New 10 gallon tank

[Bellie816]

Okay.. so I've posted my info about my tank in other places on the board but I figured I would start one of these journals to document my progress and whatnot. So my tank has been up and running about 2 weeks now and it is fully decorated with lots of artificial plants and 2 tank ornaments. I have an Aquatech 5-15 filter, 50 watt heater. The temperature of the tank is staying right around 75 or 76 degrees. As of today my water parameters are as follows:

PH- 8.2
Ammonia- 4
Nitrite- Between 0 and .25
Nitrate- 5

I'm just waiting now for the tank to cycle. My nitrites never jumped up above 1.0 but now they are dropping it seems. The ammonia has remained about the same, as well as the nitrates. Some comments have been that my tank seems to only have another week or two left. So hopefully it will happen soon!

Our water is hard well water, the total hardness is 300 ppm. As you can see we have high PH also. I've done lots of research and asked lots of questions, and have figured out two tank set-ups that I'm trying to decide between. Let me know what you think sounds better! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

1st set-up:
1 male betta
3 platys- 2 female, 1 male
Possibly ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp (unless the betta will eat them?)

2nd set-up:
4-6 male guppies
10 cherry shrimp or ghost shrimp


I figured out that fish that will thrive in hard water are bettas, mollies, cichlids, guppies and platys. Since it's a 10 gallon it limits my choices.
Here's a pic:
http://i48.tinypic.com/33zcr42.jpg

[Northernguy]

A journal is a great idea! Nice tank too!

[iZinedane]

Nice tank! thumbs2:

[Bellie816]

Ok so how do I know when to change my carbon filter and vacuum the rocks and such? I know the bacteria grows in the gravel during cycling, but don't know about the carbon filter. Should I wait until it's fully cycled and after fish are added? Or before?

[Bellie816]

Alright so here are my new testing results for today. The nitrite reading didn't exactly match the shade for 0 or for .25...it was somewhat in between. This is on the API liquid freshwater test kit.

Ammonia - 3
Nitrite- Between 0 and .25
Nitrate- 5

So how am I doing? Only a few days left *praying*? LOL I can definitely see my nitrites are dropping (they were at 1.0 a week ago) and my ammonia is now dropping (from a 4 two days ago). But I don't know if the ammonia is just dropping because I haven't added any in 2 or 3 days. I'm a little confused on the nitrate reading, because it was never that high. It's been at 5 since I've been using the liquid kit. I'm pretty sure the test strips I was using before were inaccurate, so I'm not even gonna pay much attention to those results.

So.. should I add more ammonia? Or leave it alone? :hmm3grin2orange:

[Bellie816]

Okay levels are still the same today.. so still waiting! And now trying to skim off oily residue off the surface..lol

[Bellie816]

Well my testing today is as follows:

Ammonia - 3
Nitrite- .25
Nitrate- 5

My nitrites have jumped up to .25... before they were between the 0 and .25. I'm thinking that my initial nitrite readings were inaccurate when I first set up the tank because I was using the dip strips. It said they were 1.0..but I don't know. They have been around the same level now for almost a week. My ammonia and nitrates are the same. Does everything seem okay to you guys?

[aspects]

Yup. You are just in the beginning stages of your cycle. After 4-6 weeks your ammonia and nitrIte readings will be down to 0

[Bellie816]

Ok..very excited today! LOL I feel like such a nerd but I am geeked that my water parameters are starting to change thumbs2: thumbs2:

Testing results today as follows:

Ammonia- Between 3 and 4 (didn't *quite* match the 4)
Nitrate- a shade between 5 and 10 (definitely not 5, but not 10 either)
Nitrite- 1


Okay so my nitrites have jumped from between .25 and .50 to definitely 1 in two days! My nitrates have also slightly climbed. I know this is a good thing.

How far should I expect my nitrites to climb before they drop to zero? And when should I start expecting my ammonia levels to drop?

Woohoo!!! My tank is on its way!!! :hmm3grin2orange:

[rich311k]

You are rolling right along. The ammonia normally goes to zero in two weeks give or take a few days. The nitrites will take three weeks. You are doing just fine.

[Bellie816]

Yesterday my water parameters really changed! They were:

Ammonia - between .5 and 1 (significantly dropped)
Nitrite - between 2 and 5 (significantly jumped)
Nitrate- 10

I was very excited! So I added 2 teaspoons of ammonia yesterday, and now today my readings are:

Ammonia - between 1 and 2
Nitrite - 5 (another increase)
Nitrate - a little more than 5

Ok so can the nitrates change? I'm not sure if I just didn't shake up the test tube enough or something, but yesterday my nitrates were definitely 10 and now they are like between 5 and 10. I think it might have been an error on my part.

So I added another teaspoon of ammonia today and will re-test tomorrow. My nitrites are as high as the chart goes, so hopefully I will see a decrease soon. The tank has been cycling now for 3 1/2 weeks and seems to be looking good so far. I'm awaiting my new fish!!

[Earthdawn]

Tank looks Great !!!! thumbs2:

[Bellie816]

Update for today -

I think my tank will be ready any day now! My water parameters today are:

Ammonia - .25 (down from 1-2 yesterday)
Nitrite - between 1 and 2 (down from 5 yesterday)
Nitrate - between 40 and 80 (wayyy up from 5-10 yesterday)

I added 3 teaspoons of ammonia after testing. It seems like I put the ammonia in yesterday and it practically disappeared by today!

My temp is currently at 75.5. I have a 50 watt heater in it. The temp usually ranges from 74-76..hopefully that doesn't matter too much for the fish. It's because the temperature in the house tends to fluctuate during the day and night.

So hopefully my tank will be ready in a day or two. I know the nitrites and ammonia need to be at zero, and I'm assuming the huge spike in nitrates is a good thing! I am planning to start with 3 male tequila sunrise guppies or 3 male multi-color delta guppies. I eventually may want to get a male dwarf gourami.. but not sure because I really want ghost shrimp and I know they can eat them :)

[rich311k]

You are a day or two away. Good work.

[Bellie816]

You are a day or two away. Good work.

Thanks Rich! It means a lot considering I have had to exercise patience... and I really don't have much to begin with. LOL It feels like it has been forever so I can't wait! :) :)

[Bellie816]

Well I'm getting impatient! lol My tank is *almost* cycled but this last little bit seems to be going soooo slow! I tested my water yesterday in the am and it was:

Ammonia- .50
Nitrites - 1 (down from 5 on 12/30)

I didn't bother testing nitrates because they were between 40 and 80 the other day. I added 2 teaspoons of ammonia. Then I tested yesterday evening and the results:

Ammonia- between 2 and 4
Nitrites- 1

I didn't add any ammonia. I tested again this morning:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - .50

My tank is pretty much getting rid of 2-4 ppm of ammonia within 24 hours..even a little sooner. So this morning I added 2 1/2 teaspoons of ammonia. The nitrites are dropping...but they seem to be dropping somewhat slowly. Is that normal?

I'm dying here! lol

[HeatherB]

If you are using a carbon filter, stick a sponge filter in too. I have been using carbon filters and every time you change it, it depletes most of your bacteria. Add a aquaclear sponge (a couple bucks at the Petstore) and just rinse it in tank water when it gets really gross. Now you still have your bacteria!

[manciniat]

hello, im curious what your ammonia ppm is one half hour after you add?
the reason im curious is, i have a 75 gal, and im adding 2tsp. or 10 ml every 12 hours. one half hour after i add, my test is 2-4 ppm. so i wonder if maybe, your adding to much ammonia. ive read that to much can seem to stall your nitrite phase.

if i have misread, im sorry.

[annageckos]

It's comming along well. I wouldn't use carbon in your filter unless removing a medication. If carbon is not replace regularly than it can leak toxins back into the tank. It can also remove things from the water that fish need like nutriants and electrolites. Carbon should be used on a as needed basis. If your filter uses a floss type bag with carbon in it you can always make a slice and dump out the carbon. Good luck.

[Bellie816]

hello, im curious what your ammonia ppm is one half hour after you add?
the reason im curious is, i have a 75 gal, and im adding 2tsp. or 10 ml every 12 hours. one half hour after i add, my test is 2-4 ppm. so i wonder if maybe, your adding to much ammonia. ive read that to much can seem to stall your nitrite phase.

if i have misread, im sorry.

I added 2 teaspoons yesterday when my ammonia was reading .50 and then didn't test again until approx 12 hours later when it read between 2 and 4 ppm.
I added 2 1/2 teaspoons of ammonia this morning (about 2 hours ago) and just tested and it's between 4 and 8 ppm. Dangit! lol I have been adding too much ammonia. That is probably why it is taking so many days for the nitrites to drop. Thank you so much for your post!! I had no idea I was adding too much. So how much do you think I should add? 1/2 teaspoon? 1/8 teaspoon?

I've been stalling my nitrite phase :scry:

[Bellie816]

If you are using a carbon filter, stick a sponge filter in too. I have been using carbon filters and every time you change it, it depletes most of your bacteria. Add a aquaclear sponge (a couple bucks at the Petstore) and just rinse it in tank water when it gets really gross. Now you still have your bacteria!

Can you get an Aquaclear sponge at Walmart or Meijer? Those are pretty much the main stores around here except for one LFS with a very small fish section. I have an Aquatech 5-15 filter with the pre-packaged filter that has carbon in it. I will replace it as soon as possible...but will that deplete my bacteria when I replace it and add a sponge? I was wanting to wait until my fish were added and established before changing the filter.

[manciniat]

I added 2 teaspoons yesterday when my ammonia was reading .50 and then didn't test again until approx 12 hours later when it read between 2 and 4 ppm.
I added 2 1/2 teaspoons of ammonia this morning (about 2 hours ago) and just tested and it's between 4 and 8 ppm. Dangit! lol I have been adding too much ammonia. That is probably why it is taking so many days for the nitrites to drop. Thank you so much for your post!! I had no idea I was adding too much. So how much do you think I should add? 1/2 teaspoon? 1/8 teaspoon?

I've been stalling my nitrite phase :scry:


lab rat has me trying something today, that maybe you could try too.

im testing every 12 hours.
i added ammonia last night at 8:00p. this morning, i was at 0 ammo and somewhere between 1-5 trites. she had me not add any ammonia for the next 12 hour, and test tonight to see if my trites drop. if they dont drop to 0 ( the trites ) add ammonia and continue the cycle. if they do drop to 0, 50% WC and stock.

you added ammonia this morning, its testing 4-8 right now. check again in 12 hours, see where your at. check ammonia and nitrite. if your ammonia is still higher than 0 do not add. wait till your ammonia is at 0, then go 12 hours without adding any and check your trites, to see if they drop to 0. if they also drop to 0, your complete. if not add ammonia and continue.

i add 10ml for 75 gal = 2-4 ppm. if i were you, id try 1 or 1.5 ml and check one half hour later and see what you got, you can always add alittle more if needed.

i hope this helps you,

tony

[Bellie816]

lab rat has me trying something today, that maybe you could try too.

im testing every 12 hours.
i added ammonia last night at 8:00p. this morning, i was at 0 ammo and somewhere between 1-5 trites. she had me not add any ammonia for the next 12 hour, and test tonight to see if my trites drop. if they dont drop to 0 ( the trites ) add ammonia and continue the cycle. if they do drop to 0, 50% WC and stock.

you added ammonia this morning, its testing 4-8 right now. check again in 12 hours, see where your at. check ammonia and nitrite. if your ammonia is still higher than 0 do not add. wait till your ammonia is at 0, then go 12 hours without adding any and check your trites, to see if they drop to 0. if they also drop to 0, your complete. if not add ammonia and continue.

i add 10ml for 75 gal = 2-4 ppm. if i were you, id try 1 or 1.5 ml and check one half hour later and see what you got, you can always add alittle more if needed.

i hope this helps you,

tony

Thanks tony! I'm hoping this helps me and you as well. I am assuming (based on what's been happening) that my ammonia will be between 2-4 ppm tonight and then in the morning will be at zero. So I will follow the directions you told me and then hopefully by tomorrow evening the ammonia will be zero and so will the nitrites.

I kind of knew something was up because on 12/30 by nitrites were 5, the next day they were 1-2, and then dropped slowly from there and now am at .50. So hopefully this works! I will cross my fingers for us! Thanks again!! thumbs2:

[manciniat]

no prob. just trying to help. i read my journal, and lab rats advice was wait 24 hours, not 12 sorry. you can read her post in the last page of my journal.

[Bellie816]

So my results tonight are:

Ammonia- between 1 and 2
Nitrite- .50

This is about 12 hours after my morning testing. The ammonia has dropped from 4-8 ppm to 1-2 ppm. Tomorrow morning I will test again, and it should be 0. I won't add anymore ammonia, then I will wait until tomorrow evening to test again. If my nitrites still aren't 0, I will wait until the next morning and see what happens. Hopefully my tank will be cycled! I believe I have just been accidentally overloading it with ammonia... I didn't know how much to add. :ssuprised: Wish me luck!! thumbs2:

[Bellie816]

Results this morning:

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- .50
Nitrate- 10

I did not add any more ammonia. Now begins the experiment :blades: lol
I will check again this evening (about 12 hours later) to see if my nitrites have dropped at all.

Question about nitrates...if someone could please help me out! I'm not sure if I tested wrong a few days ago... but my nitrates were consistently reading 5 (they are 5 out of the tap), then between 5-10, then 10... then all of a sudden were between 40 and 80 when I had that nitrite drop. Now they are back to 10 again...is that even possible? I have two theories-

1. I messed up the test..considering it is the one where you have to time shaking the bottle and shaking the tube. I count in my head usually..but sometimes use a timer.

2. Because I have added some water here and there...since I am losing some to evaporation...maybe that diluted the nitrates somehow?

I'm a little lost on that... :ssuprised:

[Bellie816]

It's been 12 hours with 0 ammonia... nitrites are still at .50.

Plan to test again in the morning... if nitrites still haven't dropped, will add a small amount of ammonia. :)

[Bellie816]

So this evening my ammonia was at 0 and nitrites between 0 and .25. It is *so* almost there! I was informed that I shouldn't be adding ammonia twice a day...which I did not know so I will start adding ammonia only in the morning.

So my new fish list is... 3 black mollies to start with...then a mystery snail and then possibly some ghost shrimp later on.

[Bellie816]

This morning my water is still reading-

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- Between 0 and .25

Added a small amount of ammonia.

[Bellie816]

My tank is finally cycled! It's been exactly 4 weeks since the beginning.
My readings this afternoon were:

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 10

I did a 25% water change (even though the nitrates weren't that high, I did it anyway...they are 5 out of the tap). I went to the store and looked around.. finally settled on 3 red platys (one male, two females) and a tiny snail. This was after many weeks of being undecided and flip flopping different combinations and ideas. Here are a few pics!

http://i47.tinypic.com/v79wk9.jpg
You can see two of them... the other one is hiding behind the plants

http://i46.tinypic.com/2rxvek2.jpg
And two of them again.. the other one is camera shy lol


So I'm very excited! I'm hoping to add a few more in a couple of weeks.. so wish me luck! :) :)

[rich311k]

Congrats! The tank looks great.

[bailey1993]

This journal is a great source of info, the questions are good and the people with knowledge are responding all along the way. I so wish I had seen this website before getting my first tank going!:fish:

[manciniat]

im really happy for you, great job.thumbs2:
and your tank is really cool!

[Bellie816]

This journal is a great source of info, the questions are good and the people with knowledge are responding all along the way. I so wish I had seen this website before getting my first tank going!:fish:

Thanks! I thought that my journal was pretty boring.. lol but I'm glad it helped someone else too! Unfortunately I had started my tank before coming on here... and lost some fish along the way... but was able to get going again and now my tank is perfect! Thanks to everyone who answered all of my questions and helped me out thumbs2:

[bailey1993]

I have not found it boring. I am starting the same size tank. You are getting input along the way which I find helpful. I started posting at this site with nothing but problems. Now I come here and search the forum for keywords for questions and concerns and it can take awhile. This journal has the information all in one place.

[Bellie816]

Well my tank has been going sort of okay... It was fully cycled on January 6th. The readings were 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrates. I did a 25% water change and stocked with 3 red platies and a pond snail.

Two days later, I tested my water. 0 ammonia, .50 nitrites, and 5-10 nitrates. I was a little confused because the nitrites were now registering and the tank was supposed to be fully cycled. Well I was informed that this can happen when adding fish, especially if too many are added or if you are over feeding. I'm pretty sure 3 fish and a snail aren't too many fish, so I thought maybe I am over feeding. I've made a conscious effort to feed much less.

Now this morning my readings were 0 ammonia, .50 nitrites, and 5-10 nitrates. I did a 25% water change, and tested a few hours later. Ammonia still 0, but nitrites now 1.0. I'm still confused! I know there can be a spike when fish are added, but it has been 5 days already and I thought that the biological filter would have adjusted by now. I'm thinking tomorrow morning I will test levels again and then do a 25% water change if needed to bring down the toxins.

My snail looks half dead now... he was very active, cruising along the glass the past 5 days, and also all over the gravel and artificial plants. He was even cleaning my thermometer (lol). Now today he is barely moving and looks like he is almost dead. I'm guessing the nitrite levels are affecting him.. but I already have done a water change and am feeding much less. I'm not sure what to do about that one.

I added some aquarium salt when I did my water change because my male platy has pop eye and clamped fins now. He is still active and eating, but I did that as a precaution hoping it would help reduce stress and promote healing. My other two platies are doing fine... they don't seem stressed and are also active and eating well.

I'm just getting a little discouraged because this whole water chemistry thing makes me want to poke my eyes out.. lol. I thought I had a handle on it considering I followed the fishless cycling methods on this forum exactly. Do you think that 3 fish and a snail were just too much to add at once?

I just want this aquarium to start being an enjoyable experience... it's pretty much been nothing but stress and worry so far and I've only actually had my fish for 5 days now. :scry: :scry:

Any words of wisdom or encouragement would be great! :help:

[Lab_Rat]

Maybe retest your tap water, make sure the water company hasn't screwed around with it. Also, what are you using for dechlor? Prime is great as it helps neutralize many nitrogenous compounds.

[Bellie816]

Maybe retest your tap water, make sure the water company hasn't screwed around with it. Also, what are you using for dechlor? Prime is great as it helps neutralize many nitrogenous compounds.

Well I live in the boonies and have well water so I don't think that it has changed.

As far as the conditioner/dechlorinator I'm using the Jungle brand StartRight complete conditioner and dechlorinator... I also am using my little free sample of Tetra AquaSafe conditioner that came with my aquarium set-up.

I just did another 25% water change a little while ago as my nitrites were still reading 1.0. I have not re-tested yet...will re-test in the morning.

Do you think something could have killed all of my bacteria or what? Although my ammonia readings have remained at zero so I'm not sure that is the case. When I do my water changes I make sure the water is 76 degrees which is what it is in the aquarium.

My snail still seems funny... he looks weak because his shell looks loose and he keeps falling off the side of the glass and laying on his back or his side for a while before getting up. He is moving now though... so hopefully that is a good thing.

On a better note my male platy looks like he is perking up some... his fins aren't as clamped but he still does have the bulging eye.

I guess I'm just a little lost still on why the nitrites have spiked so much. Maybe I just overfed in the first few days and my biological filter still has to catch up. :ssuprised:

Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!! :)

[Lab_Rat]

I would guess overfeeding and it overwhelmed the biofilter temporarily. It should be ok, just keep doing some water changes and keep an eye on things. I like Prime for dechlor as it also detoxifies.

[Bellie816]

I would guess overfeeding and it overwhelmed the biofilter temporarily. It should be ok, just keep doing some water changes and keep an eye on things. I like Prime for dechlor as it also detoxifies.

Would you recommend that I get Prime for my aquarium? Maybe that would help so that I don't poison my fish during this process.
Should I vacuum my gravel? Maybe I have too much food down there decomposing in the gravel...

This morning I tested and Nitrite was between 2 and 5 and Ammonia was still 0. I did a 25% water change, and nitrites are still between 1 and 2 now. I'm considering going to the store today and getting something to neutralize the nitrite... this is crazy! The water changes don't seem to be helping too much.... I've done 3 25% changes in less than 24 hours and since the first change the nitrites have gone up considerably.

Feeling like throwing in the towel here... :scry: :scry:

I guess on a positive note (I think) my fish are still active and swimming normally...not gasping for air or acting funny.... :sconfused:

[manciniat]

Feeling like throwing in the towel here... :scry: :scry:



try not to let it frustrate you so much. everything will work out. i dont know to much, but it sounds to me the nitrite bacteria needs to catch up. keep doing what your doing, testing the water and water changes when needed.

im sorry things arent perfect right now, but they will get there through your hard work.

[Bellie816]

Thanks! I guess it's easy to get frustrated (at least for me). You wait and wait for the tank to be cycled, then you can finally add fish and then something goes wrong and you wait more, lol.

The nitrite seems to be going down some... last night it was at 1.0 so I did a 25% water change. Have not checked it this morning, but will do later in the day. The fish are acting normally, however the snail died :scry: But hopefully things will get back to normal soon! :ssmile:

Thanks for the words of encouragement! :ssmile:

[Bellie816]

Update on the tank:

I added a male betta, Rambo, about 4 days ago. All went well... he has not ripped apart my platies or anything. I discovered today he has some cottony looking white growth on different areas of his body so now I am treating the tank with Jungle Fungus Clear. Other than that he is doing wonderful.

I tested the water today... ammonia is 0, nitrates were 40 and nitrites were still 1.0. I am going to ignore the nitrite number because I'm guessing it really doesn't matter. The tank has been cycled with fish in for 3 weeks now and the nitrite level has remained at 1.0 after adding the platies. So I did a 25% water change today, vacuumed the gravel with the suction hose, cut a slit into the filter pad and removed the carbon and medicated the water for the fungus.

My snail is also still alive so that's good. I stopped adding aquarium salt to the water changes and he seems to be doing much better.

So it seems that everything is going well. :hmm3grin2orange:

[Bellie816]

Well unfortunately Rambo, my betta, died. :( He died the same day I found the fungus on him even though I treated the tank immediately. That stuff spread fast!! Well I replaced him with 7 ghost shrimp. None of the other bettas at the store looked even remotely healthy so I skipped on them. Everyone is doing well now though.

Finally my biological filter has adjusted to my fish! Tested the water today and nitrites are 0 and so is ammonia. Nitrates were 30ish....but tomorrow is my scheduled weekly water change so that will take care of that. Woohoo!!

Now hopefully I can get this 55 gallon tank soon... it seems to be the beginning of an addiction... :hmm3grin2orange:

[Hawkshadow123]

So, what's your stocking now? Seems like you've been through a lot, lol.

[Bellie816]

So, what's your stocking now? Seems like you've been through a lot, lol.

LOL Yes... but it all worked out well. I ended up having two blue platies, two red platies, 1 mystery snail, and 8 ghost shrimp (but only 1 surviving now). I have moved my platies and my mystery snail to my 55 gallon now since it is cycled. I am keeping my ghost shrimp and 1 platy fry in my 10 gallon until the fry is big enough to move to the 55 gallon. Then I'm not sure if I will keep the 10 gallon up and running or not... I was thinking of making it a shrimp tank or a betta tank.