Ammonia Levels At 4.0 -

[ProHaloSniper]

ya know Imber, I just don't know...

Maybe my LFS guy knows nothing? He claims he's got 25+ years experience under his belt. I definitely trust him over PetSmart any day! The only thing PetSmart employees know about fish is how to net them.

I will be testing my water later this afternoon. Ill get the results back on here ASAP.

@rdd - I hope my DUMB comment didn't insult you at all. I know that my pond has 25 pound catfish in it and those fish couldn't do ANYTHING to harm those monsters.

Cheers!

--Jim C.

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

I think there is a bit of confusion going on in this thread...

Is the tank being cycled with or without fish?

If the tank is being cycled without fish...i.e. from a chemical source of ammonia then you want to keep the ammonia level between 3-5 ppm to build up a large and healthy bacterial colony...the tank is cycled when 5ppm ammonia and all NitrItes are converted to NitrAtes in less than 24 hours.

If the tank is being cycled with fish...keep ammonia and nitrites below .25 ppm.

The second issue is...is the pond man made/ornamental or is it a natural pond?

When people talk about ponds they own I normally assume it's man-made (we have two...working on a third). Comets do well in these kinds of situations, and help keep the pond from become a big mosquito breeding vat.

If it's a naturally occurring pond...I wouldn't really recommend adding the goldfish..."feeders" often carry disease that might harm the original inhabitants. Not to mention it may be illegal in your area to do so.

 

[vinylman]

I know that my pond has 25 pound catfish in it and those fish couldn't do ANYTHING to harm those monsters.

Believe me, if they're carrying anything, they most certainly can.

 

[rdd1952]

ya know Imber, I just don't know...

Maybe my LFS guy knows nothing? He claims he's got 25+ years experience under his belt. I definitely trust him over PetSmart any day! The only thing PetSmart employees know about fish is how to net them.

Sadly, you will get some of the worst advice from LFS employees that have been in the hobby for 25+ years. There is way more information available now than there was even 10 years ago. Fishless cycling is a very new concept in the last 10 to 15 years. Quite a few of those who have been in the hobby for that long are very set in their ways and still believe in cycling with expendable fish. Some don't even think it's necessary to test or ammonia, nitrite or other toxins as they never did.

As for Petsmart, just like true fish stores, there are good ones and bad ones. I have a Petsmart near me that I would much prefer to buy fish from over 3 true fish stores I know of. They have extremely knowledgeable employees who have tanks of their own. On the other hand, there is another Petsmart near my office that is terrible. I heard an employee tell a customer the other day that if they put a peace lilly in a betta bowl that they betta would eat the roots and they would only have to feed them once a week. I told the customer different a little later after she had gotten away from the employee.

Sorry to get long winded but to sum up, I will say that just because you are getting advice from someone that has been in the hobby for 20 years or more doesn't mean you are getting the best advice.