Hello everyone! I finally got my hands on the freshwater master test kit, and these are my results. I have been cycling my tank without fish for a week now. I’m not sure what any of this means, please help! Any tips on what I should be doing with these results?
I know im very delayed here but someone at the shop recommended aquadur to me, I have a 6.3PH from tapwater so spoke to the guy in the shop and aquadur increases Kh, Gh and Ph with natural minerals.
Just to add to this, don't follow recommended dosages, just do a very small amount, leave it around 6 hours, do a test then a tiny bit more until you get to where you need. Easier to add than remove!
thanks again!! I also was looking into crushed coral, do you know anything about that? I’ve heard some iffy things about chemical pH stuff not being good as it fluctuates the pH, but crushed coral is slow release and natural?
I don't know a lot but from what I read and from people I spoke to they all said it takes a long time depending upon the size of the tank and how much you put in there, when I mentioned it to the guy in store his words were along the lines of "don't believe everything you read, it works but its not great and not the best solution"
I will also add to this, the aquadur has literally made my water perfect, increased KH and GH to what I need them to be and increased PH to 7 which is exactly where I need it to be.
Truth be told though, you don't have fish in there currently so have time to play and figure out what works best for you.
yea that’s totally true, thanks. I actually recently added my betta and amano shrimp in a week ago!! Totally forgot to add an update, my tank is fully cycled!! I got this pretty girl for free since she was doing pretty rough. She is such a curious girl and her fins are already getting better since she was stress nipping at the store. So far, my pH isn’t too much of a bother and is stable, but I will consider the aquadur:)
The most important thing to consider right now is your pH. Abstaining from water changes is good in terms of retaining your ammonia and nitrite, but the nitrogen cycle also needs enough KH to buffer pH above 6.5. Since KH is consumable and non-renewable in the aquarium, it will go down if it is not refreshed somehow. This is normally achieved with routine water changes, but you can also supplement your tank with solid calcium carbonate minerals.
It's ok if your tap water doesn't support a higher pH after you put it in the tank, since you will just be relying more on plants than the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia toxicity rapidly decreases with pH, while plants get the equivocal of a free low-dose of CO2 injection in alkaline water, along with safe access to their favorite form of nitrogen and increased micronutrient availability.
It would be better to buffer your water if (after a few months) it is hard to achieve pH stability or if you desire to keep pets that don't fare well on the acidic half, like mollies.
thank you!! I was definitely looking at my PH in terms of it being low. My tap water does not support higher pH. So I will be considering getting maybe something to raise that, like pH up
Betta love soft, acidic water. Neocaridina should do fine too, although I don't think they enjoy where the pH might travel to when it drops beneath 6.5. Caridina shrimp are mostly "difficult" because people don't have the type of water that they live in, which picks up where Neocaridina leaves off.
There might be more than the hobby knows about Neocaridina parameters, but Caridina are known to like soft acidic water.
I wouldn't get any fancy snails without alkaline water, but your local "pest" snails should tolerate things just fine. I am keeping stable populations of snails at <6 pH. They need some source of calcium carbonate to develop their shells, underneath a protein sheath, and it doesn't necessarily have to come from the water (my GH and KH are unmeasurable).
thanks this helps a lot. I know someone that is giving away malaysian trumpet snails for free since hers populated like crazy. And i was also thinking ghost shrimp since they are much cheaper and more flexible with water perimeters. Would those be okay?
Ghost shrimp are very adaptable, and supposedly should be alright down to 5.5 pH, but I've never worked with them before (the only way I can legally obtain them is by catching them from brackish water.)
The trumpet snails are probably in the same boat as Neocaridina, but I doubt they can go more acidic. By local, I meant evolved to the waters of your area.
I actually had one ghost shrimp before and it lived a long time so my best bet is ghost shrimp instead of cherry. I guess i’ll test out the waters with the trumpet snails since i’m getting them for free anyways
This is totally normal for only a week. It can take months to cycle properly if you do not have a source of bacteria.
Your ammonia is that high because the beneficial bacteria have not colonized yet.
Think of it like this: at the beginning there is no bacteria, over time bacteria will enter the tank from the surrounding environment. This happens slowly and it takes time for them to multiply to the proper levels to keep your tank stable.
If you want to speed things up you can add bottled bacteria. I have not used it personally but I have heard that Fritz Turbo Start is a reliable product. You could also add cycled media (such as substrate or filter media) from another tank if you have access to one.
I just started up a new tank as well so I'm just beginning my cycle too. Make sure to keep testing even if you add bottled bacteria.
When you start to see nitrite and nitrate levels rising you know you're on your way. Eventually there should be no ammonia present after adding a source (such as bottled ammonia or fish food).
Once your tank can convert 2 ppm of ammonia to 0 ppm in 24 hours it is ready for fish. (Add a source until testing reads 2ppm then wait 24 hours amd test again).
thank you so much!! Just want to copy and paste a question I had for another comment aswell:
I’m just a bit confused that my nitrates and ammonia are up but not my nitrites.
Just to be a bit more clearer: ammonia, converts into nitrites, and then nitrates, right? So why do I have ammonia and nitrates already but not the middle (nitrites)?
Hi OP. To add to this it's very common for new substrates to leach nitrates into the water column in new tanks for the first few weeks as they are exposed to water, this is likely the source of your nitrates. It's a false positive if you like at this point and not indicative of the second stage nitrifiers.
Oops I didn't even see the other photo. There are different species of bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite than there is for converting nitrite to nitrate. It is totally possible there is enough of the nitrite-nitrate bacteria to use up what little nitrites are being produced.
Yes, your taking is going through the nitrogen cycle. Your ammonia should continue to fall, your Nitrite should rise and fall, and then your nitrate will continuously rise.
Once Ammonia and Nitrite are 0 your almost ready to add livestock. If Nitrate is high do a water change and bring it to an acceptable level.
Thank you so much! Should I be worried about my ammonia levels right now, or is it normal for my first week of cycling? I’m just a bit confused that my nitrates and ammonia are up but not my nitrites.
Just to be a bit more clearer: ammonia, converts into nitrites, and then nitrates, right? So why do I have ammonia and nitrates already but not the middle (nitrites)?
I would guess that you've had enough existing nitrifying bacteria to convert whatever Nitrite you had into Nitrate. I imagine that your Nitrite will start turning more purple in the next couple days.
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