Uh oh!
So, you just bought your new fish and are only just now learning about this cycling thing…
Or, maybe you are following the terrible advice of the pet store employee who said you only need to run your filter for 24 hours before adding your fish.
Maybe it’s even worse. You killed all the good bacteria in your tank and have to cycle your aquarium all over again.
Don’t worry! These scenarios are much more common than you think.
If you can’t return your fish, then you have only one option:
You have to cycle your aquarium the old-fashioned way – with fish in the tank.
Today, I am going to show you how to successfully cycle your aquarium with fish inside.
If you haven’t bought your fish just yet, I recommend using the fishless cycle, which is an easier, faster and safer way to cycle your aquarium. Interested? FishLab’s fishless cycling guide will walk you through the process.
Contents
- What is fish-in cycling?
- Why shouldn’t you use a fish-in cycle?
- The secret to successfully cycling with fish in your tank
- Essential products to perform a fish-in cycle
- How do you perform a successful fish-in cycle?
- What’s next? Life after cycling
What is fish-in cycling?
The purpose of a fish-in cycle is to kick-start the nitrogen cycle, an invisible three-stage process where beneficial (good) bacteria establish themselves in your filter, keeping your fish safe from ammonia.
I cover the nitrogen cycle in much greater detail here. If you are new to the hobby, it’s worth reading because an effective nitrogen cycle is perhaps one of the most important parts of a healthy tank.
For the rest of you, here’s a quick recap of the nitrogen cycle in action…
Stage 1 Waste such as pee, poop and uneaten fish food break down, releasing ammonia, a toxic chemical, into the water.
Stage 2 Beneficial bacteria eat the ammonia and release nitrites, yet another toxic chemical.
Stage 3 A second type of beneficial bacteria eat the nitrites and convert them to nitrates, which are harmless in small amounts and are removed from your aquarium each time you perform a water change.
Just one problem…
There aren’t any beneficial bacteria in a brand new aquarium. And without it, toxic ammonia and nitrites build up, causing serious harm to your fish…
So, it’s up to you to kick-start the nitrogen cycle. And to do that, you need some help from your fish, well from their pee and poop.
As the poop breaks down, it releases ammonia and encourages the beneficial bacteria to appear.
You might have noticed a flaw in this…
If ammonia is harmful to fish, and you are using your fish as a source of ammonia, doesn’t this harm them?
Well, that’s exactly what brings me to my next point…
Why shouldn’t you use a fish-in cycle?
In an emergency, a fish-in cycle might be your only option. If that’s the case, cycling with fish is perfectly acceptable because your fish might die if you don’t.
But if you have a choice, then you shouldn’t be cycling your aquarium with fish inside.
Why?
Well, a picture says it best…
Yep, fish-in cycling is very stressful for your fish. And, many fish won’t survive the process. Those that do are often more susceptible to disease and live shorter lives.
I assume you want to keep your pet fish alive as long as possible, right? Well, a fish-in cycle is a terrible way to start.
So, why is a fish-in cycle so harmful to fish?
Well, during the cycling process you are waiting for beneficial bacteria to establish a colony in your aquarium. And once they do, they will be able to eat ammonia and nitrites as quickly as they are produced.
Just one problem…
While you are waiting for the bacteria to grow in numbers, your fish are going to be exposed to elevated levels of ammonia and nitrites. Even at low levels, these toxic substances can stress and severely irritate your fish.
Not only that, but a fish-in cycle requires delicate planning and leaves little room for error. It’s not exactly beginner-friendly.
Now… I’m not trying to say that fish-in cycling doesn’t work. It certainly can. But considering the obvious harm that it can cause your fish, it should only be done in an emergency.
To be honest, given that you can now cycle your aquarium without fish, it’s puzzling to see the dated fish-in cycle still being recommended.
So, why do people continue to give the advice that it’s okay to cycle your aquarium with fish in it?
I was chatting with my local, big-box pet store the other day, and the employee was preaching the wonders of fish-in cycling. I would also like to point out that he was trying to convince me to buy fish to go with my new aquarium.
The reason was pretty clear… An extra sale. A pretty scummy move, right?
But in other cases, the advice to cycle with fish is much less sinister.
You see, fish-in cycling is how your grandparents would have cycled their tank. Yep, this method has been in use for that long. In fact, this was the only way to cycle a tank back then.
In these instances, the advice to go with a fish-in cycle came from the best of intentions, people passed on what they learned years ago. You can’t fault them for that. But you can fault them for not keeping up with the times! Fortunately, you now know better!
Look, I’m sure some of you are going to disagree with me on this. Maybe you have successfully used a fish-in cycle hundreds of times without harm. That’s cool too…
But for a beginner, a fishless cycle is by far the best way to go. And in this case, a fish-in cycle should only be used when absolutely necessary.
The secret to successfully cycling with fish in your tank
I’m going to let you in on a little secret…
You can tell whether your fish-in cycle is going to be a success or failure before you even begin.
Seriously.
And, it all comes down to the number of fish you have in your aquarium.
More fish = more poop and pee
Since this waste breaks down into ammonia, your ammonia levels are going to rise rapidly.
And the faster your ammonia levels rise, the more harm done to your fish.
So, what is the correct number of fish to use in a fish-in cycle?
Obviously, this aquarium is too small for the number of fish…
The larger your aquarium, the more fish you can include in a fish-in cycle.
Rule of thumb: One fish for every 10 gallons of water.
So, if your tank is 1 gallon, only 1 fish. If your tank is 58 gallons, 5 fish.
Don’t know your tank size? Use FishLab’s gallon calculator.
But what if you have more fish than should be in your tank?
Ideally, you want to do one of the following:
1. Give your fish away – Either return your fish, give them to a friend or contact your local fish club to see if anyone will take them.
2. Buy a larger tank – Buying a larger tank will increase the amount of fish you can cycle with.
But what if neither of these is an option?
Well, unfortunately it’s time for you to make a judgment call.
Do you try and cycle your aquarium with all your fish inside and risk killing them all?
Or, do you euthanize some, giving the rest a much greater chance of survival?
It’s a tough decision that only you can make.
Decided to euthanize? Please read FishLab’s guide to humanely killing fish. If you have to do it, please do it correctly.
Essential products to perform a fish-in cycle
In addition to your fish, tank and equipment like filters and heaters, you need two very important products to ensure that your tank is cycled correctly…
1. An aquarium test kit
The problem with the nitrogen cycle is that you can’t see it. The only way to monitor the cycling process is to test for it. And to do that, you need a good aquarium test kit.
I recommend buying a master test kit like the one pictured above because it includes all the test kits you need to cycle your aquarium at one low price.
To learn how a test kit works, check out FishLab’s aquarium test kit guide.
2. Water conditioner
Or more specifically, Seachem Prime. I consider it to be the best aquarium water conditioner available.
Get to know this product. During a fish-in cycle, it’s going to be your best friend.
Seachem Prime serves two purposes. The first is making your tap water safe…
You see, tap water contains chloramine and chlorine, two chemicals. Not only are these chemicals toxic to fish, but they also kill that beneficial bacteria. And without that, your tank won’t cycle.
Fear not! A dose of Seachem Prime to your tap water before adding it to your aquarium will dechlorinate your water, making it safe for the beneficial bacteria and the fish when you finally add them.
Seachem Prime also has the added benefit of neutralizing ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in your aquarium for 24 to 48 hours, making them harmless to your fish.
With these two products on hand, you are now ready to begin.
How do you perform a successful fish-in cycle?
Before I continue, I want to make one thing clear:
The lives of your fish are at stake!
It’s important that you carefully follow this guide. Read each step twice if you have to. Make sure you completely understand what you are doing before proceeding.
I cannot guarantee that your fish will survive the cycling process – some are more sensitive than others. But by following this guide, you give them the best possible chance.
When it comes to fish-in cycling, you have two choices – cycling with Seachem Prime or with water changes.
A) Fish-in cycling with Seachem Prime
If you are a beginner or are just looking for the easiest way to perform a fish-in cycle, then choose this option. This method uses daily dosing with Seachem Prime to render ammonia, nitrites and nitrates harmless to your fish.
The advantage is that you will perform fewer water changes.
Jump to these instructions for a Seachem Prime fish-in cycle.
B) Fish-in cycling with water changes
If you want to use fewer chemicals, you can perform a fish-in cycle just with water changes. This method uses the diluting effects of fresh water to keep ammonia, nitrites and nitrates at a low level.
Note: This method of fish-in cycling still requires a bottle of Seachem Prime or other water conditioner to dechlorinate your tap water. It’s also nice to have on hand in an emergency – in case something goes wrong.
Jump to these instructions for a water-change focused fish-in cycle.
Performing a fish-in cycle with Seachem Prime
Step 1: Set up your aquarium
It’s time to set up your aquarium. And, that includes all the equipment – heaters, filters, air pumps… Get it in there! Don’t forget to rinse it with fresh water first!
The beneficial bacteria need a surface to cling to, namely your substrate and filter media. So by setting everything up, you give your bacteria as many surfaces as possible to cling to.
Add water to the tank, and don’t forget to dechlorinate it with your water conditioner first.
Finally, you want to keep all electrical equipment, such as heaters, filters and bubblers, switched on throughout the entire cycling process. Not only will this keep your fish as comfortable as possible, but it will also make your tank cycle faster.
Want to cycle your tank as quickly as possible? Check out FishLab’s tips for speeding up the cycling process.
Step 2: Adding your fish
Before you add your fish, you want to acclimate them first. This will give them the best chance of survival.
You want to feed your fish throughout the cycling process… You don’t want them to starve!
When feeding your fish, however, it’s important that you don’t feed them too much. The more you feed them, the more they are going to poop. And the more they poop, the faster your ammonia levels are going to rise.
Also, remove any uneaten food from the tank, a good aquarium net will make this easy. Any uneaten food left behind will break down into ammonia, causing the levels to rise.
If a fish dies during the cycle, remove it from the aquarium ASAP. Its decaying body will also give off ammonia. Don’t panic if one of your fish dies. It doesn’t necessarily mean that all your fish will – this one might have been extra sensitive.
Step 3: Test, test, test, and test again
Now, use your ammonia test kit every 24 hours.
What you are looking for is any sign of ammonia. Trust me. It won’t be long before it appears.
Once your test kit returns positive for ammonia, it’s time to move to the next step.
Step 4: Dealing with ammonia
Once you detect ammonia, it’s time to start dosing with Seachem Prime. Follow the instructions on the bottle to determine what a single dose would be for your tank – the larger the aquarium, the more Prime you will need.
Fortunately, a little goes a long way, and many of you will find that a single bottle of Prime will get you through an entire cycle.
For this method, Seachem Prime is the most important ingredient. You see, a dose of Prime will bind ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for 24 to 48 hours, making them harmless to your fish.
Picture Seachem Prime locking up ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in a jail cell for up to 48 hours. While in the cell, these nasties cannot harm your fish. However, once their time is up, and they are released, they will once again attack your fish.
It is for this reason that you need to dose regularly with Seachem Prime, to keep these nasties locked up.
A single dose of Prime will treat up to 1 part per million (ppm) of ammonia. Prime can be dosed up to 5 times safely. So, 2 ppm of ammonia can be treated with two doses of Prime, 3 ppm can be treated with three doses, and so on.
Anything less than 1 ppm should be treated with a single dose. Between 1 ppm and 2 ppm, two doses. You get the idea. Oh, and it goes without saying that it’s better to overdose than underdose.
Keep dosing and using your aquarium test kit daily. At this stage, you need to perform a 50% water change.
Once your test kit reads 2 ppm of ammonia, you should perform a 50% water change. This should cut your ammonia levels roughly in half.
Repeat this process until you notice that your ammonia levels are not rising as quickly as before. Typically, this will take a week or two. When this happens, you are ready to move to the next step.
Step 5: Nitrites start to appear
Next, you need to test for nitrites. If none are present, keep repeating the previous step and testing for nitrites daily until you get a positive result.
Now that nitrite has entered the equation, you need to make sure you are dosing with enough Prime to protect your fish from both ammonia and nitrites.
Fortunately, working out your new dosage is pretty simple – just add your nitrite and ammonia readings together.
Let’s say your test returns the following…
| Ammonia | 0.25 ppm |
| Nitrite | 1.5 ppm |
Adding the two together will give you a total of 1.75 ppm. A double dose of Prime will take care of it.
This time, if your combined ppm of ammonia and nitrite reaches 4, perform a 50% water change.
Keep repeating this. You will eventually notice that your ammonia drops to zero. This is a good thing – bacteria are eating the ammonia as quickly as it is being produced, resulting in a zero reading.
Continue daily dosing and testing for ammonia and nitrites. Once your nitrite levels stop rising as quickly, you are ready for the next step.
Step 6: Nitrates appear
Now, you want to test for nitrates. If none are present, keep repeating the previous step and testing for nitrates daily until you get a positive result.
Once nitrates are present, you are nearing the end (woohoo!). Continue testing for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Your ammonia levels should still be zero, and your nitrite levels should be declining.
Keep dosing with Prime until both your nitrite and ammonia levels are zero. At this stage, the beneficial bacteria are eating them as quickly as they are being produced.
Congratulations! You have successfully completed a fish-in cycle.
Performing fish-in cycling with water changes
Step 1: Set up your aquarium
It’s time to set up your aquarium. And, that includes all the equipment – heaters, filters, air pumps… Get it in there! Don’t forget to rinse it with fresh water first!
The beneficial bacteria need a surface to cling to, namely your substrate and filter media. So by setting everything up, you give your bacteria as many surfaces as possible to cling to.
Add water to the tank, and don’t forget to dechlorinate it with your water conditioner first.
Finally, you want to keep all electrical equipment, such as heaters, filters and bubblers, switched on throughout the entire cycling process. Not only will this keep your fish as comfortable as possible, but it will also make your tank cycle faster.
Want to cycle your tank as quickly as possible? Check out FishLab’s tips for speeding up the cycling process.
Step 2: Add your fish
Before you add your fish, you want to acclimate them first. This will give them the best chance of survival.
You want to feed your fish throughout the cycling process… You don’t want them to starve!
When feeding your fish, however, it’s important that you don’t feed them too much. The more you feed them, the more they are going to poop. And the more they poop, the faster your ammonia levels are going to rise.
Also, remove any uneaten food from the tank. This, too, will break down into ammonia if left behind.
If a fish dies during the cycle, remove it from the aquarium ASAP. Its decaying body will also give off ammonia. Don’t panic if one of your fish dies. It doesn’t necessarily mean that all your fish will – this one might have just been extra sensitive.
Step 3: Test, test, test, and test again
Now, use your ammonia test kit every 24 hours.
What you are looking for is any sign of ammonia. Trust me. It won’t be long before it appears.
Once you notice ammonia building up, it’s time to test your aquarium twice a day. And, you need to make it a routine. If you leave the house during the day, morning and night are fine.
Step 4: Water change after water change
You want to keep the ammonia levels low, at a tolerable level for your fish. So, 0.25 parts per million (ppm) or less is your goal.
The moment you notice the ammonia levels reach 0.5 ppm, you want to perform a 50% water change. That is, remove 50% of the water from your aquarium and replace it with fresh water. Don’t forget to add the dechlorinator!
What this does is remove some of the ammonia from your aquarium, diluting it and lowering the levels.
Now, just how often you need to do this entirely depends on the size of your tank and how many fish you are cycling with.
Some of you might only need to do a water change twice a week, but others might need to do it twice a day. That’s fine. Let the test kit determine how often to do a water change.
Keep this up for at least a week before moving to the next step.
Step 5: The first beneficial bacteria appears
After a week, you will notice that your ammonia levels are not rising as quickly as they were before. This is a good sign that the first beneficial bacteria has entered your tank and is eating the ammonia, helping to keep the levels down.
To make sure that this is the case, you now want to test for nitrites. So, use your nitrite test kit. If it comes back positive for nitrites, congratulations!. You are in the first stage of the nitrogen cycle, but your work is far from finished…
Don’t worry if you don’t see nitrites yet. Simply repeat Step 4 and continue testing for nitrites until you do. Be patient. Remember… Fish-in cycling takes a lot longer than fishless cycling.
Step 6: More water changes
If anything, nitrites are more toxic than ammonia. You want to keep nitrites as close to zero as possible. And to do that, you must continue performing water changes.
Continue monitoring your ammonia and nitrites on a daily basis, and perform water changes when your nitrite levels rise.
Keep doing this for at least another week before moving to the next step.
Step 7: The second beneficial bacteria appear
After another week, the nitrite levels should not be rising as quickly as they were before. This is a good sign that the second beneficial bacteria is beginning to grow in your aquarium.
To make sure, grab your nitrate test kit. If it returns positive for nitrates, celebrate! You are on the home stretch.
Again, it can take longer than a week for nitrates to appear. Just keep repeating Step 5 until your nitrate test indicates that they are present in your tank. Patience, patience, patience. Did I mention patience?
Step 8: Continue testing and performing water changes
All that’s left to do is to keep testing, monitoring your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
If your nitrate levels creep over 40 ppm, it’s time for a water change. Although if you are performing water changes to keep your nitrites low, I’d be surprised if your nitrate levels ever reach this.
Continue this process until both the ammonia and nitrite levels read zero on the same day. Remember, the entire cycling process can take months. So again, be patient.
What’s next? Life after cycling
Woohoo!
You did it!
The beneficial bacteria in your tank are in high enough numbers that they can eat ammonia and nitrites as quickly as they are produced.
It might have taken a long time, but trust me, it was worth it!
Your tank is now safe for your fish. Any fish that survived deserve a medal of honor because they made the tank safe for any new fish you want to add.
On that note…
If you want to add more fish to your tank (assuming your tank is large enough), wait a week before adding a maximum of three. This gives the bacteria a chance to adapt to the increase in waste and grow in numbers to deal with it.
Still want to add more fish? Wait another week and repeat.
And remember, from this point on, nitrates will consistently build up in your aquarium. This is a major reason why we perform regular water changes – to keep the nitrate levels low.
Conclusion
Phew, you did it. I knew you could!
By cycling your aquarium, you give your fish the best possible chance to live a happy and healthy life.
Once the nitrogen cycle has started, it consistently runs in the background.
But you are not home free just yet…
You still need to regularly monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels to ensure that nothing goes wrong. I recommend that you include testing your tank as part of your regular water change routine.
Do you cycle your aquarium with fish inside? Let me know in the comments below!
I also use this site as an excuse to spend lots of money on testing and reviewing different aquarium products! You can find my reviews here.
Catherine says
May 19, 2019 at 10:47 amHi Ian, so sorry to be posting here, but the system wouldn’t let me reply under my silicone post. This was what I wrote:
Thanks so much Ian! It’s a relief to know! (I can’t imagine using a razor anywhere near the tank lol; do people really do that?)
By the way, do you think new fish should be quarantined before being added to an established tank? We’ve honestly never quarantined anyone before — just floated them for a bit, then added them in. It seems to me a quarantine tank for a new fish might sometimes cause more stress than good? Yet it seems quarantining is advised? What are your thoughts? And if we must, how best is it done? Thank you!!
Ian Sterling says
May 20, 2019 at 4:32 amYou would be surprised what people do – especially with those sharp algae scrapers.
I quarantine all fish, I believe this is important, especially in a community tank. You have no idea where your fish came from, the conditions it was kept or the hitchhikers or disease it may bring in. It’s easier to treat a single fish rather than an entire tank. Many people use different products. I use ich-x in my quarantine tank.
Catherine says
May 20, 2019 at 11:47 amThanks so much Ian. How long do you personally quarantine for? Do you mean you put in the Ich-X as a just-in-case? At regular dosage amounts? I’m a little concerned how to care for the fish for that short period in an uncycled tank…
Ian Sterling says
May 20, 2019 at 12:12 pmSorry Catherine,
I’m happy to have helped you this far, but this is too unrelated to any article on my site as of yet. If I start answering unrelated questions for you then It’s only fair that I do it for everyone. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time for that. I already spend an hour each day answering the related questions. There are plenty of good quarantine articles on the topic. “Michaels fish room” also has a youtube video on it. But i’m happy to help you with any other questions you may have that correlate to my published articles.
Catherine says
May 20, 2019 at 1:15 pmSure, I totally understand! Thank you so much!!
Kelli says
May 15, 2019 at 3:04 amHi! I am on day 22 of betta-in cycling a 6.7 gallon tank. My ammonia was VERY high the first time I tested it (it was a week or so before I started proper testing and education on proper cycing) — and I followed with daily 50% water changes until ammonia was down to a reasonable level. Then I learned about Prime and I’m on course now with the ammonia staying pretty constant at .50 (it’s been this level for 4-5 days). I continue to dose with prime daily. I have tested for nitrites about 7 or 8 times — and twice came up positive, which was very exciting. But then the next day, they’d be back to 0 which was odd. I even retested a few times, thinking my testing was off — but no. I’ve checked for nitrates 3 times — each time nothing. Should I just stay the course and keep waiting to nitrites to appear and rise? Or is there perhaps something else I should be doing to promote the nitrites? I would have thought I’d see more progress by now. But what do I know! lol. Thanks in advance.
Ian Sterling says
May 15, 2019 at 11:49 amHi Kelli,
While the steps in the above article are how *most* people see their cycle progress, a few do experience it a little different. The start and end are the same, but the middle gets a little odd.
Ammonia levels that are too high may stall the cycle. You should start counting your cycle days from the day that your ammonia levels were in check. That’s day 1. From here, It’s likely more waiting. If you havn’t seen any movement in three weeks, then something may be amiss. It might be just a few more days waiting.
Also, not everyone experiences measurable nitrites. Sometimes it skips straight to nitrates. I’d double check your nitrate testing, following the instructions closely, as tap water often has some degree of nitrates in it anyway.
But by and large, it sounds like you are doing everything right. It’s just a matter of more patience. I know this part sucks, but you’ll get there!
Kelli says
May 15, 2019 at 11:06 pmI appreciate you taking the time to reply — thank you so much! More testing, more patience — Onward!
Barry King says
May 8, 2019 at 10:56 pmHi Ian,
Another victim of pet store misinformation 🙋♀️
I’m on day two of fish-in cycling using the “Prime” method on my 4 gallon Betta tank.
I’m reading 0.5 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 10 nitrates. Why does it seem that my tank skipped a step??
Do I simply continue dosing and testing until 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 10 nitrates? And once I get there, when can I do a water change? Is 25% too much for a small tank?
Ian Sterling says
May 9, 2019 at 5:06 amHi Barry,
Sorry to hear you found yourself in this situation. But it sounds like you are all over it.
While this isn’t common, it’s still normal – it’s possible your nitrite eating bacteria got established faster for whatever reason. Just keep progressing as normal, dosing ammonia until that too reaches zero. Your nitrates should increase the whole time.
You can do a water change whenever you want. As per instructions, whenever combined ammonia and nitrite reach 4ppm or to get your nitrates down to measurable levels. A 25 – 50% water change isn’t too much for a tiny tank. Generally you want to remove enough each week that it drops the nitrates below 10 ppm (closer to zero is better)
Barry King says
May 9, 2019 at 1:10 pmThank you so much Ian!
Determined to get this sorted 💪😎
🐠 🐠 🐠
Ian Sterling says
May 9, 2019 at 1:22 pmWhoops, I should have clarified that is using the seachem prime method.
Hang in there Barry, you’ll be there in no time. Good luck!
Bill Telfer says
May 11, 2019 at 10:26 pmTry testing your water straight out of the tap.
You will find that there already 10ppm or even more in the water before you do anything to it.
It is far from unusual…in fact 10ppm Nitrates is the norm…
JJ says
April 18, 2019 at 5:49 amHi Ian-
I thought I’d give an update on my fish-in cycling and Betta. I posted on your other cycling blog and your responses were very helpful. I decided to try Tetra Safe Start in hopes to get a jump start on the bacteria. It’s been a couple weeks and I’m getting readings of 5-10 ppm Nitrates. Ammonia never went over .50 ppm (I’d dose with Prime accordingly) and I never showed Nitrites in any of my tests. Ammonia has been zero for at least 6 days. The water is clear but the top had a slight cloudy surface and was a little slimy like algae, but clear. I brought a sample to a local fish shop they they thought it might be from the Tetra Safe Start and weren’t concerned but recommended a small water change which I did. It cleared up but seems to be slowly coming back. Is this normal and an indication that bacteria is present? I also tested the PH and it has gone up from 7.2 to 7.6. Is there a product you recommend to lower PH and at what level does it need to be done. So, based on this information, is it possible the tank is cycled?
Also, how often do you recommend cleaning the tank with partial water changes, vacuuming the gravel, scrubbing the sides, cleaning the silk plants etc.?
On another note, I noticed a lot of little bubbles on the water surface. Did some online searching and found that my Betta was making nesting bubbles which I read was a good sign of a happy healthy Betta.
Ian Sterling says
April 18, 2019 at 6:02 amHi JJ,
That film on the surface could be due to a lack of water movement. It’s likely oils from food, poop slowly building up. When you performed a water change, it’s possible some of these oils were removed, causing it to clear up. This is common in betta tanks and can easily be resolved by adjusting the flow of your filter or placing a small airstone (with low air flow) where the buildup occurs.
If your ammonia and nitrites read zero, and your nitrates are continually on the up and up, then you are correct, your cycle is done.
Cleaning the tank is done according to your tests. Generally speaking, you should be doing a water change once a week (gravel vacuum at the same time, since it’s done in a single motion) plants and sides are once they gunk up and look visibly dirty, or when you feel like it.
Congratulations on finding a bubble nest, it is indeed a sign your betta is happy and healthy. A sign that you did a great job cycling your tank 🙂
JJ says
April 18, 2019 at 7:33 amPoor water flow makes sense for causing the film on the surface. I have a Fluval Spec V 5 gallon tank and the pump it came with has a really strong flow even on the lowest setting. My Betta was being pushed around and avoided that area in the tank. So after researching online for solutions, many people with Bettas posted that they use a Fluval pre-filter sponge which greatly reduces the strength of the flow into the tank. Unfortunately, it may reduce the flow too much leading to the film but not sure what else I can do as I’d prefer not to buy a different pump. I don’t mind doing water changes to remove the film but if having a low flow could lead to other issues, please let me know!
Thanks again for your help & advice!!
Ian Sterling says
April 18, 2019 at 8:14 amOh, if the filter is a single unit that came with your tank, adjusting the flow will be significantly more difficult. With a normal HOB or external filter, you can modify the return to reduce the flow while keeping the surface water agitated enough to break up these oils.
However, if you are on top of your weekly water changes, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue. But if it builds up, it can reduce the amount of oxygen in your water (oxygen enters water through the surface water of the tank) in addition to your betta finding it more difficult to take his occasional gulp of air from the surface. If you find it building up too quickly, try swapping over to a different food, different foods have different “oil” contents. But in all honesty, if you are performing a weekly water change and not overfeeding I would be surprised if this reaches problem levels. Even so, keep an eye on it just in case.
In a 5 gallon tank, I don’t see any issues such as “dead spots” or oxygenation issues occurring for a single betta from low flow.
JJ says
April 18, 2019 at 9:06 amSounds good! I’ll follow your tips and keep an eye on things 😊
Renjith says
April 16, 2019 at 1:18 amHi Ian
This is a wonderful article. I saw this only when I ended up in the unfortunate fish-in cycling.
I am from South India, Mine is a concrete pond with 7000L capacity, but I believe the cycling theory applies same to pond as well. I have filtration and air pump installed in the pond. I have now 5 baby Koi fishes and some molly fishes in my pond. My pond is 2 months old, Kois were added only a month back, before that I had only Mollies for testing . Till before 3 weeks I had the problem of single cell green algae which I believe has eaten all the ammonia produced and blocked my pond from cycling. Around a month back I started using UV in my filter, so the algae got cleared after a week of that I lost a baby koi, just morning it started behaving ill, and I lost it in the evening. Then I tested for Ammonia and it was around 0.5ppm and I believe the Ammonia killed it. Then after searching on the web I learned more about cycling and this article is the best among all.
Now I am watching my water parameters regularly for the last 2 weeks, recently for the last one week, I have Ammonia 0.25ppm, Nitrite 0.25ppm, Nitrate 0.5ppm and my pH is stable at 8.0 and KH is 5 drops(89ppm). I am using Seachem Prime/Safe to detoxify Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate. Since it is a pond its a bit costly affair to use the water conditioners, but water change even the 10% means 700L in my case. But I guess I have no other choice. I am using the API test kit for measurements and I also have Seachem Ammonia alert bought 2 days back, it always shows the safe range till now. I have reduced feeding once a day for the fishes, reduced the quantity a well.
With these details, can you please tell me whether I’m in the right direction, I just need to continue monitoring water parameters waiting for the pond to get cycled.
Ian Sterling says
April 16, 2019 at 6:55 amHi Renjith,
You will have to forgive me here but I have no experience cycling a pond. However, I would be surprised if the ammonia was eating by free-floating green algae. Based on my knowledge of tanks and not ponds I would say it’s far more likely that something has happened to kill the good bacteria in the tank, which would cause the cycle to reset.
The Seachem Ammonia Alert is one of my least favorite ways to measure ammonia. It can vary with it’s accuracy, from my experience so be careful when relying on it. Their liquid test kit is much better.
Everything you are doing is sound for a tank. If it’s progressing, for the next step you should notice your ammonia start to lower, your nitrites and nitrates rise.
Renjith says
April 16, 2019 at 9:32 amTjanks Ian. I understand.
If its not algae, I am not sure what reset my cycle, I was not aware of the cycling thing when I started so I did not measure the water parameters except PH then.
But let me confirm one thing. Though in less quantity, is it usual to have all Ammonia/Nitrite and Nitrate all together in a tank/pond for a week. My fishes behave normal and they eats food as well.
And regarding Ammonia, I rely on API test kit primarily, Seachem Alert is only used as secondary.
Ian Sterling says
April 16, 2019 at 12:19 pmYou are correct, it’s common for all of these to appear at once, but their levels shouldn’t remain constant. In a tank setting, ammonia and nitrite should eventually decrease to zero (not at the same time) and nitrate should rise. However, I would still recommend reading up on what happens to nitrate for ponds- since ponds don’t use water changes, something else must happen!
I’m glad to hear you are using the API test kit, it’s my favorite! Good choice!
Renjith Vamanan says
April 30, 2019 at 2:21 amI think I got my Pond cycled. For the last 2 weeks, I am seeing only Nitrates, no Ammonia and No Nitrates. Fishes seems to be happy 🙂 Some videos are here if you have free time : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrzW2UYoNgYX2iWELdeFIIA
Ian Sterling says
April 30, 2019 at 6:29 amHi Renjith,
Thanks so much for sharing. I looked at your videos, those are some beautiful Koi!
Jeff says
April 14, 2019 at 6:21 amThanks for such a wonderful article. This is very helpful.
I have Prime and am a bit confused about Step 2 as I used Prime to remove the chlorine when I initially added water to my 10G. Should I replace all the water and use a different product for Step 1 since Prime reduces ammonia?
I think I follow the rest of your steps. Thanks again!
Ian Sterling says
April 14, 2019 at 9:14 amHi Jeff,
Prime can be treated as two seperate products, one as a dechlorinator, the other as a treatment for ammonia and nitrite.
Simply add as much is needed for the water change and if that is also enough to treat ammonia and nitrite, then you are done. If it’s not enough, add the difference directly to your tank. As long as you are adding your dechlorinated tap water immediately to the tank, you can add it to the total.
Does this make sense? Let me know if you need any more clarification.
Catherine says
April 11, 2019 at 6:07 pmHi Ian! I have some free time today so I thought I’d bring you up to speed on the “cycling tank with healing fish” affair. You may be fascinated to know that since my last report, Betta’s tank is all cycled and he is continuing to complete recovery ^_^
His fins are about 93% regenerated; just has about half a centimeter to go. Honestly, considering all he’s been through, I’m just grateful he is doing fine now and we’re just so happy for him to be living comfortably in a cycled tank. I wish I could share with you pictures of when we first adopted him – I am not kidding when I say that ALL his fins were GONE. They had literally fallen off almost right at where they connect to his body. There was even one afternoon where I actually SAW a chunk of his caudal fin fall off. I’ll never forget how there were a couple of days where he was really on the brink, barely breathing or moving. So praise the Lord that he is all fine now!
Which leads to how we cycled the tank. Hopefully this may prove helpful to someone else out there in a similar situation 🙂 Ok, so really, I believe the first step is to get the fish proper treatment. And by that I mean proper antibiotics prescribed by a vet, ideally a marine vet like ours is (yes, he actually treats dolphins and so forth as well). Because really, if after 2 or 3 days of salt or whatever other pet store remedy you apply doesn’t work, you can pretty much accept the fact that it’s just not working, and will quickly go downhill if you don’t do something fast. So yes – proper meds.
Then, the pristine water conditions. If you recall, we were doing water changes, TWICE daily, one in the morning, and one in the evening, PLUS dosing with Prime. Naturally ammonia and so forth remained at zero because the water was being changed so much. But if you recall, the moment we tried doing it just once a day, the fins would show new signs of ragginess the next day. The conclusion was that for so long as he was still healing, he needed the water to be that clean. So we kept doing the double water changes, for weeks, months even. In the meantime, we also introduced sponge filters into his tank (he didn’t have any when he was on antibiotics). The obvious reason is so that the helpful bacteria have somewhere to live. So he got not one, but two sponge filters (the air is baffled so that they’re very gentle).
Then, as we saw him getting more and more stable and regenerating much more, we decided to gradually lessen the water changes. By that I mean we gradually reduced the amount of water we removed daily each time by small increments, testing for ammonia every day. Of course, it eventually reached a point where the amount removed became rather negligible, so we decided it was time to reduce from two water changes to one. Which was essentially where it became like how we cycled Gup’s tank – one small water change every day until ammonia consistently read zero. And that is where we are now at last! His tank is cycled and we only do water changes about once a week.
And that’s it! Thank you Ian for being such a wonderful help, unfailingly! I recall wishing you a merry Christmas and new year, and now it’s already April lol.. it *does* take awhile. But don’t give up on your little friend, people; it’s all worth it! ^-^
Ian Sterling says
April 12, 2019 at 12:27 pmWow Catherine,
What an adventure, you are right, it’s April and time has flown… Although I’m sure it didn’t feel like it to you while you were being so diligent day in day out. Congratulations on you successfully (well, almost!) recovering your betta from fin rot. I don’t say this lightly: You are amazing!
Thanks so much for sharing your process in so much detail, if anyone else asks about finrot, I’m going to direct them to this comment. I wish you all the best for the future and if you need any more advice, you know where to find me 🙂
Catherine says
April 12, 2019 at 5:04 pmThank you so much Ian! “Adventure” is right loll.. I think it would be more apt to say he’s 95 to 96% regenerated, as it’s just that little bit left to go. I forgot to add that we did briefly try that Boyd Vitachem thing, but honestly, I don’t think it did much at all. Good water quality is really the thing I think. We’ve also concluded fins grow back at about 1mm per week haha..
O! and re upgrading Gup and co to their bigger tank – it was easy. Yes, literally like how you said – just put everyone and everything into the new tank and add more water and appropriate filters. We’re running the new sponge filters alongside the old ones still – I think about a month in all should be ok?
O, and could I please just check with you again – unless the sponge filter looks gunky, is washing it every 3 weeks or once a month ok? Or should it be more frequent, like fortnightly? There’s literally nothing visible on them..
Ian Sterling says
April 13, 2019 at 5:21 amWow, no wonder it was such a long process, coming from stumps at a rate of 1mm a week is sloooowww. Again, you are awesome for having the patience to see through this recovery period.
I’m glad to hear the bigger take migration didn’t cause any issues. I didn’t think it would, but you never know – sometimes these things just go wrong for no reason at all.
As for the sponge filter frequency, it entirely depends on your rate of build up. As long as rotting gunk isn’t being trapped, and flow isn’t obstructed, then there isn’t really a need to clean it more frequently. When you place it in a bucket of tank water and squeeze, it should turn the water brown – that’s how you know it’s ready for cleaning.
Catherine says
April 13, 2019 at 11:07 amThanks so much Ian! Yes, we squeeze the sponges every couple of weeks and the water is perfectly clear; we just feel like we’re squeezing the nice families on them for nothing lolll
Re the new sponge filters running alongside the old ones in Gup’s tank — is 3 weeks or a month together enough to transfer sufficient good bacteria do you think? We’re not mad about having so many filters in there haha
Ian Sterling says
April 14, 2019 at 5:51 amI get it. Besides, no one likes to do more cleaning than they need to!
Haha, Gup must be so confused about all the filtration. If it’s been 3 weeks, I’d remove one, wait a week testing daily to confirm everything is normal then remove the next and repeat, until you are at just the one filter.
Catherine says
April 14, 2019 at 3:03 pmYay, thank you so much Ian!! I’ll take note of the timings and all and let you know ^_^
Catherine says
April 12, 2019 at 10:54 pmI just realised that saying “Naturally ammonia and so forth remained at zero because the water was being changed so much” was not right. I recall now that the tank *was* cycling during that time, even with the daily double water changes. There *was* ammonia and then nitrite etc etc Remember my asking you if it was truly cycled when the ammonia and nitrite were finally zero, and you essentially said it was as cycled as it could be in light of the double changes? So yes, one does have to endure that cycling process. Subsequently reducing the water changes in small increments (literally about 50ml each time) made the remaining cycling easier and more bearable 🙂
Jean says
April 9, 2019 at 7:45 pmHi, I’ve been 12 days, I still do not see nitrites, is it normal? If it is not normal, what do you recommend?
By the way, I’m using “Microbe-lift special blend water care” in addition to “Seachem Prime”
Ian Sterling says
April 10, 2019 at 4:02 amHi Jean,
It depends. Do you have a filter with biomedia? The beneficial bacteria ideally needs somewhere to grow. The beneficial bacteria supplement may or may not impact the speed of your cycle at all, but it certainly won’t slow down the appearance of nitrites.
Jean says
April 10, 2019 at 6:46 amIt comes with my aquarium
The manual says this.
Complete 3 Stage Filtration System: In Stage 1: • The filter cartridge floss screens out dirt and debris. • Molded and ribbed back for maximum water-to-carbon contact. In Stage 2: • Activated carbon inside filter cartridge removes odors, discolorations and impurities. • Change the used Aqua-Tech replacement cartridge monthly as carbon deactivates with use. In Stage 3: • The Bio-Tech Biological Grid*, which comes with your power filter, never needs replacing; ensures elimination of toxic ammonia and nitrite; and has a unique design that will not clog!”
Ian Sterling says
April 10, 2019 at 7:47 amI’d suggest adding some ceramic rings, I personally use Sera Siporax and I know they make a “mini”version for small filters. If you need more room you can replace the “activated carbon” stage 2 and eventually stage 3 (after cycling)
Also, what are your ammonia levels reading at?
Jean says
April 10, 2019 at 9:26 amAmmonia is 3ppm
Then I eliminate the filter that has activated carbon inside, then I put the ceramic rings? And later eliminate the third part? How do I replace that part? With what?
Ian Sterling says
April 10, 2019 at 11:13 amThe third part “claims” to do the same as ceramic rings, except it’s plastic and does not hold the same surface area. If your ammonia has not decreased yet, then you could probably replace stage 3 with more ceramic rings right now. However, once the ceramic rings are in, I would say that is “day 1” of your cycle.
With 3 ppm you should soon notice a decrease. I assume your pH and temperature levels are okay?
Jean says
April 10, 2019 at 9:30 amIf I remove the carbon filter, which will hold the waste etc.?
Ian Sterling says
April 10, 2019 at 11:07 amHi Jean,
Carbon only removes bad smells, medication and tannins. It doesn’t hold waste. The filter floss which is rinsed holds the watse.
Jean says
April 10, 2019 at 11:26 amOkay, okay now I understand, and yes Ph and temperature are set.
I’will buy this ceramic rings
Thanks
Ian Sterling says
April 10, 2019 at 2:16 pmAwesome. Fingers crossed this does the trick!
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 1:16 amHi, If I have a 29-gallon aquarium, what should the daily dose of prime be? The container says 2 drops per gallon. Thanks in advance.
Ian Sterling says
April 8, 2019 at 4:12 amHi Jean,
The instructions on seachem prime should say “1 capful (5 ml) for each 200 L (50 gallons)”. If your bottle doesn’t say this then it isn’t seachem prime. so 3 ml would treat 1ppm in a 29 gallon.
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 4:37 amI just checked again to confirm and it is. I checked the photo and it’s the same.
Ian Sterling says
April 8, 2019 at 5:02 amHi Jean,
I’m a little confused about your bottle, I just bought a new one last week and it still says 1ml = 10 gallons. The Seachem Prime website still has these exact instructions too.
2 drops per gallon would be considerably more than 1ml/10gallons.
I’m not saying this to be petty, it’s important to figure out what is happening here as if it’s seachem prime and it’s concentrated then you are at risk of dosing too much and harming your tank. If it’s not seachem prime, then it might not work at all.
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 8:41 amIt says “Prime Seachem Removes Chlorine and Chloramine” “Detoxifies ammonia, nitrite & nitrate”
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 8:44 amLooking at it well it does not say exactly the same but, its the same brand … Should I buy the one you indicate to go safe?
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 10:26 amThis is the one I have, if you go to volume options it is 1.69 ounces. The label changes when you change the volume of the container, I do not know why.
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/seachem-prime
Ian Sterling says
April 8, 2019 at 11:42 amHi Jean,
Thanks for clarifying, I have never seen this before. That is Seachem Prime, a member of my club pointed out that it has a dropper head? Is that correct? If so, then my sincere apologies, as the instructions are correct.
If it says 2 drops per gallon, then you will need to count out 58 drops each time you want to treat the whole tank. It is for this reason I would recommend using a larger bottle and buying a pipette, counting out that many drops is going to get tiresome really quick.
I have never bought the small bottle and was unaware that this was the case. My apologies for the mix up.
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 12:32 pmDont worry, and yes, that one.
58 drops daily during cycling? .
Then I will buy a bigger bottle without any doubt.
Ian Sterling says
April 8, 2019 at 3:27 pmI know, I had to double check (29 x 2 = 58) I think the small bottles are designed for tanks under 5 gallons. It seems like too much effort for anything larger.
Jean says
April 8, 2019 at 5:36 pmDefinitely, thank you very much anyway for helping me clarify. Sorry if my English is not perfect, my first language is Spanish, but good information is not obtained in that language.
Ian Sterling says
April 9, 2019 at 4:24 amJean, don’t worry, your english is amazing. I never would have guessed it wasn’t your first language 🙂 I’m glad we could get to the bottom of it!
Ryan says
April 4, 2019 at 11:03 amHi Ian,
I just bought a 60 gallon tank on Saturday the 30th of March. I set everything up that night and had yet to buy any fish. I rinsed my 75 pounds of heaven really well, placed it in the tank 5 pounds at a time (as this is how much I rinsed at a time) put the recommended amount of topfin conditioner for the 60 gallons and then added my water. I then placed all my decorations 2 bubblers and fake plants then on the 3rd day, after testing my water, bought 6 black skirt tetras and acclimated them to the water. The next day, 24 hours later, I tested, with the API master tester, again (this is something I do religiously). So far I have always had my readings come out at:
pH: 7.0
High range pH: 7.4
Ammonia: 0 ppm (initial test before fish was 0.25)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Yesterday, April 2nd I bought some Seachem stability to promote bio-filter growth. I am following the directions explicitly.
My questions are
Should my levels constantly read what they are?
Is there anything else you would suggest I do?
Would it be beneficial to add a sponge to my marineland penguin 350 intake? I am already using 4 filters in the filter basin.
I’m sure I will come up with more questions does the road, but I am also asking small fish store owners their opinions as well. Plus I’ve found an employee at PetSmart who is an enthusiast and was the one who suggested the Seachem (along with a Redditor from the aquarium subreddit.
Thank you,
Ryan
Ian Sterling says
April 4, 2019 at 11:39 amHi Ryan,
If your nitrate is at zero, and remains at zero then your tank is uncycled. Zero nitrate is a bad thing, as it should constantly be increasing until a water change is used to lower it.
If your nitrate isn’t increasing, then your ammonia or nitrite should be. This is a clue that your tank is in the cycling stage. I would double check your testing, following instructions to the letter, and ensure you are reading your tests in natural day light as the glow from indoor lighting is poor for color rendering.
I always prefer to add biomedia to the main filter, you can never have too much biofiltration and if you want to start a new tank, or know someone else who does, you can donate this to speed up the cycle of the new tank – as long as your tank is fully cycled.
To me, your priority is figuring out what is going on with your testing, as at least one of these shouldn’t be zero.
Ryab says
April 4, 2019 at 8:26 pmHi Ian,
Thanks for the quick reply.
As far as the testing goes, I am following the instructions to the letter (carrying the instructions with me as I perform each step). I set up times with Alexa for each phase, from shaking the bottles of solution to time to mix once in the test tube. The only thing I don’t do is check it in natural daylight. I’ll give this a try today to see if there is any difference. At this point I’m just thinking that the tank is still developing it’s cycle and hasn’t kicked off yet. I will continue to religiously monitor it though.
I did notice my tank got a bit cloudy last night. Im hoping that this is a bio bloom brought on by the Seachem stability but actually believe that it is because I was experimenting with some pellet food in an automatic feeder, it sent out a lot more than I expected it to. That won’t happen again. I’ve also lowered the feeding cycle to once a day and may cut back to every other day. Do you see any problem in doing this?
Thank you,
Ryan
Ian Sterling says
April 5, 2019 at 3:55 amIn a fish-in cycle, it should only take a few days at most for measurable ammonia to appear, if you are feeding as usual – fish are ammonia producing machines, this is why my default thought was to question the testing process.
“Bacterial Bloom” or “Clouding” is common in the early stages of the cycle, it usually goes away on it’s own once these tiny bacteria run out of food. If it’s this, then it’s a harmless and somewhat expected.
Oh, and a tip on the automatic fish feeder, Use tape to cover half, or a third or more of the opening – The default small setting on most automatic fish feeders is often still too large for small pellets. Keep experimenting until you find the right amount of tape required, it’s a trial and error thing. Also, if it’s a rotating feeder, the amount it dispenses will vary according to whether it’s full, half full or nearly empty – another thing to keep in mind.
Cutting back feeding is fine. Most fish can last up to a week without food. In the wild, a hand fed meal wouldn’t come along every day. Doing so will slow the rate at which ammonia accumulates – the more a fish eats, the more ammonia they produce. This is somewhat desired in a fish-in cycle since rapid ammonia buildup can be harmful.
Ryan says
April 5, 2019 at 5:08 amGreat! Thanks for the advice. I did another test around 8 this morning, the test results (using the daylight) offered no different results, except the ammonia, which looked to be between 0 to 0.25 on the color chart. Still zero nitrites and nitrates. The fish seem relatively happy. A couple of them are very busy swimming back and forth. The others are more docile, but still very active.
As far as the auto feeder goes, I found that out yesterday, except it was the first slot that didn’t put out enough food and the second would feed an army. I like your tape advice. I think I’ll give that a test run. Right now it seems to do will with the flame food I’ve got.
Also on the feeding I think I’ll leave them at 2 meals (possibly 3) a day.
Thanks again,
Ryan
Ian Sterling says
April 5, 2019 at 5:22 amSounds like you have it all under control now. Unfortunately, from here it’s pretty much a waiting game – while it might test your patience, it will be worth it!
Ammonia is what I would have expected to see by now and it’s basically the starting point. Everything sounds positive here!
Here is an image of ammonia progression note, that this will look slightly off depending on your computer screen, but it should give a rough idea as to how colors progress as ppm increases!
Catherine says
March 29, 2019 at 10:03 amHi Ian,
Another quick question today please — at what nitrate reading should one do a routine water change? (sorry, I know that was really grammatically awkward). We’re trying to establish a water change routine for Betta’s tank and have been doing readings every day. It’s been amm and nit zero for some days now, and today nitrate 10 (possibly bordering 20? stupid colour chart haha). Oh and by the way, once amm and nit are zero, we can stop the daily prime dosing thing right?
Ian Sterling says
March 29, 2019 at 12:57 pmIn an ideal world you would want to keep it below 10. However generally speaking, the upper limit is around 40. In the right sized, correctly stocked tank, your weekly water change should be all that’s needed to stay on top of this.
As for Ammonia and nitrite reaching zero, you are spot on. That’s the end of your fish-in cycle.
Catherine says
March 29, 2019 at 1:34 pmThank you Ian!!
Mindy Ramirez says
April 2, 2019 at 11:45 pmI have a 55 gallon fish aquarium with three fish it took three months to get it where it needs to be using your method it’s finally got perfect water everything is perfect but I bought a 75-gallon I don’t want to start over and wait three months can I just transfer everything from a 55-gallon like the water the filter the plants and decorations over to the 75 gallon and be okay and then put my three fish back in their 75 gallon
Ian Sterling says
April 3, 2019 at 4:46 amHi Mindy,
Congratulations on your patience! The short answer is Yes. However, be mindful that your current filter may not be powerful enough to turn over the water in your larger tank. The beneficial bacteria that grow in your filter are the deciding factor in biological filtration, and if water isn’t reaching them at a fast enough rate, then ammonia and nitrite can build up. You’ll want to monitor ammonia, nitrite and nitrates as before and react accordingly.
If the filter is too small, run a second, more appropriate sized filter at the same time. This way the beneficial bacteria can colonize that.
And most importantly, don’t add any more fish until you have the new tank under control. I know it’s going to be tempting, but it’s important you achieve balance first. Unfortunately, more patience will be needed here on your part. Much of fish keeping is just waiting. It’s why I like it – it’s a peaceful hobby.
Nathan Beverly says
March 29, 2019 at 5:29 amHello, so I have been at a couple weeks now with fish in cycle relying on my one remaining fish to get me through the cycle for my 60 gal tank. No Nitrites yet but ammonia is at a little over .5. I have been testing every other day and adding a dose of seachem prime every two days when I test. After rereading I would like to double check- it says seachem lasts 24- 48 hours- should I be adding seachem prime every day or every 48 hours? or should I be only adding more daily if the lvls increase?
I made the mistake of moving some decorations around to give more hiding places for my fish, he did not like this- he spent the night gasping for air at the top, but has since gone to hiding behind the toys- his activity lvl seems lower- the last week he has been super active and friendly, not hiding at all and staring at me while I watch tv, now he seems mad like I breached his trust. could moving the decorations really have that much of an impact or do you think it is more likely that I am not using enough seachem prime?
Last- there has been a couple inches of evaporation- I haven’t added more water as I don’t want to disturb the balance by topping off with tap water. Am I making the right call or should I be topping off the tank? Is there a point where the water flow from the filter could be a problem with the water lvl dropping? Thank you for your help!
Ian Sterling says
March 29, 2019 at 7:50 amHi Nathan,
I prefer to dose daily rather than every 2 days, just in case it wears off sooner because you didn’t dose quite enough, or you are running late. If you have a routine of 48 hours, then do whatever works for you. I only suggest every day as it allows beginners to be a little more sloppy since they are not yet in a routine.
At 6 weeks I would expect to see nitrites by now. Are you reading your tests in natural daylight? Indoor lights can lead to incorrect results. Also, is there any biomedia in your filter? Biomedia gives the beenficial bacteria a place to call home.
Gasping for air the surface is more likely an oxygen issue, unless your fish is a gourami, betta or similar then it may be normal – read up on labyrinth fish.
As for evaporation, top it off as you see fit. It won’t affect your cycle. Just don’t forget to condition any water you add – otherwise the chlorine will kill any beneficial bacteria and you will start the cycle from the beginning.
Nathan Beverly says
March 31, 2019 at 10:40 amthanks you! Don’t worry I am on week 3 not six, I am expecting to see them (nitrites) any day now, hopefully I am still on schedule. lucky Benjamin Fish is back on track now too.he seemed sick for a night, hid for a day and now is back to his normal social self. It is good to know that I can douse daily, so far so good, but once I get nitrites and my lvls increase w/ ammonia I will begin dousing daily. once lvls hit the tipping point in the guide I will do the half water change (seems like the next big step). This may be a silly question regarding topping off the water- I am using top fin water conditioner, it says 1 dose per 10 gal- so if it looks to me that I am topping off about 5 gal should I use a 1/2 dose ? or is it implying I should use one dose per gal of my tank ie 6 doses, even though I am only currently replacing 5 gal of water? Thanks again!
Ian Sterling says
March 31, 2019 at 11:51 amHi Nathan,
This is actually an excellent question. You dose for the amount of water. So in this case, 5 gallons would be a half dose. I highly recommend making the switch to seachem prime. It’s much more concentrated and lasts significantly longer. It also neutralizes ammonia and nitrites, which is very handy in an emergency!
Nathan Beverly says
April 2, 2019 at 4:32 amHello, I am using seachem prime, I was going to use the top fin water conditioner for chlorine when I top off the water. Are you saying I can mix Prime in a bucket of tap water and wouldn’t need to use the water conditioner as well? If so, I will hold off on the water conditioner until the cycle is finished. let me know if you recommend prime over top fin water conditioner for water changes after the cycle is finished and I will just get rid of the top fin conditioner. I was under the impression to use the water conditioner when adding tap water, and use the prime daily or every other day based on the test results. Also, do you have any advice on how to properly mix in water conditioner or prime when doing a 25 % or 50 % water change? it sounds like I should premix, I just wondered what this looked like and if you have tips or tricks for conditioning water outside of the fish tank. Thank you again, you are the best!
Ian Sterling says
April 2, 2019 at 4:43 amHi Nathan,
Seachem Prime is a “complete” water conditioner, in addition to treating ammonia and nitrite, it also dechlorinates. It’s the only dechlorinator I use and I highly recommend it. Topfin is an instore brand, while I am confident it’s a re-brand of another water conditioner, based on testing a range of Topfin products in my reviews such as gravel vacuums and fishfeeders, they have failed to impress, their focus seems to be on cutting manufacturing costs (while charging you a lot) vs. performance.
I guess what I am saying here is that Seachem Prime can be your sole water conditioner.
As far as mixing goes, you simply add it to the water that will be added to the tank. So say you are adding 5 gallons of water, you would add .5 ml to the bucket. A quick stir and you are done. It’s that simple. If you are using seachem Prime I highly recommend investing in a pipette for accurate dosing, as you don’t need much at all and it’s difficult to accurately dose using the cap
Nathan Beverly says
April 7, 2019 at 6:08 amThank you for the advice! Since I am still using seachem prime (I have moved up to daily) to nuetrilize the ammonia ( still nothing else at week 4 now) and since my ammonia is at .5 ( I have a 60 gal tank) and the guide says to use a full dose for anything under 1- would I be safe to fill a bucket with tap water, douse it with the full cap of prime and use the water from the bucket to both top the tank and dose for the ammonia? With how slow it is going I have been scared to throw tap water in and slow things down further or start me over. I think one tetra for a 60 gal tank is maybe not producing enough waste to make things happen quickly.
Ian Sterling says
April 7, 2019 at 9:06 amHi Nathan,
As long as the water is immediately added and not left to sit, then this should be the same as adding a dose directly to the tank.
Oh, it’s going to be slow with one tetra. If it were me, I’d I was in this situation, I’d actually go and add more tetra. I know it’s not ideal for a fish-in cycle, but tetra are schooling fish and generally do best when kept in groups of 6 or more. This will also produce ammonia at a faster rate.
Alternatively, I would re-home this fish and perform a fishless cycle and return it once the cycle is complete.
This is a judgment call only you can make. It’s also worth mentioning that the beneficial bacteria grows to the amount of ammonia being produced. After all, without more food, the colony can’t get bigger. So while the tank is cycled for a single tetra, it may not be able to handle more. This is why, after cycling, it is recommended that you add fish slowly, separating out the additions by days or even weeks so the beneficial bacteria can adapt.
Nathan Beverly says
April 7, 2019 at 11:27 pmthanks Ian! I am slowly topping off adding a gal or 2 of water each day with my dosing- I stir for about 10 seconds and then release the water in. I started with one tetra (well one that lived) after adding many that died from shock, after 4 weeks – I now have 3 tetras in there ( 2 that are very happy and one that hides all day , probably not happy without a proper school who was added about 4 days ago) I got tired of so many tetras dying in my attempt to build a school ( I think part of the issue is I have 3 male tetras so now I need to add like 5 females at once to keep the boys from stressing the girls to death when they are added) so yesterday I added 6 Danios- none of them have died and they seem happy. I will probably stop now with the 3 tetras and 6 danios in my 60 gal tank until the cycle completes then I will get back on track with building my tetra school- I will likely drop 5 females together to balance out the ratio and maybe go back to using prime for a few days to negate any rise in ammonia from adding 5 tetras at once. Let me know if this sounds like an alright plan, thanks again for all of your help.
Ian Sterling says
April 8, 2019 at 4:25 amZebra Danios are actually hardy little fish. In the old days, before fishless cycles were a thing, we used hardy fish like Zebra Danios to do a fish-in cycle. In fact, it was often the only reason these fish were bought, they could easily survive the chemicals in the tank. Nowadays we know better, but I thought it might be an interesting tidbit for you as to why they are surviving better than your other fish.
That sounds like a good plan. It’s entirely possible that your 5 additions won’t cause an ammonia spike, but even so, it’s still a good idea to perform daily testing in the week after and add prime accordingly. Just react to the test.
Fingers crossed the rest of your cycle moves smoothly. If any other questions around the cycle arise, drop me a line here and I’ll do my best to help. Good luck!
Nathan Beverly says
April 17, 2019 at 9:20 amHi Ian!
I am not at the beginning of week 6,
Ammonia has begun to drop to a about .35ppm
Nitrites have been present for 4-5 days and have spiked to 1ppm or possibly a little higher
Nitrates maybe appearing, color seems to be a bit gold but very well could be zero. it doesn’t seem as bright a yellow as yesterday.
I used 2 doses of Prime with the numbers above. Let me know if I am off track, but so far so good I think : )
I have noticed brown smudges appearing in random places on the glass, it’s not common but it is in a few places, is this something to worry about?
I also wanted to ask if I should apply the dousing rule to Nitrates. my test goes straight from 0 to 5 for Nitrates . Do I douse with prime just as I would for Nitrates and ammonia? Or is removing water the only cure for nitrates?
Also, do you have any advice for right after when the cycle is completed? I figured I would wait a couple days and perform a 25% water change and replace one of the filters (considering it has already been 6 weeks of using the same two filters). I thought I would wash the other filter off in the tank water and put it back as to not lose my bacteria. I was going to wait another 2 weeks, replace the second filter and do another 25% water change. – but then I thought – is the water change the only wat to get rid of the nitrates? maybe I should do a 50% change after completing the cycle, wait a week and then start replacing filters? What do you recommend? Also, with my suction hose thingimabob to clean the gravel, is this something okay to do once a month if I am doing 25 % water changes every two weeks or should I do this with each water change?
In other words, I am looking for advice as to the maintenance I should do right after the cycle is completed to get caught up on cleaning, and also a good steady routine to follow once I can turn to a regular schedule.
Thank you for all your help, all three tetras are alive and social as are all the Danios !
Ian Sterling says
April 17, 2019 at 11:39 amHi Nathan,
All of this sounds like your cycle is progressing as normal. The “brown smudges” are likely brown algae (diatoms) – these often appear when a tank is cycling and go away on their own. They may get worse before they get better. The only time this will need investigating further is if they are still there a few weeks after your tank has cycled.
I’m a little confused as to why you would want to remove your filter? Your filter should consist of mechanical filtration ( a sponge) and biomedia (usually ceramic rings) the biomedia is where the beneficial bacteria live. If you are talking about those disposable filter cartridges then I highly recommend sourcing a new filter, as those are a huge scam – they encourage you to throw out your beneficial bacteria. One of my current tanks has the same sponge from 9 months ago while the biomedia is going on 3 years old, and they are only been rinsed occasionally when they look overly gunky, the sponge is probably rinsed every month.
You perform your water change as per how high your nitrate levels are. Ideally you will want to get them around 10 ppm or less, so this may take more than one 50% water change.
Once done, you should be able to see out a week between water changes. Just how big the water change needs to be depends at the rate nitrate builds back up. I highly recommend grabbing a gravel vacuum to clean your substrate if you have a rocky or sandy substrate.
Thanks for the update on your fish. I’m really happy to hear they are hanging in there! 🙂
Nathan Beverly says
April 18, 2019 at 9:40 amThanks Ian. If I am understanding right, once the cycle is complete I should do 50% water changes weekly to get the nitrate lvls down which may be high once the cycle is done requiring several 50% changes in a row. once done, test and do water changes as needed to keep the nitrate lvl down, performing a change as it rises to 10.
regarding the filters, I have an Aqueon quite flow LED pro and yes it uses the replacement filter cartridges. I bought a pack of replacements when I bought it. It sounds like I made another pet store driven mistake. I imagine now is a bad time to switch, that I should finish the cycle first, especially being so close to finished? What do you think? this filter is large sized, it uses two filter cartridges at once, so my plan was to replace just one when cycle is done- wait 2 weeks and then replace the other- unless you advise otherwise I guess I will do this to get through all the filter cartridges I have and then upgrade.
Let me know if I should switch to a different filter sooner or if you see no harm in sticking with these until the cartridges I bought run out. also, what type of filter do you recommend I get as a replacement and any advice on switching to the new filter? would I be in danger of losing the cycle after all this work?
Just when you think you have your finger on everything, you find out you got a scammy filter : (
Ian Sterling says
April 18, 2019 at 10:23 amHi Nathan,
Mostly spot on. Your nitrate may rise to 20 or 30 by the end of the week. The exact rate depends on food, amount fed, other gunk etc. In a perfect world, we would keep it less than 10 in a non-planted tank. However, this is often not possible. Unfortunately, it all entirely depends on your tank. But if you can get it back well under 10 each week with a 20-40% water change, you are doing just fine!
On the filter, is there any room to add ceramic rings? If so, I would add these to the cavity before you replace the filter cartridges. Ceramic rings last for years before needing to be replaced, I highly recommend wrapping them in a filter media bag. It will make rinsing and replacing sooo much easier. Your future self will thank you. Does the filter floss on the cartridges look exceptionally dirty? If flow isn’t obstructed, my personal opinion would be to add ceramic rings and leave these disposable cartridges in for another month. This will give enough time for the beneficial bacteria to form on the ceramic rings. From then, I would remove one. Then I would remove the other and replace it with some coarse sponge followed by a block of filter floss (finer sponge) You will likely cut it to size, but these giant foam blocks can be purchased from amazon and are very affordable when compared to replacement filter cartridges.
Don’t worry, you are not alone in making this mistake. Really, these products should not be stocked at all. Fish keeping is the only hobby I have ever been involved in where store employees and manufacturers are sometimes not looking out for your best interests.
Nathan Beverly says
April 25, 2019 at 8:40 amHi Ian,
I am approaching week 8 and I think my cycle is completed or maybe destroyed but hopefully not?. I waited too long to check the last post, I ended up taking out one of the cartridges, waited 4 days and replaced the other cartridge. they had been in there for 7 weeks. I washed the old cartridges off in a bucket of the tank water, and washed the new ones in the same bucket of tank water before adding them. at this point my nitrites had spiked to above a little over 2ppm. ammonia was at .1 and nitrates seemed to be like 1ppm. this was 4 days ago, I was about to do a water change for the first time. But then they began to fall. the last 2 days the nitrites have been decreasing down to 1ppm 2 days ago, .5 ppm yesterday, and under .25 today. My concern is my nitrates still seem really low, like 2ppm- 3 tops. I was expecting to have really high nitrates and have to perform a water change soon. do you think I am approaching the end of my cycle? or did I mess up when I replaced the filter cartridges?
as a reminder incase it is useful, I have a 60 gal tall tank, cycled 2 weeks with one tetra, added a second tetra at 3 weeks, a third tetra at 4 weeks, and 5 danios in the 5th week.
Ian you rock!
Ian Sterling says
April 25, 2019 at 11:20 amHi again Nathan,
Fingers crossed it’s close to being finished. I would hate for you to go back to the start after being so patient with the whole process.
Unfortunately, the only way to tell is, well, more waiting. If your nitrites drop to zero, ammonia stays at zero and your nitrates are increasing, then yeah, you are done. If the nitrates remain static (say over a week) then something could be amiss. But based on the information you have provided, it could possibly be on the way to being cycled. I would have been expecting higher nitrates too, but not everyone experiences the cycle in the exact same way. All you can really do is keep testing each day and see how each chemical (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) moves.
Nathan Beverly says
April 29, 2019 at 5:31 amThanks Ian!
I believe my cycle is complete, Nitrates are still low like 1 or 2, but everything is else is at zero. I chalk it up to doing 4 weeks of the cycle with one tetra, having a 60 gal tank with small fish, and maybe using the stresszyme with bacteria which says slow down the need for tank maintenance. I am still testing every other day to keep an eye on things, but so far the only thing strange is the low nitrates. Thank you so much on helping me through this process!
Ian Sterling says
April 29, 2019 at 7:35 amHooray! I’m so glad you made it. Based on what you are saying, I’d say the tank is cycled. It’s time to add fish. Just make sure you do it really slowly, as doubling the amount of fish or getting bioload heavy fish can cause ammonia to spike and the cycle then has to catch up. As always, your testing will let you know how to progress and react.
Congratulations again, it’s your patience that got you here!
Catherine says
March 19, 2019 at 10:18 amHi Ian! A quick question please — does having a better/more efficient filter control nitrate levels better? Thank you!!
Ian Sterling says
March 19, 2019 at 11:08 amHi Catherine,
I don’t really understand this question but here are my thoughts based on what I think you are asking. Assuming the filter is the appropriate size for your tank, it shouldn’t really have an impact. Given that the flow rate should be appropriate, the beneficial bacteria colonies grow in size to accommodate the amount of waste being produced. Nitrate is always the end product. If your filter is appropriate, then nitrate should always build up at a similar rate.
Catherine says
March 19, 2019 at 11:17 amYes, I think that about answered it Ian! I realise that nitrate is the end product and so reasoned that filter “power” shouldn’t have much impact. The kids were just trying to figure out why their nitrates were up to about 20ish within just 4 days or so (the bigger tank still hasn’t arrived yet) (figure a bigger tank would help some) and asked if getting a bigger/another filter would help any.
Nathan Beverly says
March 12, 2019 at 2:53 amHello, I unfortunately got set up by the pet store with the idea of doing the fish-in cycle. if it doesn’t work I will only try the once and go to the preferred method. My question is about the seachem prime method. I added 4 tetra glofish to a 60 gal tank yesterday. Tomorrow I will begin testing for ammonia. Please correct the following if I misunderstood: as soon as I am picking up ANY ammonia traces it is time to start using Prime. I should use prime every 48 hours, increasing the dose after about two weeks when Nitrites become present. EACH time I use Prime I should mix with new water and do a 50% refill- so 50% water change every 2 days with prime once I detect ammonia. — Please let me know if I am off on this, I just want to make sure I have my next steps in order. Beyond this , since I am using tetras and not goldfish, it was recommended to me to add stress zyme + to help boost healthy bacteria growth- do you recommend this? if so , should I do the double dose recommended for new aquariums? Would I do this with my water changes or just once a week without a water change?
Beyond this : ) – 4 longfin tetras in a 60 gal tank – is this an okay amount of fish to use? I worried that I should have 5 or 6 to get the cycle going faster but I also have a tall tank with less surface area so I went with 4.
last ( I promise) if you think 4 is enough or have me go up to 5 or 6- if any of them die during the cycle, should I replace or wait for the cycle to complete to get more fish? I figure if ammonia levels are high I should not replace- but it seems like glofish tetras are a bit ‘hit or miss’ just due to stress when joining a new tank-, two sadly died within the first 12 hours. If they all die I would not replace and do the no fish-cycle– but once started I am not sure if it is best to keep the amount of fish the same, or to hold through with out replace even if I end up with one or two of the 4 to complete the cycle ( is one or two enough to complete the cycle?)
Your information is invaluable, I wish I had researched up front before making the purchases : ( but I am loving the hobby.
Ian Sterling says
March 12, 2019 at 3:37 amHi Nathan,
Don’t worry, unfortunately, being given bad advice by pet stores is basically a rite of passage in this hobby – we have all been there. I would recommend buying fish from a local independent fish store if possible, these guys are better positioned to give advice as many are actively involved in the hobby themselves. Big box chain pet stores just don’t train their staff well enough.
The 50% water change is if your ammonia or ammonia + nitrite reaches 4 ppm (prime can only be dosed up to 5 ppm) so until then you don’t need the water change. You do a water change based on the test results, there isn’t a set schedule here and will vary from tank to tank.
Adding the beneficial bacteria “may help” but it’s no guarantee. You see, this stuff is only good if the bacteria in the bottle are alive. It’s also argued that only a certain strain of bacteria actually helps, which is the strain found in both API quickstart or DR Tims one and only (it’s the same stuff) whether you add this or not is up to you. The cycling method above doesn’t need it however.
I wouldn’t worry about the amount of tetra in regards to cycling. feeding 4 will get the cycle going in no time. If there is one thing fish love to do, it’s eat and poop. It won’t be long before ammonia begins to appear.
As for replacing them, this is a moral decision on your part. If it was me, I wouldn’t introduce a new fish to a tank knowing that it could very well die. I don’t have a lot of experience with glofish, but my basic understanding is they they are very inbred and quite sensitive to stress. You should be able to complete the cycle even with a single fish. Although you will need to keep in mind that the amount of bacteria that grows matches the waste produced, so once the tank is cycled, you should only add one or two fish each week, to give the bacteria a chance to catch up to the new waste being produced.
I have my fingers crossed that all your Tetra pull through. But please prepare yourself for the possibility that they won’t. It’s not uncommon for your fish to die off during a fish-in cycle even if you do everything right. Wishing you all the best!
Nathan Beverly says
March 13, 2019 at 5:54 amawesome! you are so helpful! ammonia came in at .5 today, I did one dose of Prime on my 60 gal tank. I will measure tomorrow, and in two days I will dose again based on the readings and will begin testing for Nitrites. I decided I am going to attempt once to replace the fish who passed, while I am at the store I will inquire about getting credits in case these also pass, at that point I would like to end the circle of death and will tred on with one fish to complete the cycle.
Thank you for your help and the speedy response! I am sure a lot of fish are alive because of you. I am also sure that a lot of people stuck with the hobby due to your swift and helpful support.
Ian Sterling says
March 13, 2019 at 6:32 amDidn’t take long for ammonia to appear at all, right? It sounds like you are on the path to a successful cycle now. Even so, if anything does seem unusual or if something goes wrong, please drop me a comment here and I’ll attempt to provide guidance to the best of my ability.
Thanks for the lovely feedback. I appreciate it.
Catherine says
March 7, 2019 at 8:45 pmOK Ian — back to the topic 😀
We’re thinking of upgrading Gup’s tank to a bigger one, about double the present size. The current tank is already cycled as you know; what would be involved in transferring them over to the new one please? I’m thinking it won’t be an entirely new cycle, but there would be some fiddling and stabilizing required? We’d put in the old water of course, and then add additional treated water to it.. ? And we would need a bigger filter I’m sure — how can we make use of the current one and not “waste” all the nice families living in it? Thank you!!
Ian Sterling says
March 8, 2019 at 3:45 amHi Catherine,
You are correct here, it’s pretty much a case of transferring as much stuff over as possible, gravel, your filter, water, anything else, get it in there.
Your tank will likely still undergo a partial cycle, to what extent, I can’t say, all you can do is re-test daily and react accordingly.
If you new filter has room, you can place the sponge directly on top of the biomedia (say ceramic rings) and it will soon spread. Leave it here for 2-4 weeks. Alternatively, you can run both filters at the same time. I prefer moving it to the larger filter as this filter is rated for your bigger tank, the sponge filter (if I am remembering correctly) might not be.
Catherine says
March 8, 2019 at 10:40 amThanks a million Ian!
Actually I think we’ve never talked about Gup’s filter before (Betta is the one with the sponge). They currently have this (a larger size of this): https://www.amazon.com/Roka-Filter-small-aquarium-operated/dp/B002RUYQ7E
But I’m thinking of changing this to something better. It is very efficient in keeping things clean, but we’re having to *completely* replace the sponges inside every few weeks (it’s neat though — it has a layer of tiny pebbles, then a carbon sponge layer and then another regular sponge layer). The tank is 10-gallons, gup and corys — would a basic sponge filter like Betta’s be ok? Or…? (I’m trying to keep it simple cos the kiddos are responsible for upkeep).
Ian Sterling says
March 8, 2019 at 11:13 amInteresting filter, I have only ever used a GEX (same brand) snail trap and it was surprisingly effective. Are those pebbles porous? If they are then this is where your beneficial bacteria is hiding.
A sponge filter is fine. Just make sure you buy one that is rated for 10 gallons. Larger sponge filters are always better, more surface area for bacteria.
If you want to use a sponge filter, I’d add both the sponge and the pebbles in a filter media bag, place the new sponge filter on or next to it and place a airstone under the media bag, to ensure current flows through and keeps the beneficial bacteria alive. Alternatively, run both filters at once. Either or. Second option is likely easier.
Catherine says
March 8, 2019 at 11:29 amThanks Ian!
Yes, I think running both filters at the same time is easier. You do mean just till it’s all stable right? Not forever?
So a sponge filter is effective enough for them huh? I can’t go by how it works for Betta, as he really seems so much cleaner than them lol
Those pebbles are sort of porous I guess? They seem like regular substrate type gravel. But really — the families are in that? And not the two other sponges? With the implication that it’s fine that we have to keep chucking out the sponges every couple of weeks? (we actually do keep a bit of the falling-apart sponge squished in with the new sponge a few days after a change — would love not to have to do that really!).
Ian Sterling says
March 8, 2019 at 11:41 amOh yeah, I’d say within a month you’d be able to remove the old filter.
Sponge filters are great! Easy to clean and should be fine for a 10 gallon assuming you buy the right size. You’ll still need to gravel vac though, no escaping that. It’s a chore but worth it.
Sounds like a new sponge filter is just what the doctor asked for, you have experienced first hand how easy they are to maintain. A lot of people don’t like them because they are ugly and take up tank space. But from a practical and even affordability view, they are pretty great.
Catherine says
March 8, 2019 at 11:44 amOh, just realised I showed you the wrong model. It’s this one:
https://theaquaticgazette.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/gex-roka-boy-compact/
(and wow, this site goes into all the details haha) So you can see the two sponge layer things (we don’t access the gravel part at all); they literally fall apart within a couple of weeks. Not sure why the writer says they just need “monthly light rinsing” — NOT!
Catherine says
March 8, 2019 at 11:48 amActually the sponge filter looks quite fine in Betta’s tank really — just a couple of strategically placed plants in front of it and “blends right in” haha
In truth, I don’t quite understand the importance of “Mechanical, Biological and Chemical Filtration”. The Gex apparently does all these, while I sense that the sponge doesn’t?
For overall ease though, the sponge really is great!
Ian Sterling says
March 8, 2019 at 3:14 pmSponge does minor mechanical, and excellent biological. It wouldn’t cut it in a planted tank, or other setup where there is lots of debris floating through the water. But in a basic setup with decorations, they work great.
As for understanding, it’s your lucky day. I have guides on mechanical filtration, biological filtration and chemical filtration.
Catherine says
March 8, 2019 at 3:56 pmWow, wonderful! Thanks Ian!
Do marimo balls count as “planted tank”? Certainly they do leave tiny bits of green fluff……. Perhaps that’s why the sponge is fine in Betta’s tank, which has no real plants..
Ian Sterling says
March 8, 2019 at 4:20 pmNah, that’s hardly a planted tank. Your sponge filter should be fine here.
Catherine says
March 9, 2019 at 12:32 pmHaha ok thanks so much.
So in summary, it seems to me that this upgrading thing actually involves just putting everything about their old tank into the new one, and then topping it up with more water. Plus a bigger filter. That about sums it up?
Ian Sterling says
March 9, 2019 at 2:35 pmYeah, you are definitely on the same page. It’s a lot simpler than my long-winded replies make it sound, that’s for sure.
Catherine says
March 9, 2019 at 4:17 pmNo, you’ve been SUCH a help! Thank you soo much!!
Our new tank is coming in in a few days — we’re super excited 😀
Catherine says
March 6, 2019 at 12:31 pmHi Ian!
So sorry this isn’t quite related, but would you know why a guppy might keep staying at the bottom of the tank? He looks physically fine, swimming fine, and yes, water parameters all ok (zero etc), but he’s been spending the last couple of weeks basically acting like his cory tankmates! He used to be all “typical crazy swimming guppy”, so not sure what to do…any ideas?
Ian Sterling says
March 6, 2019 at 1:59 pmSorry Catherine, it’s not much to go off, he could just be a bad breed (many fish are sadly very inbred), having health issues or everything could be perfectly normal and he is just chilling. If he’s eating and otherwise seems normal, I would just roll with it. If he stops eating, or shows physical signs of disease, you’ll need to either treat or euthanize, depending on what the disease is.
Catherine says
March 6, 2019 at 2:47 pmThanks Ian! Yes, just rolling with it. We even wonder if he just wants to spend more time with the cories lol
Ian Sterling says
March 7, 2019 at 3:09 amAwesome. I have my fingers crossed it’s just a behavioral change!
Catherine says
March 7, 2019 at 12:26 pmHe has now gone back to swimming up top and other usual guppy things. We were really thinking he was trying to join the cory clique haha
Ian Sterling says
March 7, 2019 at 2:34 pmThanks for the update, Catherine. I’m glad it had a happy ending! Guppies don’t make good cories anyway.
Clay says
February 27, 2019 at 1:39 amSo I recently (as in 3 days ago) performed a 100% water change. I was given bad advice from my LFS and install a brass gate valve on my reef system. After about 5 months of declining corals and fish i finally figured out the issue, copper at 0.25. So i did my water change and removed all filter media and live sand but kept my live rock (simply because its too expensive to replace). I did install new water, live sand and a bottle of Fritz live bacteria and will be running CupriSord. Question i have is how much if any will my tank cycle? And is it possible that the copper add in my tank from the gate valve would kill bacteria? I did have to put my fish back in the system, because i did not have a suitable quarantine tank. I have only 6 fish in a 93 gallon cube, no coral yet.
Ian Sterling says
February 27, 2019 at 6:54 amHi Clay,
It’s hard to say. Anecdotally, I know some aquarists who have treated their display tanks with cupramine by accident (contains copper) and their beneficial bacteria inside the rock appeared to remain constant, they didn’t experience any crash at all.
Based on this, I would expect your situation to be similar. This is easy enough to monitor by testing for ammonia.
You were spot on to add cuprisorb, it will trap any remaining copper in your aquarium.
Clay says
February 27, 2019 at 10:10 pmThank you for your reply, it is great appreciate. I have found you to be very informative. If I may ask you another question, I did take a water sample to the LFS and my copper is still reading between 0.25-5. I guess it’s hard for them to know the exact amount. What do you think my next move should be if any, and is there an accurate way to test for copper? Seems like my 100% water change was a waste of time and money! 🙁
Ian Sterling says
February 28, 2019 at 3:46 amHi Clay,
A copper test kit is the best way to determine copper levels at home. I personally use Salifert, but I don’t see why other brands would be any less accurate. The problem with your water change is that trace amounts of copper can still remain behind in the tank, as a water change will only remove the copper in the water. This is getting out of the scope of this article, which focuses on cycling. I would suggest creating a post at either reef central or reef2reef. Both are amazing forums and their community will easily be able to assist.
Greg says
February 26, 2019 at 10:21 pmHello Ian,
I am having a huge ammonia spike currently, with 24 fish in our 60 gallon tank. we kind of screwed up on our water changes, and gravel cleaning for a month and a half (long story, but we learned from it). Now, our ammonia is at around 4-8 ppm. We have been dosing with prime a cap and a half, every other day, and vacuumed really well, and did a 50% water change. This tank is over 2 years old, guessing we lost our cycle. What is really confusing me is that the ammonia shoots back up after a water change (maybe takes a day), Nitrites stay at 0, but nitrates are going up as well. They were at 5, now they are around 20ish.. I was planning on doing like a 75% water change after removing all the decorations, and searching for a dead fish, or babies… or i dunno. Any recommendations sir? I don’t want to have our fish stressed out, but they seem to be doing ok for now. No signs of ammonia poisoning, or any distress.
We also started feeding them every 2-3 days since we noticed the ammonia spike.
HELP 🙁
Ian Sterling says
February 27, 2019 at 6:48 amHi Greg,
Depending on what the 24 fish are, it’s possible your tank is overstocked, while your cycle could maintain it, now it’s crashed it’s causing difficulty.
It sounds like you are doing all you can do, 50% water changes will cut ammonia in half and prime should take care of the rest. Ideally you want ammonia around 4 ppm, anecdotally, many people report stalled cycles from too high levels of ammonia. Unfortunately, it’s just a water change, prime, repeat until your tank cycle re-establishes itself. I’d do what you were considering too, remove all decorations and give tank a big clean down.
Greg Panella says
February 27, 2019 at 9:54 amThat’s what I did tonight. It went from 8 to about 4. I’ll do another 50% tomorrow or Thursday. The nitrates are not from a cycled tank, they are the same as from my tap.. my next question is.. Could I take some gravel from our planted tank and throw it in the crashed tank to seed it? It had Ick last week and we are still treating it (not been a good few weeks for us or our fish)..
My tank is approximately 78% stocked with my current filtration.. 11 white and black skirt tetras total, 3 bosmani, 2 small angel fish,1 bristlenose, 5 serpae tetra, and 2 Siamese algae eaters. Running 2 HOB tetra ex70 with various media in them..
That being said, I know there’s gonna be a dollar a gallon sale starting Sunday.. might go pick up a 20 gallon for some of the smaller fish so I can lighten the bio load in this tank.. thoughts on any/all of this?
Ian Sterling says
February 27, 2019 at 10:41 amIch as well? Ugh, it’s been a rough patch. I hope it gets easier! It certainly sounds like you have a handle on things.
Your thoughts are right here, gravel from an established tank will help speed up the cycle. By how much? It entirely depends. I have seen some tanks barely speed up at all while others are considerably faster. I guess the answer here is that you have absolutely nothing to lose at all by adding it.
Oh no, another dollar per gallon sale? Well, now I have to make some space in my house. If you are confident your tank isn’t overstocked then there isn’t a whole lot to be gained by splitting them up, unless you want another tank for more fish, this one will need to be cycled too.
Yep says
February 20, 2019 at 5:20 amFish in cycle is the only way to cycle or you are doing it wrong.
Ian Sterling says
February 20, 2019 at 1:23 pmHi, Yep
Completely agree with you. This guide is for those that are having a “oh no, it’s too late” moment. Fish can be hard to return or rehome once they are in your posession.
jenna says
February 17, 2019 at 2:42 amSo with all the testing and always getting the same results, I decided to get and try the green killing machine (as was recommended on Fishlore?). I got it Thurs. and as of Friday night could see improvement. This morning, it looks So much better! Can finally see details in the back of tank and I have not done a wc since Monday. Too busy and sick and things seemed ok or the same at the time. Also one more note, I was testing water am and pm – that was why the light was a challenge. 😉 sunlight vs. night lights. 🙂
All the best Ian!
Ian Sterling says
February 17, 2019 at 6:56 amHi Jenna,
I’m glad that was an easy fix. But keep in mind that while the Green Killing Machine will fix the problem (the green/yellow free floating algae) it doesn’t fix the cause. Ideally, you wouldn’t want the free-floating algae to appear in the first place. Now you are testing correctly, are your water parameters as expected?
Jenna says
February 17, 2019 at 10:47 amYes, got it. Watching the feeding. Keeping up with water changes. I did check out AQ Advisor and noticed it recommended 26% wc every week and that my tank was 104% stocked?. :l So I will keep a close eye. Did manage another wc today and cleaned some more. Still a bit cloudy, but So much improved. 🙂 It’s the first time I have seen it get better without a wc. 🙂 And I skipped the bio on the wc. Just used the API Stress Coat+ water cond.
Parameters are as before every time the same or close? Ph 7.4, Ammonia – 0 or just a bit more but not .25 (which is the same as my tap water?), Nitrite – 0, and Nitrate – 0 or possibly a bit more but not fully 5ppm (given 5ppm is my base with tap water). Test looks darker than 5ppm but not as dark as 10 ppm.
Ian Sterling says
February 17, 2019 at 4:47 pmThat’s awesome to hear! I’m so happy for you. Sounds like you have gotten a good handle on it.
On the testing, if your nitrates are continually getting darker, then it’s possible your tank is actually cycled. I’d observe this over a week or two, without a water change, to make sure. You should see the nitrates visibly climb on your test over this period
jenna says
February 17, 2019 at 9:43 pmOK. Thanks again!
Jenna says
February 11, 2019 at 9:28 amHi Ian,
So to follow-up on your advice to me on the Cloudy Water page…
“If I was in your position, I would perform a 100% water change and stop adding anything to the tank besides water conditioner. From here, attempt to carry out the cycle. If it’s a bacterial bloom from cycling, the cloudiness should come and go.
You would be at step 4 in the fishless cycle. Just keep monitoring that ammonia and keep it at around 0.25. From here, you should see nitrites within 3 weeks and from there it’s just more waiting.”
You stated I would be ** at step 4 in the fishless cycle** ? But I Have Fish in my tank? 4 Glow tetras 4 Penquin 1 African Dwarf frog and 1 Nerite snail? So you mean fish-in? cycle? Or am I not understanding something?
Also, I had 2 other thoughts.
I have been planning on getting an aquarium for my son after this was all settled. Maybe I get it early, set it-up and put them there until her tank is fixed?
OR
I mentioned I had a filter issue at one point and used another filter. I have a 30 gallon aquarium I have never used. I bought it used from a couple who had goldfish but needed baby space.
I have the filter – I did use it 2x when while doing a wc my filter stopped working for a bit (forgot to unplug it before the water got lower). It has been sitting unused in a bucket still with the same carbon/sponge/bio? They were unopened until end of Sept. when I got my tank and found out it had no filter in the kit. I put the filter together and put it to use to get our tank started, until I got the filter that was supposed to come in the kit.
I thought I potentially could start-up that aquarium (vs. buying all new in such a short time – hard to do when busy with school and activities all week)? The thing is it is 30 gallons vs.16 gallons. Could I fill it half-way? I don’t have any rock or anything to put in it. There is some sort of white plastic base I could leave in? Not sure what it was for? Then I guess I could hopefully quickly prep it and keep them there until I get their tank back in order? Maybe that is best?
Either way I now have a bottle of Seechem Prime. I also bought some Aquarium glue just in case? I have never used a used tank? She said she put Vaseline in the seams to keep it ok? That was easily 7 years ago when I first got it from her. And hopefully just a rinse with hot water will be ok with this option? Sorry. Lots of ?’s here I know. The 30 gallon tank is 2 floors down. Not so convenient, but maybe best option if you think worth it? Only thing is in the mean time, what do I do about fish in the 16 g tank as is. Just keep changing water weekly or so? And keep an eye on Ammonia etc.?
EXTRA note: This evening the tank looks Even More Cloudy. 🙁 Goodness wonder if they are having trouble seeing the food? The tests came back: Ammonia .25? Nitrites 0 and Nitrates 5 or I guess 0 given my Nitrate-y tap water?
Ian Sterling says
February 11, 2019 at 11:50 amSorry, completely my mistake. My old brain often gets mixed up when replying to so many different comments. You are correct, I meant fish-in cycle. Step 4.
Regardless of which option you choose, you still need to cycle both fish tanks. Whether you do fish-in or fishless, it won’t make too much difference, thousands of people have seen success with either.
If your tank is 7 years old, depending on how it’s been stored, it’s possible it needs a re-seal. This would involve cutting away the existing silicone and reapplying new. It’s quite a project. Aquarium glue won’t cut it. I’d seek expert advice on whether this is the case, as there is nothing worse than dealing with a water leak with a fully stocked aquarium. I’ve had a couple in my time keeping fish and it’s a stressful disaster.
Also, I wouldn’t expect to see any movement yet. Cycling is slow. I’d do what I said in the previous comment and discontinue additives. Follow the cycle instructions and react according to the test kit. Unfortunately, cycles differ and there are no “exact” instructions. Your test kit will give you all the clues on how to proceed.
Jenna says
February 12, 2019 at 12:43 amHi Ian,
So, I am not liking the idea of redoing the old aquarium. But I was thinking, as I would need to cycle the water in the 30 gallon anyway, maybe I get started on that and if I notice a leak as I am filling it or what, it won’t matter as my fish will be in the 16g waiting for a cycled 30g? Curious what the time-frame on that might be and can I just fill it up half-way for this purpose? It is like 18 high I think? 30 long?
In the meantime, my 16g was last changed I think on Wed. or Thurs.? Forgot to mark it down. Normally I would do at least a 10% water change. Again on Wed. or Thurs.? I am also due for a carbon change on 2/20.
Can I stick with this? Do you think there is any chance my tank IS cycled? I have tested since Fri night and keep getting Ammonia at .25 or maybe I AM reading it wrong and it is 0? Nitrate at 0, Nitrate at 0 (adjusted for my 5 ppm tap water)? Maybe I am reading that a little off too? Maybe it is slightly more than 5ppm?
I am SO nervous about a 100% water change as you mentioned. Will that shock my fish? Wipe out Any good bacteria I might have? That is why I am wondering about any chance it is cycled or trying to go with setting up the old tank as a temporary plan B?
We have somehow struggled along this far, I don’t want to kill anything off if I can help it. 🙁 Same readings came back today as last night/morning etc. since Friday. And cloudiness is still high like yesterday, but not worse yet. It does still have this weird yellow/green color. It doesn’t show in the vials prior to testing, but it is visible in a 16 oz. cup if I place it in front of something white.
Ian Sterling says
February 12, 2019 at 3:39 amHi Jenna,
Again, it’s best if you change as per your test kit. Let that determine how often you change. Saying “just change this often” will cause even more problems.
If you are not confident doing a 100% water change, perform two or three 50% ones over the next three days. If you do a 100% water change, you want the parameters (ph, temp, etc to match) otherwise it will stress out your fish. Since you are a beginner, and it doesn’t appear you are confident, I’d probably stick with the 50%. A 100% waterchange is best done in an emergency. However, I’d classify this as an emergency.
A water change won’t affect your bacteria. Unless you forget to condition the water.
Also, I’d say that the next effort of cycling STARTS once the water is changed. Again, why I said to start here is it’s possible one of the many additives that have been dosed in the tank is responsible for hampering it.
If your ammonia is 2.5 and nitrates are not raising, your tank isn’t cycled.
I’d advise joining a Online Aquarium Forum if you want a community to talk to and gather feedback off. You’ll receive plenty of support here.
Jenna says
February 13, 2019 at 2:17 amOk. Thanks Ian. I did another 50% water last night (following the one last wed/thur?). Still not a lot of cloudy movement. I added NO chemicals other than a water conditioner. Morning readings same as ever. Ammonia looks .25 or lighter. Nitrite 0. Nitrate 5ppm or 0 given tap water. Just out of curiosity, I tested the Ammonia in my tap water. It looks the same the tank. 0-.25? Does that tell anything? Also, I feel like am readings always seem to look more like 5ppm for Nitrate and then at night they look a bit darker but maybe that is just the lighting? I did check out a forum online too thank you!
I just trust your judgement more. 😉
Ian Sterling says
February 13, 2019 at 5:54 amHi Jenna,
I’d do a second water change, as we discussed earlier, we want to get rid of that yellowy stain almost completely, so we can see if it comes back. This way we’ll know id something inside your tank is responsible.
When viewing your test results, it should always be done in natural daylight, the color of your indoor lighting can seriously throw the results out. If you take the tests outside, you can be more confident in your results.
So, do another water change, then re-test your aquarium for:
pH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Water temperature
And record these. That’s all we can do for now. After you record those, and you are confident you are testing in natural day light, we can proceed.
And forums are great, there are plenty of people just as knowledgeable as me there – plenty of people take this hobby really seriously! It’s a good thing for beginners looking for advice 🙂
Allyson says
February 9, 2019 at 9:23 amThank you so much for this page. I’m among those who was told by a big pet store that I only had to wait 48 hours to add fish, so I’m now trying to run a fish-in cycle with 6 fish (3 guppies, 3 guaramos) in a 20g tank that I started 9 days ago – it showed its first ammonia (0.5) today and I treated with Prime. However – I also have a smaller, 5g tank that was newly set up, doesn’t have fish yet, and hasn’t started its cycle yet – it’s only been running for 2 days. Would my fish have a better chance of survival if I moved 3 of them to the 5g tank (guppies, I guess, because they’re tiny)? I somehow want to help all of them survive.
The pet store sold me a bottle of TopFin “quick start” bacteria – that’s why he said it was safe to add in fish right away – does that actually work?
Ian Sterling says
February 9, 2019 at 12:35 pmHi Allyson,
Classic Petsmart. No, adding topfin “quickstart” doesn’t automatically cycle your tank. The purpose of bottled bacteria is to speed up the cycle. It doesn’t instantly cycle or make a tank safe for fish. Going further, there are different strains of bacteria. The strain found in API quickstart or DR Tim’s one and only (it’s the same stuff, different label) are the same as the bacteria that form in a cycle. There is much debate as to whether other brands actually help speed up a cycle at all, but I won’t go into that.
As for the fish, I assume you mean gourami? Depending on the species, you may find that these fish are either best kept on their own or in male-female pairs. They are a mixed basket and there is no guarantee they won’t bully other fish in your tank.
A 5 gallon is too small for 3 guppies. I feel they will have a better chance of survival in the 20g. 5 gallon tanks are not good for much other than shrimp/snail tanks or a lone betta.
Allyson says
February 10, 2019 at 1:48 amThanks so much for this. Yes, the 5 gallon tank was originally purchased for a single Betta, and just hasn’t been used for several years. I’ll keep them all in the 20g and watch chemical levels carefully. Thanks for the informative webpage.
And yes, gourami. So far, all of the fish have gotten along without any trouble. Once the tank has cycled, can we add a few more fish to it? If so, are there ones you would particularly recommend? The store said 1 fish inch per gallon of water, but now I’m wondering if that was accurate given the other questionable advice we got.
Ian Sterling says
February 10, 2019 at 8:20 amUnfortunately, the “1 inch per rule” isn’t a good one to follow. For instance, an 2 inches of a Koi would be best suited for a tank around 60 gallon. Even your 3 guppies would be too much for the 5 gallon. Fish tanks always hold less than you think. I would be hesitant to add any more fish to your 20 gallon. I would recommend finding a smaller “independent” fish store and going to them for advice, they will list all your options honestly, since they rely on your fish living for you to come back. The big chains seem to just want that one big sale.
Allyson says
February 11, 2019 at 4:27 amIt’s over an hour to anything but the big box pet supply stores, but I’ll approach everything with far more caution from now on and will do my own research.
My tap water PH is testing between 6-6.5, which I’m thinking may work in the fish’s favor during cycling. But I’ll stick with the fish I have, watch chemicals closely, and do plenty of water changes. Three days in and so far, everyone looks okay.
Ian Sterling says
February 11, 2019 at 4:39 amThat sounds like a better idea. I know all this can take a lot to take in at the beginning, but trust me, it definitely gets easier.
Just be mindful that if the pH gets too low (closer to 6 or under) it can seriously slow down the cycling process. It will still happen, it just takes longer.
Hang in there, even a “fast cycle” can take some time. It’s all patience from here on out.
Catherine says
February 8, 2019 at 9:33 pmHi Ian!
Brace yourself for another slightly weird question. I was wondering, couldn’t we fishless-cycle a separate tank while Betta is recuperating, then transfer him to it when he’s fine?
Also another weird question — is it a nasty/unwise/ridiculous idea to save Gup’s used filter sponge to “seed” Betta’s tank? Gup’s tank has a “traditional” filter, with layers of spongey (and stony) filter media within a plastic casing; sometimes one of the sponges deteriorates to the point where we have to replace it with a new one. We actually sit that old sponge with the new one for some days to seed it a bit, which led me to wonder if we could “share” it with Betta haha… Thoughts?
Ian Sterling says
February 9, 2019 at 3:29 amHi Catherine,
Not weird at all. I would think that your fish-in cycle would have completed by the time your fishless cycle neared the end though. If you do go down this route, don’t forget to acclimatize him when you transfer him
If the filter has not been removed then it could contain some beneficial bacteria. How much will depend on how far along your cycle has progressed. If it’s fully loaded with the stuff, it could speed up the cycle of your new tank. Otherwise you may not find it noticeably makes a difference. I’d try either DR Tim’s one and only or Tetra Quickstart (both are the same strain of bacteria) in addition to this.
Catherine says
February 9, 2019 at 12:16 pmThanks Ian!
Yes. the filter isn’t removed. Gup’s tank is cycled, so that’s why I thought their old sponge must have a fair bit of stuff. But is it “unhygienic” to share it with Betta?
On another note, what would account for an occasional re-appearance of ammonia in a cycled tank? About 0.25, which goes back down to 0 after a water change or two?
Ian Sterling says
February 9, 2019 at 12:37 pmUnless your tank has a disease outbreak or similar, there isn’t anything wrong with sharing a filter. It’s how plenty of newbies kickstart their cycle.
Such a small amount of ammonia? I’d monitor what happens prior to it’s appearance. feeding time? three days before water change day? Etc. It’s possible your tank isn’t fully cycled in relation to the bioload yet. It’s honestly hard to say without backtracking what happened prior to measuring it.
Catherine says
February 9, 2019 at 1:43 pmThanks so much Ian.
Yes, just a hint of it. And yes, it does sort of tie in to feeding time sometimes I think… how long a gap should there be between feeding and testing?
I think the tank is fully cycled though? as the weeks between such occasions are fine.
Ian Sterling says
February 9, 2019 at 2:04 pmTry giving it an hour or two after feeding and see what the results are. It’s possible the proteins in the food are rapidly breaking down and causing a slight ammonia rise. This is just theory based on what you have stated. Admittedly, I have no experience with food releasing ammonia so quickly. You’ll need to do your own testing to confirm the food is in face responsible for these ammonia spikes.
Catherine says
February 9, 2019 at 6:51 pmThanks so much Ian.
We’re thinking of switching Betta’s sponge filter to a slightly bigger one — what would be the best way to go about doing this? Of course his current filter has been around awhile and has a fair bit of good stuff on it; we were just thinking it might be a bit too small.. being a Betta I don’t think we can run BOTH filters at the same time..
Ian Sterling says
February 10, 2019 at 8:21 amCan you run both on the lowest setting? Or reduce the input somewhat, say with a sponge or something similar to slow down the flow?
Catherine says
February 10, 2019 at 12:00 pmPossibly, though it’s going to start being kind of cramped in there haha… Do you mean to run both together for a period of time, or forever?
Ian Sterling says
February 10, 2019 at 12:47 pmDon’t worry, it’s only temporary. It generally takes 2-4 weeks for the filter to colonize.
Catherine says
February 10, 2019 at 12:54 pmBut it has to be connected to a working pump, yes? As in, the filter needs to be functioning in order to colonize? Not just sit there?
Ian Sterling says
February 10, 2019 at 12:56 pmThis is correct, yes.
Catherine says
February 10, 2019 at 1:11 pmThank you so much!!
Catherine says
February 11, 2019 at 8:56 pmHi Ian,
Could any of these cause a re-appearance of ammonia in a cycled tank?
1) Gunky filter
2) Dirty gravel
3) Underwater walls and floor that have pretty much never been wiped because they don’t *look* dirty.
Catherine says
February 11, 2019 at 8:58 pmForgot to add
4) Overfeeding (was trying new food)
Ian Sterling says
February 12, 2019 at 3:23 am1 and 2 could, but only if you weren’t performing regular maintenance on them.
3, not so much.
4. Certainly. Overfeeding is one of the most common causes of ammonia spikes.
Catherine says
February 12, 2019 at 9:07 amSigh. Well we cleaned the gravel and the filter anyway (gravel didn’t seem gunky at all; filter mildly). But I suspect it might be the overfeeding (enthusiastic kids)… Does this mean a “mini cycle” thing?? Please advise on how to treat, thanks so much.
Ian Sterling says
February 12, 2019 at 9:26 amThe only way to really treat it is to administer the correct dose of Seachem Prime. The beneficial bacteria will do the rest. Because your tank is already cycled, you just want to limit the stress placed on the fish while your bacteria catches up to this “extra amount.” It should be done in a day or two. You can skip feeding for a day to help, many fish can last up to a week without feeding, this will ensure that no additional ammonia is added while your tank is catching up.
Catherine says
February 12, 2019 at 9:40 amThanks so much Ian.
So water changes as usual? Or extra water changes?
Ian Sterling says
February 12, 2019 at 10:43 amA water change won’t hurt. In fact, it’s only a good thing, especially if you have cleaned the tank to remove any additional food or poop. I usually give the advice of water conditioner first because it solves the problem immediately, as far as the fish are concerned. From here, you can monitor your tank and use the test kit to make the call on how to proceed.
Catherine says
February 19, 2019 at 12:41 pmOK, it’s weird question time. I’m just wondering how imperative it is to regularly clean Betta’s gravel. Can we just not? I mean, I know people generally clean their gravel because of poop and food debris, but I honestly wonder how much of that is in Betta’s gravel. He’s such a clean fellow — doesn’t drop any food (literally watch him eat his pellets) and then we just siphon up his occasional poop (almost as easy as picking up rabbit poop — it’s that “whole”). The times I’ve given his gravel a “proper clean”, I’ve just wondered why am I doing this; there’s no visible gunk and the water’s pretty much clear. And then of course in the back of my mind I’m thinking of the good bacteria families happily living in there……
Ian Sterling says
February 20, 2019 at 3:13 amI highly recommend it as it can cut down on future problems. Gravel vaccing, once you have a handle on it, should just become part of the water change, since you can siphon and clean at the same time. Consider it like vacuuming your carpet. Sure, you can skip a week or two or even a month. No real harm done. But anything that lands in your carpet is going to work it’s way deeper to the point where a vacuum isn’t going to be able to reach it. This stuff builds up over time. Again, you shouldn’t be worrying about the beneficial bacteria in your substrate, the bulk of it will live in your filter. At the end of the day, it’s your call. Maintenance sucks, I get it. I do it on 4 tanks each week. But it’s part of the job.
Catherine says
February 20, 2019 at 10:26 amThanks Ian!
Ok, will continue with our routine. We don’t mind doing it, was really just concerned about removing happy bacteria families. Sometimes wonder how many of them get “hurt” or sucked away as we plough in there.
Elizabeth says
February 6, 2019 at 7:24 pmHi Ian. I am currently into a 2wk fish in cycle and I have 1 goldfish that was burned very badly by the ammonia. I do not have a quartine tank set up and he looks like he may have a secondary infection. I did order a filter from angel fish and expecting its arrival today however I am not sure what to do with this one poor fish. Can you help?
Ian Sterling says
February 7, 2019 at 4:14 amHi Elizabeth,
If your fish is suffering, you’ll need to try continue the cycle while keeping the water as pristine as possible. Depending on what the secondary infection is, you may need a specific medication. To give your fish the best chance of survival, you’ll want to keep ammonia and nitrite as low as possible. This will likely require daily water changes. Check with your test kit and take action as needed. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee your fish will survive this, but it will give it the best chance.
Angelica says
January 31, 2019 at 12:13 pmOh dear. We were given a Water Garden for Christmas and set it up according to the instructions. One Betta fish, 3 gallon tank. It never mentioned anything about the nitrogen cycle. The first fish died the next day. I cleaned everything and acclimated the next Betta. (Following better instructions than came with the kit) Do you happen to know if growing plants affects this cycle? I’m about to make this an experiment for my son. I’ve been googling all day, trying to figure out if the current is too strong, whether his fins should be fluttering all the time, you name it. Don’t really want to kill this one!
Ian Sterling says
January 31, 2019 at 3:01 pmHi Angelica,
Unfortunately, the aquarium cycle is a beginner trap – that is often missed. Don’t worry, you are not alone here.
Growing plants won’t have noticeable any impact on the speed that the tank cycles. Betta come from calm almost still water, if the water current is strong, it will stress your betta which will lead sickness or even death. I cannot sayt how much current your water garden creates.
Angelica says
February 1, 2019 at 2:13 amI’m bookmarking your site; it’s been the most helpful in my frantic googling. The filter I’ve put all the way to the floor to avoid sucking up the fish and the output is already softened by a plastic sponge. The fish is floating just fine and slept on the gravel without tucking himself anywhere. I’m going to see if there is a sponge that would fit over it when I go to the pet store today to pick up a test kit and hopefully some prime and a siphon. I no longer trust the kit. I honestly think we may have picked a sick fish from the start. This one is much more active and inquisitive. He may have fin rot, but I’m hoping that maybe it’s just fins burned from ammonia? Is that a thing? This kit is now just a 3 gallon tank with a lid I happen to grow things on.
Ian Sterling says
February 1, 2019 at 3:42 amHi Angelica,
Fin rot can be caused by many things, bad water parameters being one of them. cycling your tank and doing regular water changes/tank maintenance will go a long way in preventing this. Fortunately, fin rot is very reversible. And yes, it certainly is possible you picked up a sick fish from the start, if it was a betta, these can be kept in some really poor conditions prior to being purchased.
Catherine says
January 31, 2019 at 9:48 amHi Ian,
I have another slightly weird question today (and please feel free redirect me and post this to a more appropriate post if you have one) — we were wondering if gravel should always remain wet and in the tank, from the standpoint of the beneficial bacteria of course. That is, is it bad if the gravel is ever taken out of the tank to be washed for instance? How long does the bacteria survive out of the tank? Thank you!!
Ian Sterling says
January 31, 2019 at 11:11 amHi Catherine,
Admittedly, this ones a bit more out of my expertise as people don’t really take gravel out of their tank with the goal of keeping the beneficial bacteria alive, not unless it’s being transported in which case it will be sitting in tank water anyway. If you are feeding correctly and regularly gravel vaccing, the gravel in your tank should hardly gunk up at all. A little gunk is okay – a fish tank is not a pristine environment. Your fish live in “gunky water.” It’s kinda their thing. I don’t think I have come across a fishkeeper who includes washing gravel as part of his weekly routine.
If you are exceptionally concerned, clean half at a time. By clean I mean take it out and swirl it in tank water, rubbing lightly at stubborn bits. Next week clean the remaining half.
And again, while some of the beneficial bacteria can be found in your substrate, most of it is in the filter. This is why adding gravel substrate to speed up a cycle is generally slower than adding a pre-cycled filter.
Catherine says
January 31, 2019 at 11:30 amThanks a million Ian!!
Catherine says
January 25, 2019 at 4:33 pmHi Ian! I have a slightly weird question today, so please bear with me! You know how we’re doing the “daily water changes while cycling because of the Betta healing thing” right? Well, I’m wondering – in our case – when ammonia and nitrite are zero, does that mean the tank’s successfully cycled?
I mean, I know in “regular” tanks that means they’re cycled, but in our case, the water’s being changed every day – it’s about as pristine as it could get. At this point, ammonia’s finally down to zero and nitrite is a very light 0.25 (ammonia was at 0.25 for the longest time and nitrite 0.25 to 0.5).
So I’m wondering, when both are down to zero, is the tank truly cycled? Or do our daily water changes somehow give a…“false positive”? In our cycled tank for instance, we change the water weekly – we KNOW (and sometimes test, just to be sure) that ammonia and nitrites are always zero; only the nitrates go up some. But in this tank, when the ammonia and nitrites are zero, if we were to say, not change the water daily anymore, would the ammon and nitrite suddenly reappear? In which case, it would mean the tank *wasn’t* truly cycled right? And in which case how would we know when it was??
Sorry, I know it’s rather a weird, convoluted question! Hope you get what I mean ^o^’
Ian Sterling says
January 26, 2019 at 3:32 amFor you, it’s a weird one. If you are keeping ammonia at 0.25 then that’s the amount of ammonia that your beneficial bacteria will be able to break down. So while your tank may technically be cycled, it may only be able to break down 0.25 of ammonia within a set period as the beneficial bacteria hasn’t grown in number to break down more – beneficial bacteria adapts to the amount produced, that’s why in a fishless cycle we aim for 4 ppm of ammonia.
So yes, your tank is cycled once these reach zero, but there is no guarantee it will be able to go a week without a water change, as a normal tank would. Once your fish is healed, and you slow down on the water changes, it’s possible you’ll see an ammonia or nitrite spike. If this is the case, just proceed with a fish-in cycle in the usual way.
Catherine says
January 26, 2019 at 9:16 amYes agree, thank you so much! I guess once he’s completely healed, we’ll slow down the water changes very gradually and monitor. Possibly theoretically the beneficial bacteria would also be very very slowly growing in the meantime and can deal with the eventual (gradual) slow down in the water changes? I remember when we were cycling the gup tank way back when, ammonia and nitrite never went beyond 0.5 either (hmph, looking at the test results online now, it looks like our ammonia was more like 0.5 than the 0.25 we always thought). At that time we just dealt with it with daily water changes and eventually it successfully cycled.
Ian Sterling says
January 27, 2019 at 3:12 pmIf you slow down the water changes then the beneficial bacteria will absolutely gradually grow in number to adapt to the increase in ammonia produced. It may be a balancing act though, lucky you have gotten good at your testing during this period! I’ll bet you’ll be glad when this ordeal is over!
Catherine says
January 27, 2019 at 6:34 pmOh you bet!! Not that we ever regret adopting him — he’s so cute lol. I’m thinking once his fins have fully regenerated, we’ll still keep up the daily changes for some time, but decreasing the amount very gradually by say 5% every few days..or something like that. And then when we see that ammon and nitrites manage to consistently keep to zero, we’ll gradually increase the spaces between changes, say alternate days, then every 2 days and so forth. Sound sensible?
Ian Sterling says
January 28, 2019 at 5:09 amIt sounds sensible, except rather than stick to a routine,such as strict water changes every 2nd day, I would suggest going off what the water parameters say. But even so, if all goes well, you should definitely be able to follow a routine that is similar to that in the least.
Catherine says
January 28, 2019 at 9:45 amThanks Ian! I’ll write a report in a bit 😉
P.S. I was wondering, how often should we take out and clean aquarium decorations? They don’t look gunky at all and we hardly ever do lol.. And then when we do, we’re very “tender” about it, as we envision entire families of beneficial bacteria growing on them! Please advise how often and how we ought to do it really!
Ian Sterling says
January 28, 2019 at 11:51 amIt all depends on the rest of your maintenance routine. If you are performing water changes, regularly vacuum your tank, and keep an eye on water parameters, then rarely. If you are my niece, who hates the little maintenance she already has to do, then never. Both of these are fine. Because of how decorations are sealed, there isn’t a whole lot of surface area for beneficial bacteria to cling to so cleaning them won’t have any real impact on the balance of your tank. The filter should be the primary home – allowing you to remove bits and pieces and rearranging your tank as you choose without crashing your cycle. The only reason you would ever clean them is if they begin to lose their sheen/detail due to grime and gunk eventually clinging to them and that’s a personal choice. I actually don’t mind how decorations appear to “age” as the tank progresses, but that’s my opinion. Everyone is different and that’s cool too. I guess what I’m trying to say in a rambling way is that it’s up to you.
Christina says
January 13, 2019 at 11:43 pmHi Ian,
I’m a beginner aquarist and was impatient. I have a 10 gallon with some small fish in it/ I’ve been charting daily water tests multiple times a day to see how things are going. I’ve been doing some water changes and using Seachem Stability and Prime to help with the nitrogen cycle.
I think because I’ve been adding stability my cycle is a little wonky. I’m nearing the end of week 2 and my current numbers are Ammonia at 2.0, nitrite at around .5 and nitrate at around 10. So far, everyone is alive and some of the fish even had babies. I’ve been making upogrades to the tank as I can (better power filter and lighting for the live plants). I’ve been doing a lot of research and am just not sure about water changes at this point. I was steady on Ammonia levels at about 1.0 since Jan 8 and now i’m seeing an increase. I’m feeling like I should do a water change to clear it. I just a water change 2 days ago when I hit 2.0.
After reading your website, I added a bit more prime to cover the combited ammonia and nitrite levels. Any suggestions on what to do? Water change? Keep testing and adding prime? cross my fingers and pray to the aquarium gods?
Thanks so much,
Christina
Ian Sterling says
January 14, 2019 at 2:52 amHi Christina,
When you changed the filter, you might have caused your cycle to restart (did you keep the old filter running, add filter media to your new filter or remove it completely?) It’s possible this is the cause for the raising ammonia levels.
Even so, the fact you see nitrite and nitrate is promising. You can either use prime or water changes to keep ammonia down, or even both. And yeah, when we do a fish-in cycle, we all pray to the aquarium gods, because even if we do everything perfect, there is still a chance the fish won’t make it. It’s a depressing part of the hobby.
Id personally do a 50% water change, to get your nitrate back down from 5 ppm, and keep monitoring from there, either using prime or a water change to keep things low.
Based on what you are saying, besides the setback, everything seems to be progressing as usual.
Christina says
January 14, 2019 at 3:14 amIan,
I changed the filter pretty early in the process. I changed the filter about 3 days after adding fish. I started the stability the day before I changed the filter so I figured since it was so early I wouldn’t lose much.
So in the last five days, I did one water change, about 30-40% with no change in nitrates. It’s been pretty constant at about 10 since I started recording numbers on paper which was on 1/6. I’m using the API test tubes but sometimes I find determining the colors to be tricky. I always read the test tubes in the same place under the same light. Any suggestions on reading the test tubes?
I just did about a 40% water change about 40 minutes ago. Filter is running on full speed to help circulate the water. I added a dose of stability and prime in with water change to make up for the fact. I also tried to really hose up some of the left over food. I think part of the reason is I was experimenting with tablets. I have one bottom feeder (kuhli loach) and I wanted to make sure it was eating too. I’ve been trying to be really conscious about how much food the fish get and when i feed them. I can’t wait till this process is over. This is harder than taking care of my cats!
Thanks,
Christina
Ian Sterling says
January 14, 2019 at 4:09 amFor the test tubes, read them outside in daylight, unless you are using daylight light bulbs, (around 5500k) which are not common in homes, you’ll see inaccurate colors. Natural light is best for color matching.
So, on your nitrates, it doesn’t mean your nitrates are at 10, it means they are between 10 and 16 (after this you would probably match it with 20). So if you do a water change and your nitrates are at say 15ppm, a 30% water change would get it down to 10ppm, which is why you won’t see a change. This is worsened once you get to the 40-80 or 80-160 range. So once nitrate levels get up there, I suggest water changes to bring them down, so you can see the rate at which they are increasing. Also, I’d suggest testing your tap water, prior to adding it, so that you can see if there is a default level of any parameter there. It’s not uncommon for tapwater to have detectable nitrate levels. This all just paints a complete picture.
In all honesty, it sounds like everything is progressing as normal. It’s frustrating and you may find you have another 2 weeks or even longer before it looks like it’s wrapping up. But after that, it’s smooth sailing!
Also, I get what you mean with your cats! It’s funny how lots of parents get “fish” as a first pet for their kids, to show that they are ready for pet ownership – fish are a lot harder to keep alive than a dog or cat in the way that you don’t need to know chemistry for these four legged pets – can you imagine explaining cycling a tank to an 8 year old?
Christina says
January 14, 2019 at 8:39 pmThanks so much, Ian.
Before I found your site, I had ordered a free ammonia vs a total ammonia test from seachem. It came last night and I ran the test. If I read the test correctly, I have little to no (>.02 ppm) of free ammonia. Total ammonia was off the chart. So I figure I’m doing pretty good with the cycle like you said. At this point it’s just trying to keep these nitrates down. My nitrites haven’t fully colonize. When I do a water change, I see the nitrites showing the most change.
So far still have all my fish!
Thanks again,
Christina
Ian Sterling says
January 15, 2019 at 2:58 amHi Christina,
That’s fantastic to hear. It sounds like everything is progressing smoothly. Unfortunately, it’s a process that just takes time. Hang in there, it’ll be worth it in the long run!
Kim says
January 11, 2019 at 12:45 amHello Lan,
I have been doing a fish-in-cycle for about two weeks now using prime.
The Ammonia hasn’t gone over 0.50 ppm. I have a betta in a heated and filtered 5 gal tank.
The problem I have found is that it is starting to look like my fish is getting fin rot.
Yesterday I did a 50% water change to see if that could help?
How should I go about dealing with fin rot while doing a fish-in-cycle?
Thank you,
Kim
Ian Sterling says
January 11, 2019 at 4:06 amHi Kim,
There was another commenter further down, Catherine, who experienced the same – dealing with fin rot for her betta while cycling. She found success with daily water changes along with following this guide. You could read through that exchange for more info. It’s a tricky one since for fin rot, you want to keep the water as pristine as possible, but to cycle, there also needs to be a degree of ammonia.
Catherine says
January 1, 2019 at 3:40 pmHi Ian! Happy new year!
I thought I’d write up a little “report” for you on the “cycling-tank-with-delicate-fin-rot-recovering-patient” before I forget haha…
So as I’d mentioned previously, nitrites finally entered the equation; for the past few days, levels have pretty much remained at ammonia – zero with hint of green; nitrite at 0.25 vaguely bordering on 0.5; and nitrate 10ish. After much thought, we had decided to sort of combine your method with ours – i.e. dosing with Prime, plus partial water changes, every day.
Now prior to all this cycling stuff, when he had been on antibiotics, we had been doing partial 25% water changes for him twice a day, as somehow once didn’t seem enough (fins would show bits of new ragginess). So we carried on doing the two changes plus the dosing. But after awhile, I thought since we’re also dosing every day with Prime, why do we need to do two? One should be enough and would get the cycling going faster right?
Well here’s the interesting thing. I’ve observed that he would be carrying along healing fine for so long as we did the two changes. But the moment we switched to one, he would show bits of new ragginess the next day. And so it seems we are compelled to keep to the two changes plus the daily dosing until he is completely healed (still have about half an inch worth of fin to go) or at least until the tank is cycled.
Which made me start questioning why, despite the daily Prime, this was happening. I can only conclude that 1) his fins, the new regrowth, are just still in a very delicate state and highly sensitive/reactive to *any* toxins and 2) the effects of Prime may actually start wearing off even before the 24 hour mark.
So that’s the report to date. What do you think? We’re also wondering when we should clean his filter, which you know is only about 2 weeks’ old. Part of me feels like it needs a bit of rinse (not because it looks gunky, but just.. because) and part of me feels like we should let it continue sitting for another week or so to pick up more good bacteria. Thoughts? 🙂
Ian Sterling says
January 2, 2019 at 4:05 amHappy New Year!
Thanks for the fascinating read Catherine. That’s great that you identified a technique that is working for you!
I’d be leaning towards the sensitivity as it is generally accepted that pristine water is a major contributor to how well fish heal. If prime wore off before the 24 hour period, it would be very well documented by now, it’s a very commonly used product by beginners and experts alike.
If I was in your shoes, I would keep what you are doing and see if you can reduce water changes once the tank has cycled.
As for the filter, what filter are you using? I tried looking through the comments but I don’t think this was clarified, that or my old eyes missed it.
Catherine says
January 2, 2019 at 8:47 amHaha… it’s sponge remember 🙂 I’d mentioned how we put a few gravel bits in the tube to baffle the current a little. It has to be sponge I think, as he’s a Betta and you know how they are!
Ian Sterling says
January 2, 2019 at 9:11 amThanks for Clarifying, I answer so many comments from different people that I often get mixed up, especially with ongoing exchanges. For a sponge, unless it looks super gunky, I wouldn’t touch it until after the cycle is over. After this 2-4 weeks with your water change isn’t a bad routine. Some people buy those stackable sponge filters and wash one sponge one week and the other the next. It all comes down to your routine and what you find easiest.
Catherine says
January 2, 2019 at 10:14 amThanks SO much Ian!
By the way, does 0 ammonia ever look truly yellow? Like um…a yellow raincoat? Or, to put it another way, does a vague hint of green signify that we’re still not there yet?
Ian Sterling says
January 2, 2019 at 11:07 amhttp://stuff.iorodeo.com/docs/ammonia/api.html
Describing colors is hard, right? Check this link out, it gives you a good visual comparison. It might not be perfect depending on your computer or phone screen (say if you have night mode on) but otherwise it should give a good idea as to what to expect.
Catherine says
January 2, 2019 at 11:39 amAw thanks. Zero does look distinctly yellow…pee-ish really haha… OK we’ll keep aiming for that. When the tank is cycled, it should stay consistently that right? Even after say a week, when it’s time for a partial water change?
Ian Sterling says
January 2, 2019 at 11:54 amYup, your ammonia should stay at zero once your tank is fully cycled. To put it simply, the beneficial bacteria should eat this and nitrites as quickly as they are produced. So quick, in fact, that they won’t show in your test. Any measurable parameters here will clue in that something is amiss. The only parameter of the three that should steadily increase is nitrates, that are then reduced through the water change.
Catherine says
December 28, 2018 at 11:52 amThanks so much Ian!
How often do you clean the gravel? With every water change or once a month or..? We’ve heard lots of conflicting views on this!
Ian Sterling says
December 28, 2018 at 1:16 pmI personally do it with every water change. A gravel vac siphons water so you might as well give your gravel a suck while you are at it. It’s not even an extra step. Depending on your bioload, how much you feed etc you don’t have to clean your whole gravel. If you do weekly for instance, you can do half one week and half another. It’s another one of those things were you “do what works for you and your schedule” I mean, if you don’t have the patience to do it every week then once a month is much better than going months without doing it. As always, testing your water parameters will clue you in as to whether you should be doing it more often.
At first, you’ll likely struggle to clean your entire tank with a single water change anyway. These things take practice but eventually you’ll be gravel vaccing like a pro.
Catherine says
December 29, 2018 at 10:40 amThank you so much!
Catherine says
January 15, 2019 at 9:26 amHi Ian! Quick question please! We’ve never had a sponge filter before (ours is similar in concept to the Hydro one you mentioned); how do we clean it? Betta’s filter is one month old today and I think we have to clean in? As you know we’ve been trying to grow a friendly bacteria family on it haha.. So today it’s a month old but doesn’t look gunky or anything; just feel we need to clean it on principle? (we clean our Gup’s filter once every couple of weeks and theirs *does* look gunky). Do we have to pull off the sponge or something? Scrub the tube? We needn’t be too vehement about it all, right?
Ian Sterling says
January 15, 2019 at 9:49 amIf your tank has cycled, then cleaning is simple:
Grab a bag (I use those ones that your fish come home in from the petshop) and fill it with enough tank water to cover your sponge filter plus a little more. Squeeze the sponge filter and work at the surface with your thumbs, rubbing to remove trapped detritus. Empty the bag, refill and repeat. 2-3 times will do it.
It doesn’t matter if water that comes out is still slightly brown or your sponge filter is discolored. You just want to remove the stuff that is clogging it.
If it doesn’t look gunky yet or your tank isn’t cycled yet, you can hold off. This filter isn’t so much providing mechanical filtration to your tank as it is biological filtration – in part thanks to the reduced flow. So, it shouldn’t gunk up as quick as your other filter.
Catherine says
January 15, 2019 at 10:01 amThanks so much Ian! No, it doesn’t look gunky AND his tank *still* isn’t cycled (ammonia and nitrite just hovering at 0.25; don’t even bother with the nitrate for now); we’re already accepting that his will take awhile because of the daily water changes. So we shan’t clean today — I guess just wait till his tank is cycled and/or the filter looks gunky?
Ian Sterling says
January 15, 2019 at 10:12 amSpot on. For now, you don’t want to do anything to disturb the colony of bacteria. You want that stuff to accumulate. I’m glad to hear you are being patient with the process 🙂
Catherine says
January 18, 2019 at 8:56 amHi Ian! Not quite related, but have you ever heard of/used Boyd Enterprises Freshwater Vitachem? Thoughts?
Ian Sterling says
January 18, 2019 at 9:33 amNo personal experience, but I have spoken to people use it as a “daily supplement” and claim their fish are happier because of it. Anecdotal of course. Me, I’m dubious of anything that claims to be a “complete vitamin supplement” given there are thousands of different species of fish, with very different needs. I mean it’s benefits, such as fish coloration are better achieved though proper diet rather than feeding poor quality food and using this for color. All-in-one products generally have more marketing appeal than they do practical use. The problem with many of these products is that they are not used in isolation of other solutions, and I have often seen benefits miss-attributed to the product instead of the additional measures taken, such as improving water quality and an improved maintenance routine. I assume you want it for the claims of fin regrowth? Checking out the ingredients, studies suggest the included amino acids help promote overall growth of fish in aquaculture (add weight) I’m not sure where the claims of fin-regrowth come from. I couldn’t find any studies referencing any ingredient in particular relating to fin regrowth in isolation.
Catherine says
January 18, 2019 at 11:16 amThanks so much Ian. Yes, it was mentioned (anecdotally) by a friend who felt it really helped her Betta’s fin regrowth. Of course she was doing the water changes too, so… I guess it doesn’t hurt. Someone else mentioned Seachem’s Stress Guard, which I do set more store by. I read somewhere once that their fin regrowth is sometimes like a “one step forward, two steps back” affair, and I think it’s sort of true. The past couple of weeks he had no new ragginess — the longest he’s gone — and then this morning he did, which we can only attribute to our water changing a slightly lower percentage the past couple of days (ammonia’s at 0.25). So it seems like we MUST keep to the 25% we’d been doing previously.
Ian Sterling says
January 18, 2019 at 11:26 amOh these things definitely take time. If you are seeing noticeable improvement with your current routine, albeit slow progress, I’d just keep doing what you are doing. I get the appeal of looking for that “silver bullet” but I think even if these extras were to help, the whole progress will still be a test of patience – your fish is essentially regrowing a piece of it’s body. That’s a huge process in itself. Every instance I have seen of fin regrowth, except in really minor cases, has taken months. While YMMV, the big thing to remember here is that it’s going to take time and patience.
Catherine says
December 19, 2018 at 7:40 amSorry Ian to be bothering you with yet another question. I was wondering (and please excuse my ignorance!) — if we dose 100% daily with Prime, does that bind up the ammonia/nitrite such that there isn’t any for the beneficial bacteria to “eat” and “grow on”?
With our older gup tank, I think it got cycled (with the fish in) through our almost daily 25% water changes, dosing only the fresh 25% volume of water with Prime and Quick Start each time. We tested every day till it got to the levels they are now. Could I please ask in what ways is that method inferior to yours? Sorry, I definitely don’t mean to imply that you method might in any way be “inferior”! I just really want to understand how it all works! Thank you so much!
Ian Sterling says
December 19, 2018 at 12:26 pmAll good Catherine, I created this site to help others to the best of my abilities 🙂
Nope, these chemicals are still able to be chowed down on by bacteria, even if treated with prime. If you experience an ammonia spike in a cycled tank, part of the reason we treat with prime is to give the bacteria a chance to catch up while keeping it harmless to fish.
If you google, there are hundreds of different ways to cycle your tank. None are inherently wrong. In the same light, no-one could argue that their method is superior either – if you reach a cycled tank using a method that was easy for you, and achieved the same result, then that was the best way for you to do it.
With that said, I do not have the opinion that your method is perfectly repeatable. Only treating the 25% may not work if you have fish with a high bioload (say a messy eater or one that poops a lot). In this instance, more ammonia may be produced than you have dosed for. That’s not to say that what you did was wrong, it worked for you and that’s fantastic.
This method is what works best for me. I find it to be repeatable, regardless of what goes in the tank. This is good for beginners, as it helps to narrow down things that can go wrong. If followed correctly, it also allows me to more easily advise as to why something has gone wrong, in the worst case, since I am very familiar with the entire process, since it’s the one I have personally used.
Also, no need to apologize – questioning and challenging is how we learn. Heck, if I don’t have the answer than I’ll go and find it for myself, so I learn too! After 30 years fishkeeping, there are still things I learn – Just last week was the first time I had to treat a case of anchor worms. Definitely not something I knew how to treat off the top of my head.
I guess what I am trying to say, in a rambling way, don’t stop asking questions 🙂
Catherine says
December 19, 2018 at 11:43 pmThank you SO much Ian!
We’re pressing on with the cycling — ammonia still at the same 0.25ish level and zero nitrites/trate. Perhaps one Betta takes a little longer to get things going compared to a little family of gups and cories.
We will perhaps try the marimo — after quarantining it for 2 weeks haha
Thank you so much again; I truly appreciate your time and patience <3
Ian Sterling says
December 20, 2018 at 3:43 amHi Catherine,
The worst thing about cycling is that it takes time. When comparing day-to-day,the process seems frustratingly slow. I highly recommend recording your daily measurements, so that you can see that progress is indeed being made. If you have excel skills, you can create a line graph to help visualize the progress. The big thing here is patience.
My only suggestion would be to grab a filter, if you have not already. A small sponge filter will do – it will give a good place for your beneficial bacteria to build themselves a moveable home (you can transfer it to another tank to make cycling much quicker if you need to etc.) I prefer the “hydro sponge” brand but in all honesty, anything will do.
Catherine says
December 20, 2018 at 9:19 amOh Ian, we’re so sad to observe that Betta is just now showing some new ragginess/loss on a bit of his tail when we did his water test today.
Ammonia is still 0.25ish and zero nitrite. As previously mentioned, we had been doing partial water changes every day prior to introducing his new filter 5 some days ago, adding Prime for just the new water with each change. Since starting this cycling was the first time we stopped doing it every day.
His tail had been growing back nicely, slowly but surely, and today this — not sure what to do/what it means :((
Oh yes, we are recording every day and yes, he does have a small sponge filter. It has a similar structure to the Hydro-sponge I believe, but we put a few gravel pebbles in the upright tube thing (out of which the bubbles come) to baffle the outflow/turbulence a bit. Is that bad?
Ian Sterling says
December 20, 2018 at 10:20 amA better way of doing it would be to add a bleed valve to your air pump line, (a connector piece + a flow control valve) this will allow you to control the air flow without blocking off the sponge filter. Open the valve wider to reduce the current. This will keep the current that flows through the sponge constant, rather than potentially blocking off areas.
Regardless of progress, a fish-in cycle is tough, especially on a fish that is already sick. There is never a guarantee that your fish will survive, regardless of how you cycle. It’s possible the cycle and other stressors are responsible for the new rotting areas, assuming you have confirmed the fin-rot isn’t a secondary symptom of another disease, either bacterial or fungal. It is also possible that the fish has non-noticable symptoms of other diseases or even parasites that are stressing it out, and despite your best efforts, it was too far gone from it’s previous home to be saved. Unfortunately, sometimes these things are out of our hands.
The best solution would be to move it to a tank that is already cycled water quality often plays a huge part in how quickly fin rot progresses and in a non-cycled tank, it can get dicey. Do you know anyone who has a hospital tank you can use in a pinch?
Catherine says
December 20, 2018 at 11:24 amOh, I just saw the last part of your reply (odd; how did I miss it haha) — “The best solution would be to move it to a tank that is already cycled”…
Well of course our other tank is cycled, but I don’t want to imagine Betta and Gup together haha… We do have an extra smaller tank, about 1.5 gallons.
Thank you so much Ian. We will keep hopeful and doing our best for him! He is very sweet — we will update you in a few weeks on his recovery 😀
Have a wonderful Christmas season and thank you so much again for all your help!!
Ian Sterling says
December 20, 2018 at 12:18 pmIf the extra small tank is cycled, It could potentially be a viable solution, even though it is certainly too small, I would strongly consider the tradeoff vs pristine water. Unfortunately, this is a judgment call that only you can make. Whether you do or not, you are not wrong. You are just doing what you believe is best. This would also free you up to fishless cycle your current tank, which is much easier. Of course this advice is all for nought if the tank isn’t cycled. Some independent pet stores sell pre-cycled sponge filters, which can reduce a cycle down to near instant (up to a couple of days), but these stores are few and far between. Just listing ideas as they pop in my head.
Otherwise, just keep doing what you think best. It’s clear you have your head around testing and cycling, so if you feel it’s better to mix things up then go for it. My advice in this guide is for beginners who are not cycling with an already sick fish, so if you have a better solution, roll with it.
I hope you have a merry christmas and, if I don’t hear from you before then, a happy new year. All the best and I’m sending your betta my well wishes!
Catherine says
December 20, 2018 at 1:31 pmThank you so much Ian. Nah, the smaller tank definitely isn’t cycled — it’s empty and dry on a shelf! Betta’s adoption was unexpected — he had been dumped at our vet’s where we were actually with our dog that day.
I think we might have to cycle his tank the way we’d done with Gup’s — the daily small changes — because I’m presuming in his healing state he’s just very sensitive to any ammonia or whatever. Gup’s tank was helped by the presence of an active filter the whole time (and possibly the marimo) so now hopefully the presence of the new filter in Betta’s tank will help things a bit. It’s not as “powerful” a filter as Gup’s, so we’ll see. Fingers crossed!!
Ian Sterling says
December 20, 2018 at 2:18 pmYou are an angel for grabbing the Betta and attempting to give it a better life!
It sounds like a good plan. I can’t fault it. Please keep me updated with how it all goes, or if you have any more questions, drop me a line! All the best!
Catherine says
December 27, 2018 at 12:19 pmHi Ian! Hope you’re enjoying the holidays!
I was wondering — how often should one give the whole tank a wipe-down, including the floor? To do that would of course necessitate removing everything in the tank, including fishy, which as I understand it, we shouldn’t do too often?
I don’t mean really obvious scum and algae. But some time back, I noticed a sort of clear, but shiny/slimy quality to Betta’s floor, so decided to clean it. Sure enough, it felt slimy, but came off easily and still hasn’t returned since. It was on the walls to some extent as well, but not really much. I figure it’s some sort of scum thing that naturally forms after awhile in a wet environment, like on bath tiles, so was wondering how often/imperative it is that I clean this stuff off. Thank you!!
p.s. You may be interested to know that Betta’s tank is finally showing a bit of nitrite!
Ian Sterling says
December 28, 2018 at 3:18 amHi Catherine,
There isn’t really a hard and fast answer here, some people wipe down the walls every time they water change, others only wipe down when their view starts to become obstructed by scum and algae. As long as your water parameters are normal, you can do it as often as you need.
As for the gravel, I suggest grabbing a gravel vac, this device will clean your gravel as you change the water at the same time. I consider it an essential product as poop and uneaten food can fall into gaps in the substrate and turn foul. If you want a good one, check out my reviews section, I have personally tested over 40 different types and stand by my recommendations.
Both of these can be done with fishy in the tank.
It sounds like you might have been dealing with diatoms (brown algae) these are common in new tanks and often go away on their own.
Also, that’s awesome to hear about your progress!
Unfortunately, while I can combine comments, I can’t move them outside of their replies, the software I use does not have that functionality. You’ll need to create a new comment.
Catherine says
December 18, 2018 at 1:58 pmYes, those strips are really unreliable I think. Do you know — the ones by Tetra — for the longest time they didn’t show up any nitrites or nitrates (for our gups at the time) and said our ph was way too low! It was only later with the liquid tests that we saw the nitrites/trates and learnt our ph was 7.6.
Oh by the way, I forgot to mention that in conjunction with the Prime, we had been using API Stress Coat to help with his fins. I think…… it …. helped… ? (“the healing power of aloe vera”!) Shall we continue dosing it with the Prime? And what about the Quick Start?
Another question — do you have any thoughts on marimo balls,the (ideally) genuine ones? We had one in the gup tank and I think that did help with the whole cycling thing. Now we’re wondering whether to add one into Betta’s tank — just a little uncertain whether that would be a good thing (in light of his fin issue). Thank you!!
Ian Sterling says
December 19, 2018 at 4:13 amUnfortunately, your experience with test strips mirrors that of many others, they are not accurate enough to rely on their results.
I have no experience mixing prime and stresscoat together, most people either use one or the other. I believe the only difference is that stress coat contains aloe, however it’s up for debate as to how effective aloe actually is. Prime also claims to stimulate the slime coat, so the theory goes you should be able to swap over to just prime without issue – it does more and is more concentrated.
Quickstart or any other bottled bacteria may or may not help speed up the tank cycle. In addition to the bottles containing different strains of bacteria, depending on the brand, they can also be dead on arrival. These bottles contain a living thing and if it’s no properly stored (too old, too hot or too cold), say it gets frozen in transit, then you are just adding dead bacteria to your tank. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee your bottle is alive. With or without bottled bacteria I have seen many tanks cycle both in under a week or over 2 months.
A marimo moss ball shouldn’t make a noticeable difference in an aquarium cycle. The “live” moss balls should be quarentined before being added to your tank though, they can introduce some unwanted stowaways.
Catherine says
December 21, 2018 at 6:15 pmHi again Ian, more on our Betta saga 🙂
There isn’t any new ragginess on him thankfully, but we just did a water test and the results are curious — ammonia was 0.25 (with a hint of yellow) and nitrite was 0. So I was expecting nitrate to be 0 again, but now it’s definitely bordering on 5.0. What does it mean?
And p.s.– what would be a good length of time to quarantine a marimo ball? Thank you so much!
Ian Sterling says
December 22, 2018 at 3:54 amHi Catherine,
That’s awesome news on the fin rot!
As for the nitrate, it can mean one of two things:
1. The second beneficial bacteria (nitrite ->nitrate) has appeared and is quickly converting nitrites to nitrate, so quick that it’s keeping your nitrite reading at zero. Sometimes this can happen before the first beneficial bacteria (ammonia ->nitrite) has established itself to the extent that it can process ammonia just as quickly.
2. Your tapwater actually contains nitrates. 5ppm is within the range that some water sources contain. You can eliminate this as a possibility by testing your tapwater prior to adding it to your tank. If your tap water contains elevated levels of nitrate then you will actually introduce this to your tank with each water change. You might want to take a reading of this 3 times over a week (say, Mon, Wed, Sun), just in case. Of course, by then your cycle will have progressed, but it’s always good to know the exact parameters of what you are adding to your tank.
Depending how paranoid you are, 2-3 weeks for quarantining.
Catherine says
December 22, 2018 at 9:44 amThree weeks then haha
Hm ok I’ll test the tap for nitrate. Though it’s been zero for the longest time prior to this, so that would be interesting… I know the tap *does* have ammonia though :/
If it’s the first scenario, is that a good thing?
Ian Sterling says
December 22, 2018 at 12:57 pmIf it’s the first scenario, it suggests that your cycle is progressing as normal, which can only be a good thing 🙂
Catherine says
December 22, 2018 at 4:42 pmSigh it looks like the second scenario — the tap water has nitrates at 5. What does this mean for Betta’s whole cycling thing and how should we proceed please?
Thank you so much.
Ian Sterling says
December 23, 2018 at 3:22 amI’d start by confirming that you are testing correctly.
Follow each instruction piece by piece to make sure you are not missing anything, and be generous when it asks you to shake.
Next, read your results under daylight. So go outside if you need to and look at the test. The lighting in your room can throw these off dramatically.
Now, you want to measure your:
ammonia
nitrite
nitrate
pH
Temperature
How long it’s been since you started your fish-in cycle.
How long it’s been since your last water change
How often are you doing a water change
And list everything else you have in your tank, no matter how minor.
Once you have confirmed these basics are correctly listed, I can give you better advice on how to proceed.
Catherine says
December 23, 2018 at 10:58 amThanks Ian. Do you mean test the untreated tap? Or the treated tank water?
I’m pretty sure we’re doing the tests right and the treated tank water currently is ammonia 0.25ish (with hint of yellow), nitrite 0, nitrate 5, pH 7.2ish
The pure tap is ammonia 0.25, nit 0, nitrate 5, pH 7 (perhaps 6.8ish)
We don’t bother with temperature for our tanks anymore as we live on a tropical island and it’s perpetually between 25 and 30 deg c. We used to use a thermometer but it just sat there pretty much at 25.
> How long it’s been since you started your fish-in cycle.
Well as you know Betta was on the antibiotics and all that, so I’d say this whole trying to cycle him thing really started Dec 4th. He only has his sponge filter at present as his previous marimo was chucked and trying to keep things fairly pristine while he’s healing.
Ian Sterling says
December 23, 2018 at 11:40 amOkay, so if there is only a sponge in the tank, and recently, then this is the only place that bacteria can call home – so it was an essential addition.
So the ammonia in your tap + tank is 0.25. When was the last time you performed a water change?
I only ask because it shouldn’t take long (a few days) for your betta to increase the amount of ammonia in your tank. If you are doing your daily water changes like you suggested, then it’s all waiting game until you see nitrite increase.
Yikes on the spring water, it’s expensive enough to drink much less house a fish.
Catherine says
December 23, 2018 at 11:20 amYou know what I think accounts at least partly for the earlier zero nitrate readings was that he was still largely on spring water. The vet had suggested using that during his antibiotics course because of the ammonia in the tap water. When he finished his course, we started very gradually increasing the amount of tap water, and decreasing the spring, because really — spring is expensive!
Catherine says
December 23, 2018 at 1:28 pmYes, the filter was definitely an essential addition. We’re hoping to get marimo back in (after the 3 week quarantine haha) The last time we performed a change was today; basically 25% every day because of the healing.
> Yikes on the spring water, it’s expensive enough to drink much less house a fish.
You bet. Hence the very gradual reverting to tap!
Do you think TWO partial changes a day — say morning and night — would be beneficial or unnecessary, in terms of his healing?
Ian Sterling says
December 23, 2018 at 2:02 pmOn the water changes, It would depend on how quickly ammonia, nitrite etc. rise. Ideally, there needs to be some of these chemicals in the tank for the beneficial bacteria to form. I’d perform water changes to your testing, rather than following a rule of two no matter what.
Catherine says
December 23, 2018 at 4:37 pm> I’d perform water changes to your testing, rather than following a rule
Yes, agree. Perhaps in addition to the routine morning testing during this healing time, we’ll test again at night, just to see where things stand at the end of the day, and take it from there. Thanks soo much again Ian — we’ll keep you updated (if you like haha); perhaps our experience will add to your arsenal of knowledge 🙂
Ian Sterling says
December 24, 2018 at 2:49 amThat sounds like a great idea. I’d love to be updated, it will allow me to better help someone else in the same situation, should it arise! Thanks Catherine. I hope you have a merry Christmas if I don’t hear from you earlier.
Catherine says
December 24, 2018 at 1:16 pmYou too!
Catherine says
December 17, 2018 at 6:04 pmHi there,
We rescued a Betta with fin rot. In the early days, because his torn fins were so fragile, we kept him in his tank (about 2.7 gallons) without a filter (thought the current might affect them). He went through a course of antibiotics while doubtless killed ALL bacteria. After the course, his fins were still fragile and raggy, so we held off on the filter and did partial water changes daily. The ammonia remained at about 0.25 and zero nitrites and nitrates. We use Prime and API Quick Start.
Now happily, since his fins are growing in nicely, we got a new filter in for him. It’s been 2 days with the filter and the ammonia looks somewhere between 0.25 and 0.50 (so hard to tell with the thing) while nitrites and nitrates remain zero. Now I’m not sure how to proceed – at least some percentage of the tank water is still protected by Prime, while presumably some of the earlier Prime has already worn off.
We did 25% daily water changes because the presence of the ammonia upset us, but I think now that we should actually do them every 2 days instead to give the beneficial bacteria something to live on? So do we just start dosing with Prime for the ENTIRE water volume? How often should we do water changes during this cycling period, and how much? Help please!
Oh, and by “one dose” or “double dose” of Prime, do you mean one dose for the ENTIRE volume each day, or — in the case of “double dose”, two doses each day — say, one in the morning, one in the evening? Thanks so much.
Ian Sterling says
December 18, 2018 at 4:12 amHi Catherine,
Thanks for being an awesome person and rescuing a Betta!
A double dose refers to doubling the amount required to treat all the water in your tank in a single time. Don’t spread it out over the day.
If nitrites are zero and nitrates zero (or low) then you are right at the start if the cycle.
As for water changes, the Seachem Prime is binding the ammonia, so as per instructions above, we try to keep it at 1ppm, and perform a water change when it hits 2 ppm (50% will cut this roughly in half to 1 ppm). And keep dosing.
How how often you change the water over is a judgement call according to your tank. You’ll need to base it off your own test readings.
You are dosing for the entire volume of water because your fish is constantly producing ammonia inside the tank, and it’s not a controlled amount.
Catherine says
December 18, 2018 at 9:55 amThanks a million!!
So we keep putting in new Prime every day right (at 24 hour intervals)? whether or not we do water changes? Is there a possibility of overdosing (I mean where there’s just “too much” Prime in that same body of water)?
On a side note, do you agree that Bettas *should* have a filter? Some people told us they didn’t need one; in fact the people we rescued him from were doing 100% water changes every 3 days….
P.S. I asked about the filter also because his fins are still growing back; he’s not 100% recovered yet. I imagine that would take at least a month more, but we didn’t think it would be good for him to go without a filter the entire time. Was this wise? Or should he perhaps wait till his fins are totally restored?
Thank you so much!
Ian Sterling says
December 18, 2018 at 10:58 amIt doesn’t have to be right on the 24 hour interval, prime detoxifies for 24-48 hours. However, I would suggest doing it closer to the 24 hour mark than the 48 hour mark – you don’t want to let it get to a point where the prime has worn off.
Seachem themselves state that Prime can be dosed safely up to 5x, so if you are just doing a single or double dose, you won’t get close to the upper limit.
There is lots of back and forth on this. I’m of the opinion that every tank should have a filter. Especially for beginners – it just makes keeping water quality easier to balance.
100% water changes every three days, while harmless (assuming pH temp etc. kept in check), seems excessive. It was likely done to combat spiking parameters. You shouldn’t need to clean your tank this often. That said, a 2.7 gallon is right on the cusp of too small for a betta, I generally recommend a 5 gallon at minimum. Not only is there more room for a heater, filter etc, but the more water the easier the tank is to manage. Ideally you would want to get away with performing a water change every week or two (it soon becomes a chore) and a larger tank, correctly stocked, will allow you to achieve this. You should perform your water changes to your parameters – once your tank has fully cycled, and you see your nitrites getting excessive, it’s time to change the water. Whether that’s after 1 day or 1 week will entirely depend on a multitude of factors.
Betta hate water movement so regardless of his fin condition, you don’t want to generate too much current. A small sponge filter or careful positioning of a return flow can help keep water movement to a minimum.
I know this was somewhat disjointed, I’m currently on my phone. If you need further clarification, let me know!
Catherine says
December 18, 2018 at 11:50 amThank you SO much! We just gave him his dose of Prime for the day 🙂
We have another older tank (gups, corys) that I think is pretty much cycled — ammonia/nitrites down to zero and nitrate 10; at this point we can just keep to the routine partial 25% water changes once a week or so right?
Ought we to keep testing the water just to see when ammonia/nitrites reappear to get a better sense of how often we should be doing the changes? How often should we be testing for ammonia/nitrites in a cycled tank really?
Ian Sterling says
December 18, 2018 at 12:27 pmSpot on, Catherine – your older tank is cycled so you don’t need to do this prime every day nonsense. You just perform water changes relative to the water quality. How much you change entirely depends on how quick your nitrates rise. 25-50% is the common rage of water changes that most people perform.
During cycling I recommend testing daily. This will allow you to quickly identify if something has gone wrong (say, you need a larger dose of prime to fix a nitrite spike) Testing is the only way to truly understand what is happening in your tank. If you skipped a day, and something went wrong, your fish will have to wait until the next testing day before you test and identify the problem – by then it may be too late for your fish.
It’s one of the reasons why I recommend liquid test kits over strips – it’s more cost effective, daily testing with strips can soon add up.
Taylor says
December 8, 2018 at 11:16 pmHi, it’s Taylor. I just commented about my 5 Giant Danios but I read the levels wrong.
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Ph: still same problem as last time
Nitrite: between 0.25-0.50 ppm, but on the lower side of that.
Nitrate: 5-10 ppm, but on the higher side of that.
Still wondering why they seem so high after I just did a water change, and not sure what to do next. Sorry for two different comments, my eyes are getting worse and worse!
Ian Sterling says
December 9, 2018 at 3:26 amHi Taylor, it’s possible your tap water already has ammonia or nitrites in it. Have you tested your tap water to confirm?
On the ammonia front, seachem prime can cause a false positive for ammonia since the API tests measure both ammonia (dangerous) and ammonium (harmless) – when seachem prime binds ammonia, it is temporarily converted to ammonium. So while you may have a reading for it, it may not be as dangerous as you think. The only way to tell for sure is to purchase a seachem ammonia kit. Off the top of my head, this is the only aquarium test kit to test for ammonia and ammonium individually.
The nitrites are the case for concern and it’s not unusual for your nitrite levels to reach this high in a day if there is no beneficial bacteria there to “eat” them. You can either use prime or water changes to get it down.
Once those are under control, it’s a waiting game. Slowly you should see your nitrates increase as the nitrites get consumed.
Taylor says
December 8, 2018 at 11:10 pmHi, I am doing a fish-in cycle right now with 5 Giant Danios and a 20 gallon tank. I tested positive for nitrites on Wednesday. I waited until Friday to do a water change because I did not have time to do it sooner, but I used Seachem Prime every day just to be safe. On Friday, I did a 40% water change using Seachem Prime again. Today, Saturday, I used the API Freshwater Master Kit to test my water levels. I came back with: (my temperature is at 75 degrees, by the way)
Ph: I’m not sure how to tell this one: I use the regular ph reagent and always come back with 7.6, the highest possible number. The kit said that if you get 7.6, to always try the high range reagent too to know the exact number, but when I use high range, I get 7.4, the lowest number. How do I know what my ph really is?
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0.50 ppm
Nitrate: somewhere between 10-20 ppm
I didn’t think that my Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate could possibly be that high since I had just done a water change the day before, so I’m not sure what’s wrong. What should I be doing at this stage?
Steve says
November 28, 2018 at 1:23 amHi Ian, I just wanted to say hello and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. You have been a big help and I feel as if I’ve known you for a long time. The aquarium and fish are doing well, as always thanks for everything.
Best Wishes
Steve
Ian Sterling says
November 28, 2018 at 3:20 amHaha, Hi Steve,
I’d say it’s still a little early for the seasons greetings – I still have not even gotten around to buying christmas presents or setting up a tree. But I appreciate it.
I’m super happy to hear that your fish are doing well. No need to thank me, I love to help others. Besides, you did all the hard work in figuring it out!
Wishing you all the best for the future!
Li says
November 16, 2018 at 2:29 amThe article is really useful to explain the cycle, but seems an bit too much an ad for Seachem Prime to me… because dechlorinating the tank could be done for free! Just let the water 1 day or 2, that’s all! Boiling it or adding Oxygen could make the waiting time shorter. It’s ALWAYS better to do without shop chemicals if you can avoid them.
A good advice would be to test the tap water. Some people have no heavy metals and crap in their water, so the need of a water conditioner is…zero. While some people have toxic tap water, and they have to add a water conditioner.
Another advice: never trust the petshop sellers. If they are good sellers… they lie.
Ian Sterling says
November 16, 2018 at 2:46 amHi Li,
Some interesting advice here, but I would suggest it’s aimed at people with experience in fishkeeping rather than beginners, who are the target audience of this cycling guide.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think it’s particularly feasible. Boiling or storing 50+ gallons of water at a time and carrying it to your tank? It’s unrealistic. For beginners, using a dechlorinator is the easiest and most recommended option.
Same goes for your advice on testing tap water for heavy metals, most aquarium master test kits do not have the ability to test for these.
Finally, I agree that big box chains like petsmart and petco are hit and miss in terms of advice, generally leaning on the bad side. But small independently owned fish stores can be an amazing resourse, particuarly to someone starting out,
Seachem prime is my favorite dechlorinator due to how concentrated it is – it’s lasts longer than others. Also, since it can render nitrites and heavy metals harmless, it is useful in other emergencies. If you find another dechlorinator that works better, for a reasonable price and is commonly available for beginners, I’ll gladly swap out my recommendation.
But I do thank you for sharing your advice.
Steve says
November 21, 2018 at 1:59 amHey Li, I read your comments about letting water sit or boiling it. You must have a very small aquarium if that’s what you’re doing. I have a 250 gallon Marine tank and when I do my water changes I’m removing a lot of water. It’s NOT feasible to boil 100 or 150 gallons of water. I really don’t think you know what you’re talking about!
Steve says
November 16, 2018 at 12:42 amHi Ian, it’s Steve again. Hope you are well since we haven’t talked in a while. My tank is doing great, fish are healthy and have not lost any. Water chemistry continues to be good with no problems. Tank water cleared up with the use of the 50 and 100 micron filter pads although it still looks a little cloudy to me.
I’m wondering if the Bio Max that’s used in the Fluval filters is putting some particles into the water? I’ve been thinking of using Bio Balls instead since they are plastic. I would appreciate your thoughts about that, thanks.
Ian Sterling says
November 16, 2018 at 2:51 amHi again Steve,
I’m glad to hear your tank water has improved in clarity. Did you rinse your ceramic media before adding it to the tank? This will get rid of most of the lose dust and rubble that comes from the ceramic grinding against each other during manufacture and transport. I would be concerned if your biomedia is dissolving at such a rate it is putting noticable debris in the water.
I use sera siporax for my media and have not had an issue with clouding. I have also seen other tanks achieve crystal clear water while using cheap ceramic rings, so I don’t feel there is a need to swap over to a plastic biomedia, which IMO is inferior in terms of surface area for beneficial bacteria to live.
Also as an aside, how does the water look with different lighting? It’s possible your lights are making the water look cloudier than it is?
Steve says
November 16, 2018 at 5:39 amHi Ian, thanks for your reply. I did rinse the bio media thoroughly before placing it in the filters. I asked the question because when I rinse the mechanical filtration at times I notice small white particles on the carbon bags that are under the bio media. As for the lighting I also thought that may be the cause but I
don’t believe it is because the water still looks slightly cloudy with it off.
Steve says
November 18, 2018 at 3:44 amHi Ian, hope you’re having a great weekend. So guess what? I took 5 gallons of tank water and put it in a bucket. Then I rinsed the bio media from both the HOB Fluval 70’s in that bucket then put the bio media back in the filters. There was some small white particles that were in the water. Today the tank is clear and looks like it should. Tomorrow I’m going to do the same thing with the bio media in the Fluval canister. Even though I’m not a beginner as you know I’m still learning every day 🤔. Stay well and as always thanks for your help.
Ian Sterling says
November 18, 2018 at 5:22 amHi Steve!
I’m doing well, thanks. I hope you are enjoying your weekend too!
That’s very interesting regarding the particles. Thanks for the update, I’m sure someone else will have the same “problem” in the future and I can now suggest this as a cause! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Michael Marranca says
November 13, 2018 at 1:54 pmHi Ian,
I don’t see a lot of mention about “jump starting a tank” with Nitrifying bacteria. I have a 75 gallon Cichlid tank with 12 small Cichlids in it. I’m running a Fluval G6 and right before plugging in the pump, I put a whole bottle of One and Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria by Dr Tim. With 12 Ciclids and 2 Cory Cats, so far so good. Everyone is active, vibrant and eating. I monitor every day and only have trace NH3. I have been placing a packet of Marineland Bio-Spira bacteria in the tank every other day…right at the filter intake so it goes directly to the biomedia. I am a week into the cycle, no fish loss and clear water. I still have my UV filter off but my bio-filter and 2 power heads and multiple air stone decorations are going 24/7. Temp, GH, KH, pH are in normal range for Cichlids. I have done 2 15% water changes and using Prime on water change water and when I detect NH3. I check twice a day. My EC (electrical conductivity on the filter is reading ~900 which is high). Not sure why.
Any other comments?
Ian Sterling says
November 13, 2018 at 2:10 pmHi Michael,
You are definitely braver than me doing a fish-in cycle with that many fish.
The reason why I don’t really cover “jump starting” with bottled bacteria because it can be hit and miss as to whether or not it actually speeds up a cycle. I have some tanks cycle in under two weeks with it added as well as the opposite. I have also seen tanks cycle in under two weeks without it.
You have not listed your nitrite or nitrate readings. Nitrite is as dangerous as ammonia during cycling. Are you monitoring this too?
Steve says
October 29, 2018 at 12:38 amHello Ian, Thank you , thank you, thank you! The filter pads came sooner than I expected as I have an Amazon fulfillment center near my home. I put the pads in all 3 filters on Thursday and did a 25% water change. By Saturday the tank looked great. I did change the pads Saturday in both the Fluval HOB 70’s as they were dirty and put clean ones in. I’m going to order some 50 micron pads just to see if they have more of an effect. As always thanks for your help, it’s been a pleasure talking with you. 😀
Ian Sterling says
October 29, 2018 at 2:35 amHi Steve,
I’m a little jealous of how close you are to an Amazon fulfillment center – my orders never come that quick.
That’s awesome. I’m so happy to hear it. Depending on how gunked up the pads are, you may be able to rinse them in fresh water to extend their use – since you are not worrying about beneficial bacteria in these pads, you can be pretty rough with your cleaning.
Here’s to your new crystal clear aquarium. Wishing you all the best in your future fishkeeping endeavors 🙂
Zach Tucker says
October 25, 2018 at 6:16 amThank you for all the great info! I have been following your steps after I made a mistake and messed my cycle up from setting up a new Hob filter and not Seeding it with bacteria from my old one. My readings today was 0ppm ammonia 0.25ppm nitrite and 0.5 nitrate. Do you beleave I am on the road to a cycled tank???
Ian Sterling says
October 25, 2018 at 6:50 amHi Zach,
It depends, if it’s been over a week then sure. If this is your first day then something is amiss.
Steve says
October 23, 2018 at 11:48 pmHello Ian, I have looked at that site before and I have no doubt you are correct that there are small particles floating in the tank. The filter pads I purchased may not be the correct ones since the packaging didn’t say how many microns they are. I have ordered 100 micron pads from Amazon, just waiting for them. As always I appreciate your comments. I’m going to wait until I get the new pads, put them in and let the filters run for a couple of days before we talk again. Best wishes as always.
Steve says
October 19, 2018 at 11:01 pmHi Ian, I completed my gravel vac and water change, had quite a bit of waste in the gravel. Waited 1 day and tested the water, chemistry is good. The water still looks a bit cloudy and I’m wondering why. As you said there’s plenty of filtration so I would have expected it to be crystal clear. I’m still waiting for that to happen. If you have any thoughts about that I would like to hear what you think.
Ian Sterling says
October 20, 2018 at 3:59 amHi Steve,
It’s possible that the pieces of debris that are floating around your water are so small, they are actually slipping through the gaps in your filter pads. This is an easy fix. Simply grab a super fine filter pad (50-100 Micron) like this one and place it after your coarser filter pad. It will trap the tiny particles that slip through and will return your water to a crystal clear state – it beats using chemical water clarifiers.
Also, if the bottom of your tank was particularly foul and kicked up a lot of gunk, you might need to give your filter pads a rinse in fresh water, to remove the excess sludge that has built up.
Steve says
October 20, 2018 at 10:12 pmHello Ian, thanks for the advice I didn’t even think about that. I’m going to pick up the filter pads today and I’ll reach out to you after the weekend and let you know the results. As always your comments are greatly appreciated.
Ian Sterling says
October 21, 2018 at 3:57 amI hope it all works out for you. Have a great weekend!
Steve says
October 22, 2018 at 10:44 pmHi Ian, hope you had a great weekend! I think the tank looks a bit better today. This morning I removed the carbon from both the HOB Fluval 70’s and added more microfiber in its place since there is carbon in the Fluval 406 canister which I also put microfiber pads in on Friday. Maybe it’s going to take some time for the water to completely clear. I would like to send you a picture of the tank, maybe you may see something I’m not. Let me know if that’s possible and how to do that. Once again thanks and best wishes.
Ian Sterling says
October 23, 2018 at 2:29 amHi Steve,
Thanks, I spent some much needed downtime with my fish!
Unfortunately I do not have the ability to receive photos through comments.
However, it will take some time for the filters to trap all the micro particles as long as you bought the right stuff, it will eventually all be trapped. The remaining gunk will settle on the bottom of your tank, ready for it to be siphoned away the next time you gravel vac.
The only other thing it could be is floating algae or bacteria, which will multiply in the tank but that’s a whole other ball game. From what you are saying, it sounds like small floating particles. Algae and bacteria have a much different look. You can see pictures of these in the cloudy aquarium water guide.
Laura says
October 17, 2018 at 5:04 amHello, love this site, I now understand the cycling process!
However, please can I ask some advice?
I’ve had my 40l tropical tank for a few years but have never been successful in keeping fish alive in it 😔 I decided that I have probably never properly cycled my tank and so thought I would start again and get it right this time. Twice the heater has overheated the tank and so I made the decision to get rid of it and go cold water with goldfish. I had kept the tank and filter running since the last of my fish died. The pet shop convinced me to get ‘temperate fish’ and so I came home with 4 platies and 2 snails. Then I did my research (yes I know now that I should have done this before getting the fish and am kicking myself that I could have cycled so easily with just food!).
I took your advice and got the testing kit you suggested. The fish were put in the tank 2 days ago and I have completed small water changes twice daily since. So I tested this evening (before my evening water change) and results were;
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 20
pH 8.2
Does this mean my tank is in fact cycled?
Also how do I bring the pH down?
Many thanks in anticipation of a response, any advice would be gratefully received.
Ian Sterling says
October 17, 2018 at 6:55 amHi Laura,
Welcome back to the hobby! I hope you find more success this time round.
I would be hesitant to say that your tank has cycled after just two days. I would continue testing each day and perform water changes if your test results return a reading, for the next week.
As for pH, you can lower pH naturally with indian almond leaves or peat moss. Alternatively, you can use RO water however this will require you to remineralize it before adding it to your tank.
Steve says
October 13, 2018 at 10:04 pmI set up a 75 gal fresh water tank late August. I’m cycling with fish in the tank. I have been testing my water every 2 or 3 days. I have never seen an increase in Ammonia, Nitrites or Nitrates. I was doing partial water changes but have stopped. Water chemistry continues to be good. My tank water has been some what cloudy and has not cleared as of yet. The fish are healthy and eating well. Please help if you can.
Ian Sterling says
October 14, 2018 at 3:58 amHi Steve,
I would double check your test kit has not expired and isn’t faulty – ammonia won’t take long to build up to measurable levels.
If there is no ammonia or nitrites but nitrates, then your tank has cycled. Given that it has been over a month since you set up, this is another possibility.
Steve Farina says
October 16, 2018 at 2:40 amHi Ian, thanks for your reply. I checked my test kit and it is good until 2020. I’m using Tetra test strips and have also had the water tested at the local Pet Smart. I checked my water again today. No Ammonia, Nitrites or Nitrate. I’m really at a loss because this is not my first Aquarium. I had a 250 gallon Marine tank for several years and never had issues. I’m ready to go crazy.
Ian Sterling says
October 16, 2018 at 3:32 amHi Steve,
Given you are not a beginner, I’m actually leaning towards thinking your tank is cycled and that something is depleting the nitrates. I mean, if there is one thing fish are good at, it’s producing ammonia.
No need to go crazy just yet. If you want peace of mind, I’d take a photo of your tank, write up your weekly ritual and list the equipment connected to your tank and post it to an online aquarium forum – it’s likely someone else has experienced the exact same problem as you before.
Steve says
October 16, 2018 at 10:28 pmHello again Ian, I appreciate your insight and comments. I’m not very tech savvy when it comes to posting on a forum. I am running 2 HOB Fluval 70’s as well as a Fluval 406 Canister filter. I believe your assessment that my tank has cycled is correct. Today I’m going to gravel vac which I haven’t done since I set up the tank
and perform a water change. I figure the worst that can happen is the cycle process starts over but I don’t believe it will. I will let you know in a few days the results, wish me luck!
Ian Sterling says
October 17, 2018 at 4:07 amHi again Steve,
Hey, no need to doubt your abilities. If you can comment here, you are more than tech savvy enough to post on a forum!
Given that the vast majority of beneficial bacteria hides in your filter media, vacuuming the gravel and doing a water change shouldn’t have an effect if your tank is already cycled.
Also, that is a lot of filtration for a tank your size. Most would stop at just one of those filters. Not that this is a bad thing at all, more is always better.
I’ll be very interested to hear your results after performing maintenance.
Good luck!
Steve says
October 18, 2018 at 10:09 pmHello Ian, yes I definitely have a lot of filtration on my tank. I think it comes from when I had the 250 gallon marine tank for 15 years, it also had a lot of filtration. So I did a gravel vac and 75% water change. I tested the water this morning and chemistry is good, tank water looks much better. There was a lot of waste in the gravel that came out. I think I’m on the path finally and can enjoy the hobby again. I appreciate all your comments and help. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you, best wishes.
Vanessa says
October 2, 2018 at 5:00 amHi everyone,
I am new to the aquatic community and I have a 50g tank. I set up the tank 2 days ago and got eager and put some fish inside already. I currently have:
1 plecostomus
1 catfish
1 green tiger barb
2 stripped tiger barb
2 angel fish
2 snails (not mystery snails)
2 black cichlids (temporary)
When I bought everything from PetSmart, the lady failed to mention the nitrogen cycle, so I just put all of the fish in the tank with the water. Today, the tank was cloudy and according to the internet, that’s a bacteria blood, which is good I guess?
Anyway, I went to Petco this time and they were way more helpful.
I just would like to verify if what she said was correct.
The girl told me to remove 50% of the water and replace it with Seachem Prime treated water. Then test it with the API kit.
I just did a test now and the results are:
0.5ppm Ammonia
0.25ppm Nitrites
5ppm Nitrates
Where should I go from here? I only have a 5g bucket to treat and replace the water, so I’m not sure how to dose the Prime since it’s 5ml/50gallons. I have been using a bacteria supplement as well on the first day I received the tank. Should I continue to use the bacteria supplement for every water change?
Thanks everyone!
Ian Sterling says
October 2, 2018 at 6:03 amHi Vanessa,
You can can work your way through the steps listed in this guide.
A 50% water change is going to take you 5 trips with that bucket. Once you get to tanks this size, I suggest using a water changer instead of siphoning into a bucket – it’s going to save you a lot of time and effort, depending on how far your tank is from the nearest water source.
On the prime question, .05 ml. use a measuring pipette, it will make it easier to precisely dose. Don’t worry if you add slightly more, an overdose shoudln’t harm your fish.
As for the bacterial supplement, there is debate as to their effectiveness. However, there is no reason not to continue with it. If it has been properly stored and within it’s expiry date, it won’t harm your tank.
Li says
November 16, 2018 at 2:45 amYour tank is too small for the pleco! Pleco should be put in minimum 79 gallons for one. And they need to be several plecos, not only one, or it’s not a good life for a fish that likes to be in bank to be alone! So it’s not a wonder that you have nitrite & nitrate problems. For the other fishes, I don’t know, but try to get info, because for the pleco, you haven’t been given good advice.
Buy a bigger tank, or give your pleco. Plecos are not good fish to keep in a tank, they shouldn’t been bought, they require too many gallons and family members.
Doing 75% water change is too much, it’s very stressful for fish. It should be done in my opinion only if there’s a big problem with the quality of the water. Most of the bacteria are in the filter, that’s right, but you lower the number of bacteria when you do a water change, they are not all in the filter, there are also bacteria in your soil, and on every surface they can colonize, but a large part is often in the soil.
Heather says
September 13, 2018 at 11:01 pmHello I am hoping you can help me. I’m at a loss. I just recently started my first tank. We had them when I was little but I was never responsible for them and back then no novice really knew anything about the nitrogen cycle. I started researching early and went to our local aquarium store. On August 10 I set up a 15 gallon freshwater tank using Aqua Life Complete water conditioner. They also told me to get to cheap hardy fish to start my cycle. They also had me add Aqua life activate along with my 2 Glo Fish tetras. There are also 3 live plants.On August 16 more Activate was added. Then I tested using API master test kit on the 22nd. pH was 7.6, HRpH 7.4, Ammonia .5ppm, no No2 or No3. My friend who keeps fish told me to do a 50% water change at this point. I also added a bubble wall. On the 21st I did have some bacterial bloom which cleared up pretty quickly. Tested on the 24th and got these differences Ammonia <.25ppm still no Nitrites and now 5.0 nitrates. Exact same thing on the 28th. I'll admit at this point with my fish continuing to seem healthy and happy and my numbers the exact same, I added 2 more Glo fish Tetras on September 2. Continue testing, some more water changes sprinkled in there and still the exact same numbers. On September 7 I took sample to the Aquarium store and had them test and they got the same numbers and said it of course had no cycled yet so add some more Activate which I did. All 4 fish continue to be healthy and seem active and happy. I had run across your blog
last week and ordered some Seachem Prime to try your method. Yesterday I tested and got all the same numbers. I have also started seeing some visible algae on the decorations so my friend recommend I clean it up since I have no algae helpers yet. So I cleaned some noticeable areas and did a 30% water change using the Prime for the first time, since I was about 1 in low on water from all the testing. I got busy cleaning the house and forgot to empty the test tubes immediately and came back to the about 6 hours later. The ammonia was definitely yellow no more doubt that it had any green tint. Not being a chemist I don't know if that would just happen to any ammonia reading OR if it was a more accurate reading. 24 hours later I just tested and got the same numbers but it does appear that the Nitrate reading comes quicker even though it's only 5.0. I've yet to have any Nitrite reading. Sorry so long winded but I wanted you to be able to have a full picture.
Ian Sterling says
September 14, 2018 at 4:53 amHi Heather,
Unfortunately, cycling is something that takes weeks and to get a true picture of what is happening you should write down each days results and compare them. If your nitrates are going up, then they have to be coming from somewhere, and it could be that your tank is well on it’s way to being cycled.
Also, I wouldn’t trust any test reading that had been left to sit for 6 hours.
If Aqualife Activate acts similar to prime then it is possible that your test kit is giving a false positive for ammonia, including ammonium (harmless) in the total. As far as I know, Seachem is the only test kit manufacture that tests ammonium and ammonia separately.
Alternatively, you can use a free ammonia calculator like this one (NH3 is ammonium, NH4 is Ammonia) to see what is happening in your tank, However, you will need to know your tank temperature, pH and Salinity in addition to your ammonia measurement. While most saltwater tanks will know their salinity, most freshwater tanks won’t and you’ll need a device to measure this.
The alternative is to leave it a few days, see what happens to your nitrate levels. If you think your tank is cycled, you can skip the prime for 48 hours and re-test.
Heather says
September 14, 2018 at 8:26 amThank you. I will get a Sea chem ammonia test kit. Because right now none of my numbers are changing. I know it can be a long process but as you can see I’ve never had a spike of numbers to even think anything is happening. I just feel at a loss. And nothing I read seems to match what I’ve seen happening.
Ian Sterling says
September 14, 2018 at 9:17 amIf you have fish in your tank, then ammonia, nitrite or nitrate levels should all be increasing. Ammonia is given off when you feed your fish, when they poop etc, it’s unavoidable and at the very least you should be seeing a change in the ammonia reading after a few days.
Heather says
September 14, 2018 at 9:31 amThat’s what I keep reading but here I am a month into it and nothing’s changed. I test every day. And it’s always the same.
Heather says
September 15, 2018 at 2:58 amOk I’ve been dosing with Prime. I tested today and there was definitely no ammonia. Still never had any nitrites. Nitrate color looked paler orange today too. pH is 7.6 and HRpH is 7.4. Tank temp is 80F. Should I just keep dosing with Prime?
Ian Sterling says
September 15, 2018 at 4:47 amHi Heather,
If you believe there is no ammonia, and no nitrites but your nitrate levels keep increasing, then your cycle is done.
Prime wears off 24-48 hours after each dose (assuming you dosed correctly as per volume of your tank) If you wanted, you can keep testing multiple times through this window and past it, to make sure everything looks okay.
Alternatively, keep dosing and monitor your nitrate levels. If they continue to rise but your ammonia and nitrate stay at zero then you can be confident your tank has been cycled.
Amy says
September 13, 2018 at 3:06 amHi
I’m doing fish in cycling with prime as per your instructions, should I still normal weekly water changes through the process?
Thanks
Amy
Ian Sterling says
September 13, 2018 at 4:00 amHi Amy,
If you find yourself doing a water change before the week is out, there should be no need to perform a weekly water change.
Amy says
August 18, 2018 at 2:57 amI have a betta in a 5 gallon. First fish ever. Now I know I put him in prematurely, but I am reading as much as I can and testing daily to keep him healthy. I have been getting ammonia readings 0.5ppm on once daily testing (no nitrites or nitrates yet) and have been doing a 30% water change daily (with added water conditioner). Is that too much or too little? I’m wondering since the bacteria need ammonia as a food source and I’m always removing it, how can they really take hold? I did add the recommended bacteria supplement on initial set up.
Ian Sterling says
August 18, 2018 at 3:52 amHi Amy,
As long as there is ammonia in the tank, beneficial bacteria will eventually begin to establish. Unfortunately, this can be a very slow process. My last tank took me almost a month to completely cycle. Is the 0.5 ppm measurement before or after you are performing the water changes?
Amy says
August 18, 2018 at 8:58 pmBefore the water change. I test, then change 30% if I am seeing ammonia. I have been waiting 24 hrs to test again.
Ian Sterling says
August 19, 2018 at 3:48 amIt might be worth testing after the water change, to make sure that the levels are not dropping down to unreadable levels. The results you read before the water change might be due to it building up over the day.
John junior says
August 13, 2018 at 11:25 pmI do not know about the cycle and till I buy 20 gallons tank, fish and substrate. I have over 10 fish die gradually. I test my water in pet store, they finally all come out good after 6 weeks but eventually all fish are dead except 2 coral cat fish. I am not using that tank because I want to start over again. now I use a old turtle tank for remaining 1 catfish. it is 10 gallon, I restart the cycle. in beginning the ammonia is very high, then I do 100% water change, it is 4 days ago, now the ammonia around 1ppm. no trace nitrite but about 40ppm nitrate. the tank just set up about a week. should I do another water change again? does my cycle done? I put some water and decoration from a exist dirty 2 liter fish tank with fish inside and add to this new tank. I read on line and says it will help to speed up the cycle.
Ian Sterling says
August 14, 2018 at 5:05 amHi John,
If you have performed a 100% water change during cycling, then it’s possible that you have removed the all the nutrients needed for your beneficial bacteria to grow, stalling or even restarting the cycle. If that’s the case, you are back to square one and will have to try again.
Susan Nehama says
August 12, 2018 at 8:53 amThanks, my daughter is planning on taking a fish up to college with her in a few weeks. She decided on getting a juvenile pictus with her. She set up a new tank with a sand substrate since he didn’t seem to like the gravel in the community tank. He loves the sand but she read you should totally replace it every two weeks but wouldn’t that slow down the cycling of this new tank (we added lots of yucky filter juice and quick start to try to speed up this new tank). She tests constantly, and is doing frequent water changes with Prime and Stability. He seems to be happy.
Two questions…the pet store person grabbed the little guy with a net and he was stuck. It looks like he has a fin fracture on one if his dorsal radials. It turned white and he got a little white bump on the fin but everything else looks fine and nothing is spreading. Do you need to do anything to treat it? He is swimming fine.
Second, should she take Sigmund home on Thanksgiving break? It’s only 4 days. I doubt the water temp will drop below 70 even if the RA turns of the heater. I figured she could put one of those vacation bricks in. She thinks it would be better to take him home (3 hour trip). What do you think?
Ian Sterling says
August 12, 2018 at 11:36 amHi Susan,
Most of the beneficial bacteria lives in your filter. Only a small is found inside the tank itself. If your filter is rated for your tank, properly cycled and your tank isn’t overstocked, swapping out the substrate shouldn’t cause the tank to crash.
Even so, two weeks for swapping over a substrate sounds both excessive and hard work. Most fish keepers I know stir the sand and use a gravel vac to keep the surface clean. Breaking off a prong from a plastic fork and taping it to the end of the gravel tube will allow you to both stir the sand bed while whipping up any gunk sticking on top without sucking up much of the sand.
If it’s a physical injury, all you can do is leave it to repair naturally, paying extra attention to keeping the tank very clean and water parameters normal – there isn’t such a thing as casts for broken fins.
Most well fed fish can happily survive a week and often more without food – in the wild your fish wouldn’t have a regular meal time, and may only come across a meal every few days. Best way to test this is to do a trial run, skip feeding him for 4 days and watch closely to how it fairs. If you plan to go down the vacation block route, do the same – many users report that the block fouled up their water, killing their fish.
I’d still recommend buying an aquarium heater. It’s not the temperature itself that kills fish, but rather the rapid temperature change – the temperature in a small tank can drop and raise quickly, causing stress.
Katherine says
August 11, 2018 at 2:27 amI use products with bacteria in them to get a head start. Works pretty well for me. I also use a product that helps protect fish from nitrite spikes. It helped save my fish when my bacteria colonies died and I had to rebuild them. Plants can also be a good way to keep ammonia, nitrite and nitrate down. From what I’ve read floating plants and those little moss balls both work pretty well. Floating plants can get CO2 directly from the air instead of the water which helps them clean up the water more.
These days I almost never change the water in my main tank due to a large number of plants. I monitor the water closely though.
Ian Sterling says
August 11, 2018 at 3:51 amHi Katherine,
Thanks for sharing your experience! Sounds like you have a pretty advanced setup – especially if you are able to go weeks without water changes.
Li says
November 16, 2018 at 2:34 amBacteria in bottles or tablets are totally useless. Proving that it makes the cycle shorter has never been done. It’s only to make you give the money. It’s a waste of your money. If you don’t believe me, try to find researches on the duration of the cycle with the all dead bottled bacteria, and without.
Amy says
August 10, 2018 at 9:52 pmI’m currently on my 3rd week of a fish in cycle.
I re-homed 4 danios from a friend who no longer wanted them, and at this point knew nothing about ‘cycling’ a fish tank, or really much about fish, except that new tap water should be de-chlorinated.
The fish lived happily for a little while, then 1 got poorly and died, then a 2nd, and then sadly a 3rd.
At this point I knew something was up and then started to research about coldwater fish, and low and behold found out about cycling.
I basically started again with the last remaining danio. I bought a new tank, filter etc… and started the cycling process.
I have a quick question…. My ammonia levels have lowered over the 3 weeks (currently 0.25ppm), however the nitites and Nitrates are really high, above the acceptable level.
Will regular water changes keep this under control, aswell as allowing the beneficial bacteria to establish?
I add aquarium salts, and some good bacteria, but it seems to be a slow process, and just worry for my last remaining fish.
Any help / reassurance appreciated.
Ian Sterling says
August 11, 2018 at 4:01 amHi Amy,
Unfortunately cycling your tank is never instant it can take weeks or even months – patience is key. I know this can be hard when you have fish dying before your eyes but hang in there!
It sounds like you are nearing the end of the second stage of the nitrogen cycle. Here is a chart from the last time I cycled an aquarium. As you can see, the nitrites build up before slowly dropping in number as nitrates begin to appear. You are nearly there! To get a greater idea of where you are in the cycle, perform daily checks with your aquarium test kit for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites.
Performing water changes will help keep your nitrites and nitrates down. Just be mindful that don’t want to remove all the nitrites, as your colony of bacteria needs this as a food source. Make sure you test closely.
You got this!
jomardeuse says
August 7, 2018 at 11:42 pmWish I’d seen this article before I started. Into week five and nitrites just appearing but was ill informed at pet store. Started with 4 fish ( buy 3, get one free). Now have 2. Will know better next time.
FishLab Staff says
August 8, 2018 at 3:36 amHi Jomardeuse,
Thanks for sharing your experience! I’m sad to say that this is not uncommon. That’s why finding a good local fish store, with knowledgeable staff is essential in this hobby – for a beginner, keeping fish is more complicated than it first appears.