Chemical levels...

[ChrisH]

Hi all!

I have recently set up a tank, which I cycled and then added 6 neon Tetras. I have also now bought a home test kit to check the water, and today got the following readings:

ph: 7.4
Ammonia: 0.5
Nitrite: 0.5
Nitrate: 5

It is a 126l tank. Do these levels sound about right, or would they suggest that the tank hasn;t finished cycling yet?

Chris

 

[tstenback]

with ammonia and nitrite still in there it would suggest one of two things. That an ammonia spike is happening and you will get a 'mini cycle'. The other is that the tank was never cycled or the bacteria colony died off. which leads to me asking how did you cycle the tank and have you used any medications?

 

[Tenko]

I'd do a water change asap if you haven't already. I had a small spike of nitrite when my tank was new, it went up to 0.5 and I lost a fish because of it.

When my tank was new and whenever I added fish to it, I did a 20% change every 2 or 3 days for a couple of weeks. Worked for me except for the sudden nitrite spike.

 

[gadazobe]

How recent is recently? If it's a newish tank (a few weeks old) - 126 litres is about 40 gallons with only 6 neons in it, it sounds like it's not yet finished cycling. Did you do a fishless cycle or are you using the neons to cycle with?

 

[Bol]

The presense of ammonia and nitrites would suggest it's not done cycling to me.

However, if you are still cycling, then in addition to the readings, you'll want trends.

That is, you'll want to see if those levels are rising or falling, which will give you a better idea of how close to "finished" the cycle is.

 

[ChrisH]

Hi all thanks for your help!

I had cycled the tank with amonia for about a week, and monitored it until the amonia had gone. And then added the neons to get the tank settled.

I tested the tank this morning and the Amonia level had increased to about 0.8. And so I immediately did a water change.

The fish seem fine and happy. Is this likely to be just a spike?

 

[tstenback]

If you only waited for the ammonia to go to 0 then you did not finish cycling the tank. For the tank to be cycled the ammonia and nitrites have to be at zero for a couple of days and the nitrates must be positive. You added the neons during the nitrite spike phase of the cycle. I would keep doing the water changes as neons are very susceptible to nitrites. The ammonia is due to the neons probably producing more waste than your bacteria can handle right now. It will work itself through but keep doing the water changes(did i already mention that ) and dont add any more fish until the tank is cycled and stable for a week or so. HTH

 

[ChrisH]

Thank you for your help...

It seems that I have made a bit of a mess of it, by trying to merge the advice from too many different people, who probably didn;t know what they are talking about anyway!

What should my course of action be? A water change every day until the ammonia and nitratres are at 0?

Thank you for your help, I am very new to this and wish I had found this forum sooner!

Chris

 

[tstenback]

Yes, just monitor the levels, and keep the ammonia below 1 ppm and the nitrITE as low as you can, below 1 would be great but may not be possible without huge water changes. Watch your fish carefully as their behaviour will be the first indication that something is not right. HTH