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I recently bought a 10g aquarium 2-3 weeks ago and about a week and half ago, I purchased 3 tetra fish.. I had everything set up and its all fine as far as thats concerned..
I have a filter, air pump, heater, and lamp.
My fish have all behaved fine and I only feed them once a day because I've been reading that I need to cycle the new aquarium.. I change 15-25% 2-3 times a week. However, I have noticed a bad smell that usually clears when I change the water.
Do you think my fish will survive the cycle? I sure hope so.. I have been doing everything right so far!

Well I'm gessing you don't have test kits and so you can´t monitorize the amonia and nitrite Peak

If i Were you I would buy a aditive that have beneficial bacteria like Sera's NITRIVEC or something like it.

By Now the Amonia (more Nocive) Peack should already be passed and Nitrites should be on the rising. I gess you'll be fine but if you don't want to take any chances go to a lfs and ask them for some aditive that have beneficial bacteria.

Last Christmas I bought a 80G Tank and I changed the fish from my 20G to the 80G in order to give the 20G to my grandfather. because I really get upset when a fish dies on me I bought NITRIVEC in order to Cicle the tank but minimizing the peacks coz the NITRIVEC has beneficial bacteria that helps you get trought the cycle.

Miguel

Face up make your stand and realize your living in the golden Years

Another option is Bio-Spira...if you can find it. It contains active bacteria and will cycle your tank faster.

What type of tetras do you have? Some tetras are not hardy and may not survive.

I think you should get a test kit. Look for a liquid test kit that has nitrAte, nitrIte, ammonia, and pH tests. One good brand is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. If you can't find it in a LFS, Big Al's has it...and its only like $15.

During cycling I don't think you are supposed to do alot of water changes. You should only do them once a week, unless the ammonia or nitrite is getting too high (which you need a test kit to check).

Do you have any other fish tanks?

*Kristin*

I don't have any other fish tanks no.. I bought a ph and ammonia tester and my ph was fine.. It was right in between what it needed to be for a healthy aquarium.. my tank stays at around 76 degrees as well.. the only problem was the ammonia readings..
It was like 1.5-3 which is bad for the ammonia readings.. as soon as I saw that, I did another water change (25 percent) and I also bought the live bacteria which they said to put in once a week. I am monitoring the fish and have only fed them little twice a day..
Will the ammonia levels go down eventually if I keep on doing water changes and putting in the live bacteria once a week? Just wondering how long of the water changes and the live bacteria I will have to do it for to start seeing improvements? I've only had fish in my tank for a week now..all fish are still looking healthy, so.. do you all think its okay?

What you're seeing is the effects of the cycling process. Read all about it here, it's completly natural and many fish survive it but it is a stressful process. The bacteria your adding will help the process, but you'll need stop with the water changes in order for the ammonia to build up high enough to get the nitrIte to a high enough level to consume the ammonia.
Of course you can see the problem with this is that, ammonia builds up and hurts the fish. Try increasing the surface agitation with an airstone or bubble wand, and lowering the temperature a few degrees (slowly).
Do water changes only as needed.

^_^

Hi there,
I actually had to reduce the level of ammonia in the tank using amquel because it was reading at 3 and one of my fish died However, ever since I put the treatment into the tank, the fish seem to be swimming around and becoming a lot more active.
My question is, I should only do water changes 1-2 times a week? And then, what is the "normal" readings during the cycling process? Like now that my ammonia reading is down, will it go up again? And then will the nitrate level go up normally and then go all back down?

your doing well my only suggestion is to limit feeding to every second day and very small quantitys, fish can go ages without food and you will find it wil reduce pressure with this regime, i suggest you get a master test kit, if you only have one tank it will last ages, its a worth while investment, it will also give you an indication of when you cycle is over.

simplified cycle process

ammonia builds up, bacteria build up which convet the ammonia to nitrite, nitrite builds up as amonia falls to zero, bacteria which convert the nitrite to nitrate build up nitrite falls to zero, from here the only thing that happens is nitrate builds up where ammonia and nitrite are zero. the only way to remove the mostly harmless (in low concentrations) nitrate is to do water changes or have a ridiciliously heavily planted tank.

What type of tetras do you have? Some are hardier than others so they may be able to withstand the higher ammonia.

I would cut down on water changes and only do them if the ammonia gets as high as 3-4ppm. You want the ammonia to rise, that means the tank is cycling.

I am not sure if Amquel affects test results or not. I hope it doesn't because that could affect the cycle.

I think that the ammonia is ok to stay around 3ppm...as long as it isn't affecting your fish too much (gasping at the surface, red gills). Like Babel suggested, add an airstone. That seems to help the ammonia's affect on the fish.

*Kristin*

Yeah, I have added an air filter on it.. it produces lots of air bubbles that go to the surface which I think will help out the air filtration system.. I bought a nitrite kit as well and now my readings as of last reading are:
Ph now at like 8.5
Ammonia is now down to like .5(thanks to amquel)
Nitrite was low (0 to .5)
Does this say anything as far as where I'm at in the cycling process?
I have 3 cardinal tetras now, lemon tetra, and a swordtail tetra I think it is.. hes the one thats the most active, but after the lowering of the ammonia they are more active.

So the ammonia is meant to get up to like 3? should I keep it that way or use amquel to bring it down to like .5 during the whole cycling process? I mean, will it still create nitrite and then nitrate keeping the ammonia at .5? I just don't want to sacrifice my fishies.. I already love them a lot!

Cardinal tetras are a little sensitive. The lemon should be fine though, it is one of the more hardy tetras. I have never heard of a swordtail tetra, so I am not sure how hardy it is.

Since you are showing nitrites, you are about in the middle of the cycle. You will see the nitrites go up and fall, and then you should start registering nitrate. Your ammonia should also be close to 0 (without Amquel).

I understand that you love your fish, but during cycling, its best to choose hardy fish, that will make it through without the use of chemicals.
Using the Amquel has tweaked your ammonia reading. It should start going towards 0, but since you lowered it, its already near 0. Its hard to tell if the cycle is going right, since the ammonia reading isn't high.
Nitrite and Nitrate should still be created with the Amquel, it just messes up the tracking of how the cycle is going.

Try to limit the use of more Amquel, unless your reading gets around 3ppm again. Anything under that should be fine. The aeration will help the fish.

*Kristin*

So basically, I shouldn't use amquel unless it goes 3 and higher, and to watch the nitrites level gradually increase along with ammonia and then they decrease to 0.. and produce nitrates. And then also, keep the temperature to around 78 degrees, and only feed them once a day until the cyclings over? And then once the cycling is over, I can gradually add like 1-2 fish per week or how does that work once the cycling is over?

You got it .
The amquel is likely to give false readings so dont rely solely on the test results, keep an eye on how the fish are acting to determine if you should add more.

Lowering the temperature a little will allow for more oxygen into the water. Increasing surface agitation with air or increased turbulance from a filter will also help increase the oxygen levels in the water making it easier on the fish.

Once ammonia has risen and fallen, and nitrIte has risen and fallen and NitrAtes are present you can slowly start adding a few more fish at a time. The reason you only do a few is that it allows time for the whole process of ammonia to nitrIte to nitrAte to happen again. This time though it's not likely that you'll see it but the bacteria that do the filtering need time to extablish themselves. Generally give it 3-4 weeks.

^_^

Hi Renee-

Just wondering how things are going with your aquarium. Hope it's looking better.
I also wanted to apologize, since my posts in your other topic unintentionally came across as bossy. I am in the middle of my own aquarium problems lately, and think I was being a little grumpy!

I know that it's hard to see things happening in your aquarium that you don't like, and the possibility of losing more fish is hard to think about, but it is important for your aquarium to cycle. Just try to keep from disturbing the cycle as much as possible, and hang in there!

Before I discovered FP, I started up a new aquarium with some Columbian Tetras from another tank I had that was becoming crowded. They made it through the cycle, but have been in less-than-ideal health since. Most of us learned how to do things correctly because we made mistakes; we've all been there!

What type of test kits do you have? I apologize if it's somewhere in this topic, and I've missed it. Are they liquid, or strips?

Kari

Hi there..
I have a nitrite, nitrate, ph, and total ammonia test kits..they are all liquid readings and you put them up to a color coding..I tested them all last night and the results I got were
Nitrite 0-0.25
Ammonia 1.5-3 already! After adding amquel a few days ago..
Nitrate 0
Ph 7-7.5.

I'm just getting frustrated with this ammonia..I guess I'm just worried that it may affect my fishies even though I know that its meant to get up to 3 for the cycling process to be normal..
Just wondering how high the ammonia should be allowed to be at before I add amquel? Because I know I can't disrupt the cycle if any at all possible..I've been told 3 so if it gets up past there, I'm going to add amquel and hope it don't disrupt my cycle..
2 of the neon tetras passed away, but the woman at the local store gave them to me for free anyway because she was chasing them around for awhile and she said that she was worried they wouldn't survive long anyways..the other 2 cardinals I have are kinda slow, but they move when they are fed, so I don't know if thats the nature of them sort of tetras..well other than that, I'm just hanging in there with the cycling process! Only 3 weeks to go? /:'

I haven't ever used chemicals to adjust my water chemistry, so I don't know anything about them. It might be a better idea not to use Amquel based upon your test results, but by how your fish are looking. Although, I would suggest that you not use any chemicals to adjust the chemistry of the water. Regular water changes and maintenance should take care of most issues. With aquariums, it's best to keep things as natural as possible.

I've never owned any of the types of fish you have/had. I don't know how different my Tetras are from yours, as far as what they can withstand. Worst case scenario is that you lose your remaining fish. If this does happen, don't beat yourself up about it. Like I said before, this has happened to most of us as well. As you continue in this hobby, I guarantee that you'll make more mistakes, and you'll learn from them, making you better at it in the future.

My opinion is to let the cycle finish. You may lose your remaining fish, but you will have a fully cycled aquarium that will be a good home for other fish (when it's ready). Otherwise, you could end up dragging this out, experiencing a weak cycle, and having two fish who are permanently in poor health. If you need to lower ammonia, I think you should try a small water change (10%), and not Amquel.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Kari

Okay..
So after the cycle process finishes, then I can add like 1-3 fish at a time like once a week or so? I am so anxious for the cycling process to be over with.. I really never thought about it when I was purchasing the aquarium but I am enjoying having it in my room now thats for sure. I will keep you all posted!

I think that sounds fine. About stocking your aquarium: I have a ten gallon myself, and have found that the tank looks much nicer if the bulk of your fish is a school of one type. Ask for advice on that when you're ready for fish.

Okay thanks a lot for all the help everyone!
I'll be back in a few days to update the condition of my tank readings and my fish!

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to update everyone with my readings..
I gave my tank a few days rest without checking too much, just monitoring the fish..all the readings were okay, except for the ammonia again..it was topping over 3 again, so I added some amquel as it was going well over 3 which isn't good.. my nitrite levels were around .25 and the ph was 7.0-7.5 so its just the high ammonia levels..now if I add the amquel, it won't mess with the nitrite and nitrate formations will it? Just wondering..plus I think in the next 2 days or so I need to do a 15-20% percent water change and add the live bacteria?
Thanks!