New Tank Troubles

[tommyjitsu]

I set up a 10 Gallon tank, let it sit for 24 hours, then added 1 Betta. With in 36 hours Betta was dead. I did de-chlorinate water. I have a 5 year old so had to tell him Betta was gone to fish doctor. I did some research and figured I do a fishless cycle. Added some Pure ammonia and "Cycle" product as Nitrifying Bacteria. Got high levels of ammonia and nitrite levels for couple weeks with little or no change. Did do some water changes thinking it may help but it didn't. Started to think new tank had inadequate filtration as it only had 2 sponges and carbon pouch inside internal filter. Also water seemed bit dirty and fed into filter not good quality. So I returned how tank set up and got a new/different tank with a bio-wheel (Marineland 10 gallon).
Since my 5 year old has been asking for weeks when his fish is coming home I decided to skip the fishless cycle and just try again. Rinsed everything with the exception of gravel, thinking maybe a little bit of beneficial bacteria may be in it. Added water conditioner and "Cycle" product again so I could add fish right away. This product was recommended if I wanted to add fish immediately as it contains beneficial bacteria. Tested water after couple of dayss before adding another Betta and lone behold it has low levels of ammonia and high Nitrite. After about a week, Ammonia is at zero and Nitrite is still high. I'm not sure where ammonia came from in first place unless it was in gravel or tap water and why nitrite level "stuck" on high. Should I do water changes, leave it longer...? Not sure what is happening at this point and what to do. Wife and son keep asking when the fish is coming back. Thanks for any suggestions or feedback

 

[tommyjitsu]

Just to add, I read another post stating that "Cycle" product was useless and the live bacteria would not survive in bottle unless refrigerated. Is it possible I'm adding dead bacteria and that is causing the high Nitrites?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You probably are halfway through the cycle - the bacteria that turn ammonia to nitrite are there working, but the ones that turn nitrite to nitrate haven't caught up. It doesn't hurt anything to change out some water, just make sure the newly added water has been dechlorinated and is about the same temp. If you change half the water it will drop the nitrite level in half. If the nitrite level is really high, it doesn't hurt to change even more than that as necessary.

The ammonia came from the fish (some could also be from decaying food if there was more put in than he ate).

 

[OrangeCones]

Can you test for nitrate too?

 

[tommyjitsu]

Just tested nitrate and looks like between 20 and 40ppm, closer to the 40. No ammonia and Nitrite still at or above 5ppm. Using API freshwater master kit. Does this mean the tank is in the middle of cycling? If so, would I be correct to assume it must have started from the unwashed gravel once I started over? Could it be from the Cycle product, if the bacteria in that were dead? If there is no ammonia will the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite die off before the cycle completes, if indeed it is cycling. Pretty sure I can't add another Betta until Nitrites come down. Sorry for all the questions but I can't figure out what is going on. Please advise. Thanks.

 

[exhumed07]

I'm a fish in cycle fan. I find it more reliable for myself. you can get some danios to help cycle the tank. they will produce ammonia to feed the bacteria and keep the cycle going to completion. then take the danios back and get a betta once the cycle is done. danios are hardy and tend to handle harsher conditions. just keep up with water changes and everything will work out.

 

[OrangeCones]

Does this mean the tank is in the middle of cycling? If so, would I be correct to assume it must have started from the unwashed gravel once I started over?

Yes and yes.

If there is no ammonia will the bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrite die off before the cycle completes, if indeed it is cycling.

Yes. The beneficial bacteria need a source of ammonia to start the conversion from ammonia to nitrite, then nitrite to nitrate.

If you do a large water change to get nitrites down to undetectable, you should be good to add the betta you want. Evidence of nitrates means that you have all three types of beneficial bacteria in your little ecosystem. Congrats!

If you want to wait on the fish, you definately need a source of ammonia added. A pinch of fish food works to decay and produce the ammonia, if you can't get pure ammonia to use.

 

[tommyjitsu]

Yes and yes.


If you do a large water change to get nitrites down to undetectable, you should be good to add the betta you want. /QUOTE]

How much water change do you you recommend? Can I add water conditioner after I add water to tank or should I always do it before I put water in tank?

 

[OrangeCones]

How much water depends on your nitrite reading. Doing a 50% water change will reduce the nitrite level by 50%.

As a best practice, you should condition the water before you add it to the tank. You risk damaging the beneficial bacteria as the chlorine added to water is meant to kill bacteria.

 

[FreshyFresh]

Tommy, do you have access to any established filtration? If you could grab a well-used sponge-bubbler filter or a filter cartridge from someone's healthy, established tank, and use it in your 10g, your little 10g will basically be instantly cycled.

I did a fishless cycle by adding household ammonia, using an API master test kit for two tanks. A 29 and a 10. I hope to never have to go that route again. LOL. A royal pain in the arse IMO.

Used filtration is your best bet, or a couple of zebra danios and LOTS of water changing. I've heard people say this is inhumane to fish, using them to cycle, but it's only inhumane if you don't monitor water params and do appropriate water changes.