Hi all!
I'm new to the fish hobby. I upgraded my five gallon aquarium with two cory catfish to a ten gallon 5 days ago and have been doing all of the research I can with the help of a local aquarium store and the internet about water chemestry and keeping my fish as happy and healthy as possible.
When I got the ten gallon, I transferred the gravel and decor from the five gallon into the ten without rinsing it in order to keep the bacteria. I didn't keep the filter media because I didn't learn of keeping it until after I already put it into the garbage. My mistake! Regardless, after I set up the ten gallon, I tested my water and surprisingly found the water levels where they should be, except the pH was 6.4. I read that that level was ok for my corys, so I wasn't too concerned. I added "Proper pH 7.0" buffer and "Cycle" into the water.
Two days later, I went to the aquarium store and asked if they thought my tank was ready for new fish. They said that as long as the levels were ok to go for it! I wanted just a couple fish so that my tank wouldn't go into a mini-cycle. When looking for fish I wanted, the guy at the store suggested a Pleco bottomfeeder to keep algae in check. I agreed then decided to go for two Congo Tetras. The guy put three in the bag. I said, "Hold on, I asked for only two." He said, "I'm giving you one for free." I asked, "But won't that throw off my water levels?" He shook his head and said, "Naaah." So, I left with a total of four fish.
I checked the water levels when I put the fish in, and everything was slightly off. The ammonia was at .25, the Nitrate was at 5.0, the pH was at 6.6, and the nitrite was at 0 ppm.
I just checked the levels right now (two days later after I put them in), and everything is getting worse.
Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: .25
pH: 6.6
Nitrate: 10
It's normal for the levels to get out of wack after adding new fish, right? Obviously, I added too many fish at once, so the cycle started again, correct? Is 6 fish too many for my ten gallon? Is there anything I could do to help or quicken the cycle or should I let it stablize on it's own?
Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it!
~Courtney
I'm new to the fish hobby. I upgraded my five gallon aquarium with two cory catfish to a ten gallon 5 days ago and have been doing all of the research I can with the help of a local aquarium store and the internet about water chemestry and keeping my fish as happy and healthy as possible.
When I got the ten gallon, I transferred the gravel and decor from the five gallon into the ten without rinsing it in order to keep the bacteria. I didn't keep the filter media because I didn't learn of keeping it until after I already put it into the garbage. My mistake! Regardless, after I set up the ten gallon, I tested my water and surprisingly found the water levels where they should be, except the pH was 6.4. I read that that level was ok for my corys, so I wasn't too concerned. I added "Proper pH 7.0" buffer and "Cycle" into the water.
Two days later, I went to the aquarium store and asked if they thought my tank was ready for new fish. They said that as long as the levels were ok to go for it! I wanted just a couple fish so that my tank wouldn't go into a mini-cycle. When looking for fish I wanted, the guy at the store suggested a Pleco bottomfeeder to keep algae in check. I agreed then decided to go for two Congo Tetras. The guy put three in the bag. I said, "Hold on, I asked for only two." He said, "I'm giving you one for free." I asked, "But won't that throw off my water levels?" He shook his head and said, "Naaah." So, I left with a total of four fish.
I checked the water levels when I put the fish in, and everything was slightly off. The ammonia was at .25, the Nitrate was at 5.0, the pH was at 6.6, and the nitrite was at 0 ppm.
I just checked the levels right now (two days later after I put them in), and everything is getting worse.
Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: .25
pH: 6.6
Nitrate: 10
It's normal for the levels to get out of wack after adding new fish, right? Obviously, I added too many fish at once, so the cycle started again, correct? Is 6 fish too many for my ten gallon? Is there anything I could do to help or quicken the cycle or should I let it stablize on it's own?
Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it!
~Courtney
