Not the optimal cycling situation; next step?

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alli13zeal

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Sep 27, 2007
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Alright, here is my situation:
I started my first tank about 3 to 4 weeks ago. Previous to that I had only owned a betta in a 1 gallon bowl, no filtration, etc. Well to get set up I went to the small LFS that I worked at as a cashier for a short amount of time.. hoping that they would be more helpful because of this. I think it's also important to point out that I didn't find this forum until after I got fish. So I ended up going the fishy cycling route simply because I did not know there was another alternative. On top of that, after telling the lfs employee (and one of the managers) the fish I was hoping to eventually have in the tank she suggested I go with the cory cats saying that "they're pretty hardy." To clarify, she knew it was a new tank. I have sinced learned that cories are a pretty poor choice for a cycling tank.

As of now, my water levels are: ammonia .8-1.0 ppm; nitrites: 0; nitrates: 5-10 ppm; pH: right around 7, maybe 7.2. (all with API liquid freshwater test kit)
I have one amazon sword, one small java fern (which brought in pond snails, I left only 2 small ones in the tank), w/a 15 watt fluorescent aquarium lamp (sufficient for the 15 gallon?), and a penn-plax cascade 400 internal canister filter. The tank is kept at 79/80 degrees.
The water conditioner that I'm currently using is Kent's ammonia detox. I was previously overfeeding but have since last week have cut back to one shrimp pellet every other day (for 3 cories)

For the past week and a half I've been doing daily or every other day 20% water changes. One employee at a different fish store told me that when I'm waiting for the bacteria to establish I shouldn't vacuum the gravel.. but he also told me no water changes for a few weeks which seems wrong...

So my questions are:
Where in the cycling process am I? I have read through a bunch of different posts, articles, etc but am still slightly confused.
I should be doing frequent water changes at this point, right? Especially with the cories?
Should I be vacuuming the gravel?
Is it completely irresponsible to keep the cories in there or will they be Ok with a lot of water changes?

The cory cats look healthy overall, very active, eating.. only thing I noticd is that their barbels are short which I presume is from living in a cycling tank. Argh... sure would have been nice if they had told me they aren't good for cycling... i still would have bought fish from them, just different ones! I'm not particularly into torturing my adorable fish :shakehead:. So any advice would be really really great!
 

StereoKills

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Sep 10, 2007
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Well, your lighting is not bright enough. You're running 1 wpg and lowlight plants (like your java) usually need 2-3 wpg. You definatly want to keep up on the water changes. With plants it's sometimes hard to tell where in the cycle you are. Usually you do a silent cycle, but with that few plants I'm not sure. I'd lower the temp by 1-2 degrees as well. As for your cories barbels, if you have a really rough substrate that can shorten them.
 

msjinkzd

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i keep java fern, lace fern, anacharis, moss, anubias and african fern all in less than 1 wpg with no issues.
That being said, you want to do as many water changes as you need to to keep the ammonia levels as low as possible. I would do gravel vacs because uneaten food in the substrate will elevate ammonia levels. Next in your cycle, i believe and someone correct me if I am wrong, you should see the ammonia drop off and you will have a nitrite spike....once you have 0 ammo 0 trites, and some trates you are cycled. Good luck!
 

alli13zeal

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So then once I get a nitrite spike I just continue to do really regular testing and water changes until they start to turn into nitrates? Hmm.. does it make sense for my water to have some ammonia and nitrates but no nitrites? When I had my water tested at a lfs (they used the liquid test) it also showed up that way...

And stereokills, what does lowering the temp do?

Thanks!
 

StereoKills

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Sep 10, 2007
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correct, you still want to do testing and changes until (and i usually go a little longer) its converting it to nitrate. I have a little less than 10ppm nitrates in my tap water, so it's not odd to see them. As for the temp, it's a matter of preferance really and what your fish like. I usually only go up to 80 or so when treating for ich.
 

alli13zeal

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also, I've read conflicting things about water conditioners that detox the ammonia (like the Kent's ammonia detox that i'm using). Should a cycling tank use them or does it starve the bacteria that I want to develop?

I swear I only have a million questions left :hypnotized:
 

msjinkzd

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most people here use prime, the water conditioner does not starve the bacteria, it converts the ammonia to a non-toxic form. I am not familiar with the product you are using, most people on this site recommend seachem prime. As far as your readings, it may be useful for you to know what is coming out of your tap...I would test the tap water, its possible the nitrates you are seeing are from the tap, not your cycle. If you are testing for ph of tap let the water sit out for 24 hours before testing. Hope this helps.
 

silentskream

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conditioners that "detoxifies ammonia" actually turns it into ammonium which is LESS toxic to fish, but still a food source for the bacteria.
 

alli13zeal

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Sep 27, 2007
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Thanks for all of the input. Um another question, if it were possible to get the "filter squeezings" that I see mentioned frequently in other posts from an established source would that be worth a try? Or would that complicate things at this point and possible stress the fish more if it is a bad source. AHH as soon as I ask one question another one pops into my head.
 
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