Help!!! Ammonia stuck at same spot during cycle

[Slaphppy7]

Congrats, my friend

 

[mcordelia]

excellent news! now all you need is a water change and then you can start adding fish slowly!!!

 

[drizzy_052248]

excellent news! now all you need is a water change and then you can start adding fish slowly!!!

Perfect! wow i dont think ive ever been this excited and happy before lmao, i can't believe it lmao

 

[drizzy_052248]

excellent news! now all you need is a water change and then you can start adding fish slowly!!!

Should i water change by vacuuming the substrate aswell? or just a water change?

 

[mcordelia]

Yay! I'm so excited for you!

Definitely vacuum the substrate. You don't want any rotten fish food in there for your new inhabitants I would do it the day before you get the fish, to keep the cycle "fed" until then.

I do have to say one word of caution however, with the fact that there's no good way of figuring out how much ammonia gets released from the fish food, you may see another ammonia spike when you add your first fish. Because you already have the beneficial bacteria, it should take no more than a week to get back to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, but after you've added the fish test your water morning and evening and if there is any ammonia or nitrite you should do at least a 50% water change immediately, and then you can also use Seachem prime as your water conditioner since that will help the fish if there is an ammonia or nitrite spike.

After you have three days of 0 readings for both, you can switch to weekly water changes (it's good practice to test your water weekly in general).

 

[drizzy_052248]

Yay! I'm so excited for you!

Definitely vacuum the substrate. You don't want any rotten fish food in there for your new inhabitants I would do it the day before you get the fish, to keep the cycle "fed" until then.

I do have to say one word of caution however, with the fact that there's no good way of figuring out how much ammonia gets released from the fish food, you may see another ammonia spike when you add your first fish. Because you already have the beneficial bacteria, it should take no more than a week to get back to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, but after you've added the fish test your water morning and evening and if there is any ammonia or nitrite you should do at least a 50% water change immediately, and then you can also use Seachem prime as your water conditioner since that will help the fish if there is an ammonia or nitrite spike.

After you have three days of 0 readings for both, you can switch to weekly water changes (it's good practice to test your water weekly in general).

alright sounds good, perfect, i just want to thank you all so much for helping me get here, i wouldnt have been able without you guys, will forever be thankful for you guys, i will continue to update here when new stuff happens like updates on fish e.t.c. Stay safe guys!

 

[mcordelia]

You should start a journal thread when you get the fish would love to see some pictures!!

 

[Slaphppy7]

Yay! I'm so excited for you!

Definitely vacuum the substrate. You don't want any rotten fish food in there for your new inhabitants I would do it the day before you get the fish, to keep the cycle "fed" until then.

I do have to say one word of caution however, with the fact that there's no good way of figuring out how much ammonia gets released from the fish food, you may see another ammonia spike when you add your first fish. Because you already have the beneficial bacteria, it should take no more than a week to get back to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, but after you've added the fish test your water morning and evening and if there is any ammonia or nitrite you should do at least a 50% water change immediately, and then you can also use Seachem prime as your water conditioner since that will help the fish if there is an ammonia or nitrite spike.

After you have three days of 0 readings for both, you can switch to weekly water changes (it's good practice to test your water weekly in general).

^^ Great advice ^^

 

[drizzy_052248]

You should start a journal thread when you get the fish would love to see some pictures!!

lol whats a journal thread? sorry im kinda new to fish forums lol

 

[mcordelia]

Oh, start a new post in this sub-forum: https://www.fishforums.net/forums/freshwater-journals.289/

It's a space where people post updates on their fish tanks and other people can comment on them and stuff. Just for fun

 

[drizzy_052248]

Oh, start a new post in this sub-forum: https://www.fishforums.net/forums/freshwater-journals.289/

It's a space where people post updates on their fish tanks and other people can comment on them and stuff. Just for fun

Ohhh alright sounds good i will do that (Once i get fish) if you guys would like to see

 

[Essjay]

A journal is a thread showing the progress of your tank. So you'd start with a summary of your cycling, then the first fish together with photos, then the next fish etc.



Slow is the way to go. When ammonia is used to cycle with, you know exactly how much ammonia has gone into the tank so you know you have more than enough bacteria for a tankful of fish. But with food, you don't know how much ammonia it made so you cannot know how many bacteria there are. So with this method, you have to add fish a few at a time, testing the water for ammonia and nitrite after each addition, and wait until you've had a week with both at zero before getting the next batch.
If at any point, either or both show up, water changes should be done till they stay at zero.

 

[drizzy_052248]

A journal is a thread showing the progress of your tank. So you'd start with a summary of your cycling, then the first fish together with photos, then the next fish etc.



Slow is the way to go. When ammonia is used to cycle with, you know exactly how much ammonia has gone into the tank so you know you have more than enough bacteria for a tankful of fish. But with food, you don't know how much ammonia it made so you cannot know how many bacteria there are. So with this method, you have to add fish a few at a time, testing the water for ammonia and nitrite after each addition, and wait until you've had a week with both at zero before getting the next batch.
If at any point, either or both show up, water changes should be done till they stay at zero.

Yes that makes perfect sense and I will do these things once i do get fish, well actually i do need some advice from any of you guys. I have a betta fish currently in a 5 gallon and thinking to upgrade her to the 10 gallon, idk if its too soon, but im jus anxious and desperate to see some type of liveness in my tank lol, do you think it's too soon or should i go ahead and put her in (after doing water change like @mcordelia suggested)

 

[Essjay]

Yes, that should be fine. One fish in 10 gallons won't make much ammonia and you should have plenty bacteria for that. Just keep an eye on the levels to be 100% sure.
When I cycled a 6 gallon tank for 1 betta, I only used 1 ppm ammonia rather than the 3 ppm recommended for a fully stocked tank. It was more than enough, not a trace of ammonia or nitrite.

 

[drizzy_052248]

Yes, that should be fine. One fish in 10 gallons won't make much ammonia and you should have plenty bacteria for that. Just keep an eye on the levels to be 100% sure.
When I cycled a 6 gallon tank for 1 betta, I only used 1 ppm ammonia rather than the 3 ppm recommended for a fully stocked tank. It was more than enough, not a trace of ammonia or nitrite.

alright perfect thanks, i will do a water change today and put her in later tonight (a couple hours after water change) kinda nervous but we'll see how it goes and ill update it here, thanks