Please Please Give Me Your Opinon On What Is Happening In My Poor Tank

[This Old Spouse]

Okay, so about a 10g/40l. That helps.

I hear you about trying to keep a tank this small in top shape! My 55g is much easier to keep consistent. Then again, it took me 6 months to get it where it's supposed to be. But I think it will stay good now, especially thanks to all the help I get here!

 

[my-gourami-tried-to-eat-me]

Thank you Soy Bean! I have been wanting to get a few more neons because they look kinda lonely being only 3!

And thank you old spouse! I just read the link in your signature as well and found it very helpful.

Off to bed now, hopefully I can sleep better now with more knowledge to save my fishies!!

 

[my-gourami-tried-to-eat-me]

Just an update:

my water testing kit arrived today so I have just done a test - I didn't change the water at all yesterday because i was going on the advice of the lfs (which we have now decided is a bad idea!). After adding the cycling bacteria and stuff for the last week, i was expecting a bit of an improvement - hopefully the ammonia at 0, nitrite a bit lower and some high nitrates.

What I actually got:

ammonia: 0.25 (same as last time)

nitrite: 5.0 (same as last time)

nitrate: 5.0 (75 lower than last time!!!!)

With no water change I think this is insane!!! Please correct me if i am wrong but i thought the nitrogen cycle (in a simple explanation) converted ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate So surely my ammonia should go down first as my others rise? and my nitrate should be the last to spike!

any explanation? anyone?

Much love, and thanks for all your input

 

[This Old Spouse]

Just an update:

my water testing kit arrived today so I have just done a test - I didn't change the water at all yesterday because i was going on the advice of the lfs (which we have now decided is a bad idea!). After adding the cycling bacteria and stuff for the last week, i was expecting a bit of an improvement - hopefully the ammonia at 0, nitrite a bit lower and some high nitrates.

What "cycling bacteria and stuff" are you talking about??

 

[my-gourami-tried-to-eat-me]

its called stress zyme - it says it adds beneficial bacteria and speeds up the cycling process. by stuff I meant aqua safe, sorry.

 

[This Old Spouse]

I don't think they'll harm anything, but the only things that will add beneficial bacteria are weeks of cycling with ammonia, or mature media added to your filter.

Large water changes daily until your ammonia and nites are at 0 and your nates start to rise a bit.

 

[soybean]

Stop adding anything that says it speeds up your cycle - you may as well drop the money it cost to buy it straight into the tank, for all the good it'll do. Not every LFS gives out bad advice, but they do need to make money, and if they can sell you a Solution In A Bottle, most will.

Plants absorb nitrate, that's probably why the nitrate level has gone down. Really you need to concentrate on the ammonia and nitrite, they're the ones that cause problems. Nitrate isn't a problem for fish unless it's at a very high level.

Like said before, test results will fluctuate, and then level themselves out.

Carry on as you are. Test the water and do a water change daily, you just need to keep those Am and Nitrite readings as low as you can for the benefit of your fish.