day 14 and still no nitrItes

[mrs fishpatrick]

I have my 180 liter tank up and running for about 4 weeks and for the past 14 days have 4 small kribensis in it, my ammonia is being kept at 0.5 although it did go up to 1.0 during the week, I still don't get a reading for nitrites, my ph is 7.4.
What am I doing wrong?
The only thing I should mention is that I was sold a shitty filter that keeps slowing down and does sometimes needs a light clean (in water from the tank)
just to keep it running.
Help

[Lady Hobbs]

My guess would not be enough fish in the tank. 180 gallons is what......almost 48 gallons. I think you need more fish to start producing that ammonia.

[mrs fishpatrick]

should I leave the waterchanges for a while and let the ammonia go higher a bit? at what level does it get uncomfortable for the fishies?
Thanks lady hobbs your always giving me great advice:l4:

[Lady Hobbs]

I would leave the water alone but start doing some water changes when the ammonia gets to .....say.....1.0. But those 4 little kribs will take forever to get the ammonia moving in that much water. Maybe some pals?

[mrs fishpatrick]

what would you reccomend, the last fish I want to add are 1 or 2 bloodparrots I haven't seen giant danio's anywhere and I dunno are they my cuppa tea anyways. Any advice on a hardy fish is welcome

[Lady Hobbs]

kid-o, I hate to recommend any fish for cycling but you have to get it done so really haven't much choice other than adding more of "something." How about some rams? Like 3 females and 1 male? Have you a friend with a fish tank at all? If you could get a seasoned filter or some seasoned gravel that would help some.

You could also get some feeder goldfish to finish cycling the tank and get rid of them when you were ready for your parrots. To keep those kribs alive, you'll still have to monitor that water, tho.

[mrs fishpatrick]

i might get some gravel from my f.i.l.'s tank, want to test his water first though because I don't think he has a clue what he is doing, his fish survive though and the tank is running for a few years now. I dunno, can't go to the lfs today as I have my 2 kids on my own and it is too hard to control the 2 of them in a shop on my own:c1:
Thank god for play school, i'll let you know how I get on,
thanks

[Lady Hobbs]

If your friend has some used filter media, that's better than the gravel!

[mrs fishpatrick]

I don't think the media comes out of his filter, i'd say it is just a sponge, did a test and my ammonia is up to 0.5 so i'll give the w.c. another miss today and hopefully it will creep up by itself, and when i am in my inlaws today i'll take my father in laws filter apart and see can i sneek a bit out of it,
i wonder could i give his filter a bit of a clean and use the debris from it to fire in to my tank or is that just too disgusting to do?

[fins_n_fur]

If you trust your father in law's water, I'd take some of your filter material and let is soak with his during the visit and coat it with as much gunk from his as you can. Put it some tank water for the trip home and add to your filter when you are home. It'll give your filter a big jump start!

[mrs fishpatrick]

could i leave my tank without the filter for the afternoon?

[fins_n_fur]

I wouldn't do that--just take some of the filter material.

[mrs fishpatrick]

its a sponge, would you suggest I cut half of it and bring that on my visit?

[fins_n_fur]

Yep, I would!

[mrs fishpatrick]

thanks for your quick reply, I'll get the sisscors out, and just shove it in his filter is it?
what if it doesn't fit

[fins_n_fur]

If it doesn't fit, then if you clean his filter, just be sure to get as much gunk stuck in/on the sponge as you can before you head home. If you have a spare sponge, just bring that, if not, half of what's in there. Bring a small tupperware-like air tight container to put the sponge and tank water for the trip home.

[mrs fishpatrick]

well just a quick update, went and cut my sponge from my filter in half and brought it over to my father i.l.
I came in and took one look at his tank, and decided against it.
O MY GOD , instead I did an 80% w c in his tank and cleaned some of his filter, it was unbelieveable, I would rather let my cycle take a few weeks more than taking anything out of that tank,

The pleco in his tank was so big he couldn't move in there anymore and had hurt his nose on something, so I rang the lfs over there to see would they take him and they did, they gave 2 juvie cory catfish in return wich will hopfully not grow as big as this plec did.

When I was finished with his tank at least his fish looked a lot happier and his neons were darting around his tank again.

so i have propably stalled my cycle a bit more by having half my filtermedia in my handbag:hmm3grin2orange: for the whole afternoon.

I liked the look of the cory's though and might find out some more about them and see how they would go with my kribs.

I'll keep you'se posted

[fins_n_fur]

Bummer...I still think some of the gunk would have helped you LOL. Nice job on rehoming the pleco! The corys should been in a group of at least five, but important to rehome the pleco first! Nice one! Maybe you can share some info with the f.i.l. and get him to sign up here :hmm3grin2orange: Probably the filter material didn't do much in your handbag all afternoon though.

[mrs fishpatrick]

I think 5 would have been to much for his tank, he only has a 60 liter tank, in it are 2 bleu gourami, a dwarf gourami, a platy, 4 neons, an angel (i know he will be rehomed soon when i get the message through) and what i think is a zebra danio but i am not sure, he is not too big, about twice the size of a neon. And now of course 2 teenie tiny cory's who were rooting in the gravel for a bit of grub.
He is so desperatly overfeeding them it is just sickening, so i decided against seeding my filtermedia, might bring my testkit over during the week to see what his levels are.
And talkin about levels, just did mine and ammonia is 0.5 nitrite 0 and I just checked my nitrAtes and that is 5.0 could it be that there will never be a nitrIte spike or did I maybe miss it?

[Lady Hobbs]

Hard to believe but the nasty stuff is what cycles a tank.
As gunky as his filter was, it would have jump started yours immediatly saving you tons of time.

Your dad should squeeze that sponge out now and then in old tank water....or tap water that has had declorintor added to it.

His tank is too small for an angelfish. Why not steal it from him?

[mrs fishpatrick]

Hard to believe but the nasty stuff is what cycles a tank.
As gunky as his filter was, it would have jump started yours immediatly saving you tons of time.


His tank is too small for an angelfish. Why not steal it from him?

I well believe the nasty stuff is what helps the cycle but really, this was way too nasty.

I might get the angel of him, in a while, once things really settle down in my tank, do they go well with bp cichlids?

[Northernguy]

You will learn to like that nasty stuff lol If you want a healthy tank.It seems kinda gross to us,but all our fish buddies just love it,need it and want it!!!!
Even clean looking tanks are full of it.
I'm not an angel fan but I would be worried about the angels fins getting nipped.
Good luck with your tank,your almost there(cycled).