I Think My Tank Has Cycled...questions

[scottiedogluvr]

I think that my 5 gallon tank has cycled. I've had it running for about a month now. When I first started a month ago I added 5 glofish right away. They all got ICH and died. Well....I now know that 5 fish is way too much for a 5 gallon tank. I'm pretty sure they all got the ICH because the tank wasn't cycled. I have no fish in my tank right now. I want to make sure the ICH is gone and the tank is cycled before I add any fish.

I just tested the water...

ph 7.6

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 0

I have several questions....

What is the Ph supposed to be? How do I bring it down?

Should I do a water change before I add fish?

Should I change the filter before I add fish?

What type of fish is suitable for a 5 gallon tank?

Thanks...
Debbie

•  

Read more: http/www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/beginner-freshwater-aquarium/i-think-my-tank-has-cycled-333857/#ixzz2qlByWXSO

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm sorry to say that your tank isn't cycled.
 
A cycled tank will show zero ammonia and zero nitrite 24 hours AFTER adding a dose of ammonia (~2-3ppm).   The ammonia and nitrite will be zero, but the result of the bacteria (and the final piece of the nitrogen cycle as we freshwater aquarists are concerned) is nitrate.  1ppm ammonia added to your tank will produce ~3.6ppm nitrate (based on molecular weight).  So, a dose of 2ppm would show up as ~7.2 ppm and a 3ppm dose will be 10.8 ppm.  So, even if you added only a single dose of ammonia, to cycle the tank, you would see some nitrate.
 
Generally, you will need to add a dose of ammonia between 3- 10 times during the entire course of the cycle (there are lots of variables).  I am assuming that you have treated the ich to kill it, even after the removal of the dead danios?  If not, then you will still want to treat that.  Ich is a parasite that lives in a cycle within the tank, and its not just a fish that is infected, but the entire tank.  Personally, I am a fan of a salt and heat treatment, rather than medications.  The nice thing about the empty tank you have right now is that you can turn the temp up to 90F and added slightly higher salt than would normally be used with fish (1 TBSP per 5 gallons), because there's no reason not to.  Doing this and running the tank like that for 5 days will ensure that the parasites are gone.
 
Then you can turn your attention to the nitrogen cycle.  Follow the directions here and you will be successful: Link.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

With no fish in a tank ich will die off fastish.
 

 
White spot disease (Ichthyopthirius multifiliis) is caused by a protozoan with a life cycle that includes a free-living stage. Ich grows on a fish --> it falls off and attaches to gravel or tank glass --> it reproduces to MANY parasites --> these swarmers then attach to other fish. If the swarmers do not find a fish host, they die in about 3 days (depending on the water temperature).

from http/fins.actwin.com/mirror/disease-fw.html#ich
 
If your tank has had no fish for at least one full week, it should be ich free.
 
NEXT-  Read here and then go get yourself some ammonia so you can follow the directions for cycling your tank: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first

 

[W1ngz]

I'm by no means an expert at this, being new myself, but what test kit are you using? I've read that the API test kit can be tricky with the nitrate test if you don't really shake and abuse bottle number 2. The solution in that bottle tends to crystallize and you really have to knock it around to break up and dissolve the crystals before doing the test. It's *possible* that you just didn't get the nitrate test right.
 
Since at one time there were fish in there, there had to be some ammonia, which would mean there has to be some nitrates, unless you've done a big water change.

 

[scottiedogluvr]

I'm using the APT test kit.
I will have to test the nitrate again because I didn't shake it up really good.
Thanks for letting me know.
 
As for the ICH..I did treat for ICH when I had the fish, but after they died I stopped treating.  It's been about a week and half since the fish died.  I'm going to wait to add fish until the tank has cycled. Hopefully, by then the ICH will be gone.
Forgot...I've done no water changes in about 2 weeks.  I don't plan on doing any until tank cycled.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Have you added any ammonia to this tank?  If not, there's no 'cycling' happening... just waiting.

 

[scottiedogluvr]

I've been using fish food instead of ammonia.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Gotcha... and how long have you been adding this?

 

[scottiedogluvr]

It's been about a month now.  

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Then, if your nitrate number is an incorrect reading (which is very possible if you haven't been shaking the bottles very well), then you will see that a higher nitrate number and that would mean that you are in fact cycled.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

let me see- I tell you "If your tank has had no fish for at least one full week, it should be ich free." To which you respond: "As for the ICH..I did treat for ICH when I had the fish, but after they died I stopped treating.  It's been about a week and half since the fish died.  I'm going to wait to add fish until the tank has cycled. Hopefully, by then the ICH will be gone."
 
I am curious, What part of my post did you not understand? I told you the ich is already gone. Would it help if it comes from a university?

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (White Spot) Infections in Fish

 
Ruth Francis-Floyd and Peggy Reed2

 
Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is a ciliated protozoan that causes "Ich" or "white spot disease." This disease is a major problem to aquarists and commercial fish producers world wide. Ichthyophthirius is an important disease of tropical fish, goldfish, and food fish. The disease is highly contagious and spreads rapidly from one fish to another. It can be particularly severe when fish are crowded. While many protozoans reproduce by simple division, a single "Ich" organism can multiply into hundreds of new parasites. This organism is an obligate parasite which means that it cannot survive unless live fish are present. It is capable of causing massive mortality within a short time. An outbreak of "Ich" is an emergency situation which requires immediate treatment: if left untreated, this disease may result in 100% mortality.

The Parasite
"Ich" is the largest known parasitic protozoan found on fishes. Adult organisms are oval to round and measure 0.5 to 1.0 mm in size. The adult is uniformly ciliated and contains a horseshoe-shaped nucleus which can be seen in older individuals.
 
The breeding stage of the parasite encysts between the layers of the host skin. When mature, it leaves the fish and produces large numbers of free swimming young. These must find a host within 48 hours (at water temperatures of 75-79°F) or they will die.

from http/edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa006#IMAGE%20FA:FA006F1
 
The waiting to add fish until the tank is cycled is a very good idea but that part and the ich part are not related

 

[scottiedogluvr]

Hey...no need to get nasty with me!  I'm new to this and I'm learning.  

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I am sorry if you feel I was being nasty. But my take here is a bit different than yours. I spent the time and made the effort to try and help you. I gave you good information and then I see it being ignored.
 
Now I wonder if I am wasting my time when I explain that fish food is a very poor way to get ammonia into a tank. It doesn't contain sufficient organic matter. If one must use something along these lines a piece of raw shrimp or fish will be much more effective. But any of these things make a mess in a tank and can result in a bacterial bloom (this is not a bloom of the nitrifying bacteria we want in our tanks).
 
I guess the fact that I also said you were doing a good thing by cycling without fish, that it was not related to ich and then ended with a smiley face doesn't count.

 

[scottiedogluvr]

I really do appreciate the help you have given me.  I'm sorry if I misunderstood your intentions.  I've learned a lot from your posts.  It's just that I'm new here and it's frustrating trying to learn everything.  I want to start my tank off right.  

I do have a questions.  My Ph remains at 7.6.  Is that an okay number or does it need to get lower?  

 

[W1ngz]

I do have a questions.  My Ph remains at 7.6.  Is that an okay number or does it need to get lower?  

 
That mostly depends on what you plan to have living in the tank going forward. Most people seem to think that it's a better idea to choose fish based on your natural pH, rather than fight the chemistry, and risk making things unstable. Your pH is primarily defined by your chosen water source. (Again, I base this off my own research, I haven't got enough experience yet to have my own opinion).
 
Are you basing that number just off the light blue pH test, or are you actually using the High Range pH API test? 7.6 on the standard pH test just means 'too high to measure', so you need to use the other test to find out the correct pH.