Test for Chlorine

Impudence12

Impudence12

Broke Aquarist
Jul 3, 2007
300
1
0
Charlotte, NC
It's coming on 2 weeks (13 days) of my fishy cycling. I know my water has chloramine in it. Since the start I've used the recommended dose of prime (more like a drop more cus I'm paranoid) I have a decent amount of plants and 2 rosy barbs happily swiming around. I've been told the first part of they cycle takes 1-3 weeks. In the morning I do about a 40% water change, then later in the day a 20% one, maybe twice. The ammonia is always a greenish shade somewhere around .25 and .50. The colors are so similar it's just looking green to me now. Most of the time I think its less than the .25 shade. I'm under the impression I'm doing everything I can to keep it right. I'm just getting more paranoid as the days go by. What is the chance that there is still chlorine killing whatever nitrifying bacteria is showing up? Should I get a chlorine test to check to make sure?
 
if your using prime, then there is no chance that there is chlorine/chloramine killing anything off, if used as per the instructions for removing chloramine.

in doing so, prime will also break the bond of chlorine and ammonia, removing the chlorine, and detoxifying the ammonia left behind, allowing it to be useful to the cycle.

your ammonia level should be around 1 - 1.5 ppm for your cycle to go anywhere.
 
I'm not sure what readings are available on your kit, nor do I know what size tank you have. I'm wondering if you're not seeing any ammonia at all, which wouldn't be surprising with plants and a small fish load in a decent sized tank. Plants will take up ammonia over nitrite and nitrate. If this is occuring your tank will still cycle, just slower and much easier on the fish. What you'll need to watch for is nitrite. Depending on nutrient levels and plant growth, the plants may continue consuming new ammonia in competition with the nitrifying bacteria leaving the nitrite in the water. If this occurs the nitrite will spike and cycle as normal without ever achieving any measurable ammonia levels.
 
I definitly have ammonia levels. I have an API test thing. It's just yellow green vs green yellow as the colors for .25 and .50 and after awhile it all looks the same.

No cycling thing, rather no fish in cycling thing mentions what is too much ammonia for fish. I've seen .25 ppms written in places. I haven't found a cycling guide that suggests to keep the ammonia at 1-1.5ppms (besides the 4ppms for fishless) I technically don't have any solid text to say that the ammonia has to be at a certain ammount to have the cycle start, but from my basic knowledge of how bacteria works I don't think bacteria would avoid an area with any ammount of food they could use.

Is there something, or someone, else to corroborate the 1 ppm for ammonia advice?
 
Last edited:
If your using prime then theres no chlorine.

i'd say maybe within the week hopefully, the nitrite will start to show up and the ammonia will begin to go down.

what size tank? and only 2 rosy barbs in it?

maybe try getting a packet of biospira to boost your cycle along.

Keep up with those water changes and dosing of prime.
 
it's only a 15 gallon (Altho I'm quite sure there's not more than 11 gallons in it) 20x10x18 15 Tall I think is what it's called.

A side note, to add more fish, should I wait until the complete cycle is done, or add a couple more fish after the ammonia is down to 0 and repeat as the bacteria catches up to the fish bioload?
 
definately do not add anythign until the ammonia and nitrite are both down to zero for a few days.
 
I agree with dave. Wait until the cycle is complete to add anything else. You have more than enough to cycle the tank and adding more will cause higher ammonia and nitrite spikes.

I give you a thumbs up on the plants. They help a lot with the ammonia portion of the cycle. If the tank is large enough and the fish small enough you can even get lucky and cycle with no measurable ammonia.
 
Just so you know...the breaking down of chloramine produces a little bit of ammonia, but Prime keeps that ammonia (and some of the ammonia produced by the fish) in it's less toxic form. It will still show up on your ammonia tests, and bacteria can still eat it.

Keep up the good work. ^^
 
The bacteria that consumes nitrites into nitrates, does that step of the cycle takes another 1-3 weeks? Nobody seems to ever want to touch on how long the various parts of the cycle take, just the 4-6 weeks for the whole thing.
I knew about the chloramine ammonia thing, that's how I figured out I had chloramine instead of just chlorine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom