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Whenever you aren't sure how much water to change out, just think of the math. For example, the 90% that Prime Ordeal came up with above. You have 2ppm ammonia and need to reduce it to no higher than .25ppm (still toxic, but better than 2ppm!). So, divide .25ppm by your current ammonia level...

Just a tip to throw out there (because this helped me). I was getting some readings with the API tests occasionally that just didn't make much sense, and I realized that sometimes the tubes or caps were not dried completely and the tests were being partially manipulated by a couple of drops of...

Thanks, everyone :) That helps a whole lot. I didn't look at the fins when I was at the store, but I do know that the colors were identical, so they're likely all the same sex. I'll take this info with me when I go back next week. Thanks again!

While cycling is preferred, it's not imperative that you cycle a tank for only a betta since they surface to breathe air (and don't "breathe" through the water). That's how so many betta owners get away with vases or fish bowls only. You would just have to check water quality and perform...

That makes a lot of sense, thanks jcabs :)

I'm so sorry to hear that your betta died :( I know you really enjoyed having him around. I was really upset the day mine died (the same one that shared the tank with platies). He had such an awesome personality. Even a reading as low as .5ppm is really toxic and stressful for freshwater fish...

You should really test your water as soon as possible. It's more likely that your fish died from ammonia/nitrite poisoning. Your tank wasn't cycled and the introduction of that number of fish created a high amount of ammonia. Good bacteria doesn't really stay in the water, it forms in the...

I know I should take this as a bad sign, but I can't help but feel bad for the dwarf gouramis at my LFS. They are marked "Male Gouramis" on the tank, so I asked if they stock any females. The person told me "we can't tell/guarantee the gender". Well, I know that should be the first "get out"...

Thanks again. I found some gorgeous powdered blue dwarf gouramis in my LFS tonight being harassed by a 7" goldfish. I feel compelled to save at least 2 of them, so I might adopt when the tank is ready. I'd like at least 2 fish with a little bit of size, so that would do it just fine.

Thanks for that tip. I'll steer clear of them for now. Thanks for tips. I won't be converting to sand for quite some time and am hoping not to have to change the tank layout too much (unless I need to accommodate a shy species or something similar). So I'll probably be sticking with tetras...

I would wait until the ammonia got down to 1ppm or lower (so hopefully just a tad bit longer), then dose back up to 4-5ppm. That's what I've been doing with my tank, and it seems to be working well. I'm at the point now where the 4-5ppm of ammonia is back to 0ppm in 24 hours (but I still have...

I'm currently fishless cycling too. If the cycle's not complete (and it's not if you're still getting nitrites), you must continue to add ammonia to keep feeding the process. I check my levels every 24 hours. When the ammonia is down to 1ppm or 0ppm, I dose back up to 4-5ppm. Hope that helps.

What was your last ammonia reading (before the 1.5ppm you just got)? And let us know when you had last dosed (and up to what ppm).

An update, in case anyone comes across this thread and is interested. I ended up draining the tank and rinsing it twice. I went out and found different ammonia (an off brand at a dollar store) and did not use the zyme tabs. I started the cycle again, adding more media from my established tank at...

I've a 10 gallon tank I've maintained at work for 3-4 years now. I've finally purchased a much larger tank for home. This is my first time stocking such a large tank and I plan on purchasing some species that are new to me, and so I was hoping for some tips/advice. The tank is just over 50...

Thanks, Prime. That makes sense re: Start Zyme being a dry product. Now that you mention what you did, it probably would have been best if I hadn't used the product at all. This would have allowed the ammonia to hang around in the tank longer to help build up the bacteria in the appropriate...

So... I'm happy to finally join FishForums instead of lurking all the time and reading everyone else's posts! Finally making one of my own. I've had a 10 gallon freshwater tank at work for 3-4 years now but have always used fish to help cycle the tank. Recently, I purchased a 55 gallon tank for...