Cycling And Pea Soup

[Cray_lover]

Hi, I bought a new 30litre fish box over a month ago, I half filled it with water frommy established tank and let it stand (filtered and heated) fir just over a week and my readings were as per the other tank. Went to my lfs and purchased 6 (fish guy told me male) guppies. Got em home and all was well. Happy fish, then the ammonia spiked for a couple of days, then, 7 days ago found 2 dead, checked water and ammonia had dropped to 0 and pH had dropped to 6.5 from 7.5 a coupe of days prior. Nitratesand nitrites have gone high ( kit is nutrafin one, nitrite 3.3 and nitrate 110). Testing stuff changes instantly so maybe higher!!! I've been doing water changes (about 1 1/2 gallon each time) every 2-3 days. Now it has developed pea soup algae! Guppies look ok, but it's stressing me out looking at so I dread to think what's happening to them!!! Was thinking I might take most if the water out and replace with water from my established tank. Do you think this would be ok or would it distress the guppies even more? Will it start cycling again??? At my wits end with it!

N.B. Also put in a jam jar filled with substrate from other tank when nitrates and nitrites started to go up. It is an artificial planted tank.

HELP

 

[kelvinrankin767]

you are in a fish in cycle the tank dident have time to cycle half filling of even filling the new tank with water from an established tank will do absoulty nothing you might as well put in tap water because the benifical bacteria that is needed is in you filter media and it breaks down harmful waste produced from the fish, so all you can do now is keep testing and do big water changes untill you stats have leveled out

 

[Cray_lover]

you are in a fish in cycle the tank dident have time to cycle half filling of even filling the new tank with water from an established tank will do absoulty nothing you might as well put in tap water because the benifical bacteria that is needed is in you filter media and it breaks down harmful waste produced from the fish, so all you can do now is keep testing and do big water changes untill you stats have leveled out

pants!!! Thank you anyway. Had read that using water and substrate would speed up the cycle, fish shop guy seemed to think it would be like an instant fix when I asked him. Shows what they know I guess. Just have to cross my fingers and hope the guppies can cope.

Cheers! Sarah.

 

[Essjay]

What would help is some of the media from the filter in your established tank. Can you swap some of the new tank's media wth some from the other one? It would be OK to use as much as a third of the media from the established tank. It can be cut up if necessary, but don't let it get dry. And keep an eye on the stats in the established tank for a few days if you do take some of it's media.

 

[Cray_lover]

What would help is some of the media from the filter in your established tank. Can you swap some of the new tank's media wth some from the other one? It would be OK to use as much as a third of the media from the established tank. It can be cut up if necessary, but don't let it get dry. And keep an eye on the stats in the established tank for a few days if you do take some of it's media.

ok, will give that a go when I change the water in a bit. The filter in the other tank has 2 compartments so I'll cut one sponge in half and replace it with new...could probably do with a new one anyway. My new filter though us a different make, so I might have to try and attatch it somehow, maybe tie it onto the outside...would that be ok you think?

 

[Essjay]

The media needs to be inside the filter really - the water must flow through it in order for the ammonia and nitrite to reach the bacteria. Is there any way you could squeeze the sponge inside the new filter? Cut it up if necessary.

 

[Cray_lover]

The media needs to be inside the filter really - the water must flow through it in order for the ammonia and nitrite to reach the bacteria. Is there any way you could squeeze the sponge inside the new filter? Cut it up if necessary.

ok, will squeeze it into it. The new one is very basic, essentially just a foam cube over the filter housing...think it's like a shrimp tank one. If I attatch some of the old one , maybe half on each side it should have the water go through it before going through the new one...will squeeze out the other one and add it to the new filter centre too. I hopeit helps, really hate seeing the tank like this!

Thanks for your advice