Need Clarification?

[flipnshi]

Fishless cycling my 29 gallon tank. Used microbelift and junked it with fish flakes, to spike the ammonia. Turned the heater so that the digital therm read 81.5 and kept the light off for a week now. Took a reading with the API master liquid and the ammonia is 0, the nitrites are in between 2 and 5 hardy light purple, and the nitrates are look like 10. A new deco look by adding sea shells to naturally raise my ph. ph is about 7.8. Was going to set up a chichlid tank. Havent finalized my decision yet. So....Whats next? Add any fish 1 or 2 to continue the cycle and get a constant ammonia source or wait even longer?

 

[CezzaXV]

I would get some bottled ammonia and do it scientifically. There's no way you'll be cycled in a week. The fish food thing is okay in an emergency but it's no good for properly cycling a tank.

 

[flipnshi]

Okay was thinking bout adding a pleco and 2 tiger barbs from my 55 gallon once the temp reached 78ish heater off and top open now. Plecos can take the nitrite and nitrate levels if Im not mistaken. Just as the ammonia source. Btw my pleco is only 2 weeks old and already eating very small portions of cucumber strips. Thought they only did that when they got bigger. Hes only bout 2 1/2 inches as of now. The only reason i didnt use media from the 55 is it isnt fully cycled. Will update profile and get some pics up later today just new to this fish thing, new to the forum and been real busy with work. Will attempt to be more active and everybody loves pictures right?? lol

 

[smokeyjo]

Welcome to the forum. Yes I love to see photos pretty sure every1 else does too lol. Personally I'd get bottled ammonia its not worth putting the fish through the stress and chances are if the ammonia spikes again I'm not 100 percent if it can the fish will either die pretty quickly or they will suffer and in a few months die from ammonia poisoning. Don't quote me on this as I'm no expert at cycling but I'm just repeating what I've read in various places

 

[flipnshi]

I decided to transfer 4 tiger barbs and 3 angelfish. Did the test on the tanks and the 29 gallon was more suitable levels as both of my tanks are still cycling. Couldnt find the ammonia in Petco so gave up. Got some mardel biozyme to start the cycle over in the 55 gallon tank. The 29 tested out .25 ammonia, 2 for nitrites and nitrate is 20. The 55 gallon is ammonia .50 , 0 nitrites and only 5 on nitrate. Felt I needed to disperse the bio load. My father "had fish when he was younger" and bought some like 20 neons and some black neons. So my tank is shocking thru the cycle right now. Startin to keep a note pad and tracking both tanks conditions on a daily basis now. Will check it in the afternoon when I get home tommorrow from work.

 

[the_lock_man]

Plecos can take the nitrite and nitrate levels if Im not mistaken.

You are. Nitrite is highly toxic to fish.

I decided to transfer 4 tiger barbs and 3 angelfish. Did the test on the tanks and the 29 gallon was more suitable levels as both of my tanks are still cycling. Couldnt find the ammonia in Petco so gave up. Got some mardel biozyme to start the cycle over in the 55 gallon tank. The 29 tested out .25 ammonia, 2 for nitrites and nitrate is 20. The 55 gallon is ammonia .50 , 0 nitrites and only 5 on nitrate. Felt I needed to disperse the bio load. My father "had fish when he was younger" and bought some like 20 neons and some black neons. So my tank is shocking thru the cycle right now. Startin to keep a note pad and tracking both tanks conditions on a daily basis now. Will check it in the afternoon when I get home tommorrow from work.

You won't find the ammonia at Petco, but you will at Ace Hardware.

2ppm for nitrites is ridiculously high. Nitrite enters the bloodstream, and attaches to the haemoglobin, thus preventing oxygen from doing so. THus the fish is starved of oxygen.

I really believe you've made the wrong decision there. Of the two tanks, I feel the 55 is the more suited for fish, I strongly recommend that you transfer those fish back again and cycle the 29 fishlessly, like I said above Ace Hardware sell ammonia.

If you don't, then you need to be doing large wate changes on BOTH tanks daily. To get that nitrite down in the 29g, you need to change 90% of the water, then do exactly the same thing again. Your target then is to keep ammonia and nitrite levels as close to 0 at all times. THe "buffer zone" that is often recommended as a maximum is 0.25ppm, but this is still toxic, it's just that this level is recommended as the highest practical level, otherwise, you'd constantly be changing water. Have you read about the nitrogen cycle and fish-in cycling?