Important Cycling Question - Please Help!!! ASAP

[D-Bak]

I am also currently fish cycling a ten gallon tank.... and i had just about the same amount of knowledge as you do now 3 weeks ago when i started....

Just rememeber to ask every question you can think of on this site and you will be amazed how much you learn.....

As far as the water changes... I have been doing 10 percent every day to try to eliminate a spike of any kind and it has been working very well.... so what i do is fill up a gallon jug of water.... treat it... and then the next day after i get back from work i use that water for the replacement... and as soon as i am done.... i fill it back up, treat it.. and wait for tomarrow to roll around... I have found that the water is almost the exact same temperature as the water I am taking out... which is a neccessity in order not to shock the fish...

I haven't swept the gravel yet, but just in case you dont know, you will need a python (mechanical) or just a regular syphon (non mechanical) to do this. Neither are that expensive and the syphon runs for about 5 bucks at the store. After you get that then you can kill two birds with one stone. You get all of the access waste off of the bottom, and remove as much water as you want....

Hope this helps and dnt forget to ask about anything else you are curious about... the inormation accessable on this site is truly amazing....

 

[Akysten]

If I were you, I would do at least a 15% water change(to be safe) and get test kits NOW! If you detect Ammonia higher than 2.0(assuming ph7 and 77degrees) do a 10-15% water change, but not more than once per day.

The good news is that at PH 7 and a 77 degrees, your fish can survive up to 3.0ppm ammonia.... not that you would want it to get that high but some news is good news. As PH and temps drop, ammonia is more tolerable, as they rise, it become less tolerable. See chart belowm numbers are Ammonia PPM(credit to thekrib.com). If your numbers approach these take Emergency action!

Water Temperature
pH (68F) (77F)
_________________________________
6.5 15.4 11.1
7.0 5.0 3.6
7.5 1.6 1.2
8.0 0.5 0.4
8.5 0.2 0.1




Also, Bio Spira can help jumpstart the process. Ideally, if you add this with your fish, dangerous spikes are averted as the bacteria will start the cycle AS the ammonia is being produced. Since you already have a substantial amount of ammonia, your benifit will be in jumpstarting the nitrite AND nitrate portions of the cycle, cutting down total cycle time.. possibly by weeks. Results to vary, but in your situation, it may be worth it. For a 29g, a 1oz pack should do, but you can't overdose! It will work, but remember, if needs to be handled properly... so keeping it refrigerated is important, and do not use it along with any ammonia detox products... other than the initial use of a dechloriator such as BioSafe or Prime.

 

[Blaizze]

Well I don't have a ride to the pet store today... now I'm worried

One guppy didn't survive the night... the one staying close to the bottom... the rest of the fish look fine so far.

My pump is pumping in two hoses with air right now for oxygen.

Problem is I don't have a marked bucket to tell how many gallons I'm removing and I need to purchase a syphon and testing kits. I tried to put some water in last night and remove a bit, but only put in half of what I removed because it was too difficult to tell. It also appeared to drive the fish crazy when I changed it, they were frantically swimming around afterwards along the windows etc.. for awhile ... I put aqua plus in both it and the tank.

Worried for my fish if I can't get a ride today... I know tommorow I will have one but that might be too late? They look healthy currently... :/

 

[TheZoo]

do another water change. Id do it after somehting dies, for sure. Do you ave anything you can use as a siphon? A longish flexible (clean) hose? If not, just scoop out water, but get a siphon for sure for poop removal. Scoop into a bucket/bowl/plastic container, dump, refil container however many times you filled it - use your water conditioner, try to have temps very similar. You can eyeball the amount youre removing, look at your tank and draw an imaginary line at the halfway mark. If you remove water down to there, thats about a 50% water change.

 

[Akysten]

Did we forget to mention that the water needs to be a similar temp to what's aready in the ttank?

It's save to guess in this scenario... do you have a measuring cup in the kitchen? 2 cups? It will take a while, but 8 of these would be a gallon. Refilling is the EASY part.. fill it up to wherever you want. You can also eyeball what you're taking out. Guestimate about 1/5th of the tank.

Items like Prime or other dechlorinators often detox the ammonia... into a form not harmful to fish. This can hurt your tank cycle though.

 

[Goatman]

Prime and Amquel do not alter how a cycle works. NH3 (the bad ammonia), and NH4+ (the not-bad ammonia) are both consumed by the bacteria that reduce ammonia to nitrite.

 

[Roan Art]

I also use a python and highly recomend it

but i just add water treatment for the water im replacing.Is this wrong ??
anyone else >>??

Treat for the whole tank if you are using a Python.

Roan

 

[Lorazoo]

Treat for the whole tank if you are using a Python.

Roan

Is there any reason why? I have a 120. Treating the whole tank every time i do a water change will get a bit exspensive. I have been treating for just the water replaced and haven't seen any adverse reactions so far.

 

[Roan Art]

Is there any reason why?

When you add the dechlor to the tank it becomes dilluted with the existing water. If you treat for the whole tank then there is enough there to ensure that there is enough dechlor in the water to handle the new water you are putting in.

AND. . and the instructions on my bottle say so

I have a 120. Treating the whole tank every time i do a water change will get a bit exspensive.

Ugh. What kind of dechlor are you using that you need that much? I have a 1 gallon bottle of Prime that I use for all my tanks -- 3 75gs, 65g, blah it's all in my sig. I've had this bottle for at least six MONTHS and it's not even half gone. I do 2 x 50% water changes on all my rainbowfish tanks per week and 1 x 50% on all the other tanks. 1 capful of the 1 gallon jug treats 100 gallons.

I have been treating for just the water replaced and haven't seen any adverse reactions so far.

It probably depends on how much water you are replacing. I do 50% or more every time.

Roan