Cycling and worms

L

lvnoahsark

AC Members
Jul 14, 2006
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Hi

Long story short: Set up a 10g tank about 10 weeks ago and put a betta in it (w/o cycling...didnt know about it). Read up about cycling, got test kit and did frequent water changes to keep ammonia down. After 6 weeks no nitrites and high ammonia still. Betta had torn fins so I put him into a vase until I figure out the tank situation (hes not very happy about that...) That was about 2.5 weeks ago.

Four days ago I tested for ammonia (.50), nitrites (.50) and nitrates (5.0). The next day the readings were the same but there were no nitrites. I know I need to get an ammonia source or the bacteria would die. I cant find any pure clear ammonia so started using a pinch of flakes every day (started yesterday). and today I noticed small orange worms (possibly nematodes) all over the tank...due to the uneaten food??? I want to get rid of them but dont want to get rid of the good bacteria either by gravel vacuuming...what should I do? Thanks for the advice and sorry about the long post.
 
what's the tank set up?
type filter, heater etc.

after 6 weeks you should already have bacteria that should consume ammonia. something is amiss here.
 
What if ivsnoahark has chloramines in his/her water? So, he/she treats for chlorine and the remaining ammonia goes into the tank... if there is enough of it, perhaps this is problem?

At this point, don't worry about the worms. Keep adding pinch of food and let the tank sit.

Change most of the water in the betta vase every day. Use a good water conditioner, like Prime or Amquel+.

Tell us about your water changes and if your tap has chlorine/chloramines. What kind of filter, does this tank have live plants in it? Etc.

Cathy
 
I have a ten gallon tank with a tetra whisper 10 power filter, a submergable heater and the temp around 80 degrees. I dont use tap water so chlorine an chloramines would not be the problem. I let the tank sit for the six weeks without seeing nitrites because I know with only a betta in there the cycle would be long. Water changes were no more then 40% to keep the ammonia down. Then I noticed the output from the filter wasnt as strong as it should be so I did change the bio-bag around week 9ish. I kept the sponge in (not even moving it) and I also had put another sponge in the output spout for more places for bacteria to grow around week 2 (didnt move that one either). A few days after I changed the bio-bag, I noticed the nitrites. No live plants in the tank, only about 5 or 6 fake ones.


I change Fred's water every other day and even though he doesnt have his "kingdom"...he is a happy and healthy fishy...I make sure of that.
 
This is very strange... what water do you use if not tap? Do you buy water somewhere, and more importantly - have you tested that water before you use it, perhaps there is something in that water...

I have Whisper 10 filters too, that spongy thing should be very well seeded by now. The other weird thing is that your betta could produce enough ammonia to get to that 4th level. How much do you feed him? They really only need 1-2 flakes per feeding, and really only once/twice a day. If you have been really over feeding, that could raise your ammonia levels I suppose. But, still, after all this time I would have thought the bacteria would have developed.

Just out of curiosity, why don't you use tap water? And, if I understand you correctly, you have 4ppm ammonia even after 40% water changes. How many times have you changed your water in that 10g? This is strange.

Cathy
 
Sorry for the confusion...The ammonia wouldnt stay at 4ppm after the water changes. Thats why I thought it would be a long cycle due to the frequent water changes and the low output of ammonia from the betta. I feed him two pellets in the morning and two in the evening with the exception of twice a week a few frozen bloodworms twice a week, a few flakes once a week (each replacing the pellets in the evening). I also fast him the day after the flakes.

I do use bottled water (not distilled). Im not really sure why I use bottled water... I dont think there is anything in the bottled water that would kill the bacteria though. What would I test for and how do i test for it?

Im not sure how many times I have done water changes...I probably killed alot of the bacteria since there was not a direct source of ammonia for 2.5 weeks. Could the clogged filter bag have something to do with it also?

I think Im on the right track as ammonia is rising (now 1ppm). Do I need to do any water changes or just let it sit and cycle? Does the light being on help the bacteria grow (read that somewhere).

Thanks!
 
Oh and I forgot...I will test my tap water and see what the parameters are. IS there any special way to acclimate the betta from bottled water to conditioned tap water if my tap is of ok parameters? I will do my own research also but i would like your experienced opinions. Thanks!
 
Find out how different the waters are - gh/kn wise.

I'd mix 25% tap with 75% bottled and do a big -50% water change. Then I'd do a 50/50 mix and do another water change the next day or so. Then 25% bottled to 75% tap. You see how this is going. If your bottled and tap are very very different, slow the switch down by doing more 50/50's a few times before that last change.

Be sure to use a good water conditioner on the tap water - find a product that get's rid of chlorine and chloramines.

I wouldn't do anything to the 10g now except add a bit of food once a day. You can change the charcoal filter bag, but don't rinse off that spongy thing. The bacteria will grow on the surfaces of your plants, on the gravel and in your filter box. Once you get to 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrites, you can do a 50% water change with conditioned water. At that point, lightly vaccuum your gravel. Then wait 24 hours, test to make sure all is at 0, except nitrates of course. Then slowly acclimate the betta back into his palace. Do 25% water changes every week.

I don't think I'd bother keeping the light on while cycling. Also, during the cycling you can bump up the temp to 86 or 88. THis speeds up the growth of the bacteria. BUT be sure to turn it back down to keep the tank at 80 for the betta.

Good Luck,
Cathy
Cathy
 
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Thank you soooo much for the thorough reply. I have been feeding my tank every day...the ammonia spiked at 1 and now it is at 0, however I have never seen any nitrites. The nitrites continue to be 0. The Nitrates are 10ppm. I did bump the temp to 86 so the bacteria would grow faster. I will do a 50% water change and test my water to see what the parameters are at.

Is it alright that I have never seen nitrites this time around?
 
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