How Long...

[timmystood]

Hi

I've been doing 20% water changes on my un-cycled tank (which contains fish) for a week and a half now. My test kit for nitite says around 0 but this is probably because my Ammonia is still spiking.
What I want to know is - how long should I carry on doing the water changes for?
My test kit is rubbish really so I can't just keep going until the readings say 0. I cannt afford to buy another test kit.
How long should I carry on doing the changes???

 

[modernhamlet]

Hi

I've been doing 20% water changes on my un-cycled tank (which contains fish) for a week and a half now. My test kit for nitite says around 0 but this is probably because my Ammonia is still spiking.
What I want to know is - how long should I carry on doing the water changes for?
My test kit is rubbish really so I can't just keep going until the readings say 0. I cannt afford to buy another test kit.
How long should I carry on doing the changes???

If you don't know the ammonia and nitrite are 0, you have no way of knowing if you're cycled. There's no magic number of days/weeks after which you know you're ok.

What is your test kit? What does it say the ammonia levels are?

 

[timmystood]

The test kit doesn't have a reading for ammonia only nitrate and nitrite.
Don't know the name of the test kit - doesn't say. I brought from a little mail-order fish shop in surrey for just 3 pound - so i'm not expecting great things but I cannot afford to buy a decent one.
I think I will just do 20% water changes every day for about a month

 

[modernhamlet]

The test kit doesn't have a reading for ammonia only nitrate and nitrite.
Don't know the name of the test kit - doesn't say. I brought from a little mail-order fish shop in surrey for just 3 pound - so i'm not expecting great things but I cannot afford to buy a decent one.
I think I will just do 20% water changes every day for about a month

An API or Hagen ammonia test kit runs around £5-6. It's going to cost you more in dechlorinator doing daily water changes than that.