I think I understand, but how should I grow more bacteria...

[mlkpookie]

OK I think understand more now. I'm kicking myself for not researching before I started my tank and instead going solely off hearsay.

I now know that I started off on the wrong foot by not allowing enough time to build bacteria colonies to grow before adding more fish. When I first started my aquarium with 2 fish I added new 3 or 4 more fish after 2 or 3 weeks, then proceeded to add fish every week or two.

When my fish died I added new fish without understanding what happened. I attributed their deaths to stress caused by aggressive algae eaters.

I now understand that because of my nitrate levels being at 80 for a month and being at 40 for several months I have caused irreversible damage that will result in "flipover Problems", by exposing them to nitrate poisoning. Correct? I have all fancy goldfish.

My nitrite reads 0, but my ammonia is .25 and nitrites are 40 ? 60. If I reduce my ammonia will it help reduce my nitrate? Or do I just increase the amount of my water changed weekly?

So, what I need to do is grow a larger bacteria colony to eliminate the ammonia and continue weekly water changes to correct these problems. Since I have a 70 gallon tank with appx. 22 inches of fish (9 fish in total). I need to increase my water changes to 40 or 50 % weekly, I do need to vacuum but do not need to add cycle? Correct?

I also heard that there is something you can add to your tank to remove ammonia. I was told not to use it so I never researched it. Is this a chemical or something worth checking out and putting in our established tank?

So my goal should be o ppm ammonia, o ppm nitrite, and 10 - 20 ppm nitrate?

Now I am not sure how to go about growing bacteria. I have several alternatives. Should I try to grow it in our established tank or in another tank. I do have a 30 gallon that is empty. We need to buy a filter system and several other items to get it up and running. I also have a 10 gallon we are currently using to grow plants in. We have 2 algae eaters in it and recently took 2 comets out of it. We haven?t been doing much upkeep with water changes because I wanted the nitrates in the tank to fertilize the plants.

The only other thing I want to know is I noticed algae is rearing it?s ugly head in my tank again. Yeah! Will it harm the bacteria colonies to wipe down the tank and pull the fixtures out to clean. Should i clean in tank water or can I just use tap?

[fishnoob0508]

dont worry my friend many people make the mistake of adding too many fish too soon. the fact that u are getting nitrates is a good sign. u said that this tank has live plants in it? if it does i think (dont quote me) that nitrates should be around 30. i think after 40 is high. to lower nitrates just do more water changes. as for chemicals that reduce ammonia, i would not use it. .25ammonia is not going to kill all your fish or plants. in order to grow ben. bacteria, the tank just needs time. it is impossible/very difficult to keep algae 100% eliminated, 100% of the time. just brush it away and water changes will help alot. when ever you clean any fake decor in tap water, always rinse it in dechlor water before putting it back inside ur tank.

[mlkpookie]

well my tank has been set up for about 10 mths and everyone seems to think that my ammonia levels should be at 0 after that ammount of time. How long should it take to establish my cycle?

I am also increasingly hearing that nitrates should be lower, prolonger exposer of higher nitrates in fancy golfish has negative effects.

Will wiping down the tank decor in tap water kill bacteria, or should I use tank water from my water changes?

Thank you!!

[Tommy Gun]

Hey mlkpookie!

You may want to take a look at the freshwater cycling article which you can find in the forum's Articles section; either by using that link, the link found in the upper right hand corner of this and any forum page, the link located in my signature, or by clicking HERE. The reason I point this out is because it will explain how and why you really do want to see an ammonia level of 0 ppm in an established tank. It will also explain how/why ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are closely related, one becoming another.

The amount of time it takes to establish or cycle an aquarium is highly variable and so it is hard to give an exact timeframe. However, I would think that your tank should be cycled within 10 months...that is, unless you are doing something which is depleting the benificial bacteria or preventing it from living in your tank; such as constantly cleaning filter media, substrate, or decor too thoroughly (depending on how you are using tap water to clean your decor, it could kill the good bacteria living on it). That article I spoke of should give you some more insight into how you can/should try to harbor or protect that bacteria.

In any case, your benificial bacteria colony can only grow to a population which is directly proportionate to the amount of ammonia that is being produced by decaying organic matter, including fish wastes. That said, we should always add fish/livestock slowly regardless of how long the tank has been running. Make sense?

[THEFORDMAN00]

Tommy let me start off by saying that I respect your opinion very much--u seem very knowledgeable..that being said I think that u r a lil off when it come to the cycle time--I had my tank fully cycled in about 4 months I use cycle---I pour it right into my filter and I never change my bio-media I just rinse it in tank water every 3 months!!!!