You are doing exactly what you need to do. You have a pretty hefty bio-load in that 20 gallon tank, especially for being un-cycled. It generally takes anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks to fully cycle a tank (considering normal conditions, stocking, feeding). I personally would cut down to VERY light feeding (make sure each fish gets a flake/pellet or two) until the cycle is complete. With your fish load, you may have to keep doing these daily partial water changes for a couple more weeks. Don't skimp on the water quality, or fish may get stressed and sick and make things worse! I'd even upgrade to daily 50% water changes if the pH of the tap water is close to the tank's. This is why people suggest slowly stocking a tank. I'm glad you decided to ask questions, though.
Water Quality Question
- Thread starter Drakerizzo
- Start date
Sumpin'fishy, thank you for the information.
Since I detected the nitrite level increasing from 0 to .25 ppm I immediately decreased the amount of food I provide (my only concern is the julii's as the danios are very aggressive at feeding time).
With respect to PH levels, the tank PH is 7.4 - 7.8 and the tap water tests closer to the 7.4.
As far as the bio load I was under the impression that I could add fish on a weekly basis. What I did was add 6 giant danios after I week of set-up, a week later I added the 2 keyholes and a week later I added the julii's. I take it I went too far to fast, your thoughts.
Regards,
Since I detected the nitrite level increasing from 0 to .25 ppm I immediately decreased the amount of food I provide (my only concern is the julii's as the danios are very aggressive at feeding time).
With respect to PH levels, the tank PH is 7.4 - 7.8 and the tap water tests closer to the 7.4.
As far as the bio load I was under the impression that I could add fish on a weekly basis. What I did was add 6 giant danios after I week of set-up, a week later I added the 2 keyholes and a week later I added the julii's. I take it I went too far to fast, your thoughts.
Regards,
You know the saying: "the proof is in the pudding"? There is a flawless way to tell if you are stocking too quickly. It is to use test kits. If you have detectable ammonia or nitrite, then you need to get things under control, then let them remain there for a week to be sure (my opinion), then continue stocking in the same way.
In non-planted tanks, I always fishless cycle. The only time I don't do a fishless cycle is if I have some type of emergency quarantine, but I use a 35 gallon Rubbermaid tub for that. Right now I have eight Neon Tetras in that Rubbermaid being quarantined. I am saving my regular quarantine tank (10 gallon, fully cycled) for other fish that I sould have already received, but they haven't come in yet
Eight 1/2" Neons in approx 30 gallons of water is my idea of light stocking until cycled. I still do 5 gallon water changes every 2 or 3 days, vaccuming any debris.
It works better if you have some gravel/filter media from an aged tank (well established) to start your cycle with. When you start with nothing, bacteria has to find it's own way into your tank environment (air, hands, tools, etc.) When you start with a small colony (doesn't take much), they can multiply faster and things will be drastically increased. You will have different types of bacteria already starting your tank off. I'm not getting into the Nitrobacter, Nitrosomonas, etc. discussion, but WHATEVER bacteria (plural) are are responsible for nitrification can supposedly double their colonies in about a 1 1/2 days (average tank parameters). I don't know the exact figures, just that it's quite fast when you have a small colony vs 1 individual.
Keep up your water changes, and learn from this experience. You will be all the wiser for your experience.
In non-planted tanks, I always fishless cycle. The only time I don't do a fishless cycle is if I have some type of emergency quarantine, but I use a 35 gallon Rubbermaid tub for that. Right now I have eight Neon Tetras in that Rubbermaid being quarantined. I am saving my regular quarantine tank (10 gallon, fully cycled) for other fish that I sould have already received, but they haven't come in yet
Eight 1/2" Neons in approx 30 gallons of water is my idea of light stocking until cycled. I still do 5 gallon water changes every 2 or 3 days, vaccuming any debris.It works better if you have some gravel/filter media from an aged tank (well established) to start your cycle with. When you start with nothing, bacteria has to find it's own way into your tank environment (air, hands, tools, etc.) When you start with a small colony (doesn't take much), they can multiply faster and things will be drastically increased. You will have different types of bacteria already starting your tank off. I'm not getting into the Nitrobacter, Nitrosomonas, etc. discussion, but WHATEVER bacteria (plural) are are responsible for nitrification can supposedly double their colonies in about a 1 1/2 days (average tank parameters). I don't know the exact figures, just that it's quite fast when you have a small colony vs 1 individual.
Keep up your water changes, and learn from this experience. You will be all the wiser for your experience.
if your worried about the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels shooting up to much due to a newly cycling tank with a heavy initial stock you could always go buy some bio-spira and pitch it in there
Rich,Sumpin'fishy & everyone else,
Thank you for the information and feed back.
I will continue to do daily and if necessary twice daily until things get to acceptable levels.
I will let everyone know how it's going.
Thanks!
Thank you for the information and feed back.
I will continue to do daily and if necessary twice daily until things get to acceptable levels.
I will let everyone know how it's going.
Thanks!
You mentioned the danios eat the food really fast before the cories get it. Do you have a sinking pellet food for your cories? They really need a sinking food such as shrimp pellets etc... as there often isn't enough flake food making it down to them.
Congrats on being willing to learn and on doing as many water changes as you need to keep those fish healthy.
Congrats on being willing to learn and on doing as many water changes as you need to keep those fish healthy.
**Update**
Good evening,
So after a week of twice daily water changes I have seen no change in ammonia readings (1-2 ppm) and now my nitrites have lowered to 0 ppm.
How can I judge where I am in the cycle process?
Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated.
Good evening,
So after a week of twice daily water changes I have seen no change in ammonia readings (1-2 ppm) and now my nitrites have lowered to 0 ppm.
How can I judge where I am in the cycle process?
Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated.
Its extreamly hard to tell when your cycle is nearing the end or whatever. All I can say is keep up those water changes. Do whatever you must to get them down to an acceptable (but normal) range for this stage of the game you are in. Evidentally, things are starting to happen because the nitrites are at 0. Do you have any nitrates? This is when you know things are starting to really take off!
aquariumfishguy,
Appreciate the feed back but unfortunately my test kit does not include a test for nitrates.
Something I guess I need to look into.
Appreciate the feed back but unfortunately my test kit does not include a test for nitrates.
Something I guess I need to look into.
Ammonia (NH3) is much more toxic than Nitrite (NO2). In an acidic enviroment a given percentage of the ammonia will become ammonium (NH4+). Ammonium is more or less non-toxic. Ammonia is dangerous and .5 to 1 ppm isn't a trace amount.
When your tapwater comes out of the faucet it is holding a lot of gasses in suspension that will offgas after a little bit of time. One of them — CO2 — lowers the pH a bit. You'll sometimes see recommendations to let your tap sit overnight before testing it. Thats why your getting the fluctuation in the pH.
I've always liked the FAQ at theKrib. In their Cycling article they have a section on How Much Ammonia is too Much? At 77 deg F they recommend 1.2 ppm as an upper threshold at a pH of 7.5 and .4 ppm as an upper threshold for pH 8. Since you're somewhere in the middle, I'd try to stay south of .5 ppm and be sure to stay south of 1. If you're starting to see regular nitrites you might be about halfway through.
Water changes are the muscle way to accomplish this. They work and they won't slow down your cycle. Going light with the food is also helpful here. The amount of ammonia is directly related to the amount of food the fish are metabolising. Most of us tend to overfeed. Fish are cold-blooded and don't need to drive an internal furnace the way we do. They don't need a lot in general. At a time like this a little too little is much better than a little too much. That said, I'm sure the cories would appreciate some sinking pellets.
Your pretty much fully stocked now. That whole weekly business is for after your cycled. Fishless is ideal (no one gets hurt). If you're going to go fishy, you'd normally get a small hardy population like Sumpin' mentioned and then add to that after the cycle was completed a little at a time so as not to overwhelm the bacteria and kickoff a minicycle.
Figure on a fishy cycle going a month or two. BioSpira (already mentioned) will supposedly cycle your tank overnight, and better yet seems to actually work. I'd give that a try if you can get your hands on some.
The giant danios will get kind of… well… big. Big for danios anyways. Danios tend to be very zippy fish that like to race. A 20g is going to be small for them. I'd trade them in for something smaller, or (better yet) start to line up a longer tank.
Good luck with it…
