I need MAJOR cycling help.

[Nathan879]

Originally Posted by Judge

I have to say Nathan I am impressed with your patience and diligence! You are willing to ask the questions and do the research so I feel you will do exceedingly well in this hobby. Good for you. It is always a pleasure to listen to and "watch" young people who are willing to learn from those who have been doing this awhile.
Alright, to answer your questions, first after you reach 0 on Nitrite and Ammonia you should see a big rise in Nitrates. You'll need to complete a big water change which should lower Nitrates. Next, test your ph. I have never added anything to my water to lower ph. Messing with it can make matters worse, especially if you have livestock in your tank. Unless it is seriously out of whack I would leave it alone, fish will adjust. If it is seriously high there are products that can lower it. I would always use caution when adding anything to the water. Lastly as son as you do your big water change after reading 0's check params again and then you can stock. Just add fish slowly, don't add a bunch all at once. Again, continue to use the great patience and good sense you have exhibited so far. AND have fun! Keep up the great work and please keep us up to date on your progress.

Thanks! I never knew raising fish would be such a hard and interesting hobbie. At this point my ammonia is at 0 my nitrites are higher than 10 pph and my Ph is higher than 8.2 which is what im worried about. At the end of the month I'm planning to get a 55 gallon dedicated to guppies only, Im really excited Also, is there any way I can stop major water evaporation within one night it can go down and inch, is this only because my water temperature is so high (86f-90f) When it goes down into the 70 for my fish will this stop?

[ZeroSystem]

Lowering the temperature of your tank will certainly help decrease evaporation. Glass lids can also be helpful in reducing evaporation as well.

Are you using tap water to fill your tank? Is your tap water PH higher than 8.2? I find that if your source waters PH is consistent most of the time fish will be able to adapt to it, even if it is higher than what they would normally live in in the wild. Though some fish are more sensetive to this sort of thing than others.. African Cichlids would do great in a PH of 8.2+ while most south american fish wouldn't be too comfortable. Not sure exactly what PH Guppies like..

[mark razmandi]

that tank temp will make your water evaporate SUPER fast, trust me...so dont worry, it will slow down once you drop the temp...however i do HIGHLY recommend getting some lids to stop evaporation and also to stop jumpers...finding a beloved fish on the floor of your room is devastating

[Nathan879]

Originally Posted by mark razmandi

that tank temp will make your water evaporate SUPER fast, trust me...so dont worry, it will slow down once you drop the temp...however i do HIGHLY recommend getting some lids to stop evaporation and also to stop jumpers...finding a beloved fish on the floor of your room is devastating

Thank you, Im now using my fridge water for a lower Ph, works great but theres something really scary. Please help. I noticed something weird kind of flaky floating around in my tank some pieces are bigger than others. I'm so stressed out, what is this? Bacteria? Worms? Is it bad? How do I get rid of it? I was trying to take a picture but my camera was going ballistic! PLEASE HELP

[Nathan879]

Originally Posted by Judge

Ok, I am confused. I read back through the last few posts...did I say something about Ammonia spike? You keep your ammonia level constant and when the Nitrite "spikes" you will see it decline followed by Nitrate rising. Without a nitrite spike you cannot be absolutely sure that the cycle is progressing. Does this help..or am i confusing things more? I hope not but let me know.

Please take a look on my post on page 4! Its important! Thanks.