okay....help me out here

[beabroca]

I recently moved my goldfish into they're much nicer bigger [90g] tank. The filter I bought is a emperor 400 and I have loaded it with 2 of the regular filter cartridges and 2 self-filled ammonia-carbon remover stuff.

It only has 1 live plant in it planted. [not sure name]
and the other live plant is just a bundle that was bought for them to eat and they never touched.

OKay. It has been set up and the fish have been in it since july 29th.
I didnt want to put the fish in as soon as I set up but either they die from the small tank they were in or the suffer through a cycle in a much bigger tank. Either way it was a chance and I chose that this would be better...they were getting so big and messy i was doing water changes twice a day and the water was still clouded and they were getting sick after sick after sick. You get the point.

So its been 11 days now since theyve been in this tank, they seemed soo much happier. was doing daily 25% water changes, still am.
But i keep getting spikes. I test every day [with a liquid test kit]
the Ph is 7.6...need to figure out how to lower it a bit.
Ammonia .25 or below always never a prob with it [serious prob] surprisingly.
but..the
nitrates are 10 as of 5 minutes ago
but the nitrites are 0...normally they are slightly higher.

I tested the water right in the middle of this post so these results are very accurate as of now.

I know the tank has to re-cycle. ...i wouldve put the sponge in from the other tank but this was a different type of filter and i wasnt sure how to do it the right way. so i didnt wash any of the decorations and added them all to the new tank hoping that they would help, also all the bio-balls from the old tank as well.

A couple of my more fancy fish are either bottom sitting or top floating and im seeing 2 of them definitly yawn. Im changing the water daily to get them through the cycle with as little damage as possable.

Is there a way i could speed this up, or help make the fish feel a bit better?

I dont want to lose any fish. And I hate to see them sit on the bottom the way they have been doing.
Im sorry for this dreadfully long post btw...

any suggestions.


oh and how long is a cycle last....with a well-stocked tank...not overstocked and not understocked.

[beabroca]

hmmm BUMPIDY bump

[Flaringshutter]

Since you're seeing nitrates and not nitrites, with low ammonia, I think you're well into a cycle. Especially since you moved over the bio-balls. That moved most of your bacteria into the new tank and your numbers are telling me you're cycling nicely. I would continue with the 25% water changes. Dont mess with the pH, a 7.6 is fine for goldfish and if you try to lower it further you might cause it to crash or spike, and that would be disastrous. It's totally fine where it is now.
I think you're doing everything right, just continue with the water changes and keep us updated on the tank. :)

[beabroca]

oh thank you. I didnt know what good cycling numbers where.

So the bottom sitters or top floaters are they just alittle stressed from the cycle?

how do i know when something is too much??
because i tested once one day and the nitrates where spiked high.
I was worried.

[geekboy]

I agree that the PH is no problem, and you shouldn't try to change it. My goldfish have spent years in tapwater with a PH between 8 and 8.2. It's more about keeping it steady vs. having an ideal value.

As far as "how much is too much?":
Ammonia: quickly becomes toxic. Should be kept as close to zero as possible, and should stay there once tank is cycled. Fish may withstand a small amount (< 0.5ppm) temporarily, but for long-term cases or larger amounts, I'd suggest a treatment to "detoxify" the ammonia such as Ammo-Lock or Prime. These don't remove the ammonia, but can help the fish cope until it is removed either by cycling bacteria or water changes.
Nitrite: Even more toxic than ammonia. Any detectable amount is potentially harmful. Fish can be given some temporary resistance by adding aquarium salt. No treatment available except for water changes.
Nitrate: Relatively harmless. This is the final waste product, which poses no immediate threat aside from an "unclean" effect in the tank. May cause algae problems in excess. Large amounts may still lead to health problems for the fish -- though a spike is hardly a death sentence. For long term care, an upper limit of 40ppm is often quoted. Nitrates are removed through water changes and by aquarium plants.

[sirtanon]

I'd say that since you've got such a big tank, why not make good use of the space..

.. go out and pick up a bunch of plants and add them to your tank. They'll make it look better, take out lots of the nitrates, and ultimately give the fish some cover.

I've got 5 plants in my 29 so far, and there's still tons of space for more - With a 90 gallon, you should have space for tons of plants, which will really help keep the tank 'clean.'

[1oooop]

I have heard that ammonia remover actually causes a mini-cycle because it starves the bacteria for an extended period of time...

maybe you wanna pick out the ammonia remover?

[beabroca]

i have ammo lock, but have had no luck with it when i bought it for another tank. So i will not use it again. the ammonia is not to high and im doing the water changes.

It does have tons of plants.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3/BeaRogers/IMG_0859.jpg

But the two live plants are slowly being eaten away. Only two of the 7 like them.
Im hoping that since its been almost 2 weeks , things will remain constantly getting better.

Im worried That the nitrites keep going up. But that can be controled by water changes so ill keep doing them.