I feel like giving up....

[10 Tanks]

With all due respect, your tapwater might be fine but you're in a different State to the OP and in the State where the OP is, they have had some pretty major weather issues lately that could easily have affected the water supply and water quality/chemistry such as adding more chemicals than usual to keep the water safe and drinkable.......water companies can and do change their water chemistry when mains burst, pipe flushing, poorly controlled flood water entering the system and other maintenance.

It never hurts to check the water from the tap....if only for peace of mind.

Hello wasme. As part of the SDWA, the EPA has set maximum contaminant levels, as well as treatment requirements for over 90 different contaminants in public drinking water. So, the water state to state is going to have to meet those guidelines. If the water is safe to drink over here, it's going to be safe for aquarium fish. All you need to do is add a water treatment like Seachem's "Safe" or a similar water treatment that removes the chemicals that are generally toxic to fish.

10 Tanks

 

[strangeworld2002]

What is your PH?

 

[Goldfish4EVER]

What temp is the tank? Do you have a bubbler going? If a fishless cycle, did you dechlor the water when you started?

The temp is usually 74-74 degrees. I don't have a bubbler, not sure if that's necessary?

What is your PH?

My PH is 6.8-7 ppm. How do I raise the PH?

 

[Slaphppy7]

Beneficial bacteria grows faster at warmer temps, raise the tank temp to 82F

Warmer water holds less oxygen, so adding a bubbler will increase surface agitation, aiding gas exchange at the surface

 

[Coolysd]

I've been cycling a tank for 2 months, and it's still not cycled I don't get it!!! I feel like just not cycling anymore, but I need to for my fish! What should I do?

Hey Goldfish!
I know exactly how you feel!! I have a 75gal freshwater tank that has been running (fish-in) since Aug 8th and it just finished cycling about 2 weeks ago!! You wanna talk about getting discouraged, I too felt like giving up. I also have a 5gal that finished a fishless cycle in about a month. I used Mr Tim's Ammonia and followed the instructions from this forum. Highly recommend as the others have stated. It kinda gives you more control as apposed to waiting for the food to decay. Then I took the media from the hob and put it in the 75g and it started cycling and finished after about 3 weeks, FINALLY!!

Hang in there!! It will happen I promise!! One thing I have learned about this hobby is ya gotta have patience. And then ya know what else? MORE PATIENCE!!

 

[Playsander]

I also have a 5gal that finished a fishless cycle in about a month. I used Mr Tim's Ammonia and followed the instructions from this forum. Highly recommend as the others have stated.

Mr Tims Ammonia? I just used household ammonia from Boots. Worked a treat.

 

[cdseverance]

The temp is usually 74-74 degrees. I don't have a bubbler, not sure if that's necessary?

My PH is 6.8-7 ppm. How do I raise the PH?

This is all you need to know goldfish about the cycling problems you are having. I know this method very well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

 

[Coolysd]

Mr Tims Ammonia? I just used household ammonia from Boots. Worked a treat.

I don't know what Boots is lol but I had purchased some from the store however my understanding is that it can't be "sudsy" and the one I bought was. I didn't want to risk it or keep trying to find the right one, so I purchased it from Amazon. That was better for me just for peace of mind.

 

[davros]

LOL boots(UK) = Walgreens=CVS= Shoppers Drug Mart (canada)

 

[TwoTankAmin]

if you are using flake fish food that is the problem. It creates very little ammonia but it does make a bit of a mess. this is because what makes the ammonia is organic material being broken down. The amount of organic materia in most flake foods does npot contain much orgnanic material.

If you change over to dosing ammonia you will get the tank cycled a lot faster.

A fish in cycle is slow and risky for the fish. What nobody seems to be ablke to say when they cycle with fish in is this. Even if no fish died as a result, how do you know if any oof the other fish suffered short of deathh. Did an of them suffer gill dmagae? Did any of them suffer any ill effects from ammonia burns? Did any of them have their live expectancy shortened. It is impossible for us as fish kerpers to be able to answer these and a few more questions. Pay attention to the last paragraph below:

Ammonia in Aquatic Systems​

Ruth Francis-Floyd, Craig Watson, Denise Petty, and Deborah B. Pouder

Introduction​

All animals excrete waste in the process of metabolizing food into the energy, nutrients, and proteins they use for survival and growth. In fish, this primary metabolic waste product is ammonia.

In fish, the majority of ammonia is eliminated from the body primarily by diffusion through the fish’s gills into the water. Smaller amounts are excreted in the urine or across other tissues.

Fertilizers and the decay of uneaten feed and organic matter contribute to ammonia, but in most aquaculture or hobbyist systems, the digestion of the feed eaten by the fish is the primary source of the compound. The more feed a fish is fed, the more ammonia the fish will produce. However, even a starved fish will produce some ammonia.

Of all the water quality parameters that affect fish, ammonia is the most important after oxygen, especially in intensive systems. At low concentrations, ammonia causes stress and damages gills and other tissues. Fish exposed to low levels of ammonia over time are more susceptible to bacterial infections, have poor growth, and will not tolerate routine handling as well as they otherwise would. At higher concentrations, ammonia will kill fish, and many unexplained production losses have likely been caused by ammonia.

from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/fa031

 

[Goldfish4EVER]

Thanks for all of your replies!
Just one question: I saw that I had apox 3-4ppm of ammonia in my tap water, so should I still use my tap water? If not, what else do I use? I don't think water conditioner will help with ammonia.

 

[Fishmanic]

4ppm ammonia in tap water is crazy high. Are you sure your test kit is reading correctly. If its accurate, I would call your water company. That probably wouldnt be healthy to even drink.

 

[Essjay]

What is the legal limit for ammonia in drinking water in California? In the UK, the maximum allowed is 0.5 ppm.

 

[Playsander]

4ppm ammonia in tap water is crazy high. Are you sure your test kit is reading correctly. If its accurate, I would call your water company. That probably wouldnt be healthy to even drink.

That's insanely high and probably illegal.

 

[Coolysd]

Thanks for all of your replies!
Just one question: I saw that I had apox 3-4ppm of ammonia in my tap water, so should I still use my tap water? If not, what else do I use? I don't think water conditioner will help with ammonia.

My tap water is about 2ppm. That's all I have available cuz I'm not gonna pay for it elsewhere. I had a fish-in cycle (before I knew any better) and Prime kept it from being toxic until it cycled (6 months later). Now, ammonia consistently test at 0 for both of my tanks.