It's when you're using fish to help cycle your aquarium.Im sorry what's a fish in cycle? sorry im a noob
Help trouble after changing my water and cleaning tank
- Thread starter Anon_05
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The tank was not fully cycled when you added the fish so you are cycling it with the fish now.Im sorry what's a fish in cycle? sorry im a noob
Ok got it, thank you guys i appreciate it and God bless you all. How long does it usually take to cycle when you are doing it with fish?
So. Heres a game plan for you.
Tonight, do a 75-90% water change to get rid of whatever is making the fish gasp and die
For the next 2 weeks do daily 25-50% water changes and then test your water to see where you are in the future
Tonight, do a 75-90% water change to get rid of whatever is making the fish gasp and die
For the next 2 weeks do daily 25-50% water changes and then test your water to see where you are in the future
About a month, same with fishless cycling. More or less. You should be able to tell how it's coming along by testing your water
Every one of the fish are at the surface just swimming up there, i will remove more water and hopefully that resolves it
The advice you have been given is sound. Unfortunately the ammonia reading from your photo is enough to kill fish so daily large water changes are the only option until the tank establishes the bacteria required to reduce this.
I am unclear what fish you have remaining but it seems you were given shockingly poor advice by your fish store. Bala sharks require a 6 foot tank and are intolerant of water conditions anything less than perfect. They are also incompatable with angels. If any of these remain I would suggest returning them as they will soon need to be re-homed anyway.
Other things you can do to help your remaining fish are to add lots of plants, fast growing plants (floating plants such as frogbit, water sprite or anacharis are good as these use ammonia to grow and its ammonia that is killing your fish. Also feed sparingly - no more than twice a week. Continue testing daily and change 50-75% of your water any time you have an ammonia or nitrite reading that is above zero. Your nitrite will begin to rise in a few weeks if it has not already done so. Do not add any more fish until your ammonia and nitrite readings have both stayed at 0 for a week.
I am unclear what fish you have remaining but it seems you were given shockingly poor advice by your fish store. Bala sharks require a 6 foot tank and are intolerant of water conditions anything less than perfect. They are also incompatable with angels. If any of these remain I would suggest returning them as they will soon need to be re-homed anyway.
Other things you can do to help your remaining fish are to add lots of plants, fast growing plants (floating plants such as frogbit, water sprite or anacharis are good as these use ammonia to grow and its ammonia that is killing your fish. Also feed sparingly - no more than twice a week. Continue testing daily and change 50-75% of your water any time you have an ammonia or nitrite reading that is above zero. Your nitrite will begin to rise in a few weeks if it has not already done so. Do not add any more fish until your ammonia and nitrite readings have both stayed at 0 for a week.
Emma and the angelfishes
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Hi a fish in cycle is when you cycle your tank. With the fish in it when you first get itIm sorry what's a fish in cycle? sorry im a noob
Woww....yeah they had bigger balas in their tank at the petshop with the angelfish well that's troublesome to know. I was unable to drain water yesterday late night because i ran out of conditioner
so petshop opens in 30 minutes and i will run to get and keep taking water out. Ammonia remains the same and aso fo right now only 1 angelfish and one of the little black ones are alive so upsetting
Just so that you know what you are up against:
Fish excrete ammonia. It is toxic to fish. Once a tank is cycled, there is a colony of bacteria which uses ammonia as food and turns it into nitrite. This is also toxic to fish. In a cycled tank there is a second colony of bacteria which eats nitrite and turns it into nitrate. Nitrate is not as toxic as the other two, but it needs to be kept below 20 ppm.
These bacteria live in the biofilm which is tightly bound to all the surfaces in the tank. The surface area of filter media is huge, providing a home for lots of bacteria.
These bacteria don't exist in a brand new tank, they have to grow, and they can only do this if there is ammonia and then nitrite in the water.
A fish-in cycle is where fish are added to a brand new tank and their waste provides food for the bacteria. But it takes a few weeks for the bacteria to grow so until then the fish keeper has to test for ammonia and nitrite every day and do a water change whenever either of them read more than zero. The water change must be big enough to get the reading down to zero. Because the bacteria are on surfaces rather than in the water, water changes will not harm them provided dechlorinator/water conditioner has been added to the new water.
There will be trace amounts of ammonia and later nitrite in the water, too low for us to measure but enough to feed the bacteria so that they multiply. It takes several weeks for enough bacteria to grow.
The other term you'll read about is fishless cycling, which is where ammonia is added from a bottle to feed the bacteria so they have all grown before fish are put in the tank.
The images of the test results show that you are in the early stages of cycling. You have a lot of ammonia in the water but no nitrite - yet. The nitrite eaters can't even start to grow until there enough ammonia eaters to make nitrite.
So what to do.
As other members have said, water changes are the first thing - you must get that ammonia level down to zero or the fish will suffer.
Then get some Tetra Safe Start. This is regarded as one of the best bottled bacteria products.
Feed the fish only once every two or even three days as less food means less ammonia excreted by the fish.
Get some live floating plants. Plants take up ammonia as fertiliser and fast growing floating plants are the best for ammonia removal.
Fish excrete ammonia. It is toxic to fish. Once a tank is cycled, there is a colony of bacteria which uses ammonia as food and turns it into nitrite. This is also toxic to fish. In a cycled tank there is a second colony of bacteria which eats nitrite and turns it into nitrate. Nitrate is not as toxic as the other two, but it needs to be kept below 20 ppm.
These bacteria live in the biofilm which is tightly bound to all the surfaces in the tank. The surface area of filter media is huge, providing a home for lots of bacteria.
These bacteria don't exist in a brand new tank, they have to grow, and they can only do this if there is ammonia and then nitrite in the water.
A fish-in cycle is where fish are added to a brand new tank and their waste provides food for the bacteria. But it takes a few weeks for the bacteria to grow so until then the fish keeper has to test for ammonia and nitrite every day and do a water change whenever either of them read more than zero. The water change must be big enough to get the reading down to zero. Because the bacteria are on surfaces rather than in the water, water changes will not harm them provided dechlorinator/water conditioner has been added to the new water.
There will be trace amounts of ammonia and later nitrite in the water, too low for us to measure but enough to feed the bacteria so that they multiply. It takes several weeks for enough bacteria to grow.
The other term you'll read about is fishless cycling, which is where ammonia is added from a bottle to feed the bacteria so they have all grown before fish are put in the tank.
The images of the test results show that you are in the early stages of cycling. You have a lot of ammonia in the water but no nitrite - yet. The nitrite eaters can't even start to grow until there enough ammonia eaters to make nitrite.
So what to do.
As other members have said, water changes are the first thing - you must get that ammonia level down to zero or the fish will suffer.
Then get some Tetra Safe Start. This is regarded as one of the best bottled bacteria products.
Feed the fish only once every two or even three days as less food means less ammonia excreted by the fish.
Get some live floating plants. Plants take up ammonia as fertiliser and fast growing floating plants are the best for ammonia removal.
You have no nitrite or nitrate.
You have ammonia....your tank is just now starting to cycle.
After you see ammonia the nitrites will follow shortly than nitrates.
You need to add tetra safe start and do water changes as needed per your readings.
You have ammonia....your tank is just now starting to cycle.
After you see ammonia the nitrites will follow shortly than nitrates.
You need to add tetra safe start and do water changes as needed per your readings.
I took out 50% of the water added conditioner and live bacteria they sold at the shop thats cold the ammonia is pretty much the same still...so remove more water? keep removing till ammonia is 0? my 1 lone surviving angel fish is still alive lol just her. I need to go buy tetra safestart i hope my petshop sells it.
Yes keep changing water. Back to back water changes if needed.
Just did 2nd 50% water change of the day still got some ammonia between 0.5 ppm and 1.0 ppm its a bittttt lighter than last night. I was told at the fishshop that the live cold bacteria i bought will clear out the ammonia in 24-48 hours this was one i got. I want to add that i separated some water in a bag and dechlorinated it with the conditioner and since i put my angel in there meanwhile tank cleans etc she looks so much better, i really think shes going to be make it, she was breathing all crazy in the tank now shes relaxed swimming in the bag.
One 75% change removes as much ammonia as 2 back to back 50% changes. That's why I always recommend 75% in one hit. Its best to leave the fish in the tank while you do this. Being netted is quite stressful on the fish.
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