How Will I Know When My Filter Is Working Effectively?

[trellis]

My tank has been set up for 5.5 weeks and has had fish in it (6 neon tetras) for 4.5 weeks now. I am now doing 50-80% water changes about every 2 days and when I test at this point, before the change, there is only a trace of ammonia (<0.25ppm) but the Nitrite is still quite high - 0.5 to 1.0ppm. I assume this means it is still cycling and I need to continue with frequent water changes for a while longer and not add any more fish yet. If the ammonia levels are almost under control, how much longer is it likely to take before the nitrite levels start to even off too? My son is getting impatient to add more fish (it's his tank) but I know we can't until this is stabilised. I use the gravel cleaner with every change and only feed every 2 days a very small amount of food.

 

[waterdrop]

The way you know you're in to your qualification week on a Fish-In cycle is when you've had two days with no water changes and yet the 4 tests you've performed (morning and evening of each day) have all shown true zero ppm ammona and nitrite, both. It is also good to test perhaps one every couple of weeks at this point to verify that your tap water coming in is still double zero too.

Unfortunately (and I realize you may know this and its just hard), if you're seeing any reading above 0.25ppm on either ammonia or nitrite then you are simply not changing enough water or frequently enough to stay within the zero to 0.25ppm narrow band between water changes. Neons will pool up in very shallow water away from your gravel siphon and this is what you must do. What's the tank size again?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[trellis]

The way you know you're in to your qualification week on a Fish-In cycle is when you've had two days with no water changes and yet the 4 tests you've performed (morning and evening of each day) have all shown true zero ppm ammona and nitrite, both. It is also good to test perhaps one every couple of weeks at this point to verify that your tap water coming in is still double zero too.

Unfortunately (and I realize you may know this and its just hard), if you're seeing any reading above 0.25ppm on either ammonia or nitrite then you are simply not changing enough water or frequently enough to stay within the zero to 0.25ppm narrow band between water changes. Neons will pool up in very shallow water away from your gravel siphon and this is what you must do. What's the tank size again?

~~waterdrop~~

It's a 60l tank. I have been taking out between 36l and 48l (usually around 42l) approx with each water change. It's just the logistics of it! Carrying buckets of water from my lounge to the loo to empty it then refilling is killing my back and I have managed to spill fishtank water over my carpet and curtains (good job I'm not too house proud). I am a single mum with 2 kids & 2 cats, working and doing a doctorate and trying to do this daily is a logistical nightmare, hence the changing every other day! I know it's my own fault for not researching enough before starting but I stupidly assumed the people in the fish shop knew what they were talking about when they said to do changes every week or two!

 

[FishTankCrazy]

Sounds insane that you're doing a water change every other day??? You take out more water than I do weekly and i've got a 250L tank! Anyway have you tested your tap water? I couldn't work out for ages that i was getting 0.25ppm Ammonia until i tested the tap water....what filter do you have and what media are you using?

 

[11gatorgal11]

Well first you ammonia hasn't leveled off yet. If you are still doing these WC's every other day and more than 50% at a time then either A) you may have traces of ammonia coming out of your faucet, or B) it's not close enough to being done with the cycle.
Obviously a fish-in cycle is a pain in the rear end. I learned this lesson 5 years with GSP's (green spotted puffers) which are brackish fish. So not only was I doing wc's everyday, but I was adding salt in the water as well.
This has nothing to do with your filter working effectively, this is just nature at it's best. You are waiting for the beneficial bacteria to be able to take the ammonia load and make it 0 within 24 hours.
Waterdrop is correct by saying you aren't doing enough WC's, which would probably be better everyday than every other day. It is rough to do with a bucket, but I always suggest buying a siphon that connects to the sink, it is so worth the money when you aren't killing your back and you are more likely to do WC's more often because they are so much easier.
Obviously you may not want to spend the extra money, but once again this is a complication from not doing the research, and nitrites are just as bad for fish as ammonia is.
I don't know if you could get anyone to help you out, a neighbor, or your son (idk how old he is). Fish can go a little bit longer in between feedings, and to help cut down on the ammonia produced, clean out the food they do not eat within a few minutes.
You may need to keep doing this for another 2 weeks, there is no guarantee, but nitrites do not take as long as ammonia does.
Just be prepared with these readings you may lose your fish suddenly. You are doing as much as you can, but it may not be enough.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree on both the tap water check and the recommendation for a Python type hose setup. Even on a small tank like a 60L/16G the refill from the sink can be a great back saver and time saver. WD

 

[trellis]

Yes, agree on both the tap water check and the recommendation for a Python type hose setup. Even on a small tank like a 60L/16G the refill from the sink can be a great back saver and time saver. WD

Where can I get a siphon with a long hose? The tank is quite near a window so siphoning out would be fairly easy, but how does the refill work with adding the Tapsafe etc?

I did a 42l (approx) change last night, have just tested and there is a trace of ammonia and nitrite but both appear to be under 0.25ppm, so does this mean that changing every 2 days should be ok? I haven't explored the filter to see if the sponge needs cleaning or anything so maybe I should look at this at the next change?

 

[waterdrop]

Hi trellis,

You can check Here to see the equipment I use and the type of hose stuff we are talking about. I like them because they have adapters to fit a variety of unusual faucets and you can mix and match a lot of parts to build just the length and tools you need.

At the other extreme in budget you can build your own with hose parts from a hardware store and of course you have to be careful about water that is left inside a traditional hose and fabricating the thing takes work, but its an option. BTT has done a pinned article somewhere showing details of making one.

The way you re-fill with a hose is as follows: First figure out if you are worried about copper or such in your hot water heating system. If not, and you have a mixing tap, you can just adjust the mixing tap to match a cup of your removed tank water, this takes care of temperature matching (having a faucet that does temp and force separately allows you to set temp first, leave it, then attach hose and turn on flow. Anyway, after always ensuring that the gravel-cleaning end in the tank is really in the tank and is not going to fly out on you, you go back to the faucet and turn it on, then watch the tank fill, never letting yourself get distracted. You want to dose your conditioner immediately before the fill (I split mine before and after the fill.) You must calculate the conditioner dose based on the full tank volume, not the volume of water added, so the percentage water change you are making does not matter, the conditioner dosed directly to the tank will always be the same amount. You should dose 1.5x to 2x whatever the instructions tell you but not more than 2x. I recommend Seachem Prime for this task.

I know this seems like a lot but the effort up front setting this system all up for yourself will pay off every week for years. Make sure you buy a long enough hose section that you could handle another likely place for another tank.

~~waterdrop~~