water changes with Prime added accordingly. Once the Kh test is in I will see if there is enough of a buffer there to dump the Biologics in and if not I will likely just keep doing water changes and prime until this sorts. Once cycled I was planning on using discarded tankwater to place in my hospital tank in order to play with an acid buffer and RO/ tap mix to find out a good slow way to drop the ph in the main tank without harming anyone.