# Should I be worried, or is this normal?



## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

So, as some of you who were very very helpful might remember, I am cycling my tank before putting a new fish in. 

I have a 5gal Fluval Chi and I will be putting a single male betta in it. I have a heater set at 78. Sand on the bottom. 2 plants and a bunch of plant bulbs that seem to be going nowhere.

I started the cycle on 10 Feb and I'm using the food and ammonia method.

Beginning reading was 
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: .25 ppm	
Nitrate: 5ppm

I kept the Ammonia up to 4ppm until 18 Feb when my test was:
Ammonia:	0ppm
Nitrite: 5ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm

From then I've been keeping it at 2ppm and every morning, it's back to 0ppm. So that's good, right? And the Nitrate went up like it was supposed to, so I think that's good.

On 24 Feb, I think I had an incorrect test--maybe I dropped a little too much test fluid into the Nitrate tube:
Ammonia:	0ppm
Nitrite 3ppm
Nitrate: 80ppm

But since, the Nitrate has returned to the 5ppm constant and I think the Nitrites are around 3---the water doesn't look quite dark enough for the 5ppm reading, but not pale enough for 2ppm, so I've been guesstimating that it's at 3ppm

Anyway, every day I add ammonia and food, get it back to 22pm ammonia, and it just doesn't seem like the Nitrates are rising yet. Am I just rushing things? Does it all seem normal to you?

Sorry if these are all dumb questions. I've learned a lot in the past month from you all, but this is my first cycle ever, so all the reading in the world isn't quite enough to maintain confidence


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Right ok. Getting a massive rise in nitrate is normal. It means that your nitrite bacteria are growing and breaking down the nitrites. A drop in nitrates could be because the plants are using it, but a massive drop (which I had when doing mine) coupled with the nitrite reading seemingly going nowhere indicates perhaps your nitrite bacteria are stalling. 

Thankfully you dropped your ammonia down to 2ppm daily, which is being cleared in 24 hours - so the ammonia bacteria are doing their job. The nitrite levels may rise again though if the nitrite bacteria have stalled. 

Give it a few more days, and if you notice your nitrates falling or staying low, and your nitrites either rising or not budging, then I suggest a single 50% water change to kick start things again. 

The water change will also refresh the oxygen and other mineral levels in the tank, which the bacteria also need to grow. If you have an air pump I highly recommend running that, or if your filter has a venturi valve then ensure that is open. The bacteria needed for the cycle are aerobic bacteria, which means they require oxygen (like we do) to survive and grow and break down nutrients.

Hope that helps.


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

That helps a lot. Thanks!!! 

I'll test on Monday morning and do a big water change then.


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

Quick update: Woohoo! This morning's reading! 
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 80ppm

Added a little ammonia and I guess I'll wait and see what it looks like in the morning! I just might get a fish in the foreseeable future!!!!!!!!!


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

You want to be getting double zeros at least 3/4 days in a row before even thinking about the fish.

After those 3/4 days, perform a substantial water change (about 70%), add the 2ppm ammonia and leave for 24 hours, then test the water. This is just a quick check to make sure the bacteria are ok after such a big water change.

Then adjust your heater to the desired temperature for keeping fish, and allow the water to adjust itself gradually. Around 24C is the average temp for tropicals, something like 27/28C+ for a discus type community, 21-23C for a sub-tropical/temperate set up, and room temperature or lower for a temperate/cool/coldwater set up. Obviously only you know what fish you will get in the end, so i'd advise around 23/24C for now which will accommodate most species, with minor adjustments to be made whilst acclimatising the fish.

Leave for another 3 days, adding 2ppm ammonia each day and performing checks as you have been. This is to ensure that the bacteria are still functioning after the temperature change.

The day before you intend on getting the fish perform a partial water change (20%), add 2ppm ammonia. 

The morning you intend on getting the fish, perform all the water chemistry checks, including pH and nitrate. This will give you the best knowledge of the state of your tank before you go and choose fish - some species of fish are sensitive to high nitrate levels, and pH is a major factor when selecting some fish species. 

Then go to the store and select the healthiest, most interesting fish you can! Ask the store person about the final size of the species, the temperament of the fish, whether or not they prefer to be kept in shoals, if there are any behavioural things you might need to know. Obviously if you have already done some research and have an idea what fish community you are after, you need only know if the fish are healthy and how much they cost.

You can pretty much fully stock your tank straight away, but i'd advise against this purely because if you over-do it you might knock your bacteria into a mini-cycle. Equally, do not under-stock your tank after a fishless cycle or you will end up with bacterial die-back from the lack of ammonia for them to grow on.

If you were intending on something like 2 shoals of smallish fish and one centrepiece fish, i'd get the most peaceful, hardiest and largest fish group in there first and give them a week before adding the rest. But at the end of the day its up to you, and what fish species you are after.

Good luck!

ps if you intend on heavily stocking your tank from day one, you can grow a super colony of bacteria by using 3ppm of ammonia in the run up to adding the fish. But i'd only do this if your filtration capacity is rated much higher than the tank volume!


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

Oh, it's a small tank (Fluval Chi 5gal), so only one fish going in--a male betta. And I know to wait for the readings to stay 0 for a few days, but I was hoping maybe next week I can go pick up a nice healthy looking fishie. I think I originally bought the tank in November, so it would be nice to finally see something healthy living in it!

In other news, I bought a filter and an airstone I can't really use for it, and I've learned so much that I have intrigued OH and he is game for setting up a bigger tank at home  I think it might come to be known as Cat TV.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Well if its only a small tank with one fish (sorry I get confused by so many posts with new set ups!) then you can probably shorten the whole run up - do the 70% water change, set the temp to the best temps for a betta (24C? Just a guess, have never kept them myself), and give it 3 days of adding ammonia and checking to see the bacteria are clearing it. Do the 20% change the night before and add the ammonia, and check again in the morning. Then go get that fishy!!! 

By the way, I was reading an article on suitable tank mates for bettas - have you considered getting a few shrimp to go in as well? I have heard they are really interesting in a small aquarium.


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

I haven't thought about shrimp, but it would be nice to have a little more movement in the tank and if they won't upset the balance, then I'm game. I know absolutely nothing about keeping shrimp, so this will be a new learning curve. All I've ever had are Sea Monkeys and I don't think they count . 

3rd day with 0 readings for ammonia and nitrite, and 80 for nitrate, so I'm going to do the big water change at lunch time and test tomorrow and fingers crossed it will still be good!!!!!! I'm getting really really excited now


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

I don't know much about shrimp either, but they are suitable tank mates for a betta and have a low burden on the nitrogen cycle in the tank.

Betta Care 101 - Tankmates

This seemed a good article on betta tank mates.


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks for that link. There's lots of good info on there actually.

Okay, hopefully one last question....

Yesterday in the morning I did a test: 0ppm for both ammonia and nitrite and 80ppm for nitrate. At lunch I changed the water--probably somewhere between 60 and 70% changed out. Added about half the ammonia I'd been adding to get it to 1ppm like you suggested.

This morning I came in and tested. 0ppm for ammonia and nitrites and 40ppm for nitrate. I had hoped to go get a fish today. But are the nitrates too high?

Can I remedy just by changing the water again? (I've got 2 live plants in there--would it be smart to get a third?)


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