Insecure about First Tank

[Flumpus]

My wife and I got our first tank about three weeks ago from a local store (Dallas North Aquarium). I was very excited, but after reading some things here, I think I need to be reassured we're moving in the right direction.

First off, we got six fish the first day. I didn't think we'd get any, but the woman that helped us recommended some starter fish that we'd trade in after our levels were normal. After reading up a bit here, that seems like a bad thing. FYI, they're two zebra danios, two giant danios, and two serpae tetras. This is in a 30g tank (36.5x12.5x17.5). So far, all the fish seem to be doing great.

We've done a few smaller water changes, but not one every day, like I've seen suggested here when you cycle with fish. Like I said, we're three weeks in, and our ammonia level is very close to zero, if not zero. The nitrate level is right under 5.0, and the pH is about 7.1. Do those seem normal, and are we on track?

Finally, there is brownish algae on the gravel, and we were told that normal and part of the process. Is that true?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Fish_Mike]

Hey, no worries, you're doing just fine!

Make sure you check out your nitrite levels and when both ammonia and nitrite are at 0 for a week, you're done cycling

And if you get MTS, and i'm sure you will, try to wait at least a week before adding even the cycling fish.

 

[LuckyLoach]

Hi Flumpus,

It sounds like everything is going good for you right now. I know what you are going through though, because I felt the same way when I started out. The six fish you mentioned should be enough to cycle the tank, but not enough to overload the tank. You mentioned your nitrates being 5.0. Is this your nitrates or nitrites? If it's your nitrates, that is a good low number. If it's your nitrites, that is a high number, but it's usually a sign of the last part of the cycle. Once your ammonia drops, the nitrites will usually spike. This will last a few days, and then they should drop to zero. The brown algae is also a sign that the tank is cycling properly. The algae can become frustrating, but the ability for it to grow means that the tank is progressing along.

It sounds like you are on the right road. Hang in there. I know how stressful it can be at first!!

 

[Flumpus]

Ah, ok, that makes sense. Forgot to add my nitrite levels, but they are high, around 4 or 5. Just finished another water change, so I'll test tomorrow. I'm assuming it's not good to test right after, but to let it run a while, correct?

 

[LuckyLoach]

You are correct,

It's best to let everything run for a while after the water change so everything has time to disperse throughout the tank. I’ve got a 36 gallon tropical, and a 55 gallon African Cichlid tank. With both tanks, the ammonia hit zero, and then the nitrites would spike. I would test it once a day for several days after. Everyday the nitrites would still be high until about the 3rd or 4th day, and there wasn’t a trace of nitrites at all. After your nitrites hit zero, you may see a little bit of a spike in your nitrates. Do not worry too much if this happens. Unless you get an extremely high reading, the fish will be fine. You might want to consider some live plants eventually. They will reduce nitrates and brown algae in the aquarium.

 

[annka5]

One last thing - the lots-of-water changes when cycling with fish is necesary to dilute the ammonia and nitrite if it's really high /making your fish ill. It will slow down the cycling process, though.

 

[Flumpus]

After doing a water change a couple days ago my ammonia levels are still right around zero, and my nitrite levels are still right around five. Do I need to do anything, or is this the normal nitrite spike I keep hearing about? How long should it last?

 

[annka5]

if you didn't have fish, you would leave things as they are. However, Nitrite at 5ppm is fairly toxic to most fish, so you at least want to make sure it goes no higher by regularly testing and changing some of the water.
How long it lasts- really depends on the tank, temp, water chemistry, plants, luck, if there is an R in the month... etc etc! I'd hazard a guess that the average is 10 days - but that really depends on different factors.

 

[Flumpus]

Well, thinks are going fairly well. The nitrites have started to go down, albeit slowly. Ammonia is still at 0, and nitrates are at 5.

We've now started to think about stocking the tank, and I think we've got an idea of what we want. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be too much for the tank (30g). We were thinking about 6 serpae tetras (already have two), two bolivian rams, a bristlenose catfish and a clown pleco. Would that be ok? Would we be ok to add another small school of fish, or does that sound like enough? Thanks!