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Good evening,

My new aquarium has reached the end of it's first full week. I just ran my first set of test on the water in my new aquarium. I would like to share the results for review to see whether or not they are way out of the norm or in line for these circumstances.

Day 1: 10 gallon glass aquarium set up using local tap water. Added recommended amount of Tetra Aqua Safe Conditioner & Chlorine/Chloramine Neutralizer (5ml to 10 gallons). Allowed filter and heater to run.

Day 2: Allowed water to set and filter and heater to run.

Day 3: Added aerator pump and medium sized air stone. Added recommended amount of Tetra Easy Balance with Nitraban (10ml to 10 gallons). Added 1 male Betta from his old 1 gallon tank. Betta behaves normally.

Day 4: Allowed aquarium to run with Betta. No changes made. Betta behaves normally.

Day 5: Purchase 3 mollies and have water tested at local Petsmart. Employee informs me that my ammonia is "high" (although no actual measurement is shared) and gives me Aquarium Pharmaceutical's Ammo Lock to bring it down. Added recommended 5ml/10 gallons dose of Ammo Lock. Added 3 medium sized mollies (1 black, 1 silver, 1 black & white). Silver molly appears to go into shock almost immediately and settles into a hiding spot in the rear of the tank. Betta peacefully socializes with the black molly and dalmation molly for approximately 5 minutes and then suddenly attacks the smaller black molly. Betta is returned to his old tank. Later this evening the dalmation molly starts acting sluggish and floating vertically near the surface. The black molly acts normally despite being attacked by the Betta.

Day 6: Purchase 2 female Marigold Swordtails and add to tank. Swordtails seem active and normal. Silver molly dies and is removed. The black molly starts getting sluggish.

Day 7: Swordtails still seem active and normal. They are fed for the first time and have a good appetite. None of the remaining mollies have taken any food up to this point. Dalmation and black mollies die and are removed.

Day 8: Swordtails still appear to be in good health. Good activity and appetite. First water test using newly purchsed Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test kit. Test results are as follows:

Chemical test:
ph: 8.0
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0.0. ppm
Nitrate: 0.0 ppm

Other Factors:
Temperature: 78* F

Do these results seem normal? Are they what one would expect after 8 days? Any input is greatly appeciated!

Thanks,
Bryan in Mississippi

It is about what I would expect as the "cycle" takes several weeks to develop and stabilize. Initially, you will have ammonia then nitrites will rise and ammonia levels will fall then you will have nitrates and nitrite levels will fall. A seasoned aquarium will have nitrates but no ammonia or nitrites. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria colonize your tank during the cycle to feed on the ammonia nad nitrites.

You have a fairly small tank and you have added fish fairly fast for that size tank. I would hold off on adding new fish, use a daily dose of AmmoLock to minimize the toxicity of ammonia and nitrites. Note that the AmmoLock will give you an abnormally high reading of ammonia on water tests.

The key to knowing if your tank has cycled will be the presence of nitrates.

Last edited by Bob Wesolowski at 03-Jan-2006 19:12

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

*Puts on her "I'm with Bob" shirt*.

Welcome to the site bryan hope you stick around. You're doing just fine so far for a cycling tank with the exception that as Bob mentioned you added too many fish too fast. Luckily the fish you've selected are somewhat hardy. This isnt to say they'll survive the cycling process without damage but hopefully it'll be minimal.

What ammolock will do is neutralize the ammonia, meaning you'll still get readings but it wont be as harmful to the fish. I'm not sure exactly what the easy balance is supposed to do From the name "nitraban" it sounds like it's supposed to do something like eleminate nitrAtes...which is not what chemicals are for. That's what water changes are for.

The product you should look for at this point are [link=cycle]http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=27855;category_id=2767" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link] or marinelands biospira. These both contain the bacteria that the cycle establishes it just helps your tank get a jump start.

Glad you've purchased your own test kit, tons more helpful than using the stores .

Keep an eye on the tank, increase surface agitation for now by adding an airstone or lowering the water level a small ammount....keep us posted.

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I started a thread in water quality about Easy-Balance to see if anyone has used it and what they thought of it. Personally I'm more inclined to avoid it. It says in the product info that you put it in the tank and then leave the tank alone for 6 months except for top-ups. Yikes! That goes against everything I have learned about fishkeeping here and elsewhere. It seems to be an easy out but there have got to be drawbacks somewhere. There is no product that allows you to not have to do water changes, and the poor fish living with whatever chemicals it uses?! Thank-you but I'll stick to regular water changes etc.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

I'm not on the "Easy Balance" band wagon by any means but since my starter kit was from Tetra, this was the first source of information I had to draw from (Note: I wish I had found this site first!). As a result, I followed their recomendations and tried the Easy Balance. Since it's already in the tank, I'll probably stick with it a month or so and see how it goes. Just to clarify their claims, to follow is verbatim from the back of the bottle:

**********************************************************

Regular use of Easy Balance REDUCES (not completely eliminates, my note) frequent water changes by keeping aquarium water biologically and chemically balanced for up to 6 months.

How does Easy Balance Work?

-Reduces phosphate levels for improved water quality.
-Alkalinity (KH) and pH stabilizers prevent sudden, dramatic swings in pH that can be harmful to fish.
-Adds the vitamins, trace elements and minerals essential for a healthy aquarium.
-The regular addition of Nitraban (which Easy Balance contains, my note) nitrate reducing granules to the aquarium keeps the nitrate levels low.

Directions for Use:

Easy Balance should not be used in aquariums with low oxygen conditions; proper aeration using an airstone is highly recommended.

-Shake well before using.
-Add 1 teaspoon (5ml) of Easy Balance for every 5 gallons (approximately 19 liters) of aquarium water. Repeat dosage weekly.
-Change 50-75% of your aquariums's water AT LEAST (not ONLY every six months, my note) once every 6 months, provided Easy Balance has been added as recommended and the aquarium is otherwise properly maintained. (It then goes on to describe what a "properly maintained" aquarium should be made up of and advocates frequent water testing.)

***********************************************************

As I said, I'm not advocating the use of this product, only providng as much information as I have on it. I'll try to provide updates as to my experiences with it over the next few weeks or months.

BPS in MS, USA

Please keep us posted on this as I know my brother is interested in using it. He also wants a python to get rid of his buckets during water changes. I hope he waits though so that we know more how it works. His tank is in dire need of some plants and proper fish stocking!

Thank you for pointing out that it reduces rather than elimnates the need for frequent water changes. The info I read was all about no water changes for 6 months.



"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Help your brother buy the Python! It is the greatest tool for fish geeks since the bucket... Ask the people at your LFS to show you how it works.

Note: It is a dangerous tool. I walked away while I was filling a 30 gallon tank with a Python. I ended up putting an hour of water into the tank, losing the discus fry, replacing the newly finished drywall and carpeting in the basement below my office and replacing drywall, flooring and carpet in my office.

If you use one - DO NOT STEP AWAY FROM THE PYTHON!

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Since your tank is new, it will take a while for the good bacteria to build up and do their work.
One thing you can do if you have another tank is put some of your old filter media into your new filter or even take some gravel from the old tank and put it in the new tank.
Takes a while for a new tank to settle.

P.S For the python thing, if you add water straight from your tap into your tank through a hose, what about chlorine?
I have a 4ft and i change 10% water weekly, it's like a mini nightmare because I use buckets. lol

I do 50% water changes twice a week. Prime is dosed at the recommended amount as I begin to re-fill the aquarium. Works like a champ!

(Fair dinkum...

Last edited by Bob Wesolowski at 12-Jan-2006 13:38

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

I gave my brother a gift certificate for Christmas to go towards new fish and esp plants. It wasn't meant for a python although he may just put it towards a python. He wants the python/easy balance because his daughters like to play with the buckets when he does water changes on his 55g. Luckily my sons know better and I only have one bucket each for my tanks!
I will remember, do not turn your back on the python! It does make me nervous as my 25g tank is in the living room and the kitchen is across the house, unless I could trust my boys I'd have to leave it to turn it off or have it overflow as well.
I think I'll stick with the buckets.

So how's the aquarium doing lately? Any new tests to share with us?

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus