New Fish Tank Help!!!!

[atrbigred95]

Hello I know all this has probably been asked a million times but I have seen all kinds of helpful stuff on this site but still have some questions about my new tank.

I got an early Christmas present which was a 55 gallon tank and this will be my first big size tank i have ever happen.

I filled my tank up and put water conditioner in to the water according to the specifications. Then I went to ace and got the ace ammonia to start my cycle. I put in 8mL and my ammonia is reading in between 3-5 ppm. From what i read that was good and my nitrites and nitrates read 0 which should be usual since i am on my 3rd day. I have my lights turned off. Air stone at the back of the tank and heater running as high as it can and its maintaining 82 degrees F. If there is anything I have forgot or something I possibly should add could you please correct me.

My ammonia has not went down at all really from what I can tell and what I was wondering is when should I put more ammonia in and when will I might see some nitrites showing up. I would really like to try and have this thing completely cycled by Christmas if I could. If there are any suggestions on how to speed this up I would really appreciate it. Thanks

 

[librarygirl]

It usually takes about 1-2 weeks for the initial drop in ammonia. Don't add any more until it starts to drop. Nitrites typically show up in the 3rd or 4th week (this is all on average; every tank is different). If you can get your heater up to 86 that might help a bit but 82 is fine too. What heater do you have and what's the wattage? A heater large enough for the tank should be able to maintain a higher temp. Sometimes with larger tanks it takes two heaters to be able to mantain a temp throughout the tank. What filter do you have?

The only good way to speed up the cycle is to add some filter media from an established tank. Do you know anyone with a tank you can beg media from? This site sells active seeded filters from their fish tanks; they've helped many on here with their cycles including mine: Aquarium Sponge Filters If you get one make sure it says "active" next to it or else you're just buying a plain filter.

Here's a great fishless cycling guide if you haven't seen it yet: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[atrbigred95]

I have a top fin 70 power filter and an aqueon 200w heater. I have nobody I could borrow filter media from that I know of.

Like which type is the best to get from this site and how many should I get?

 

[librarygirl]

First I'd add another filter. A good rule of thumb is to get at least double the filtration for the size tank you have. For a tank this size a canister would be great. Or you can run the AC 70 with another AC 70 or 110.

For the filter, go to that link I gave you then scroll down the page to where it says "Active filters." In the box next to the filter add the number of filters you want (1 should suffice) then click "add to cart."

 

[atrbigred95]

Does it matter which ppi to get or not? And does it matter if you put the active sponge filter in the tank even though my ammonia is already at 4ppm?

And for the filters are you saying I should get another filter the same as what I already have cause they are supposedly rated for 70 gallons and this one already has two sides you have to put filter cartridges in?

 

[librarygirl]

No, the PPI doesn't matter much. The smaller PPI are good for fry tanks or tanks with shrimp so the babies don't get sucked in, but other than that it doesn't matter. Adding the filter will not hurt anything at all; it'll add some beneficial bacteria to help the ammonia start going down. You can either add it into the tank (you'll need some airline tubing and an air pump to run it) or cut it up and put it into your filter.

You can get another top fin 70 yes or i'd suggest an Aquaclear 110; they are great filters and they have a basket that you can put pretty much any media in you want. I'm not a huge fan of those cartridges most filters come with.

 

[atrbigred95]

Thanks for the advice. I should have the active filters in a few days. I have seen on other peoples threads that nitrites appear as soon as 2 days with the new filter media added. As the ammonia goes down with that filter in there should I keep putting more ammonia in it till I put fish in there?

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks for the advice. I should have the active filters in a few days. I have seen on other peoples threads that nitrites appear as soon as 2 days with the new filter media added. As the ammonia goes down with that filter in there should I keep putting more ammonia in it till I put fish in there?

Yep. Check the levels every 24 hours. When ammonia starts to drop <2, dose more to get it up to 4. Eventually it'll drop to 0 every 24 hours so you'll keep dosing to get it to 4 ppms. Here's a guide if you haven't seen it: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[atrbigred95]

So I have had my ammonia in my tank for a week today and an angel plus active filter running for 2 days in there now. Im getting a little worried cause I have seen no change in ammonia levels yet. I know your supposed to be patience but I really thought I would have seen something by now with the active filter by now.

 

[atrbigred95]

Also to add on I do have nitrites reading now. My test looks like it is a little over 1. But still no change at all in ammonia levels. Should I expect some change soon or is this strange. Really starting to get a little worried about the ammonia and stuff. Anybodys info would help out please.

 

[librarygirl]

So you have the sponge filter running with the air pump attached to it, right?

Are you sure ammonia wasn't overdosed? If it's more than 5 it could stall the cycle. What test kit are you using?

Also have you tested PH in the tank? A low PH (<7) can keep the bacteria from forming.

 

[Teakwood]

Also to add on I do have nitrites reading now. My test looks like it is a little over 1. But still no change at all in ammonia levels. Should I expect some change soon or is this strange. Really starting to get a little worried about the ammonia and stuff. Anybodys info would help out please.

If you have nitrites you are doing something right.

 

[atrbigred95]

So today I tested everything again today. Ammonia has still had no change at all. Nitrites are definitely at 1ppm. Which it is definitely more clear that I do have nitrites today than it was yesterday. The ammonia is definitely starting to worry me now though cause from what I have read, ammonia is suppose to start dropping as soon as nitrites appear but this is not the case in my tank.

Yes i have the air pump attached to the sponge filter. I have it turned down pretty low though because i heard it could damage it if its turned up to high

My ph is right around 7.2 to 6.8. Do you think I need to raise it up more? If so what are some methods to doing this?

I am using an Jungle quick dip ammonia test kit. It goes from 3ppm to 6ppm on the color chart. When I dip it in the color is definitely right between those two colors maybe a little closer to the 3ppm.

Am I just being impatient or do you think I should try and do a small water change to maybe get a little of the ammonia out or something. Also I added a few tiny pieces of fish flake food to the tank cause I read that it wouldnt hurt to add some and it would help add more nutrients to the water to help speed up the cycle. Im a beginner when it comes to this so I really dont know whats best so any advice yall have im all ears.

 

[Teakwood]

Yes i have the air pump attached to the sponge filter. I have it turned down pretty low though because i heard it could damage it if its turned up to high

My ph is right around 7.2 to 6.8.

I am using an Jungle quick dip ammonia test kit. It goes from 3ppm to 6ppm on the color chart. When I dip it in the color is definitely right between those two colors maybe a little closer to the 3ppm.

But I know for a fact that i have at least 1ppm of nitirites. From my other jungle 5-n-1 test strip.

Am I just being impatient or do you think I should try and do a small water change to maybe get a little of the ammonia out or something. Also I added a few tiny pieces of fish flake food to the tank cause I read that it wouldnt hurt to add some and it would help add more nutrients to the water to help speed up the cycle. Im a beginner when it comes to this so I really dont know whats best so any advice yall have im all ears.

If nitrites are showing then just let it do its thing, one day the ammonia will be gone and the nitrites will be high, then your nitrites will start to lower and your nitrates will raise.

 

[atrbigred95]

Like around how long would you estimate from now would it take the ammonia to drop?

Also with this active filter. The airtube is stuck into a tube that you place in the top of the sponge filter and you just let air blow out through the top of the tube not anywhere in the actual sponge correct? The directions that came with it were not the easiest to understand.

 

[Teakwood]

Like around how long would you estimate from now would it take the ammonia to drop?

Also with this active filter. The airtube is stuck into a tube that you place in the top of the sponge filter and you just let air blow out through the top of the tube not anywhere in the actual sponge correct? The directions that came with it were not the easiest to understand.

From what I understand about the sponge filters, I just got 2 so I'm fairly new also, yes the air bubbles coming up create a suction so tank water gets pulled through the sponge and the bacteria converts the yucks there. Maybe 2 weeks ish? Once the ammonia is gone the nitrites will take at least a week to be fully converted to nitrates.

 

[atrbigred95]

So the best thing to do is just keep testing daily and let it keep on doing what its doing now?

And two weeks for ammonia to drop or two weeks for the whole cycle to be complete?

 

[Teakwood]

So the best thing to do is just keep testing daily and let it keep on doing what its doing now?

And two weeks for ammonia to drop or two weeks for the whole cycle to be complete?

At least two weeks for the whole cycle to complete, just an educated guess I haven't cycled a whole lot of tanks. I know once my ammonia was gone it took at least one full week, maybe week and a half to get nitrites completely gone. But I had fish in it and was doing daily water changes to remove nitrites.

 

[atrbigred95]

Alright well I will keep whats going on as far as nitrite levels and ammonia levels posted.

 

[Teakwood]

Alright well I will keep whats going on as far as nitrite levels and ammonia levels posted.

Also you said you have the test strips right? You should look into an API master test kit, its will save you money in the long run and is considered to be more accurate, I know it's hard but I had to skip days between testing because I was driving my self bonkers. (Everyday I tested while fish were in it)