Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

[edgekrusher]

My girlfriends 2.5 gallon freshwater tank is going down fast. The Nitrites are off the scale, the Nitrates are 80, ammonia is at .5, the only thing that's close to right is the PH and that's at 7.2. I know detritus and uneaten food can account for the Nitrates being so high, but I also know she doesn't overfeed. She hand feeds each fish. She has a beta in the tank, I know they are dirty, but that dirty? I think not. Could her tank be cycling? it's been up for over two weeks, so I'm thinking not, but my only experience is marine reef systems, and I'm very on top of all that.
Please help.
Oh, LOL the tests she's using are the strips. She didn't want to do alot of work, I told her it'd pay off but she didn't listen. I'm thinking new tests may be the trick. She did a water change yesterday.

www.ambuscaded.com/edge/willy.htm


Thanks

Edge

 

[nugrad2005]

Even if its only 2 weeks i would say absolutely that the tank is mid cycle. Smaller tanks tend to cycle faster. I would say in a week or so all those levels will drop to 0 and you'll have a fine looking, healthy tank.

I would just wait it out.

-Dan

 

[loganj]

The tank is most certainly cycling. With nitrates at 80 though, I'd suspect an outside source. I don't think you'd have nitrates that high from the cycle in only two weeks. Have you checked the tap water for nitrates?
IME, the strips are not very accurate so I wouldn't put a lot of faith in their results. Bettas are not really "dirty" fish...at least no more than any other. Remember when feeding the betta that his stomach is about the size of his eyeball and feed accordingly.

 

[edgekrusher]

My girlfriend hand feeds the Beta, he knows it's time to eat when he sees her finger hovering above the water, she only feeds him three pellets twice a day. Should I just go with RO water? I plan on getting her a good set of test kits this weekend. I'm going to go to her work and check it out. I need to look at the fish, and maybe get some RO water, do a 50% water change and that should help, right?

Thanks for all the help.


Would a real plant help?