My first tropical freshwater tank! :)

[Colin_T]

No idea. But I wouldn't add iron fertiliser every day unless you monitor the iron levels in the water, or do a 100% water change before adding more fertiliser.

If you add a full dose of fertiliser every day and it doesn't get used, you will poison all the fish.

Just add it once a week until you get an iron test kit. Then monitor the levels in the tank and add more when the iron level is 0mg/L (0ppm).

 

[Neon1977]

No idea. But I wouldn't add iron fertiliser every day unless you monitor the iron levels in the water, or do a 100% water change before adding more fertiliser.

If you add a full dose of fertiliser every day and it doesn't get used, you will poison all the fish.

Just add it once a week until you get an iron test kit. Then monitor the levels in the tank and add more when the iron level is 0mg/L (0ppm).

Ok thanks il just wait for the test to come this week then before adding anymore! Don’t want to be doing a 100% water change! Il be doing big water changes no doubt still while the tank is cycling but won’t be 100%! Also one last thing! Lol iv just got the tetra safe start bacteria, how much do I add in my 25l tank every day again to speed up the cycling process!?

 

[Colin_T]

I recommend a double dose every day for a week when adding liquid bacterial supplements. You can add more if you like but a double dose every day for a week usually gets things going pretty quickly.

After a week I either pour the remaining bacteria into the tank or put it in the fridge until I need it for another tank.

You can't really overdose with the bacterial supplements because they don't affect fish or plants and only grow to a population that is big enough to convert the ammonia and nitrite in the water.

Some people just buy a big bottle and add the whole thing in one hit. Their filters cycle pretty quickly too

 

[Neon1977]

I recommend a double dose every day for a week when adding liquid bacterial supplements. You can add more if you like but a double dose every day for a week usually gets things going pretty quickly.

After a week I either pour the remaining bacteria into the tank or put it in the fridge until I need it for another tank.

You can't really overdose with the bacterial supplements because they don't affect fish or plants and only grow to a population that is big enough to convert the ammonia and nitrite in the water.

Some people just buy a big bottle and add the whole thing in one hit. Their filters cycle pretty quickly too

Oh fab thank you! without sounding completely hopeless what would be a double dose of this every day? I know I’m doing your head in probably by now and I do apologise!!

 

[Neon1977]

@Colin_T double the dose for my tank (24.4l my tank is) was nearly the whole of this bottle lol (50ml) so just wacked the bottle in and will get a couple more tomorrow when I go collect my plants

 

[Colin_T]

You might want to look for another brand of liquid bacteria. That one doesn't seem very economical. Most of the brands I have used can treat a huge tank and don't use the entire bottle for one dose on a small aquarium.

If you can't find other brands then you can continue using that one but if it's expensive, I would look around for something else.

 

[Neon1977]

You might want to look for another brand of liquid bacteria. That one doesn't seem very economical. Most of the brands I have used can treat a huge tank and don't use the entire bottle for one dose on a small aquarium.

If you can't find other brands then you can continue using that one but if it's expensive, I would look around for something else.

Ahh ok il have a look around see what else they sell at the big LFS! And it was only a small bottle that may be why? It was £6 for a 50ml bottle so yeah not the cheapest!

 

[Neon1977]

You might want to look for another brand of liquid bacteria. That one doesn't seem very economical. Most of the brands I have used can treat a huge tank and don't use the entire bottle for one dose on a small aquarium.

If you can't find other brands then you can continue using that one but if it's expensive, I would look around for something else.

Sorry just edited the previous comment! Realised I’d put the bottle was (60l) instead of (50ml)

 

[Neon1977]

Daily update!!

Not really sure what’s going on! Lol

My Ammo has gone up from yesterday and my nitrite and nitrate has gone down!

My results this morning are:

Ammo: 0.2 (iv included a picture see if everyone agrees that it does look around 0.2 (was 0 yesterday)

Nitrite was 0 (was between 0-0.25 yesterday) so I tested for nitrate...

Nitrate: 2.5 (was 10.0 yesterday)

I’m going to do a 75% water change with the Ammo being above 0 but is it normal for the nitrite and nitrates to lower and Ammo to raise at this stage of the cycling? The only thing I did yesterday after testing was do a 75% water change, put my live plants in, put my recommended fertiliser in, (3ml) (won’t be putting anymore in until my iron test comes in the post) I also fed them a tiny bit but only waited 10 mins after feeding to siphon the sand and do a water change and finally I poured 50ml of tetra safestart in the tank! Any advice/reassurance would be appreciated? Is this normal? Does anyone suggest anything other than doing a 75% water change today? I also won’t be feeding them today either! Thanks in advance

 

[Essjay]

I don't know if things have changed in recent years but the reason Tetra Safe Start is recommended so much is that it was one of only two products which contained the right species of nitrite eating bacteria (the other one is Dr Tim's One & Only which isn't easily available in the UK). All the others used to contain the wrong species, because the use of the right species was patented.

However, the other products may contain the right species these days.



If yesterday's readings were before the water change, the water change would have removed a lot of everything. Ammonia has crept up, but nitrite and nitrate are lagging behind.
What is the pH of the tank water? Ammonia in water exists in 2 forms, ammonia which is toxic and ammonium which is a lot less toxic. Our test kits measure total ammonia, which is ammonia and ammonium combined. The amount in each form varies with the temperature and pH. In tropical aquariums, there is little variation in temmperature, but the pH of the tank water can vary enormously from place to place. Below pH 7, most of the test reading is in the less toxic ammonium form; above pH 7 there is more in the ammonia form.

 

[Neon1977]

I don't know if things have changed in recent years but the reason Tetra Safe Start is recommended so much is that it was one of only two products which contained the right species of nitrite eating bacteria (the other one is Dr Tim's One & Only which isn't easily available in the UK). All the others used to contain the wrong species, because the use of the right species was patented.

However, the other products may contain the right species these days.



If yesterday's readings were before the water change, the water change would have removed a lot of everything. Ammonia has crept up, but nitrite and nitrate are lagging behind.
What is the pH of the tank water? Ammonia in water exists in 2 forms, ammonia which is toxic and ammonium which is a lot less toxic. Our test kits measure total ammonia, which is ammonia and ammonium combined. The amount in each form varies with the temperature and pH. In tropical aquariums, there is little variation in temmperature, but the pH of the tank water can vary enormously from place to place. Below pH 7, most of the test reading is in the less toxic ammonium form; above pH 7 there is more in the ammonia form.

What do you think is wrong then!? Don’t know what’s going on! My PH is 7. Included a pic below. Temp of the tank is 26 degrees.

 

[Neon1977]

@Colin_T do you have any idea what could be happening!?

 

[seangee]

I also fed them a tiny bit but only waited 10 mins after feeding to siphon the sand and do a water change and finally I poured 50ml of tetra safestart in the tank!

Just FWIW you should not feed your fish for 4 hours before a W/C. This is to ensure that the stress of a WC does not affect the digestive process. I usually feed as normal the night before a W/C and then don't feed on water change day.

 

[Neon1977]

Just FWIW you should not feed your fish for 4 hours before a W/C. This is to ensure that the stress of a WC does not affect the digestive process. I usually feed as normal the night before a W/C and then don't feed on water change day.

Do you think that this is what has caused the ammonia spike? When I last fed them and did a water change after (only 10 mins again) it didn’t cause that much ammo spike so I don’t think thats the main culprit. I was advised yesterday about this though and won’t do it again! Would you siphon the sand and do a W/C as well now after these results? Or just a W/C?

 

[Neon1977]

Iv just siphoned the sand again and done a 75% water change. Going to test again in a bit see what it says for ammo and test again in the morning! Might stay away from the safe starts etc for now and just cycle it naturally as it seemed to be going well until I put that in the tank!