new fish tank person...new to cycling too

[jen139222]

Hi,
I was given this 30 gallon tank with all these fish already in. Two first died when I first got it and then that's when I went to get a test kit to fix this problem. Since Sunday, I've been dosing with Stability and Ammo Lock. I did 1 about 50% water change since Sunday. I got the ammonia reader thing because some said it only reads the bad ammonia, because with Ammo Lock the API test kit reads both good and bad ammonia and always reads high. Any advice for this? I've been doing the recommended doses of Stability daily and the recommended dose of Ammo Lock every 2 days.

Tank 30 gallon
Heater 78 degrees

Fish: Mollies, mystery snails, tetra, plateys, danios

I'm reading the API as:
PH 7.0 ppm
Ammonia 2.0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm

Which the nitrate I learned you need at least 5.0 to be considered cycled?

Any advice, encouragement, etc?

(Hopefully these pictures post)

 

[Enchantress]

Pictures didn't get through. 2 ppm ammonia is lethal. The ammo lock is the ony thing standing between your fish and death, basically. Do you have any idea why it's that high? What's the story behind the tank - was it cycled when you got it? Really hard to diagnose the problem without background info.
You can try adding some fast-growing plants like frogbit, hornwort, guppy grass etc. - they're major nitrogen sinks and could help control the levels. Do daily water changes and continue treating the water until you get the ammonia to go below 0.2ppm. The ammonia alert is fine for the time being, it's helpful during cycling and it's a quick and easy way to gauge levels of toxic free ammonia.

 

[jen139222]

Pictures didn't get through. 2 ppm ammonia is lethal. The ammo lock is the ony thing standing between your fish and death, basically. Do you have any idea why it's that high? What's the story behind the tank - was it cycled when you got it? Really hard to diagnose the problem without background info.
You can try adding some fast-growing plants like frogbit, hornwort, guppy grass etc. - they're major nitrogen sinks and could help control the levels. Do daily water changes and continue treating the water until you get the ammonia to go below 0.2ppm. The ammonia alert is fine for the time being, it's helpful during cycling and it's a quick and easy way to gauge levels of toxic free ammonia.

I have no idea why it's like that. I have no idea what hte other pple did or didn't do. my guess is they never cycled it at all? I have the same filter that came with it. So, Ive been doing water changes, monitoring, and adding the above items. I'm guessing it's just a waiting game now?

 

[jen139222]

Pictures didn't get through. 2 ppm ammonia is lethal. The ammo lock is the ony thing standing between your fish and death, basically. Do you have any idea why it's that high? What's the story behind the tank - was it cycled when you got it? Really hard to diagnose the problem without background info.
You can try adding some fast-growing plants like frogbit, hornwort, guppy grass etc. - they're major nitrogen sinks and could help control the levels. Do daily water changes and continue treating the water until you get the ammonia to go below 0.2ppm. The ammonia alert is fine for the time being, it's helpful during cycling and it's a quick and easy way to gauge levels of toxic free ammonia.

Also, the ammonia alert thingy reads yellow the 0.02 or lower. the API is the one that reads 2.0

 

[Enchantress]

I'm guessing it's just a waiting game now?

Pretty much. You're basically doing a fish-in cycle at this point. You can try adding some nitryfying bacteria to speed things up, keep the water changes up (+ water conditioner) and keep an eye on the fish. Vacuum the substrate (but don't stir it up), make sure the tank isn't overcrowded, don't overfeed, add some live plants...that's all I can think of at the moment. And keep testing the water. Once nitrates appear, that's a sign you're nearing the end. A fully cycled tank should show 0ammonia, 0nitrites and trace nitrates (under 20ppm) - only then is it safe for fish. But maybe someone else will come along with more experience and more helpful advice...

 

[jen139222]

Pretty much. You're basically doing a fish-in cycle at this point. You can try adding some nitryfying bacteria to speed things up, keep the water changes up (+ water conditioner) and keep an eye on the fish. Vacuum the substrate (but don't stir it up), make sure the tank isn't overcrowded, don't overfeed, add some live plants...that's all I can think of at the moment. And keep testing the water. Once nitrates appear, that's a sign you're nearing the end. A fully cycled tank should show 0ammonia, 0nitrites and trace nitrates (under 20ppm) - only then is it safe for fish. But maybe someone else will come along with more experience and more helpful advice...

I just got the pictures to post..yayyy....I've been adding Stablity I was told that would speed things up? Would you recommend another brand or keep the Stablity? I've been feeding them every other day. I have well water and everything tested okay with it so I haven't been using any like tap safe or whatever it's called. This might be a dumb question, I have gravel in, so I need like sand or soil for plants to grow?

 

[Enchantress]

I just got the pictures to post..yayyy....I've been adding Stablity I was told that would speed things up? Would you recommend another brand or keep the Stablity? I've been feeding them every other day. I have well water and everything tested okay with it so I haven't been using any like tap safe or whatever it's called. This might be a dumb question, I have gravel in, so I need like sand or soil for plants to grow?

The Stability should be enough in that case, as it already seems to contain all the starter bacteria you need. Dose it according to the instructions on the bottle. Water conditioners are a good idea because they remove chlorine, chloramine & heavy metals that can kill beneficial bacteria (and are harmful to fish). They don't mess with the cycle or affect water chemistry, most people use them with every water change and that's also what I would recommend.

You don't really need soil unless you plan on keeping more demanding plants (or carpeting plants). Most store-bought plants are quite undemanding and will grow perfectly well in plain gravel (especially those that absorb nutrients from the water column); if you plan on getting root feeders like crypts or amazon swords you can always feed them some root tablets and they'll also be OK. But really it's up to you. Just keep in mind that soil may affect things like pH etc., especially if you use a lot of it (and it has to be aquarium soil, not the kind you have in your garden!XD).

 

[jen139222]

The Stability should be enough in that case, as it already seems to contain all the starter bacteria you need. Dose it according to the instructions on the bottle. Water conditioners are a good idea because they remove chlorine, chloramine & heavy metals that can kill beneficial bacteria (and are harmful to fish). They don't mess with the cycle or affect water chemistry, most people use them with every water change and that's also what I would recommend.

You don't really need soil unless you plan on keeping more demanding plants (or carpeting plants). Most store-bought plants are quite undemanding and will grow perfectly well in plain gravel (especially those that absorb nutrients from the water column); if you plan on getting root feeders like crypts or amazon swords you can always feed them some root tablets and they'll also be OK. But really it's up to you. Just keep in mind that soil may affect things like pH etc., especially if you use a lot of it (and it has to be aquarium soil, not the kind you have in your garden!XD).

Thank you so much for explaining things I'll look into something like that tetra water conditioning stuff next time I hit up the store. I really only have walmart close by and the only pet stores are petsmart and petco, which requires an hour of driving.

 

[Enchantress]

You can always try online From what I know Prime is often cited as one of the best water conditioners, as it has the added benefit of detoxifying ammonia/nitrites for 24-48h. It's also highly concentrated, so it lasts longer.

 

[earhtmother]

If you're on a well then Prime would be all I'd use. The biggest advantage.to being on a well is that once your tank is cycled you can *instant* cycle.any othwr tanks you get with an exchange pf filter media and gravel/ornaments. I'm on a wwll and I don't think I've cycled a new tank in years

 

[jen139222]

If you're on a well then Prime would be all I'd use. The biggest advantage.to being on a well is that once your tank is cycled you can *instant* cycle.any othwr tanks you get with an exchange pf filter media and gravel/ornaments. I'm on a wwll and I don't think I've cycled a new tank in years

I'll have to order a bottle online. I've been using stability 5 days now and still have no nitrites or nitrates whatsoever. I believe it says to use it 7 days on the bottle. I thought I'd have a little something by now. Maybe tomorrow...

 

[jen139222]

I finally have some nitrites! Now, hopefully they convert to nitrates and everything levels out where it needs to be without anymore problems. I was so happy to wake up to that lol

 

[Enchantress]

I finally have some nitrites! Now, hopefully they convert to nitrates and everything levels out where it needs to be without anymore problems. I was so happy to wake up to that lol

That's great Good luck and keep us posted

 

[jen139222]

That's great Good luck and keep us posted

Thank you I will for sure. After everything levels out and stays good I want to add a few more fish in like 3-4 weeks after that point. It had angel fish in when I got it, but unfortunately they died pretty quick. I'm hoping once where things are where they are supposed to that I can get another angel