I have problems...

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Snake_Eyes

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 7, 2006
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Nebraska
About 5-6 weeks ago I started cycling my 125g. A week ago I took a water sample to my LFS to test and they said that my nitrates were a little high but not enough to cause concern.

While there I noticed that they had a 8" jag that someone had brought in for sale. Large jags (over 2") are impossible to find here so I asked the guy that did my test if I would be safe to purchase the jag and a slightly smaller oscar...he said I was but he recommended that I do a waterchange first so I had them put the fish on hold until Tuesday. I did a 40% WC the day before picking up the fish and another 30% WC on Thursday.

Today I took a water sample in and he (different guy) said that my nitrites were very high almost to the point of being at dangerous levels. :( I asked him what I should do and he said I should cut back on feeding (every other day) and continue doing my planned twice a week WC routine and just be patient and allow my BB to fully develop.

The fish are acting fine and are showing no signs of being stressed. I was planning on doing another WC tomorrow, the guy also told me that it isn't a good idea to do more than a 25% at a time yet I see people on here that are doing 75% or more? :confused:

I was reading the bio spira vs squeezing filter pads and I was wondering if this would help me at all? The only other tank that I have setup is a 15g low level brackish that I could scrape some debris off, any idea's?

Sorry for the rambling.
 
I would say buy your own test kit and keep track of your water parameters on a weekly basis. There are many times where I have done tests and the are way out of wack with the norm, then retest and everything is good. Most LFS use the test strips, if someone puts their greasy thumb on it before testing it can effect the results.

As long as temp and pH are the same, large water changes are not a problem.
 
I would say do a 50% to 70% PWC to get nitrite down. You don't want it to get above .5ppm. Same with ammonia. And I also would recommend getting your own test kit, the liquid test kit. You can get the AP Freshwater Master Test Kit fairly cheap online at bigalsonline.com as well as at Foster and Smith's site. The kit will have everything you need.
 
I was looking at the Red Sea deluxe test kit...is the AP better?
 
Both are pretty good for the ammonia and nitrite. I never test nitrate because I do water changes, and the colors are really hard to tell on the test kits. I just prefer AP myself, been using it for years (Personal preference).
 
If you do water changes during your cycle, it will slow down the cycle. I would add twice the recommended dose of prime, and monitor the water on a daily basis, as well as monitoring the fishes behavior.
 
ewurm;1008417; said:
If you do water changes during your cycle, it will slow down the cycle. I would add twice the recommended dose of prime, and monitor the water on a daily basis, as well as monitoring the fishes behavior.
Click to expand...

Actually, I've found the opposite. PWC's don't actually slow down the cycle. But doesn't make it faster either. If you have any readings of ammonia or nitrite in the tank, those levels are in excess of what the bacteria can convert. So whether you have .3ppm ammonia or 3ppm, the bacteria are growing at the same rate. I thought the same as you when I first started, but other more experienced fish keepers tought me this, and I've tried it on the last couple of tanks I fishless cycled, and the results between high levels and lower levels were the same, my tanks all cycled in near the same length of time. The key is making sure you have a reading. If it's not 0ppm, then the bacteria are going to continue to grow at the same rate, and colonize at the same rate until they can convert all the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate.
 
Lonewolfblue;1008461; said:
Actually, I've found the opposite. PWC's don't actually slow down the cycle. But doesn't make it faster either. If you have any readings of ammonia or nitrite in the tank, those levels are in excess of what the bacteria can convert. So whether you have .3ppm ammonia or 3ppm, the bacteria are growing at the same rate. I thought the same as you when I first started, but other more experienced fish keepers tought me this, and I've tried it on the last couple of tanks I fishless cycled, and the results between high levels and lower levels were the same, my tanks all cycled in near the same length of time. The key is making sure you have a reading. If it's not 0ppm, then the bacteria are going to continue to grow at the same rate, and colonize at the same rate until they can convert all the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate.
Click to expand...


ewurm is correct, your thinking is in line but flawed. Bacteria do grow at relatively the same rate, but the quantity (size of colony) is dictated by the food source, by doing W/C's you reduce the food (mostly ammonia) source therefore limiting the quantity (size of colony) of bacteria grown. Hence if you cycle a filter @ 0.3 ppm and then add a bio-load that produces 3.0 ppm you create an overload and an algae bloom. It will eventually regulate itself, but not untill you cure the algae problem.

And agreed, get your own test kit, LFS are ok for a second opinion.

Dr Joe

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I just got back from buying a bottle of Prime, On the back it says "to detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5 times normal dose may be used" so should I do a waterchange first or not? and would cleaning the filter from my brackish tank in this tank do anything to help me out?
 
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