Here is more information about water parameters. Definitely worth a look if you are trying to learn all you can about the subject! What exactly is the nitrogen cycle? ua-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/v-deo.html What is Water Hardness? ua-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/v-deo.html How Does pH Impact Fish Health? ua-cam.com/video/d9N-JliqsJg/v-deo.html How to Lower Nitrites (This stuff is dangerous too) ua-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/v-deo.html How to Lower Nitrates: ua-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/v-deo.html What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ua-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/v-deo.html
we were told go ahead add fish after adding bacteria starter to a new 3.5gal Betta tank. was given conflicting info on water changes. I got ammonia spike. betta fish has suffered and is no longer able to make sticky bubble nests. moping around. I sought advice and bought API Master test kit and found ammonia was 8.0ppm or higher. (7.5 pH, 0ppm for nitrites and nitrates ). per advice, I did 75% change and got 4.0 ppm! so I followed it immediately with 25% change as directed by test-kit booklet and got 1.0 ppm. I was leary of doing daily changes because of repeated temp drops. I have seen some chemical products to mitigate ammonia but fish experts seem adverse to using (I don't know if it is dangerous to fish? or damage fish that has ammonia burns? or just impairing the natural nitrogen cycle from completing ? ) I'm also worried about whether my fish can survive another spike (ammonia or nitrite since I hear that I must go back to square one ! ) WHAT TO DO?
New.I just started last Sunday. . I ran filter from Sunday to Wednesday and threw in 4 tetras and 1 cory.water was tested with no issues but all fish died next day.. I now realize I should of just added 2 .thanks to u and other UA-cam vids,i am understanding alot about beneficial bacteria and slowly add fish
1) Vacuum the gravel, 2) change half the water using a chlorine remover, 3) add a Poly Filter pad (Poly Bio Marine) to the power filter or merely hang it in a water circulating area of the tank.
@@tiffanygrewal7179 it polishes the water i.e., filters fine particles of waste etc. When you see what it filters (mine is even beyond what my intake prefilter catches), you will be surprised. Another trick is to use zeolite rocks which can be bought for cheap and can be recharged. A jug of Marineland zeolite goes for like $3.
@@Luceium01 if you add the corre t amount for your tank to a mesh filter bag then chexk the parameters it works very well in my experience. There's a UA-cam video on how to recharge it via salt water
Great tip. The best advice I was ever given is, "patience". Let your cycle not only start but let your tank season for several weeks after the cycle has been established.
I put 7 dish in my tank a week aftr set up all are fine for weeks but i added 2 angel fish a week late and they died the next day but all my other fiah are still ive
@@jonathanbiller2029 Rule of thumb is no more than 2-4 fish to be added at a time. This goes for cycled tanks. My guess is that you added too many fish initially. New tank setups should get a maximum of 1-2 fish initially within a 2-3 day period These should be mid to upper water fish only. Avoid bottom feeders and algae eaters until sufficient biofilm develops. Add algae eaters *last* of all. And keep test kits, bacteria (Startup, Stability, other products can be bought commercially) readily on hand. Test for ammonia, nitrites daily until fully cycled. Should you experience NH4, NO2- spike, add bacterial product to filter liberally. Retest, retreat next day as needed.
I only have three tanks. 29 gal, 20 gal, 10 gal. My 10 gallon is my nursery tank or Isolation tank. Yesterday, when I did a water change I grabbed an empty milk bottle, instead of a water bottle. I put a small amount of milk in my 20 gallon tank, before I realized I had the wrong bottle. I had to move approximately 15 inches of fish into my 10 gallon tank. I cleaned my 20 gallon. Are use 5 gals from my isolation tank. I also washed the gravel. I reset up my tank, and I put immediately my fish back in. That evening I fed my fish. This morning, my tank is cloudy. After watching your video I checked for food. I have an excess amount of food floating around. This is the problem. I am undergoing chemo therapy, and my brain is not functioning fully. I appreciate your video. I also had a new rock formation that I built. I took it out because I believe I may have used rocks that are not compatible. I will be testing later today. From my experience, that I remember, sometimes there’s more than one causes for a problem. I have used for cloudy tank bottled spring water, for a 20% water change. I remember I used to boil water 50 years ago. I took filter from my 29 gallon and the filter from my 10 gallon and put it in my sick tank. I cannot use salt with my fish. I also have an under gravel filter with three power heads. Under gravel filter is more for the plants. Thank you for your video.
I hope it all works out! Sometimes adding new water will result in some cloudiness that will go away after a day or two. I hope your treatments go well too. You are in my prayers.
you don't need to be much of a scientist. you just need to know how to read the test kit charts. and after you get the cycle complete it's just a matter of monitoring it.
what's interesting about this is at our pet store, they have a tank of over 200 small gold fish, nothing else in the tank, no gravel, nothing. One would think that the ammonia levels in that tank would kill the fish in a week. I read that it's one gold fish per 20 gallons. so there has to be some sort of leeway between these figures.
Also, when you do a water change...clean your plants. Even if you have plecos, sometimes that's not enough. And vacuum the gravel/sand as the poop and uneaten food will seep into the substrate causing ammonia build-up.
I wish i knew about this channel before i started keeping fish -ammonia is plaguing me atm, and i didnt know about biomedia till yesterday actually - i thought my information was good considering the vendor i went to... subbed
I know i am commenting on a year old post, but i am brand new to all of this. Having lost a betta last year that was given to me as a gift, and yestserday a year old mystery snail, i really need to learn much more. My tank is just 5 gallons, i test strip it and do water changes and unfortunately adding too much cuttle bone and not knowing to remove it...added a sulphur smell and this made things even worse. So i will now try only ONE tiny nerite snail...nothing more...some aquatic plants, he has rocks/hiding spaces already and he'll have lots and lots of attention. I wanted 2 but realize one nerite per 5 G is best. I am really enjoying all of your videos and making tons of notes...Thank you from Canada.
Thank you! I kinda figure people are here for the topic on videos like this. : -) If I ever want to tell people how my day is going, the title will be - "How My Day is Going". Haha
Thanks so much. This was extremely helpful. my fish are behaving in a very distressed way and it's probably an ammonia spike, so this gave me some ideas on what to do.
Another thing that temporarily will detoxify NH4, nitrites is a product called Prime. If you're not sure about your used media source, you can buy starter bacteria from any fish outlet. I dump right into the intake side of my hanging back filter and let'em rip. Instantly starts the cycling process, and cuts NH4 and nitrites.
Thanks for the tips Jason, I actually have an unfortunate situation which I need answers for. I got an angelfish as a gift but I never had an aquarium before. So I started getting a tank with a filter. But I somehow couldn't get a used filter media. I have not used a test kit yet, but I'm pretty sure the ammonia levels are high. I'm trying to do anything I can to save the fish. I wonder if 'API quickstart' or 'Microbe-lift special blend' might help out in dealing with the ammonia levels.
In my experience the stuff doesn't really work. I don't think there are much (if any) live bacterial cultures in those products. Water changes right now are probably the way to go without being able to get used filter media (or even used gravel that can be placed in the filter).
Aquarium salt specifically for fish is best in some cases. Try and see if a family/local pet store would sell some used sponge media filters if the new or returning fishkeeper does not have access to used filter media. Informative video.
You should do weekly water changes. I do 20% water changes every week to an up and running aquarium. When you cycling a tank, you should change your water every couple of days until all the bad stuff is minimal. Slowly add Snails and Catfish you kick in the cycle of the tank. I also add Carbon to my filter at that time too. I remove the carbon until it gets established. After that, I put mechanical and biological media in my filter. I put plenty of plants, one because it’s beneficial and two because they are beautiful.
In emergency situation, I used powdered Prime which is also known by Safe, its by seachem. The only issue with this is that although it does lower the ammonia, it still will show up on an ammonia test, so you'll need to do a water change anyway...its really only good for a stop gap measure so you stop losing fish while you get your water change equipment set up ect
I thought about adding Prime to my list too. You are absolutely right, it will help in an emergency, but slows the nitrogen cycle down a bit. Thanks for adding it to the list. : -)
I think i got carried away and added too many fish to my new aquarium (about 9 small fish over a week period) and it looks like my ammonia rose from 0 to about 0.25 ppm. I will add more api quick start, fluval zeolite ammonia remover, and maybe some water conditioner to help protect the fish, oh and do some gravel "vaccing" and water change/s. I have to look into using poly bio or seachem purigen as im not familiar with those and dont have them.
Question, I have a 55 gallon tank, I've had fish tanks in the past but I lived in different cities where the municipal water treatment used chlorine instead of chloramines. I now live in a city in Colorado that uses Chloramines and ammonia remains in the tap water. My tap water has a range of 1ppm. So, even if I use an ammonia neutralizer like Prime, it's only temporary. I just started the cycling of my 55 gallon, I have about 6 more weeks. When I have to start doing 25% water changes I will be introducing more ammonia each time. I won't add any new water until after the cycling, but do you see my struggle with this ammonia issue? The only thing I could think of is using filtered drinking water to do water changes, but this will be not as convenient as using the water from the sink and more expensive. Right now I'm frustrated that I spent all this money on a tank and it seems impossible to have a healthy aquarium because the municipal water treatment uses chloramine. What is your best advice?
I have a 40G with like 12-13 cichlids, but I just replaced my filtration systems with an aqueon 75. My media should be fine, I used them from my old filter. No dead fish, ph is probably high round 7-8 ph. I’m getting restless doing water changes
Once established I only check ammonia and nitrite if I think there is an issue. For nitrates once I dial in the water change routine to keep nitrates at 20ppm or less I might check once every couple months?
I've "instant" cycled a few tanks using the filter media trick and never had issues but with my new 40gal.....man the ammonia is just HANGING in there! Been changing the water every 2-3 days.
@@reptilesfishandmore Patience.... It won't be long now :) You can add starter bacteria to your tank. Several brands are available at your local fish outlet. My go to brand is a product called Stability
@@echosplays2196 yes, i gave up...i feel like dogs are much easier to own than fishes. Becaus with fishes. You have to own a lot of chemicals and stuff just to keep them alive.
Seachem Prime. ...For emergency Situations (sudden ammonia spike) You can even 3x the application/dose and do a 50% water change - clean your filter(s) medium with the aquarium water (NEVER use tap water unless you're perhaps on a well) and then add the Seachem Prime. I've used other brands in the past until I discovered Seachem's products. NIGHT and DAY!
Seachem has good stuff. I clean my sponge filter in straight tap water every week and have never had an issue. All of my tanks are well-established though.
CYCLE CRASH!! I just finished treating my 55gl with 2, 5 to 7 inch Thai Orandas in the tank with Kanaplex for a columnaris infection about 2 weeks ago. The tank is 2 years old. I am running a Hydor 350 canister full of Bio media (matrix) and with filter floss and an Aquaclear 110 with nothing but bio-media (matrix) in the HOB and a sponge filter. My ph is 7.5, the temp is 70 deg. f. I have 0 nitrites and about 20 nitrates. The last water change was 30-40% 3 days ago. BUT my AMMONIA went from 0 to 3-4ppm with my API testing kit. I used the same ammonia test on another tank and it was 0. I did a 50% water change. Treated with double amount of prime (5 cap fulls) normally it needs 2 1/2. I also added double stability (3 cap fulls) normally needs 1 1/2. AND I did a full dose of Stress Guard. After the water change, my Oranda that survived the columnaris went into shock for about 5 minutes and went from a dark blue color to very pale and stopped breathing. He is fine now... BUT what the heck happened there!!?? I will be doing 50% water changes every day until I reach close to 0. My question is... am I doing everything I can with the water changes and water treatments to help? OH... I bought a new plant in driftwood about 2 months ago which I believe caused the bacterial infection, which did result in losing one of my fish and the other one barely making it. He recovered fully from that. Now we need to fix this ammonia. I'd like to do this in the safest and smartest way, that's why I'm talking to you. Thanks!!
I wonder if the excess chemicals stressed him temporarily? You mentioned you have another tank running? If so - get a bunch of that media into the 55 gallon. There should be lots of beneficial bacteria in that media to help bring the ammonia down quick.
So... I have absolutely no idea how to take care of fish and aquariums, however I bought 2 african clawed frogs... Day 1 and 2: everything was perfect. Day 3: I realised the aquarium was too small. The water smells kinda bad. Day 4: ok, so the water is cloudy and smells like a little swamp. The frogs stayed all day long on the surface of the water. Day 5: prepared 40 l water on the balcony for dechlorination, the frogs are still on the surface of the water. Day 6: changed the water and started looking for bigger aquarium. Frogs are happy on the bottom. Day 7: ordered new aquarium, prepared new 40 l on the balcony. Day 8: new fish tank!!! The frogs are happy, the water is clean and they have a new friend inside - a golden fish. Maybe I also need a filtrating pump too? Day 9: we have a new pump - JP 033F (hope it's good enough), added 40 l more (I have space for another 40 l)... So far everybody is alive, I'm not sure if the pump is working properly, I'll see in few hours. :)
I think you are on the right track by adding a filter. That will help reduce ammonia and nitrites as beneficial bacteria begin to populate. I would also do 50% water changes at least 2x a week until everything stabilizes.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Ok, will try. Next, I may buy some shrimps and those fish with the mustache (sorry, english is not my native and I don't know the name) to help clean even better.
👉🏻ADVICE NEEDED- Brand new to fish, specifically fancy goldfish. I used a 100 gallon stock tank to make a little indoor pond. I made the mistake of adding fish right away, and too many of them. I use an Aquagarden Inpond pump/filter combo(for ponds up to 200 gallons), along with 2 xl sponge filters. I added several large pothos clumps with just the roots in the water. In addition to a few aquatic plants in the bottom and a couple of slightly submerged planters with plants. This pond has been running for about 3.5 weeks. I realized I should be testing my water, which I started a week ago using the api master kit, and following the steps exactly. I’ve done a few small water changes and a 50% one as well. I added one pump of AQUAScape beneficial bacteria 2 days ago. Ammonia today is at 0-.25, nitrite is .25 and nitrate is 0. I’d like to add, I did re-home 5 of my fish this week, so I have 8 young fancies left. They are mostly small(2-2.5”, with a couple around 4”) 🤷🏼♀️What should I do? 🥰Thank you for any help!
My betta has gotten burned gills and is acting weird. He is my first fish ever and this is my first aquarium. I didn't know about this ammonia thing until recently but now I'm in the process of making the tank better. I did a 50% water change today and cleaned the tank. I also put in this fluid called happy-life after. It's supposed to reduce all sorts of bad things. So I'm not gonna feed him for maybe 3 days now and I will do daily 30-50% water changes for a few days and then I will buy a water test kit. I already have a filter and heater in my tank but I'm gonna try and get a new filter as well. I'm currently using a sponge filter but not one of those that you have. People say the filter I have is not very good. Think it's called Aquael pat mini filter 4w
Hi Maryam. Definitely test the water to see if ammonia is the issue. If so, the water changes will be helpful. If you know anyone that has cycled filter media, and they don't have parasite issues in their tank, that is the fastest way to bring ammonia/nitrite down. If not, water changes. It may be best to leave the filter you have now since it may be in the process of cycling as we speak. Removing fish waste and uneaten food from the gravel will be helpful. I'm not familiar with Happy Life, but many water treatment solutions are capable of detoxifying ammonia and nitrite in a pinch (Seachem Safe for example). Also, feeding every other day as well until things get under control. Hope everything works out ok.
I’m new at this got a 20 gal, fixing set up a 75 gal... need to know how long before putting fish in the tank... put sponge filter in tank and a hang on back a marineland Emperor 400 and a fan.. will the be a good choice, thank enjoy your video’s 👍❤️
I like to wait until I have some nitrates in the tank (that can take a few weeks). Using plants in the tank can help establish the cycle a little faster as well.
I'm just beginning. I'll be setting up and cycling soon. After the tank is cycled, should I do a water change before adding fish? After adding fish, how often should I test my water? Thank you!
Once the tank is cycled use nitrate concentrations to guide your water changes. Goal is to try and keep nitrates at 20ppm or less. Once you've tested a few times and know how much weekly water change is required to maintain those levels, you can test water far less frequently.
I’m using prime at the moment , as you know Jason I’ve put my giant blackmoor to a new tank as she got too huge for the aquarium she was in , I’ve put a sponge filter from another tank , very mature as it’s been running for over 3 years , still the ammonia is at 1 per million today , and ph and temperature are pretty high so I don’t think it’s the safe one .... so I guess using prime is my only option . Unfortunately I can’t put Harriet ( the giant blackmoor ) back to her old tank as in her old tank there are rainbow fish and livebearers that she may eats ... so i hAve no other option than doing a fish in cycle .
Great video, I have the ammonia spike in my newly formed tank (4 weeks) and have now lost 2 fish, 4 left, if I get the pump you suggest (a new one), do I leave it in permanently or turn off when spike has gone?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics cheers, I have a 120l saltwater tank, it came with 4 course filters, a pump and a reef flow pump. Is adding the sponge filter too much or does it not matter? Thank you from a newbie.
I’ve changed my water conditioner for a different brand. I’ve been doing 10% water change everyday. It’s helped bring the nitrate down to 0.5. Although my nitrite is at 1. I have small 3 cichlid shell dwellers to a roughy 13 gallon tank with lots of shells and rock. Substrate is very fine, PH is spot on. The nitrite hasn’t got any higher which is good, but I’m contemplating 10% water changes each day.. the fish seem fine but obviously I want them to thrive in a free nitrite tank if anyone has useful advice that’ll be great thank you.
I looked what ammonia spike water looks like and it looked same as my aquarium water... I tested the water and everything was great. Nice it was not that, but wth was it? Well i found out what it was and it was the tempature and i dont even know how.
My Angels grew up... so I switched from a 70 liter (18.5 gallon) tank to a 139 liter tank, (37 Gallons ) I used the same plants castles, and undisturbed filters with their medium, and used most of the old water along with adding new. The gravel in the new tank was new gravel, but I have saved the old gravel with a bit of water on top of it. I also put "cycle" in which is suppose to have live bacteria in it and used stress coat. I've been checking the ammonia levels, and they are around the 0.5 ppm mark, and I've been doing a 1/8th to 1/4 water change daily. The fish are four angel fish, two ground feeders. I did add some aquarium salt, but don't want to harden the water too much as it's Angel fish. Is there anything else I need to be doing? Should I put some of the old graven in on top of the new? or do bigger water changes? don't want to lose my angels has had them a long time and watched them grow up. PH is 6.8
I wouldn't be surprised if the ammonia goes back down relatively quickly. Keep up with the water changes until it does and you should be ok. Would love to hear an update.
My tank was cycled for about a month to a month and a half. Did a gravel cleaning as well as cleaned some of the decor. I also changed about 25% of the water. Now my tank is cloudy and has been for a few days. I went to the my local aquarium store and they told me it was free floating algae. I purchased something to correct it, of course it didn’t work. I am considering making additional water changes every few days until it clears. Thoughts or suggestions?
I was going to do just that. Thank you for getting back to me. Will update with solution once I have it under control. Thank you for the informative videos.
I was at 0.50 ppm today. I have a 20 gallon. I did a 5 gallon water change and added 2 drops if prime for every new gallon I added. Did another test and still ammonia. I dont know what to do except let nature run its course. Temp is 79 degrees. I have 4 small 3-4 month old angel fish and a gourami about 3 to 4 inches long. I dont want to change the filter cartridge because it's only been in for a week.
You may have to increase water changes to 50% every day to manage the ammonia until it is under control. Definitely don't change the media - you want the beneficial bacteria in the media to continue to populate.
New to the hobby ,I picked 10 gallon and I've had it for 2 weeks and didn't know anything about the cycle or much of anything else other then I knew I needed to use conditioner to get the chlorine out and got a double sponge filter and digital therm. Soooo I added 5 minnows and then the next day 3 Cory doras , then a couple days after I added 3 black high fin Tetras and an aquatic frog. Then I added an Angel fish. I bought the angel from someone who didn't seem to care I had a 10 gallon tank cuz I found out today they shouldn't really be in a 10 for very long as they will outgrow it. (I got a 65 gallon yesterday so that'll be her new home if she survives. I had 2 fish die. One high fin Tetra 3 days ago and a Platy the day after. I got a Blue Gourami as well. The last day or so the Angel has been hanging out near the top a lot. I just did a 30% water change and last week I did two small water changes. Maybe 15% each time. All together I have 12 fish and a frog in this 10 gallon. After watching videos about the cycle and ammonia spikes due to adding to many fish especially when I have a tank that's only been running for 2 weeks.. I'm wondering what my chances are that these guys will survive?? The I'm looking to get some bacteria starter in a bottle tomorrow.
If there is any way you can get used filter media from a trusted (disease-free) source I would go that route and stick that in your new filter, along with larger (50%) daily water changes until the ammonia is under control. The angel will probably struggle the most with the ammonia right now. Feeding every couple days is better than more frequent feedings until you get the ammonia down. Also, Seachem Prime will also help neutralize ammonia and nitrites in the short term a little.
Funny, I have a no filter setup and I didn’t cycle the tank. I planted it heavily and added fish the same day.I did a 30% water change every other day for a week then left the tank. The fish are doing great but these are pretty hardy fish. Knocking on wood tho
So much work 😔 I didn't realize fish need so much. I have three tetra fish,a loaches and two snails. At first I was feeding every other day not realizing I wasn't suppose to do that. I have cut down the feeding now the tank water is so much cleaner. This video was helpful.
Jason, thank you for such great information! Subscribe! I don’t know a thing about fish but I just took over a single 7yro goldfish from a neglectful keeper yesterday (common goldfish I think it is) Tank was very dirty, hadn’t been cleaned in at least 4mos! I threw out the filthy filter, vacuumed tank & gravel substrate of about 5gls from this 10gl tank. Refilled water, freshly rinsed new Aqueon filter and added Aqueon water conditioner 5ml. Then tested parameters. Only the ammonia was VERY high, 8pm+ !! Rushed to Petco and got Aqueon Ammonia Neutralizer,5ml and added one ball of Aqueon Pure Beneficial Bacterial Enzyme. Now this morning, water is now very cloudy and ammonia is down to 4ppm. I’m confused as to why high ammonia with new water, I assume it would be less. Wish I had tested prior to WC. Is the cloudy water normal at this stage? Am I doing this right or have I missed something? Mr. Fishlips appears to ok, but what do I know? Thank you!
Dear Jason: That, blue, African cichlid with the white stripe running the length of its, dorsal fin in the 75-gallon tank with two, sponge filters is gorgeous! What species is it? Thank you for a very informative and interesting video explaining this aspect of the aquarist hobby. Sincerely, E. J. Brinegar
That is a Red Empress cichlid. They get about 7" or so. Mine have always been on the more aggressive side, but they are really beautiful as they get older. He looks better now compared to what you see in this video. Great fish!
Dear Jason: Thank you, so much. Perhaps I will give African cichlids another try. I've kept a few species in the past, but focus on characins, right now. I only have five tanks and am not fortunate enough to have a fish room. I'm super jealous of you. Keep up the great work! Sincerely, Brinegar
Hello! My question refers to reducing the amonia in a new tank by adding a pre-cycled filter... Let's say you have just purchased a second brand new tank, and you have filled it with rocks, plants, and water... how long do you have to wait before you add your pre-cycled filter system? I understand that new clean water will kill beneficial bacteria pretty quickly hence why we always clean the filtration systems in a bucket of tank water and not from the garden hose! Also, let's say your canister filter stops working. Could you simply purchase a new one and place the media from the broken system in to the new one to be back up and running immediately? Thank you for considering my questions!
When I add used filter media to a new tank I also usually a few fish as well. As long as you are using dechlorinator when adding water, the new water will not impact your microbial colonies.
Great video! I have an established tank, but I’ve had an ammonia spike for like 3-4 weeks now. I’ve been doing WC every 2-3 days and I’m going crazy coming them! What can it be? It’s like a mini cycle happening again. Thanks
Hi, my name is Graham. I have Muna cichlids. I just moved into a house that has a water softener. Ph=7.4 kh=18 gh=6. Wondering what your opinion is in regards to getting this water to work for my fish
Should I be worried if I have 1 pleco in with a brand new tank? There’s plenty of live plants, drift wood from precious tanks and some moss. Will my false Zebra pleco be in serious trouble?
I would do this 1. Add Seachem Prime after doing a 50% Water Change. 2. Add double the dose of Beneficial Bacteria. 3. Add maybe a few Sponge Filters and Pack your filter with as many media it can hold. 4. Stop feeding for 3 days to see if it clears up. 5, Feed again (Half the portions and no of feed daily) 6. This should solve it
Starting up new 55 gallon tank. Been less then a week. No fish yet, only live plants. Doing daily 50% water changes. Have a good OASE Biomaster Thermo 350 filter. Testing ammonia daily. Aways in 2.0 range. Will add Seachem Purigen. Will Seachem Prime conditioner be beneficial as well?
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks! Learning so much everyday. Got the Fritz 7. Do you recommend adding it everyday after my daily 50% water changes? No rush to get fish. Want our water to be well established and look good first. Would you think it will take ~2-6 weeks for that to happen?
@Prime Time Aquatics Can I float a used hob filter sponge in a tank with sponge filters? Will the BB from that help? I keep having ammonia in my 36 hex. All I have is 20 blue shrimp and a snail. Im wondering if I crashed the cycle some how. Ive tried fritz bacteria, and still nothing is helping. Should I just keep doing water changes?
Great video thanks for sharing but I couldn't stop watching the goldfish in the background, I've kept all sorts of amazing fish over the years but I keep coming back to the good old favourite the humble goldfish but only in the more normal varieties not the extreme types! 😉👌👍
Will any of this apply to cycled tanks? I have had my tank running for a long time. Just recently I have had some issues with cloudy water. I have 3 small gold corys and a betta fish. Hard water, and I use cones for the hard water. ph is good. 30 gal ps no iam not referring to the sepia colored tint. I actually really like that way that looks.
Hi- great video. I have an ammonia issue and a few fish are acting strange/sitting at bottlm of tank. I do not have access to use filter media, so i added tetra safe start and an ammonia neutralizer api ammo lock. Did i do more harm than good? I also performed a 50% water change two days ago and 25% today as ammonia reading is still 1.0.
Quick question. Always had tanks to pull media from, but sold everything 5 yrs ago. Got a new 180g and doing a fishless cycle. It's been cycling for 30 days. Nitrites already spiked and are now at zero. Nitrates are a little high, but I cannot get the ammonia to go down from .25 or maybe .50 cause I cant tell what color green matches the chart. My ammonia has been in the same place for over a week. Any thoughts? I consider myself an advanced hobbyist, but I have never done a fishless cycle before.
Great question. There are a few ways that I cycle tanks. 1) Add a bunch of plants and give them liquid ferts. That results in a fairly quick cycle (usually two-three weeks). 2) Used filter media. 3) What we have done for the last 20 tanks or so is use Fritzyme 7 and we have been able to add fa few fish right away.
Jason! You had a link in one of your videos to an article that teaches you how to calculate the amount of toxic ammonia. I can no longer find the link. Do you still have it
I did a 25 % water changed added prime and stability went to check it an hr later and it is like I did nothing ! By the way have a 60gallon with a hob and sponge filter and wave maker. Have 14 fish tank is 2 weeks old and so far have done 3 water changes ammonia has been my only elevated number.
Jason - it’s Chris Karnuth/nuth88 I’m living in Colorado now, new tank, chemicals ok? As used filter media or gravel will be difficult. To build my cycle, I’m going to use a few goldfish. 75 Gal, best advice?
Hey Chris, I haven't found the chemicals to work all that well for cycling a tank. I know a lot of people use fish food to cycle their tank. You could try that in combination with the quick start?
Great video, what also works are plants, they take some ammonia straight out of the water so it doesn't turn into nitrite, they don't work for removing nitrite from the water but when you get nitrate they also remove some of that if you have a enough of and the right plants.
Here is more information about water parameters. Definitely worth a look if you are trying to learn all you can about the subject!
What exactly is the nitrogen cycle? ua-cam.com/video/dFpN4wXgmfI/v-deo.html
What is Water Hardness? ua-cam.com/video/xRYdtvakfv0/v-deo.html
How Does pH Impact Fish Health? ua-cam.com/video/d9N-JliqsJg/v-deo.html
How to Lower Nitrites (This stuff is dangerous too) ua-cam.com/video/3t8yq-ydOaE/v-deo.html
How to Lower Nitrates: ua-cam.com/video/rTdjjZRBIDU/v-deo.html
What Does Water Quality Really Mean? ua-cam.com/video/TkPwQGG1LMQ/v-deo.html
How many fish would you get in a 240 ltr tank
we were told go ahead add fish after adding bacteria starter to a new 3.5gal Betta tank. was given conflicting info on water changes. I got ammonia spike. betta fish has suffered and is no longer able to make sticky bubble nests. moping around. I sought advice and bought API Master test kit and found ammonia was 8.0ppm or higher. (7.5 pH, 0ppm for nitrites and nitrates ). per advice, I did 75% change and got 4.0 ppm! so I followed it immediately with 25% change as directed by test-kit booklet and got 1.0 ppm. I was leary of doing daily changes because of repeated temp drops. I have seen some chemical products to mitigate ammonia but fish experts seem adverse to using (I don't know if it is dangerous to fish? or damage fish that has ammonia burns? or just impairing the natural nitrogen cycle from completing ? ) I'm also worried about whether my fish can survive another spike (ammonia or nitrite since I hear that I must go back to square one ! ) WHAT TO DO?
Also prior to your advice. Plant's do provide and contribute to water health it goes without saying.
Ugh, this tank cycle is just harder than taking care of a dog
I know it can seem overwhelming at first. Once the microbes are present it really does get better. : -)
I know right lmao
🤣i feel you. my tank was acting up for the first two weeks it’s been like two months now & it’s ok
It's nice to watch an experts doing it.
I just don't wanna maintain it hehe.
New.I just started last Sunday. . I ran filter from Sunday to Wednesday and threw in 4 tetras and 1 cory.water was tested with no issues but all fish died next day.. I now realize I should of just added 2 .thanks to u and other UA-cam vids,i am understanding alot about beneficial bacteria and slowly add fish
Been watching your channel for over a Year! Never really comment. Plants Helps with this people. Put live plants in.
What kind of live plants ? Where do I buy them sorry I’m so new at this
1) Vacuum the gravel, 2) change half the water using a chlorine remover, 3) add a Poly Filter pad (Poly Bio Marine) to the power filter or merely hang it in a water circulating area of the tank.
Nice ideas!
what does the poly filter do?
@@tiffanygrewal7179 it polishes the water i.e., filters fine particles of waste etc. When you see what it filters (mine is even beyond what my intake prefilter catches), you will be surprised. Another trick is to use zeolite rocks which can be bought for cheap and can be recharged. A jug of Marineland zeolite goes for like $3.
Dave Evans where can I find those?
@@Luceium01 if you add the corre t amount for your tank to a mesh filter bag then chexk the parameters it works very well in my experience. There's a UA-cam video on how to recharge it via salt water
Great tip.
The best advice I was ever given is, "patience". Let your cycle not only start but let your tank season for several weeks after the cycle has been established.
That is some great advice!
Do you use NH4 to cycle, or do you use live fish??
I put 7 dish in my tank a week aftr set up all are fine for weeks but i added 2 angel fish a week late and they died the next day but all my other fiah are still ive
@@jonathanbiller2029
Rule of thumb is no more than 2-4 fish to be added at a time. This goes for cycled tanks.
My guess is that you added too many fish initially.
New tank setups should get a maximum of 1-2 fish initially within a 2-3 day period
These should be mid to upper water fish only.
Avoid bottom feeders and algae eaters until sufficient biofilm develops.
Add algae eaters *last* of all.
And keep test kits, bacteria (Startup, Stability, other products can be bought commercially) readily on hand. Test for ammonia, nitrites daily until fully cycled.
Should you experience NH4, NO2- spike, add bacterial product to filter liberally. Retest, retreat next day as needed.
Finally someone who knows and can explain their stuff! Thank you.
Stone cold Steve Austin
Because Prime Time Aquatics said SO! Haha
what!
Whaaattt
Ammonia 3:16! Peace.
@@dkapone what?
I only have three tanks. 29 gal, 20 gal, 10 gal.
My 10 gallon is my nursery tank or Isolation tank. Yesterday, when I did a water change I grabbed an empty milk bottle, instead of a water bottle. I put a small amount of milk in my 20 gallon tank, before I realized I had the wrong bottle. I had to move approximately 15 inches of fish into my 10 gallon tank. I cleaned my 20 gallon. Are use 5 gals from my isolation tank. I also washed the gravel. I reset up my tank, and I put immediately my fish back in. That evening I fed my fish. This morning, my tank is cloudy. After watching your video I checked for food. I have an excess amount of food floating around. This is the problem. I am undergoing chemo therapy, and my brain is not functioning fully. I appreciate your video. I also had a new rock formation that I built. I took it out because I believe I may have used rocks that are not compatible. I will be testing later today. From my experience, that I remember, sometimes there’s more than one causes for a problem.
I have used for cloudy tank bottled spring water, for a 20% water change. I remember I used to boil water 50 years ago.
I took filter from my 29 gallon and the filter from my 10 gallon and put it in my sick tank. I cannot use salt with my fish. I also have an under gravel filter with three power heads. Under gravel filter is more for the plants.
Thank you for your video.
I hope it all works out! Sometimes adding new water will result in some cloudiness that will go away after a day or two. I hope your treatments go well too. You are in my prayers.
How you explain everything is very helpful. You have helped save my fish, failing tank, and have been oh so helpful. Thank you :)
That is awesome to hear! Thank you!
i dont know we have to be a scientist to be a fish keeper :(
Not at all. Enjoy the learning process. As with anything new, it can seem overwhelming at first, but stay with it and it gets easier over time!
As we grow we are already scientist ;)
same if i had have known i would have bought a hermit crab
you don't need to be much of a scientist. you just need to know how to read the test kit charts. and after you get the cycle complete it's just a matter of monitoring it.
what's interesting about this is at our pet store, they have a tank of over 200 small gold fish, nothing else in the tank, no gravel, nothing. One would think that the ammonia levels in that tank would kill the fish in a week. I read that it's one gold fish per 20 gallons. so there has to be some sort of leeway between these figures.
Thank you so much! I'm getting a tank soon and doing as much research as i possibly can. thank you!!!!
You are definitely going about it the right way!
I made this mistake first time out. Lost all my fish. Let your tank get cycled properly before adding fish.
I got lucky with my first tank, I made this mistake but when the ammonia spike came I learned how to deal with it and didn't lose any fish.
Although my 2nd tank even though I cycled the tank everything went to hell and I lost 8 fish in 2 days. :(
How would u cycle u tank properly?
YES!!! I made this mistake and lost all 14 of my fish in 2 days
@@sunnyaccount3984
With added starter bacteria from a fish outlet. You can add fish immediately, but a FEW at a time.
No more than 2-4 fish at once!!!
Also, when you do a water change...clean your plants. Even if you have plecos, sometimes that's not enough. And vacuum the gravel/sand as the poop and uneaten food will seep into the substrate causing ammonia build-up.
I appreciate your expertise as I am in the process of getting ready to set up a 150 gal tank so all of this information is extremely helpful.
Good to hear!
I wish i knew about this channel before i started keeping fish -ammonia is plaguing me atm, and i didnt know about biomedia till yesterday actually - i thought my information was good considering the vendor i went to...
subbed
I know i am commenting on a year old post, but i am brand new to all of this. Having lost a betta last year that was given to me as a gift, and yestserday a year old mystery snail, i really need to learn much more. My tank is just 5 gallons, i test strip it and do water changes and unfortunately adding too much cuttle bone and not knowing to remove it...added a sulphur smell and this made things even worse. So i will now try only ONE tiny nerite snail...nothing more...some aquatic plants, he has rocks/hiding spaces already and he'll have lots and lots of attention. I wanted 2 but realize one nerite per 5 G is best. I am really enjoying all of your videos and making tons of notes...Thank you from Canada.
Hope the new snail works out well!
Awesome video thank you for your straight to the point explanation of things without going into long drawn-out talk about how your day is going! 😊
Thank you! I kinda figure people are here for the topic on videos like this. : -) If I ever want to tell people how my day is going, the title will be - "How My Day is Going". Haha
Thanks so much. This was extremely helpful. my fish are behaving in a very distressed way and it's probably an ammonia spike, so this gave me some ideas on what to do.
Awesome! Thanks for watching
Tetra safestart saved me... and seachem prime... zero ammonia in a day or two never had ammonia since...
Definitely going to buy some of that
Hold off on feeding for several days an reduce the amount you are feeding an even the amount of times you feed them in a day.
Another thing that temporarily will detoxify NH4, nitrites is a product called Prime.
If you're not sure about your used media source, you can buy starter bacteria from any fish outlet. I dump right into the intake side of my hanging back filter and let'em rip. Instantly starts the cycling process, and cuts NH4 and nitrites.
Water changes and add SEACHEM SAFE every time you do the water changes works like a charm
Thanks for the tips Jason, I actually have an unfortunate situation which I need answers for. I got an angelfish as a gift but I never had an aquarium before. So I started getting a tank with a filter. But I somehow couldn't get a used filter media. I have not used a test kit yet, but I'm pretty sure the ammonia levels are high. I'm trying to do anything I can to save the fish. I wonder if 'API quickstart' or 'Microbe-lift special blend' might help out in dealing with the ammonia levels.
In my experience the stuff doesn't really work. I don't think there are much (if any) live bacterial cultures in those products. Water changes right now are probably the way to go without being able to get used filter media (or even used gravel that can be placed in the filter).
Aquarium salt specifically for fish is best in some cases. Try and see if a family/local pet store would sell some used sponge media filters if the new or returning fishkeeper does not have access to used filter media. Informative video.
Thank you so much, now I know why my fish are swimming to the top of the tank
You should do weekly water changes. I do 20% water changes every week to an up and running aquarium. When you cycling a tank, you should change your water every couple of days until all the bad stuff is minimal. Slowly add Snails and Catfish you kick in the cycle of the tank. I also add Carbon to my filter at that time too. I remove the carbon until it gets established. After that, I put mechanical and biological media in my filter. I put plenty of plants, one because it’s beneficial and two because they are beautiful.
You may want to hold off on the carbon if you have plants in the tank. Carbon will remove some of the nutrients the plants require. : -)
In emergency situation, I used powdered Prime which is also known by Safe, its by seachem. The only issue with this is that although it does lower the ammonia, it still will show up on an ammonia test, so you'll need to do a water change anyway...its really only good for a stop gap measure so you stop losing fish while you get your water change equipment set up ect
I thought about adding Prime to my list too. You are absolutely right, it will help in an emergency, but slows the nitrogen cycle down a bit. Thanks for adding it to the list. : -)
Dealing with an amonia spike RN! Thanks for your advice!
Very informative thanks for the no nonsense advice.
2:32 hey bruh... Gtf otta here pls!
thanks for your videos. you really do make life much easier
I love this!!! Your videos help so much!!
I think i got carried away and added too many fish to my new aquarium (about 9 small fish over a week period) and it looks like my ammonia rose from 0 to about 0.25 ppm. I will add more api quick start, fluval zeolite ammonia remover, and maybe some water conditioner to help protect the fish, oh and do some gravel "vaccing" and water change/s. I have to look into using poly bio or seachem purigen as im not familiar with those and dont have them.
Great tips Jason, & the tanks look great!
Thank you - appreciate you watching!
Question, I have a 55 gallon tank, I've had fish tanks in the past but I lived in different cities where the municipal water treatment used chlorine instead of chloramines. I now live in a city in Colorado that uses Chloramines and ammonia remains in the tap water. My tap water has a range of 1ppm. So, even if I use an ammonia neutralizer like Prime, it's only temporary. I just started the cycling of my 55 gallon, I have about 6 more weeks. When I have to start doing 25% water changes I will be introducing more ammonia each time. I won't add any new water until after the cycling, but do you see my struggle with this ammonia issue? The only thing I could think of is using filtered drinking water to do water changes, but this will be not as convenient as using the water from the sink and more expensive. Right now I'm frustrated that I spent all this money on a tank and it seems impossible to have a healthy aquarium because the municipal water treatment uses chloramine. What is your best advice?
Struggling with this exact issue now in Central Texas. What did you eventually find was your best solution?? Thanks!
I have a 40G with like 12-13 cichlids, but I just replaced my filtration systems with an aqueon 75. My media should be fine, I used them from my old filter. No dead fish, ph is probably high round 7-8 ph. I’m getting restless doing water changes
after establishing your tank, how often should you check ammonia/nitrites/nitrates?
Once established I only check ammonia and nitrite if I think there is an issue. For nitrates once I dial in the water change routine to keep nitrates at 20ppm or less I might check once every couple months?
I've "instant" cycled a few tanks using the filter media trick and never had issues but with my new 40gal.....man the ammonia is just HANGING in there! Been changing the water every 2-3 days.
Reptiles, Fish, and More I have the same problem!! But I can’t low the ammonia I’m so scared!!
My tank JUST started getting nirtites. But also has another set of issues that unfortunately are going to delay getting the fish I want. Which sucks.
@@reptilesfishandmore
Patience....
It won't be long now :)
You can add starter bacteria to your tank.
Several brands are available at your local fish outlet.
My go to brand is a product called Stability
Very nice explanation... Hello from Brazil!!!
Thank you for watching!
Great tips and advice. My African Cichlids are ammonia factories.
That's the truth! Haha
you are very professional, I love your video>> Thank you
Thank you! Appreciate you watching!
I’ve been treating mine with ammonia killer for 3 days now and I even gravel vacuumed
Very well explained! Going to subscribe.
Thank you! Appreciate you watching!
Thanks for staying on-topic with this video. Clarifies a lot of mown questions.
Thank you for watching!
4:36 30 to 50 per cent water change every day or every other day until level comes down.
Ugh, fk that. Too much work
Jefferson Domingo Then don’t own fish.
@@echosplays2196 yes, i gave up...i feel like dogs are much easier to own than fishes. Becaus with fishes. You have to own a lot of chemicals and stuff just to keep them alive.
@@amo_res9266 I agree. Fish aren't meant to be kept in tanks.
Seachem Prime. ...For emergency Situations (sudden ammonia spike) You can even 3x the application/dose and do a 50% water change - clean your filter(s) medium with the aquarium water (NEVER use tap water unless you're perhaps on a well) and then add the Seachem Prime. I've used other brands in the past until I discovered Seachem's products. NIGHT and DAY!
Seachem has good stuff. I clean my sponge filter in straight tap water every week and have never had an issue. All of my tanks are well-established though.
CYCLE CRASH!! I just finished treating my 55gl with 2, 5 to 7 inch Thai Orandas in the tank with Kanaplex for a columnaris infection about 2 weeks ago. The tank is 2 years old. I am running a Hydor 350 canister full of Bio media (matrix) and with filter floss and an Aquaclear 110 with nothing but bio-media (matrix) in the HOB and a sponge filter. My ph is 7.5, the temp is 70 deg. f. I have 0 nitrites and about 20 nitrates. The last water change was 30-40% 3 days ago. BUT my AMMONIA went from 0 to 3-4ppm with my API testing kit. I used the same ammonia test on another tank and it was 0. I did a 50% water change. Treated with double amount of prime (5 cap fulls) normally it needs 2 1/2. I also added double stability (3 cap fulls) normally needs 1 1/2. AND I did a full dose of Stress Guard. After the water change, my Oranda that survived the columnaris went into shock for about 5 minutes and went from a dark blue color to very pale and stopped breathing. He is fine now... BUT what the heck happened there!!?? I will be doing 50% water changes every day until I reach close to 0. My question is... am I doing everything I can with the water changes and water treatments to help? OH... I bought a new plant in driftwood about 2 months ago which I believe caused the bacterial infection, which did result in losing one of my fish and the other one barely making it. He recovered fully from that. Now we need to fix this ammonia. I'd like to do this in the safest and smartest way, that's why I'm talking to you. Thanks!!
I wonder if the excess chemicals stressed him temporarily? You mentioned you have another tank running? If so - get a bunch of that media into the 55 gallon. There should be lots of beneficial bacteria in that media to help bring the ammonia down quick.
jason ....
thanks 4 a lots of guideline from your side .....
So... I have absolutely no idea how to take care of fish and aquariums, however I bought 2 african clawed frogs... Day 1 and 2: everything was perfect. Day 3: I realised the aquarium was too small. The water smells kinda bad. Day 4: ok, so the water is cloudy and smells like a little swamp. The frogs stayed all day long on the surface of the water. Day 5: prepared 40 l water on the balcony for dechlorination, the frogs are still on the surface of the water. Day 6: changed the water and started looking for bigger aquarium. Frogs are happy on the bottom. Day 7: ordered new aquarium, prepared new 40 l on the balcony. Day 8: new fish tank!!! The frogs are happy, the water is clean and they have a new friend inside - a golden fish. Maybe I also need a filtrating pump too? Day 9: we have a new pump - JP 033F (hope it's good enough), added 40 l more (I have space for another 40 l)... So far everybody is alive, I'm not sure if the pump is working properly, I'll see in few hours. :)
I think you are on the right track by adding a filter. That will help reduce ammonia and nitrites as beneficial bacteria begin to populate. I would also do 50% water changes at least 2x a week until everything stabilizes.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Ok, will try. Next, I may buy some shrimps and those fish with the mustache (sorry, english is not my native and I don't know the name) to help clean even better.
👉🏻ADVICE NEEDED- Brand new to fish, specifically fancy goldfish. I used a 100 gallon stock tank to make a little indoor pond. I made the mistake of adding fish right away, and too many of them. I use an Aquagarden Inpond pump/filter combo(for ponds up to 200 gallons), along with 2 xl sponge filters. I added several large pothos clumps with just the roots in the water. In addition to a few aquatic plants in the bottom and a couple of slightly submerged planters with plants. This pond has been running for about 3.5 weeks. I realized I should be testing my water, which I started a week ago using the api master kit, and following the steps exactly. I’ve done a few small water changes and a 50% one as well. I added one pump of AQUAScape beneficial bacteria 2 days ago. Ammonia today is at 0-.25, nitrite is .25 and nitrate is 0. I’d like to add, I did re-home 5 of my fish this week, so I have 8 young fancies left. They are mostly small(2-2.5”, with a couple around 4”)
🤷🏼♀️What should I do?
🥰Thank you for any help!
You are in the right track - daily water changes of 50% and adding beneficial bacteria are the way to go!
My betta has gotten burned gills and is acting weird. He is my first fish ever and this is my first aquarium. I didn't know about this ammonia thing until recently but now I'm in the process of making the tank better. I did a 50% water change today and cleaned the tank. I also put in this fluid called happy-life after. It's supposed to reduce all sorts of bad things. So I'm not gonna feed him for maybe 3 days now and I will do daily 30-50% water changes for a few days and then I will buy a water test kit. I already have a filter and heater in my tank but I'm gonna try and get a new filter as well. I'm currently using a sponge filter but not one of those that you have. People say the filter I have is not very good. Think it's called Aquael pat mini filter 4w
Hi Maryam. Definitely test the water to see if ammonia is the issue. If so, the water changes will be helpful. If you know anyone that has cycled filter media, and they don't have parasite issues in their tank, that is the fastest way to bring ammonia/nitrite down. If not, water changes. It may be best to leave the filter you have now since it may be in the process of cycling as we speak. Removing fish waste and uneaten food from the gravel will be helpful. I'm not familiar with Happy Life, but many water treatment solutions are capable of detoxifying ammonia and nitrite in a pinch (Seachem Safe for example). Also, feeding every other day as well until things get under control. Hope everything works out ok.
Prime Time Aquatics thanks!
I’m new at this got a 20 gal, fixing set up a 75 gal... need to know how long before putting fish in the tank... put sponge filter in tank and a hang on back a marineland Emperor 400 and a fan.. will the be a good choice, thank enjoy your video’s 👍❤️
I like to wait until I have some nitrates in the tank (that can take a few weeks). Using plants in the tank can help establish the cycle a little faster as well.
I'm just beginning. I'll be setting up and cycling soon. After the tank is cycled, should I do a water change before adding fish? After adding fish, how often should I test my water? Thank you!
Once the tank is cycled use nitrate concentrations to guide your water changes. Goal is to try and keep nitrates at 20ppm or less. Once you've tested a few times and know how much weekly water change is required to maintain those levels, you can test water far less frequently.
Very informative I enjoyed watching thx
Thank you!
I’m using prime at the moment , as you know Jason I’ve put my giant blackmoor to a new tank as she got too huge for the aquarium she was in , I’ve put a sponge filter from another tank , very mature as it’s been running for over 3 years , still the ammonia is at 1 per million today , and ph and temperature are pretty high so I don’t think it’s the safe one .... so I guess using prime is my only option . Unfortunately I can’t put Harriet ( the giant blackmoor ) back to her old tank as in her old tank there are rainbow fish and livebearers that she may eats ... so i hAve no other option than doing a fish in cycle .
I wonder if you could get some Fritz Turbo Start?
Great video, I have the ammonia spike in my newly formed tank (4 weeks) and have now lost 2 fish, 4 left, if I get the pump you suggest (a new one), do I leave it in permanently or turn off when spike has gone?
Leave it running all the time.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics cheers, I have a 120l saltwater tank, it came with 4 course filters, a pump and a reef flow pump. Is adding the sponge filter too much or does it not matter?
Thank you from a newbie.
very helpful, thank you.
I’ve changed my water conditioner for a different brand. I’ve been doing 10% water change everyday. It’s helped bring the nitrate down to 0.5. Although my nitrite is at 1. I have small 3 cichlid shell dwellers to a roughy 13 gallon tank with lots of shells and rock. Substrate is very fine, PH is spot on. The nitrite hasn’t got any higher which is good, but I’m contemplating 10% water changes each day.. the fish seem fine but obviously I want them to thrive in a free nitrite tank if anyone has useful advice that’ll be great thank you.
I looked what ammonia spike water looks like and it looked same as my aquarium water... I tested the water and everything was great. Nice it was not that, but wth was it? Well i found out what it was and it was the tempature and i dont even know how.
awesome info!
Thank you : -)
My Angels grew up... so I switched from a 70 liter (18.5 gallon) tank to a 139 liter tank, (37 Gallons ) I used the same plants castles, and undisturbed filters with their medium, and used most of the old water along with adding new. The gravel in the new tank was new gravel, but I have saved the old gravel with a bit of water on top of it. I also put "cycle" in which is suppose to have live bacteria in it and used stress coat. I've been checking the ammonia levels, and they are around the 0.5 ppm mark, and I've been doing a 1/8th to 1/4 water change daily. The fish are four angel fish, two ground feeders. I did add some aquarium salt, but don't want to harden the water too much as it's Angel fish. Is there anything else I need to be doing? Should I put some of the old graven in on top of the new? or do bigger water changes? don't want to lose my angels has had them a long time and watched them grow up. PH is 6.8
Forgot to add, I have Zeolite in the filters.
I wouldn't be surprised if the ammonia goes back down relatively quickly. Keep up with the water changes until it does and you should be ok. Would love to hear an update.
My tank was cycled for about a month to a month and a half. Did a gravel cleaning as well as cleaned some of the decor. I also changed about 25% of the water. Now my tank is cloudy and has been for a few days. I went to the my local aquarium store and they told me it was free floating algae. I purchased something to correct it, of course it didn’t work. I am considering making additional water changes every few days until it clears. Thoughts or suggestions?
I would check ammonia and nitrites. That's usually about the time nitrites are spiking.
I was going to do just that. Thank you for getting back to me. Will update with solution once I have it under control. Thank you for the informative videos.
I was at 0.50 ppm today. I have a 20 gallon. I did a 5 gallon water change and added 2 drops if prime for every new gallon I added. Did another test and still ammonia. I dont know what to do except let nature run its course. Temp is 79 degrees. I have 4 small 3-4 month old angel fish and a gourami about 3 to 4 inches long. I dont want to change the filter cartridge because it's only been in for a week.
Also nitrates are 5.0 ppm and nitrites are 0
You may have to increase water changes to 50% every day to manage the ammonia until it is under control. Definitely don't change the media - you want the beneficial bacteria in the media to continue to populate.
New to the hobby ,I picked 10 gallon and I've had it for 2 weeks and didn't know anything about the cycle or much of anything else other then I knew I needed to use conditioner to get the chlorine out and got a double sponge filter and digital therm. Soooo I added 5 minnows and then the next day 3 Cory doras , then a couple days after I added 3 black high fin Tetras and an aquatic frog. Then I added an Angel fish. I bought the angel from someone who didn't seem to care I had a 10 gallon tank cuz I found out today they shouldn't really be in a 10 for very long as they will outgrow it. (I got a 65 gallon yesterday so that'll be her new home if she survives. I had 2 fish die. One high fin Tetra 3 days ago and a Platy the day after. I got a Blue Gourami as well. The last day or so the Angel has been hanging out near the top a lot. I just did a 30% water change and last week I did two small water changes. Maybe 15% each time. All together I have 12 fish and a frog in this 10 gallon. After watching videos about the cycle and ammonia spikes due to adding to many fish especially when I have a tank that's only been running for 2 weeks.. I'm wondering what my chances are that these guys will survive?? The I'm looking to get some bacteria starter in a bottle tomorrow.
If there is any way you can get used filter media from a trusted (disease-free) source I would go that route and stick that in your new filter, along with larger (50%) daily water changes until the ammonia is under control. The angel will probably struggle the most with the ammonia right now. Feeding every couple days is better than more frequent feedings until you get the ammonia down. Also, Seachem Prime will also help neutralize ammonia and nitrites in the short term a little.
Funny, I have a no filter setup and I didn’t cycle the tank. I planted it heavily and added fish the same day.I did a 30% water change every other day for a week then left the tank. The fish are doing great but these are pretty hardy fish. Knocking on wood tho
Good advice
So much work 😔 I didn't realize fish need so much. I have three tetra fish,a loaches and two snails. At first I was feeding every other day not realizing I wasn't suppose to do that. I have cut down the feeding now the tank water is so much cleaner. This video was helpful.
Good to hear!
So helpful! Thank you for the info. Do you have a store here in Chicago? If so where? I’m in the Chicagoland area as well.
Thank you! We don't have a store, but usually sell at local swaps and auctions (GCCA and Greenwater).
Jason, thank you for such great information! Subscribe!
I don’t know a thing about fish but I just took over a single 7yro goldfish from a neglectful keeper yesterday (common goldfish I think it is)
Tank was very dirty, hadn’t been cleaned in at least 4mos!
I threw out the filthy filter, vacuumed tank & gravel substrate of about 5gls from this 10gl tank. Refilled water, freshly rinsed new Aqueon filter and added Aqueon water conditioner 5ml. Then tested parameters. Only the ammonia was VERY high, 8pm+ !!
Rushed to Petco and got Aqueon Ammonia Neutralizer,5ml and added one ball of Aqueon Pure Beneficial Bacterial Enzyme.
Now this morning, water is now very cloudy and ammonia is down to 4ppm. I’m confused as to why high ammonia with new water, I assume it would be less. Wish I had tested prior to WC. Is the cloudy water normal at this stage? Am I doing this right or have I missed something? Mr. Fishlips appears to ok, but what do I know? Thank you!
It might have been removing the filter media. Water changes should help until the microbes repopulate.
Ok, so I should change 50% of the water and see if that makes a difference. Thank you.
Dear Jason:
That, blue, African cichlid with the white stripe running the length of its, dorsal fin in the 75-gallon tank with two, sponge filters is gorgeous! What species is it?
Thank you for a very informative and interesting video explaining this aspect of the aquarist hobby.
Sincerely,
E. J. Brinegar
That is a Red Empress cichlid. They get about 7" or so. Mine have always been on the more aggressive side, but they are really beautiful as they get older. He looks better now compared to what you see in this video. Great fish!
Dear Jason:
Thank you, so much. Perhaps I will give African cichlids another try. I've kept a few species in the past, but focus on characins, right now. I only have five tanks and am not fortunate enough to have a fish room. I'm super jealous of you. Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Brinegar
Hello! My question refers to reducing the amonia in a new tank by adding a pre-cycled filter...
Let's say you have just purchased a second brand new tank, and you have filled it with rocks, plants, and water... how long do you have to wait before you add your pre-cycled filter system? I understand that new clean water will kill beneficial bacteria pretty quickly hence why we always clean the filtration systems in a bucket of tank water and not from the garden hose!
Also, let's say your canister filter stops working. Could you simply purchase a new one and place the media from the broken system in to the new one to be back up and running immediately?
Thank you for considering my questions!
When I add used filter media to a new tank I also usually a few fish as well. As long as you are using dechlorinator when adding water, the new water will not impact your microbial colonies.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thank you so much for replying!! Really appreciated. I really enjoy watching your channel!
Thank you so much! That’s help!!
Great video! I have an established tank, but I’ve had an ammonia spike for like 3-4 weeks now. I’ve been doing WC every 2-3 days and I’m going crazy coming them! What can it be? It’s like a mini cycle happening again. Thanks
Have the stocking levels changed? pH? Feeding more? Are there any hidden dead fish? Recently cleaned the filter?
Hi, my name is Graham. I have Muna cichlids. I just moved into a house that has a water softener. Ph=7.4 kh=18 gh=6. Wondering what your opinion is in regards to getting this water to work for my fish
Maybe add some aragonite to the substrate?
I have a 12x 12x 12x 7 gallon ish tank with tropical fish, what should i do to lower ammonia levels.
What I have outlined here and you could also add Fritzyme Turbo Start!
Should I be worried if I have 1 pleco in with a brand new tank? There’s plenty of live plants, drift wood from precious tanks and some moss. Will my false Zebra pleco be in serious trouble?
Very helpful
I would do this
1. Add Seachem Prime after doing a 50% Water Change.
2. Add double the dose of Beneficial Bacteria.
3. Add maybe a few Sponge Filters and Pack your filter with as many media it can hold.
4. Stop feeding for 3 days to see if it clears up.
5, Feed again (Half the portions and no of feed daily)
6. This should solve it
I did an instant cycle my water tests are good so far it’s been a week
You cant have instant cycle . Needs to have a slight ammonia spike then nitrite then nitrate
Dude yes you can it’s called a instant cycle and I did it with fish as well I’ve been doing this fishkeepin hobby for a min now
Starting up new 55 gallon tank. Been less then a week. No fish yet, only live plants. Doing daily 50% water changes. Have a good OASE Biomaster Thermo 350 filter. Testing ammonia daily. Aways in 2.0 range. Will add Seachem Purigen. Will Seachem Prime conditioner be beneficial as well?
If you don’t have any fish you can let the ammonia build. Adding Fritzyme 7 will add the beneficial bacteria to speed things up as well.
@@PrimeTimeAquatics Thanks! Learning so much everyday. Got the Fritz 7. Do you recommend adding it everyday after my daily 50% water changes? No rush to get fish. Want our water to be well established and look good first. Would you think it will take ~2-6 weeks for that to happen?
Great video
@Prime Time Aquatics Can I float a used hob filter sponge in a tank with sponge filters? Will the BB from that help? I keep having ammonia in my 36 hex. All I have is 20 blue shrimp and a snail. Im wondering if I crashed the cycle some how. Ive tried fritz bacteria, and still nothing is helping. Should I just keep doing water changes?
It might be of some help, but without current flowing through the sponge filter you might not get a huge benefit?
Great video thanks for sharing but I couldn't stop watching the goldfish in the background, I've kept all sorts of amazing fish over the years but I keep coming back to the good old favourite the humble goldfish but only in the more normal varieties not the extreme types! 😉👌👍
Thank you! Ya, they were cool fish, but I moved them to someone with more space for them.😃
@@PrimeTimeAquatics 😉👍
Such a cute personality ❤
Love it, thank you
Will any of this apply to cycled tanks? I have had my tank running for a long time. Just recently I have had some issues with cloudy water. I have 3 small gold corys and a betta fish. Hard water, and I use cones for the hard water. ph is good. 30 gal ps no iam not referring to the sepia colored tint. I actually really like that way that looks.
If the tank is cycled there shouldn’t be any ammonia. If there is a temporary spike what was outlined in the video will help!
aquarium water test kits are really expensive here so im just trying to keep ammonia as low as possible even though i dont know the levels
Is it possible to add beneficial bacteria from a bottle? Like API Quick Start?
Yes, we use Fritzyme 7 all the time!
Pretty much every video iv seen has been helpful and what I want to hear lol
Thank you! Glad they are helpful.
What’s your opinion about add some sea chem stability or API products that has beneficial bacteria in it?
I have never seen them actually work.
What kind of salt? Aquarium salt, table salt, Epsom salt, sea salt? Thank you for the very informative video 👍
Aquarium salt
Hi- great video. I have an ammonia issue and a few fish are acting strange/sitting at bottlm of tank. I do not have access to use filter media, so i added tetra safe start and an ammonia neutralizer api ammo lock. Did i do more harm than good? I also performed a 50% water change two days ago and 25% today as ammonia reading is still 1.0.
I have never found safe start to work. Fritzyme Turbo Start or Fritzyme 7 are usually very effective.
Big help thanks
Quick question. Always had tanks to pull media from, but sold everything 5 yrs ago.
Got a new 180g and doing a fishless cycle. It's been cycling for 30 days. Nitrites already spiked and are now at zero. Nitrates are a little high, but I cannot get the ammonia to go down from .25 or maybe .50 cause I cant tell what color green matches the chart. My ammonia has been in the same place for over a week. Any thoughts? I consider myself an advanced hobbyist, but I have never done a fishless cycle before.
Great question. There are a few ways that I cycle tanks. 1) Add a bunch of plants and give them liquid ferts. That results in a fairly quick cycle (usually two-three weeks). 2) Used filter media. 3) What we have done for the last 20 tanks or so is use Fritzyme 7 and we have been able to add fa few fish right away.
Jason! You had a link in one of your videos to an article that teaches you how to calculate the amount of toxic ammonia. I can no longer find the link. Do you still have it
I did a 25 % water changed added prime and stability went to check it an hr later and it is like I did nothing !
By the way have a 60gallon with a hob and sponge filter and wave maker. Have 14 fish tank is 2 weeks old and so far have done 3 water changes ammonia has been my only elevated number.
Try adding some Fritz Turbo Start - it will add live nitrifying bacteria to the tank!
How and when do you know ur tank is cycled ? Added fritz 7 and am seeing high numbers across the board so I p as panicked and did a water change
Would having the UV light on make it better or worse?
It won't have an impact on ammonia concentrations. UV is primarily used to kill microbes in the water.
Jason - it’s Chris Karnuth/nuth88 I’m living in Colorado now, new tank, chemicals ok? As used filter media or gravel will be difficult. To build my cycle, I’m going to use a few goldfish. 75 Gal, best advice?
Hey Chris, I haven't found the chemicals to work all that well for cycling a tank. I know a lot of people use fish food to cycle their tank. You could try that in combination with the quick start?
Prime Time Aquatics Exactly what I’m going to do, slow, but sure. I’m going to try some Fluval “Cycle Bio Booster” a goldfish or 2, and feed well.
Ammonia spick n nitrate aswell ... from over feeding
HEY!! i would like to know how did you build that beautiful tent at 2:56 it is just paper or are they rocks, thats such a beautiful tent. PLEASE HELP!
Vaibhav Pandey I just stacked up some slate. 😀
@@PrimeTimeAquatics thank you so much for replying!! will try it right away...
Great video, what also works are plants, they take some ammonia straight out of the water so it doesn't turn into nitrite, they don't work for removing nitrite from the water but when you get nitrate they also remove some of that if you have a enough of and the right plants.
Good point. Plants can help too!