I'm confused

[MacKay]

Hello All!

I've been reading/searching and I honestly think I've lost sight of what all I need to know. So... please be patient.

I've had a 10 gallon tank going for about four weeks. After a week I threw in 3 platies (a gift) and two baby mollies. I have a mix of fake and live plants. In an effort to keep everyone alive and healthy, I have been checking the water params. every other day. Now, I'm checking daily. Initially, my ammonia was at 0ppm. At one point, my nitRATE was elevated. Thought I was in the clear. Then, I tested the ammonia and it was at 1ppm. I really messed up the other night and did about a 40% water change. Read on FF to only do a 15% daily. So last night, I did a 15% water change (ammonia at .25ppm; nitRITE still safe, but rising). Only fed the guys fry food yesterday morning because I discovered two platy babies.

So here are the questions:
1. Do I not feed at all until I get the ammonia to 0ppm? If so, do I need to wait a couple of days to make sure that the ammonia stays at 0ppm?

2. Does the tank have to spike to be cycled... meaning do I still make daily water changes or not? Will daily water changes prevent the tank from cycling?

3. When I remove 15% of the water (daily) is it okay to at least suck up the fish poop? (I had been vacuuming the substrate)

4. I have brown algae (leaving lights on 'bout 12hrs a day). I really messed up and bought a little pleco. Worried about him now that I haven't cycled. Should I give him to a friend with a larger and cycled tank? Or should I just hang on to him for a bit?

I think that's it for now. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated. I know I've messed up, but the good news is that I am learning and nobody has gone to the big tank in the sky. Progress, not perfection. Right?

 

[suemack]

hi MacKay....it's ok....most of us have had to go through this when we started

we'll start with the last question first
1 The pleco.....imo give him to a friend with a cycled tank till your tank has finished cycling
2 Cut the feeding right back....but imo you'll need to feed the fry if you want them to survive......they've only got tiny tummies ....actually they say that a fishes stomach is the same size as their eye
3 Daily water changes will slow the cycle down but will also mean that your fish have a better chance of surviving.....the w/changes dilute the levels of ammonia/nitrite in the tank
4 I'd suck up any left over food and fishy poop but try to leave as much of the gravel undisturbed as you can

If you can get some gravel (and/or filter material) from your friend with the cycled tank and add it to yours....that could well help, keep up the testing so you know where you are in the cycle.....and keep posting and letting us know how you're getting on

good luck

sue

 

[jams.alaskan]

Ditto Suemack! Great advice and you sound like you are getting it down...

ALASKA

 

[tstenback]

Great advice from suemack. all i can add is that you will be cycled when the ammonia level is at 0 AND the nitrite level is 0 for a couple of days. You should at that time have increasing nitrates.
The nitrite spike is the longest part of the cycle and you will need PATIENCE
Good Luck have fun and dont add anymore of our finned friends until after the cycle.

 

[MacKay]

Thanks for the great advice. I went to move the fry to the "nursery aquarium", but can't find them. I'll look again today. They were super small. I also have an aquarium in my classroom. Basically, it's the same type of set-up. I had no problem cycling that tank at all. Only difference is, the tank at school has a piece of bogwood and air stones. Going to add an air stone today... help aerate the tank. Having trouble finding a piece of bogwood for a 10-gallon. The piece at school was brought in by a student. Additionally, the tank at school has an upside down catfish and a couple of mollies. Maybe platies just poop more than mollies.