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it's possible that you're getting a false low reading from the nitrate test. Looks like you're using the API Master kit that has two reagent bottles for nitrate. You need to shake the living daylights out of the second bottle, as the reagent is a powder that drops out of the solution and doesn't...

It's definitely possible to get a false low reading on your nitrate, especially if (a) you haven't tested in a while, or (b) you have never fully shaken the second bottle of reagent. the reagent is a powder and drops out of the solution quite quickly. Despite the instructions saying shake for 30...

1. All cycles vary, but you may not see discernible movement for a couple of weeks. 2. I'd suggest waiting up to three weeks from your first ammonia dose (following the "Cycling a Tank" thread available at the top of the screen under "How To Tips"). 3. Keep coming back here and asking questions...

My response to her theory is she wants you to buy fish from her right now, rather than in 4-6 weeks. Fish also produce ammonia through their gills, not just in their poo. So that's another strike against "expert" advice from a LFS who just want you to buy stuff right now (rather than later...

As long as you don't restrict the flow too much and burn out the motor.

Leave it be for a while (until your nitrites are clearly under 1ppm). Your ammonia bacteria appear to have grown nicely. Your nitrite bacteria take quite a while longer to establish. So adding more ammonia just increases the amount of nitrite to be processed, up to the point where they go over...

You can buy little suction cups (transparent) that stick to your tank walls and hold the tubing. I think I got 20 off ebay for about $2 Australian. Doing a quick search just now, you can get 10 for $1. In my next tank reboot, I am going to secure the airline into the back corner of the tank so...

Hi all, Last night I heard some quite loud splashing noises from my tank. I turned around to see my female BN Pleco doing hot laps at the top of the tank. She'd stop for a while, sucking onto the tank wall, then tear off again. The splashing was coming from her tail (which probably goes without...

I was having endless trouble with fish loss, until a co-worker pointed me here and I learned about the nitrogen cycle. Long story short, I was following the manufacturer's instructions and replacing my filter cartridges, in the process throwing away my bacteria colonies every month.

The only thing I'd add is to stop feeding your fish for a couple of days before the move. For the time they will be out of the tank, the water quality in their temporary home (bag, most likely) will be better if they have empty stomachs (and fish can go for weeks without eating, so a day or so...

Pregnant. Congratulations (I hope).

Yup. You should have most of your bacteria living in the filter (it's impossible to tell, they're very very small) but science suggests they should be living in a place with a good water flow (like a filter). Moving the media is the best way to move the majority of the bacteria colony. The...

With the information given, may I suggest that some of your problem has come from changing the carbon in your filter. In my humble opinion, carbon is not very useful unless you're trying to get medication out of the tank (once it has done its job of course). However, the bacteria will colonise...

I'm not trying to be a smarty pants here. But every tank is different, and it really depends on where the tank is (does it get a natural light source from a window, does it heat up with sunlight), what's in the tank (substrate, plants, fish), the light source on the tank (is it too weak, too...

Yep. If that was your reading last time, go for 2ml next time, which should land you on 3ppm or thereabouts. The issue with 5ppm (and I'm talking rough numbers here) is that 1ppm ammonia is converted to roughly 2.5ppm nitrite. If you get to roughly 16ppm nitrite then your cycle can stall (too...

There is a calculator on the site under the How To Tips at the top of the screen, http://www.fishforums.net/aquarium-calculator.htm Check your ammonia to see the concentration (for example 9.5%). Add the volume of your tank (for example 29 gallons, or whatever your tank size is), and the...

Sounds like your LFS is trying to seel you something that you don't need. The only bacterial starter I would trust is Dr Tim's One and Only. The rest are either hit and miss, or just a way for you to spend more money at the LFS. I'd suggest finding an ammonia source and going through a...

In my experience, there are not many fish that would be willing to take on even a small BN. With the exception of a Ghost Knife. The ones you mention should be fine, and the babies can be quite adept at hiding away in any case.

The first article is http://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-i.433769/ The second is http://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/ The author is a dedicated fish enthusiast who has spent years researching his stuff.

You've found yourself in a fish-in cycle. You need to get control of your ammonia and nitrites because they are causing your fish irreparable harm There are two articles at the top of the "cycle your tank" section titled "rescuing a fish in cycle gone wild" parts 1 and 2. I suggest you have a...

Add a full dose of 3ppm and test in 24 hours. If both readings are zero, then I'd suggest another dose of 3ppm and testing in 24 hours, and if that is also double zeros, you're complete. If you are still getting readings above zero for both tests, then it's dose, test 24 hours later and then...

It's a bit concerning that your ammonia is disappearing without the expected increase in nitrites. I'd suggest checking your nitrates now. Make sure you shake the daylights out of the second bottle of nitrate tester, as the indicating chemical is a powder and it settles out of the liquid quite...

What you're now waiting for is this: If at any time after the first ammonia addition (Dose #1) you test and ammonia is under .75 ppm and nitrite is clearly over 2 ppm, it is time to add more ammonia (Dose #2). Add the same full amount as you did the first time. Now, begin to test the ammonia...

So now you're here in the cycling guide: If at any time after the first ammonia addition (Dose #1) you test and ammonia is under .75 ppm and nitrite is clearly over 2 ppm, it is time to add more ammonia (Dose #2). Add the same full amount as you did the first time. Now, begin to test the...

The drop in ammonia can take up to 14 days, in my limited experience. It all depends on how many bacteria you had to start with, and I can't think of a way to determine that.

Ammonia bacteria multiply roughly every 8 hours (doubling the size of your colony, so in 24 hours it grows to 8 times the size of the original). Nitrite bacteria multiply roughly every 24 hours. Adding more ammonia means there's an increasingly higher and higher level of nitrite which, as...

It should go away by itself when the cycle completes. I suspect the build-up on your heater may be tiny air bubbles, but don't quote me on that. The rest is most probably just a bacterial bloom, which happens in most (if not all) tanks when they are first set up, until your wanted bacterial...

It looks like the Stability is not working. That could be because it's old stock, it's been stored incorrectly by either the distributor or the local fish store (LFS). I'd say you're in for a longer cycle than anticipated, at least you haven't added any fish yet. If you have friends with...

There are a few bacterial supplements on the market. I would only try Dr Tim's one and only, and the results of that one would depend on how old it is and how it has been transported and stored by your fish store. But your chances are higher than with other supplements, which either have the...

It seems counter-intuitive, but a larger tank is far easier to look after than a smaller tank. more water gives you more time to spot any issues and correct them before your fish suffer too much harm. If only I'd known that when I started 20 years ago with a tiny tank and too many fish!

When you move your fish from the 30l to the 90l, move the media from inside your filter into your new filter. If you do so, you will have a much better environment for your fish, as the bacterial colonies will get a massive head-start to cycle your new tank. And when adding fish, add them a few...

It's probably best to wait three days between testings at this point. Mostly because your bacteria colonies are small (only just started) there won't be a massive change in daily levels, and as a result you won't see a major change and you'll be using up your test kit for no good reason. The...

I've had a small child get distracted when I told him to "just hold the end of the hose in the tank here and I'll be back in a second" while starting a siphon for a water change. It's a nasty experience to have to re-start a siphon when there's about a litre of water in the hose that won't come...

If it were me and my tank (hint to the wife, I'd love a tank this size or bigger)... I'd try and recreate something local (Northern Australia). Gravel bed, plenty of submerged logs/branches, plenty of plants. For fish I'd go for as big a school each of Rainbowfish, Pacific Blue-Eyes and...

I've been in a smallish stream searching for fish just after a rainstorm, and felt the water cooling as the rainwater came down stream. It felt like a drop of about 5 degrees Celsius (25 to 20, or 77 to 68 Fahrenheit). I assume the fish were able to cope with this sudden drop (none of them died...

When I saw this yesterday I saw "stabbed my fish" and started to worry. Glad it was the other way around, we don't want people going around stabbing their fish, do we?

Do they have a Facebook account (and do you)? Companies seem to respond waaay faster to a complaint via social media than any other way. Damage control at its finest - we had 3 years of continuous problems with a Telco until I posted a rant on their Facebook feed, they totally fixed all the...

The only time I've seen ammonia at 8ppm was when a friend of mine made the mistake of introducing a freshwater crayfish to his tropical tank. The cray grabbed and killed a large fish, and stuffed it under a rock for later. The water was so cloudy we had to empty the tank to find out what had...

Fish food these days is designed not to exude ammonia, so all you're likely to end up with is a messy tank and a bacterial bloom. If you can stand it, you could use a bit of raw seafood and let it rot. It will create ammonia, but there is very little you can do to control the concentration and...

Most of your beneficial bacteria should be in the filter media. This is what you want to transfer. If you have a filter that you can take the media out of (sponges, bioballs, ceramics etc) then it should be a simple case of transferring the media to the new filter. If you have to cut the sponges...