My Water Stats = Cycling?

Now I realize I should have done my reading and this does explain a good bit of what had happened during my past go around with this tank, but now I have been reading and understand a lot more then before but still am seeking the experience of those on these forums.

So I have a 55 gallon tank with a brand new Fluval 305. The occupants consist of 1 Juvenile Albino Tiger Oscar(3"), 2 (I would say adult) Adult Chinese Algae Eaters(4-5"), 1 Albino Channel Catfish(I have already been advised into changing the catfish out, I know).

Now the tank has been together and running with fish for about 1.5 weeks and now the stats are starting to show up, for awhile everything was zero(except Nitrate but we will get into that). Now ammonia levels have spiked and I just did a 50% change w/ treated tap water. Here are the tanks stats along with the tap water used to replace. Tests done with API Drops.

Tank Water

Ammonia - 1 ppm
Nitrate - 7 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH..... - 7.2

Tap Water

Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 7 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH..... - 6.4

I realize I should have done a fishless cycle but these fish are home already so we gotta go with that.

Now I am confused to why my Tap Water has such a high initial Nitrate level, as well as I am confused to why there is a huge Ammonia spike and no Nitrite present to make up for the possible slight increase in Nitrate. If I am getting this all mixed up please tell me, and if I am not please tell me what I should continue to do. Any and all help well......helps,

-OTIS

Nitrate is generally present in most tap water. It is just there from the source. As for the ammonia try a slight water change to bring it down. Maybe like 20% since it is low. Then just test daily and do water changes to keep the ammonia at bay. Then when you see 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and only some nitrate levels over what the tap is it is time for your weekly water change.

Anyone else please feel free to contribute. I am still a semi newb and have established tanks and never test the water. Trying to get money to be able to buy a test kit so that I can. I know it is important.

Anyways from what I have learned and read on this forum, I believe my advice is sound.

Awesome sounds good, thanks for the help.

-OTIS

Ok, so I tested the water this morning after the 50% WC last night at 12am and its reading well, here are my results:

Tank Water

Ammonia - .25 < A < .50 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm (Weird I know but it is definitely lighter then last nights results I looked at before testing this water again)
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH..... - 7.2

Will be doing another WC this morning after breakfast.

-OTIS

You are early days into your cycle... filters normally take 4-6 weeks to cycle in general.

So be prepared for higher readings on your ammonia & nitrite,they will spike a lot more so will need to keep a check on them and do w/c has necessary.
The nitrite hasnt really started to get going yet,so the ammonia will keep building unless kept on top of it,eventually the nitrite will start showing.

So basically keep a check on the stats any reading over 0 for ammonia & nitrite then do a w/c.
Has you have 0.25-0.50ppm of ammonia i would do a good 50% or more w/c now to bring it back down,the lower you keep it to zero the safer for the fish.

Good luck.

Will do thanks.

DO NOT MIND ABOUT BEING A RECORD PLAYER I WANT TO HEAR ALL THE RIGHT INFO!!!

-OTIS

I just did a 50% WC about 2 hours ago with the tap water given previously. Here are the stats of the water after those 2 hours.

Ammonia - .25 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH..... - 6.8

-OTIS

Hello Otis,
Is there a friend or your LFS who could supply you with some mature media, this would seed your filter and speed up the cycle process.

Keith.

Skins said:

Hello Otis,
Is there a friend or your LFS who could supply you with some mature media, this would seed your filter and speed up the cycle process.

Keith.

Click to expand...

I do have another 20 gallon tank down stairs that I just changed the water of. That tank has been going for about 6 months but the filter cartridge that had been in there and I just changed was the filter used after the last filter used when I treated the tank with methylene blue for ich. The treatment was successful and my clone loach(he was tiny when we got his so he is about 1.5" now so when the 55gal finishes he will go up there) who was infected is all better now. I was going to seed my tank with that but I didn't like that there was a small tint of blue in the cartridge.

-OTIS

Agree with Harlequins - some of your water changes (with good technique) may need to be large and frequent over the course of the 6 weeks or so, in order to limit the ammonia and nitrite to 0.25ppm or below, at which level the gills and nerves will receive the least permanent damage. Large changes with deep substrate cleaning will be the friend of your fish and you ultimately - use rough temperature matching and to be on the safe side, dose your conditioner at 1.5x to 2x, but not more than 2x. WD

Thank you very much,

I did a 50% WC yesterday and am going to do another today in a couple of minutes. I have been doing substrate cleaning, but nothing comes up so I stopped, but I will do so again, makes sense the ammonia would settle or at least stay more readily in the substrate. My oscar and cat and CAE's all seem happy, but I do realize they are under stress as of now, and all do seem to calm down more after the recent WC.

As of now, before the WC I am about to do, the Ammonia is .25ppm

Thank you all again.

-OTIS

This water change should make a real dent in your ammonia level,

Keith.

Just did a 50% WC with heavy substrate vacuuming with 1.5x treated TW. Will post test results in a couple of hours so it can diffuse evenly.

-OTIS

Ok so a few hours after the WC the Ammonia reading is under .25ppm but it is still not as yellow as the 0ppm so I will continue the water changes and be looking for those nitrites.

-OTIS

Well done doing good so far,the lower you can keep the ammonia (and nitrite when it shows) the less stress your fish will be under.

Keep it up