Cycling Help

[dcarmor927]

Ok so i didnt do a fishless cycle and i have fish already...my ammonia has reached .5 ppm while no nitrate or nitrite...the tank has been up and running with the fish for 2 weeks, i have a whisper 60 filter with carbon bio bags, also some sponges(idk what the "media" is so if you could tell me... )...can someone help me with how to properly monitor this cycle? i dont want the ammonia to kill my fish so if it gets to high can i do a bit of a water change to lower it or do i have to let the bacteria build up? idk if my questions are even making senses ...but i would like help...thanks.

 

[Corleone]

Do a 50% water change now, and test again in a couple hours. If ammonia is still above 0.25, do another big water change. This will get the current levels under control.

Once it's down, test twice a day for now, and do water changes to keep ammonia (and later nitrite) under .25. After a few days you should have a good feel for how quickly it rises, at that point you may be able to scale back to once a day. If levels are regularly reaching .5 between tests, either do bigger changes or add a third change (this shouldn't be necessary unless you have too many fish to manage a fish-in cycle).

Through the process, reduce feeding. A light feeding every other day should be sufficient - fish don't need very much to survive. Less food in means less poop out, which in turn means less ammonia produced and less water changes for you. It's better for your fish to be hungry but alive than full but swimming in poison, they'll probably not even show any problem from the low feeding - most fish can go a week to several weeks without food without ill effects, so one day is nothing.

The media for your filter is both the carbon biobag and the sponge. The documentation will likely suggest you change the biobag once a month (this isn't really necessary), and the sponge should never be changed. The permanent part is the important media where the bulk of your bacteria will grow, this is probably the sponge.

You don't need to let the bacteria "build up" between water changes, since they live in the filter, not free in the water. Even if you were to do enough water changes to get levels down very low so your test kit says 0, your fish will continue to provide ammonia for the bacteria, it won't stay 0 for long.

What fish do you currently have, and what size is the tank? Some fish won't do well in a cycle, and will either need a good deal more work to keep ammonia down, and some would be better off returned to the store if at all possible, as they're unlikely to stand up to the cycle process.

 

[dcarmor927]

Thanks so much, you seem to be the most help i've gotten from this site, lol, but its whatev...I appreciate all the info

 

[Corleone]

Depends what time you're on - you seem to be posting when I'm on but people like Waterdrop and Miss Wiggle aren't, so you get more replies from me Most of my advise is basically theirs repackaged, anyway.

I just remembered you're the one I replied to with the flicking tiger barbs? I'd chalk that up to the ammonia levels - once they're under control, hopefully you'll see that behavior ease up, but keep an eye for more symptoms, particularly white salt like spots. Ich is one of the most common diseases you'll run into, and it is a bit more common in a cycling tank.

 

[waterdrop]

Do a 50% water change now, and test again in a couple hours. If ammonia is still above 0.25, do another big water change. This will get the current levels under control.

Once it's down, test twice a day for now, and do water changes to keep ammonia (and later nitrite) under .25. After a few days you should have a good feel for how quickly it rises, at that point you may be able to scale back to once a day. If levels are regularly reaching .5 between tests, either do bigger changes or add a third change (this shouldn't be necessary unless you have too many fish to manage a fish-in cycle).

Through the process, reduce feeding. A light feeding every other day should be sufficient - fish don't need very much to survive. Less food in means less poop out, which in turn means less ammonia produced and less water changes for you. It's better for your fish to be hungry but alive than full but swimming in poison, they'll probably not even show any problem from the low feeding - most fish can go a week to several weeks without food without ill effects, so one day is nothing.

<...>

Agree with Corleone. These 3 paragraphs are one of the best write-ups I've seen for this particular stage of help.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[dcarmor927]

yea that was me with the barb question. The flicking has subsided after only 2 changes so i guess that was it. thanks again!