Tank Issue

[Hungriee]

One of my smaller tanks (5 gallon) I started a new tank with fish for about 5-6 weeks. At first I used it to just separate fish due to illness. For now, the fish is doing well but, the tank has ammonia readings of 1.0 nitrite of 0 and nitrates of 0 and ph of 6.5. My tank has never cycled; right now what is the best way to cycle the tank where I can continue to keep the fish in the tank. Should i add pure ammonia into the tank ? or is this already too late? How can I increase the nitrate level faster?

The fish in the tank is doing well - swims happily and hasn't looked stress at all. Sometimes I do see it sitting on teh bottom of tank not moving thinking it died but I think it was sleeping since I feed him he is active again. How should I finish this fish cycle? I know I messed up already.. now what?

I do 50% wc every morning but the ammonia isnt going down. im thinking i dont have enough bacteria. I was told stress zyme would do, but I added some but nothing has changed. Any more ideas?

[Sploke]

If you have other tanks, take out some filter media from one of them and float it in the 5gal for a while or just squeeze it out really well, that will help to seed the filter. Stress-zyme is garbage...the only off-the-shelf product that might help is bio-spira. But, if you have other tanks running you already have the bacteria, so just use that.

[khombre]

Keep up with the water changes for now. You can do more than 1 50% water change per day to keep the levels down. Do not put pure ammonia in that tank while the fish is in there. As sploke said.. you can use filter media from an establish tank to seed it with the bacteria. And do not use stress zyme, pretty useless. If you decide to buy biospira make sure its refrigerated.

Good luck :)

[leocom2000]

hmm Amonia 1.0... You have had a good advice already. I just would like to add: make shure your filter has anough surface area and keep feeding to minimum.

[Marinemom]

I would definitetly recommend using media from an already established tank if it is at all possible. If not the Bio-Spira is the same thing. Also forget the stress zyme. It is worthless and I don't understand why this is still recommended for cycling tanks. When I worked in an aquarium shop, I always told my customers not to use it even though the management would tell them otherwise. I am not sure if it is a money thing or if it is some old habits are hard to break.

Marinemomit