help with ammonia,nitrate,

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cichlidzoid

cichlidzoid

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 13, 2012
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NJ
I have a 75 gallon with a wet dry system running for 2 weeks and currently have a couple of fishes. I have the API brand test for nitrate and one for ammonia, ph. my ph 7.0 , nitrate is yellow and that indicates 0 ppm in the chart, ammonia is 0.5 ppm is that good for South American cichlids?
 
7.0 pH is fine for most fish including SA cichlids. pH is what the water from your tap is, it shouldn't change much. Ammonia and nitrate indicates how much fish waste is being broken down by the bacteria that is building up in your wet/dry filter. The lower the better. This is just the basics. Go to Youtube and do a search for "aquarium cycling". There'll be videos to explain this whole process. It is crucial to understand this process to be successful at fish keeping.
 
Your tank probably hasn't cycled long enough yet to add large numbers of fish. The ammonia level will likely continue to rise, followed by nitrites. Both ammonia and nitrites are quite toxic to fish, so you will need to do frequent water changes to keep their levels tolerable for the fish you currently have. Once the ammonia and nitrites peak and then drop to near zero (it usually takes more than two weeks unless you are adding bacteria to accelerate the process), you are ready for stocking your tank more fully. Nitrates will then build up (faster if your tank is stocked heavily) - weekly water changes will keep their levels in check. In a cycled tank, ammonia is converted to nitrite, and nitrite is converted to nitrate. When a tank is newly set up, it takes time for the proper bacteria to establish and complete the cycle.

A pH of 7 is OK for many SA cichlids, although more sensitive varieties require lower pH and very soft water. Depends on what you plan on getting.
 
ammonia should be at zero. do more water changes.
 
I'm not sure w/c is a good thing while it's trying to cycle if I remember correctly, you're trying to build bacteria right now. Unless, of course, it was just out of control. When it's cycling it's common for everything to spike. You can try adding "Stability" or a good bacteria product to help speed up the process. Do not add any new fish until it's completely over. The fish you have in there will adjust to a slow spike, but adding a new fish to a cycling tank could shock and kill them.
 
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