I Got My Test Kit, I'm 2 Weeks Into A "fish In Cycle" Advi

[Alm0stAwesome]

I wish the pair of you could keep your personal squabbles out of every thread you cross paths in.

Glad to hear things are going well for you blur. From personal experience it can sometimes take a little while for an ammonia sprike to show up when adding new fish. I'm guessing you will get one eventually, but hopefully I'm wrong! In fact, I recently added some new fish and I did get a little ammonia increase but didn't see nitrite, the ammonia went back to 0 and I thought the spike was over and then the nitrite showed up! Doh! I guess it just took a little while to build up because my filter was mostly coping but not completely.

 

[blur411]

Well, I will keep monitoring it. It's strange, at first this fish in cycle was such a pain...all the water changes and such. Then, when my levels were good for awhile I got antsy, and kept feeling like I needed to do something. I was checking my levels twice a day...haha. The loaches seem pretty happy, I feel like I rescued them. I don't understand how they can keep fish in such small tanks at the LFS!

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

I know what you mean! I do the same thing, I'm always tinkering with my tank

 

[blur411]

You were right! I got an ammonia spike! Higher than I ever had even when I was cycling! It was 2.0 so I did a 90% water change! I will continue to monitor! So thankful for you guys! Nitrites still 0 and Nitrates!

Edit

I also noticed some fine green fuzzy/hair like algae on the plants today, not all and not covered. Anyone know if this is from the ammonia spike? I've been keeping the lights low only 4-5 hours a day and no direct sunlight. I tried to identify it with the link on the plants page but it is so hard to tell!

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Just keep up the water changes to keep the ammonia under 0.25ppm at all times, it should only last a few days at most.

There are always algae spores of many kinds in the tank, each with their own preference in nutrients and just waiting for the right conditions to flourish. Your lighting level/duration is certainly low enough that algae shouldn't be a problem as a result of it. A photo might help us to identify it better.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Oh that stinks, well not to scare you but my nitrite spike was twice as high as my ammonia spike. Which, if I understand correctly is normal so when your ammonia starts to decrease on it's own be ready for the nitrite Mine only lasted 3 days though!

 

[blur411]

Today both are 0, I will continue to monitor! Here are some pics of that algae?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

That's an interesting algae, my best guess (and it is a guess) would be Staghorn. Yours doesn't have the typical staghorn look that gives that algae its name but it's still possible. If it is that then raising CO2 levels seems to be the advice on how to reduce it, along with manual removal. Have you tried to remove it? What does it feel like?

 

[ian]

That is Staghorn...from planted tank

cause

Low CO2 and/or poor water circulation. A tank with overfed fish and accumulated mulm. Dirty filter. Also disturbing dirty substrates without doing water change afterwards.

removal

Check CO2 levels and make sure you have good water circulation. Reduce feeding, vacuum the substrate and remove mulm. Overdosing Flourish Excel usually helps.

 

[blur411]

I did try and take some out, its just very soft, kind of like silk. It's just hard to get it off since its a small amount in various places. I don't have any co2 since its a low light tank and I was told I wouldn't need it. I want to stay away from that because it sounds like more trouble than it's worth haha!