I just got a fish aquarium and my ammonia levels are high. What do I do??

[thebiggerthebetter]

Good. Your fish are also to be used as indication. With free ammonia over 0.05 ppm, they will start losing appetite. The higher the number, the less appetite, down to zero at 0.5 ppm free ammonia. An analogous thing for nitrite. Which you haven't reported last night. Still at zero ppm?

... So if the water reaches .05 of free harmless ammonia ill do wc OR use prime NOT BOTH. I just have questions on how long it takes.

How long what takes?

Also, you will have to heed someone else experienced with Prime on how Prime interacts with the ammonia test and other things, because I have never used Prime or anything analogous in my life. I prefer someone firsthand expert in Prime to guide you.

0.05ppm TOXIC ammonia from the chart requires at least a 50% water change. You can use Prime to condition the new water, dose Prime for total tank volume if you are filling with tap water directly into the tank. If you are using buckets put enough Prime for the total bucket volume

Jim has to know at least approx the concentration of the disinfectant in his tap water, which I don't think he knows or he would have said that. So how much should he use?

 

[Jim bean 20055]

well I'm my water chlorine is used to disinfect

Also, update ammonia is at .50-1 ppm and nitrite is still at zero

 

[Krismo962]

Congratulations!Yesterday you were thinking about quitting ,look how far you've come .

 

[Jim bean 20055]

Congratulations!Yesterday you were thinking about quitting ,look how far you've come .

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Thank You!! I just have a question when the nitrogen cycle will finish. And if I ever get a guppy tank how will I start the cycle of that tank

 

[Krismo962]

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Thank You!! I just have a question when the nitrogen cycle will finish. And if I ever get a guppy tank how will I start the cycle of that tank

I always keep extra media on hand whenever I have the space to cram some more sponges and bio rings in ,if you do use bio media from a tank with a lower bioload than the tank your about to setup,You might wanna give the bacteria time to multiply.Stocking your tank gradually helps i.e if your getting some media from a tank with 1 betta and your gonna use it in a tank with 20 guppies obviously the bio load is much bigger so you might need to spread it out(adding new fish into the new tank).Maybe only get 1-4 guppies on one trip and keep on increasing the stock to your desired amount(as long as it isn't overstocked) ,while the bacteria adjusts.Taking the test kit results into consideration is also important.If a sudden ammonia spike is caused after a group of new guppies are added your gonna need to take care of it before you add any new fish and so on.Hope this helped.
edit : grammar

 

[Jim bean 20055]

So if i wanted i could just wait till my peaock bass tank cycled and take some filter media from that and if i were to say I could put it in a guppy aquarium?

I also have this bacteria starter. Any suggestions if I should add some whenever I do wc or just add it by itself?

 

[esoxlucius]

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Thank You!! I just have a question when the nitrogen cycle will finish. And if I ever get a guppy tank how will I start the cycle of that tank

There isn't a fixed time for the completion of the nitrogen cycle, there are a lot of variables. This is where your test kit comes in. First you will see ammonia, which is where you're at now. Then, as the bacteria start to multiply and convert the ammonia, you will start to see nitrite. At this point the ammonia will go down to 0ppm. Then, as the nitrite increases more bacteria will convert it to nitrate. As the nitrate increases the nitrite will recede to 0ppm.

This is when your tank is pretty much cycled, no ammonia, no nitrite and a positive nitrate reading. You then do a water change to reduce your nitrate and can start adding fish, slowly, soon after.

I'd get to grips with your current set up before even thinking about starting another one.

 

[Jim bean 20055]

There isn't a fixed time for the completion of the nitrogen cycle, there are a lot of variables. This is where your test kit comes in. First you will see ammonia, which is where you're at now. Then, as the bacteria start to multiply and convert the ammonia, you will start to see nitrite. At this point the ammonia will go down to 0ppm. Then, as the nitrite increases more bacteria will convert it to nitrate. As the nitrate increases the nitrite will recede to 0ppm.

This is when your tank is pretty much cycled, no ammonia, no nitrite and a positive nitrate reading. You then do a water change to reduce your nitrate and can start adding fish, slowly, soon after.

I'd get to grips with your current set up before even thinking about starting another one.

Ok well now I'm just waiting for the nitrites to start showing up.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I just have a question when the nitrogen cycle will finish.

As Esoxlicius stated. As you increase the bioload (feed more, add more fish, the fish grow, etc.), the beneficial bacteria (BB) will grow with the bioload... if the limiting factor is the BB's food = ammonia, while surface area and dissolved oxygen do not limit your BBs growth. So cycling is a very much alive, in flux process, changing all the time according to your tank changes.

And if I ever get a guppy tank how will I start the cycle of that tank

Aged media was just discussed. Other methods - addition of bottled ammonia or placement of a fish / shrimp to rot or sacrificial fish (I dislike this one) - were described above for you, e.g. by Duanes. If you read the articles as I have been recommending, they should advise you how to cycle one's tank too.

So if i wanted i could just wait till my peaock bass tank cycled and take some filter media from that and if i were to say I could put it in a guppy aquarium?

Yes. Don't take too much out, or your running tank will become too uncycled. Ideally, you don't want to mess with an established, well running filter on a young tank. Normally people add something extraneous into the tank or filter, as Krismo is saying above.

I also have this bacteria starter. Any suggestions if I should add some whenever I do wc or just add it by itself?

Right now, it is useless. It is only used when setting up a new tank and starting the cycle to seed the tank and filter with bacteria. After that bacteria must be fed and time should be given for them to multiply, as Duanes dutifully descried for you above.

 

[Jim bean 20055]

As Esoxlicius stated. As you increase the bioload (feed more, add more fish, the fish grow, etc.), the beneficial bacteria (BB) will grow with the bioload... if the limiting factor is the BB's food = ammonia, while surface area and dissolved oxygen do not limit your BBs growth. So cycling is a very much alive, in flux process, changing all the time according to your tank changes.


Aged media was just discussed. Other methods - addition of bottled ammonia or placement of a fish / shrimp to rot or sacrificial fish (I dislike this one) - were described above for you, e.g. by Duanes. If you read the articles as I have been recommending, they should advise you how to cycle one's tank too.



Yes. Don't take too much out, or your running tank will become too uncycled. Ideally, you don't want to mess with an established, well running filter on a young tank. Normally people add something extraneous into the tank or filter, as Krismo is saying above.


Right now, it is useless. It is only used when setting up a new tank and starting the cycle to seed the tank and filter with bacteria. After that bacteria must be fed and time should be given for them to multiply, as Duanes dutifully descried for you above.

Great advice thank you