amonia and cycling question

[aquaculture]

right now my ten gallon currently isn't stocked with anything except some pond snails and two mosquito fish fry.

my signature is what it will be by the end of the month. hopefully.

the ten gallon is still cycling for about a week and everything test fine except the ammonia it is off the charts above 8 ppm, and nitrite is high
3 ppm

should i do a water change , I was thinking of letting it sit and let the bacteria i put in there do their magic.bacteria has been in their since the start.

Iam asking because the pond never did this was cycled easily in a week.

filter on the ten gallon is a diy sponge filter with polyfiber inside a pvc pipe that is hooked directly to the powerhead, polyfiber from cycled pond filter, then around the pipe is a black sponge normaly used as a prefilter for intake pipes.

Iam i doing anything wrong?

Iam puzzeled thanks for the help.

 

[knifegill]

Since you've got nitrites, the cycle is establishing. One week in, ammonia can be that high. If the creatures in the tank can survive it, I'd let it ride. I wouldn't hold too much hope for the fry, though.

If the pH is too low, the bacteria will have trouble functioning. Check that. I think that at around 6.0 they quit working and ammonia won't get converted as well. If that's the case, just add a bit of cleaned seashell gravel or eggshells to the filter or tank. Baking soda can work, too, but it's not as reliably stable as seashell. If your pH is fine, I'd let it ride, or add more sponge muck from your pond to kick-start it even more.

You did what I'd do. My instant cycles usually show no ammonia within a day or two. Maybe cut back on feedings a bit. And I'll bet your pond just had more naturally occuring nitrifyers around to start with...don't know, haven't seen the pond.

 

[aquaculture]

thanks knife i re tested the ph it it was below 6 and everyhting else was
way to much.

so i added about a cup of seashells and two tablespoons of baking soda and took out my two inch piece of bogwood.

the mosquito fishes parents were orignally found in a pond behind the neighborhood full of oil and other pollutants. so they're hardy, just want to see how hardy.

 

[knifegill]

Whew! That's going to be a huge pH swing! You'll definitely discover the hardiness of your creatures this way. But I'm glad we found what may be the problem. Might want to go easier on the soda next time. A little goes a long way, really fast. Hope all goes well for you.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

I have allways read that ammonia levels above 5ppm will slow down a cycle tremendously.

I know for fishless cycleing that 4ppm is the target ppm.

I would do a 75% water change NOW.

i would also add alot more cycled media from your pond filter. You can just lay it in the tank. The bacteria will spread onto all surfaces. Exspecially if you have substrate. Just lay some cycled media right on top of the substrate.

Or you can buy a bottle of Safe start by aquasafe and add all your stock right away. And be worry free.

 

[aquaculture]

Ok, i did the 75% water change , because the seashells weren't bringing up the ph, and it brought ammonia to 5.0ppm, nitrate 80ppm, nitrite 6.0 ppm, gh 150 ppm, chlorine 0ppm, kh 120 ppm, and ph 7.4.

So gh, kh and ph al went up due to the water change and ammonia, nitrate and nitrite were brought down by the water change.

Hopefullly the gh, kh,and ph will stay were they're at and the nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia will go to zero.

also my mosquito fish fry seem fine so far.

 

[knifegill]

Nice. With nitrates at 80, it seems you're well on your way! More small water changes are probably a good idea to reduce the total amount of pollutants, but it's working!

 

[Toby_H]

I have read that our beneficial bacteria is less efficient and reproduces more slowly as the PH drops… But it is not true that it “stops working” at 6...

There are plenty of Soft Water Cichlid keepers/breeders that maintain healthy tanks that have a PH between 5.5~6.5...

Although the creatures in your tank now may be surviving, ammonia & nitrite levels as high as what you have been reporting will/are doing damage. Just like you can ingest an amount of poison that doesn’t kill you… but damages your kidneys (or other organs) to the point you will suffer from that damage…

From the numbers you are reporting, it sounds like your tank is properly cycling… just have the patience to let it go through it’s process…

PS - when fully cycled… the nitrates will continue to climb. These are kept in check by regular water changes…

 

[aquaculture]

the only creatures in their that are macro organisms are bladder and ramshorn snails and mosquito fish fry, all three have been found in a highly polluted water source thanks to the city not prefilter runnoff from the streets.

i wil and do have patience it is just that this has been wierder than the previous cyclings i have done.