Freshwater Aquarium Help: Cycling, & Water Test Results?

Question

First, I wanted to know if my tank has cycled yet. :) It's been running for about 10 days now. I'm still new to keeping aquariums, so keep that in mind. My test results were:

Nitrates: Good, about 0-10
Nitrites: Also good, about 0-3
Hardness: 75 - Soft
Alkalinity: Not Good. 0-40
pH: Not Good. Acidic, between 6.2 - 6.8

Is my water okay for my fish, even though my Alkalinity and pH arn't doing so well right now? What can I do to fix them? Also, could those two bad readings be the cause of my fish taking breaks at the bottom of the aquarium? He doesn't do it often. I catch him doing it sometimes though. Is it normal for Goldfish to sometimes take breaks?

I do have a filter. It's been running since day 1. Whisper brand, carbon filter. 10 Gallon aquarium. My fish(Ryukin fantail) is about 3 inches from nose to tail. Also I have 3 tiny Rosy Red Minnows in the tank with him.

All tips and advice greatly appreciated. :) Help me keep Charlie alive! :D

See, I wish someone would've told me that in the petshop. I researched before I got my Goldfish(anyone should when adopting a new unfamilar pet). The guy told me a Goldfish of his size was fine for a 10 gallon. And I asked if adding the Rosy Reds(out of pity, feeder fish) would be alright, and he said yes; like 10 gallons was more than enough. I was on a budget, so there's nothing I can do right now. I'll get my Goldy a bigger tank if he grows any larger. :) Thanks for the replies!

Answer 1

Your tank isn't completely cycled yet, when it is you should have a 0 nitrite reading.
What you see your fish doing is really pretty much normal activity and nothing to be worried about at all.
Your pH and Alkalinity is fine... for certain types of fish. I would really suggest you rethink keeping a goldfish. They need a larger tank than your 10 gallon and will never livce well in that tank when it starts to get larger. Some smaller species would be much better and really you are in luck becuse many of those smaller fishes LOVE water with pH and hardness like yours. Look in tetras, barbs and rasboras. They can be mixed in your tank, look great and will love the water even better than Charlie. Return Charlie to the store and explain your tank is too small and let him go home with someone with a larger tank.

It sounds like you are doing a great job taking care of your tank, but you really need fish that will be happy there for the long run.

MM

Answer 2

You are doing a good job of trying to get your tank cycled and it's close, but, nitrites should be an actual 0 ppm. There is no range allowance with nitrites. Usually if nitrites are low, ammonia should be too, but you might want to test the ammonia too just to be sure. You could have an ammonia spike from something going wrong and since ammonia is the first thing in the nitrogen cycle, wouldn't necessarily show in your nitrite test. Also, the water is very soft for goldfish, and even more soft for rosys. They really need a more neutral ph. Goldfish need around a 7.0 and rosys need around a 7.4. You could up the ph a little by adding some limestone rock or crushed shells, but make sure to monitor the ph so it doesn't get too hard. Also, your goldfish already, by itself, for the size it is, needs 15 gallons of water now and will need 20-30 in a year or two, so, with the 3 other fish, the tank is overcrowded. The rosys will grow to 3 inches each and they, alone, are all that you could put in the 10 gallon tank. You should think about getting a second tank for your goldfish or taking the goldfish back because, between size and water requirements, they all can't live in the tank you have.

Answer 3

Sorry, 10 days is about 1/4 the time needed to naturally cycle a tank. Cycling a tank really has nothing to do with hardness, PH, that comes from your tap.

In the cycling process first the ammonia will spike. You didn't give an ammonia reading, but I would suspect that it's high at the moment and that would cause your fish to be stressed and listless. I would recommend that you start doing regular (every couple days) water changes of 5-10 percent of the tank.

Step two in the process is the ammonia will suddenly drop and nitrites will start to rise sharply. That indicates that the bacteria which break down ammonia have established, but since nitrites are toxic to fish as well, you still have to wait. Keep changing the water and monitor the quality. After another 10 days or so the nitrites will drop and and nitrates will start to rise. Nitrates are thei final step, it means that you now have a good bacteria bed which is breaking down the bad stuff in your tank to relatively not-so-bad nitrates. Remember that Nitrates in high concentrations are still not so great, and since a tank is a closed ecosystem you need to change the water. One a week or every other week, 10 to 15% should be fine.

This whole process takes about a month or so. If you want to speed it up, the best way is to get a cup of two of good used "dirty" gravel from your fish store and put it in the tank. That will "seed" the bacteria growth and speed along the process.

Good luck

Answer 4

I really don't see your pH as an issue. It's acidic yes, but most fish prefer a 6.5-7.5. This includes goldfish, and minnows. Even at a pH of 6.2 I really wouldn't worry. As far a alkalinity 40? I hope that's ppm not KH as 40 KH is basically liquid rock. 40 ppm is really soft, and makes more sense given the pH. That's softer than ideal for most fish. You really want at least KH 8 (140 ppm).

You could add baking soda to increase the hardness without effecting pH much. Just adding a large limestone rock, or gravel/sand would increase pH, and KH slowly. There are also alkaline buffers you can add. Just remember changes in water chemistry are bad if quick. So if you do change things go slow, and be sure add the same treatment to any new water.


PS- The difference between 0 and 3 nitrite is huge in term of toxicity. Nitrates on the other hand are over x10 less toxic. (Generally past 30ppm you should start increasing water changes.)

Answer 5

If you can find a new product in your area called Bio-Spira, it is a wonderful new break through in the cycling of a fish tank. MarineLand has worked on it for 10 years. I have tried personally. It does everything it says it will do, which is cycle a tank with fish in it, quickly:) It takes about 7-10 days as opposed to the usual 4-8 weeks depending on size of tank. It is a refrigerated product with live bacteria. I think the premise behind it, is everything spikes and subsides in such a quick manner...that it is bearable for fish. Your ammonia will spike quickly. Then it subsides quickly...while the nitrites start on their spike. This is a fast spike also. Then it subsides quickly.

Once you put it in...check water daily. If you start to get an ammonia or nitrite spike, that is over 1.0...do a 10% change and add some more. Unfortunately, it is not available everywhere. I ordered mine out of state, shipped overnight with a cold pack. Do not confuse this with the product "CYCLE" or any of the other "QUICK" start products. Most of us have tried them all. They are a waste of money, and some say that "Cycle" can even prolong the cycling process.

Answer 6

After only 10 days? There is no way that your tank has cycled yet. Give it at least a month,two is better still. Also, I strongly recommend an undergravel filter. I have had many freshwater setups over the years,and have found that the only sure way to maintain the water quality in a Freshwater Tank, is with an undergravel filter,along with routine water changes. Don't change any water until the tank has cycled,then for your 10 gallon,you should change about 2 gallons a week.

Answer 7

hi i was told to get seachem neutral regulator 7-0, use it once a month and it will put your ph right, hope that helps, x