Help! My tank has recorded .25 - .5 ppm of ammonia, and none of the nitrates or nitrites!

Essjay said:

If I remember correctly, you are doing a fish in cycle. Despite was fish stores claim, bottled bacteria does not cycle a tank instantly.

You need to do a water change, at least half the water. As long as you remember to add water conditioner to remove chlorine or chloramine from the new water, and warm the new water to the same temperature as the tank, this will not harm the fish. The temperature doesn't have to be exact - feel the temperature with your hand and if it feels the same as the tank water, that's good enough.

Test every day for ammonia and nitrite. If either test reads more than zero, do another water change.

There are two possibilities.
The bacteria didn't work and you have ammonia now and you'll get nitrite soon.
Or the bacteria product is working, just not quite enough and you need to grow a few more.
The only way to know which is by daily testing and water changes when the results tell you. It's worth making a note of the test results every day so that you'll know when both have been zero for 7 days - that's when the tank is cycled.

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Slaphppy7 said:

ANY time you register ammonia in a tank during a fish-in cycle, a WC is in order, using a good water conditioner, Seachem Prime or API Tap Water Conditioner...change at least 1/2 of the water....then, test again in 24 hours

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Tacocat said:

There is also one more question concerning water changes: Am I supposed to remove the fish when I do it? and should I clean the sponge filter?

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Essjay said:

SlapHppy gave you the short answer. Here is the long answer

It is more stressful for fish to remove them from the tank than to do the water change with them still there. Just keep an eye on where the end of the siphon tube is just in case a particularly nosey fish goes to see what you are doing and gets sucked up.

A filter should not be cleaned for at least 6 weeks so that the newly forming bacteria colonies can settle in properly. The bacteria live in biofilm which is attached to surfaces but until the biofilm is firmly attached to the media it can be dislodged.

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Slaphppy7 said:

My apologies, something came up unexpectedly , and the "short" answer was less than adequate.

To add to the above, DO NO CLEANING in a tank where you are doing a fish-in cycle...just change the water...we do not want to remove any BB (beneficial bacteria) that we are trying so hard to grow...and in a new tank, they grow most/fastest in/on the filter media (a sponge, in this case)...but they are also growing elsewhere in the tank...in the substrate, on deco and plants, etc...

If the sponge gets very dirty, you can rinse it in old tank water, or treated tap water, but NEVER clean your filter media in chlorinated tap water until the tank is mature, at least six months old...even then, I never rinse my media in chlorinated water, I always use old tank water...it takes minimum effort to dump some into a bowl, and let my media sit emerged in it, while I perform a water change

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Fishmanic said:

You might want to put in some plants which will also help with cycling.

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Tacocat said:

3 Ludwigias, a bunch of java moss and a buttload of duckweed would work right?

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Slaphppy7 said:

Avoid duckweed like the plague, it grows uncontrollably, can even clog filters and intakes...consider frogbit, instead

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