# if my tank is no cycling properly and the ammonia



## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

if my tank is no cycling properly and the ammonia levels are high, what should i do with the piranhas i have in that tank? i have a 15 gallon with 5 baby piranhas but the water is always foggy, i do water changes but that might be the problem? i should remove the fish untill it cycles properly right? where should i put them, can i mix tem with my 4-5" redbellies or will they just eat them? i mixed them b4, they got along ok but they were all inshock ( its when i had to set up my 100 gallon) can i have some advice?


----------



## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Cycling takes time and doing a lot of water changes will not help the cycle. If there is any other tank to put the p's in for now, I would do that and allow the 15g to cycle. It is probably cloudy from the bacteria eating all the ammonia and nitrites. Just give it time bro, it doenst happen overnight.

Moved to equipment questions.


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

the quickest way to cycle your tank is add old used gravel and filter media, but if you cant do this don't worry.
If you can put your piranhas in another tank you should, but do not risk your other fish.
Piranhas are hardy fish and hard to kill with water conditions, so they will most probably survive the cycle with little sign of any problems.
and by having fish in the tank your tank will cycle faster.
You need to stop doing water changes for around a month or a month and a half as this is preventing your tank from cycling, and after a week of two, or even more the tank will have cycled and it will clear up.


----------



## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Xenon said:


> Cycling takes time and doing a lot of water changes will not help the cycle.


 Water changes will slow down the cycling time a bit but it would definitely help relieve your fish of ammonia burn and nitrite poisoning. If you have another established tank, get some of the filter media from the old filter and put in into the new filter...this will seed the uncycled tank and will help it along. I would not suggest moving your baby p's to the other tank. It would only stress them further and face harassment and possible death from the larger p's. Instead, reduce feeding, do 20% water changes about twice a week, and measure ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate if possible to track how the cycling is coming along.

Finally, one of the better uses for salt is to aid gill functions by preventing nitrite poisoning. You didn't give info about how large your tank was, pH, and number of fish in your new tank but just a tablespoon of salt goes a long way in treating nitrite poisoning.

Good luck...


----------



## JEARBEAR (Jan 30, 2003)

DonH said:


> Xenon said:
> 
> 
> > Cycling takes time and doing a lot of water changes will not help the cycle.
> ...


 Good info


----------



## SnowCichlid. (Jan 10, 2003)

Yes and good luck, what size are they that you will be mixing them with those 5" RBP's cause I am afraid if they are too small they might be considered lunch


----------



## EMJAY (Feb 27, 2003)

they are babies, about a 1" to 1.5"


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

do not mix them with the 4"ers


----------



## marco (Jan 2, 2003)

you should let the tank cycle for at lease 2 weeks. the amonia and nitrate levels will hit the roof and then come back down. thats when you add the fish. you can add the fish before that or w/e but they will be stressed as hell.


----------



## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Actually, you don't add the fish as soon as the ammonia level drops... In a cycling tank, a decreasing ammonia level should be followed by a nitrite spike (this is the moment the nitrite-"consuming" bacteria come into play). I would add the fish as soon as the nitrite spike has passed by, because from then, nitraite will be quickly converted into nitrates (by the bacteria mentioned earlier), which in turn you can remove by doing water changes.
As soon as both spikes have passed by, the tank is cycled...


----------



## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> Actually, you don't add the fish as soon as the ammonia level drops... In a cycling tank, a decreasing ammonia level should be followed by a nitrite spike (this is the moment the nitrite-"consuming" bacteria come into play). I would add the fish as soon as the nitrite spike has passed by, because from then, nitraite will be quickly converted into nitrates (by the bacteria mentioned earlier), which in turn you can remove by doing water changes.
> As soon as both spikes have passed by, the tank is cycled...


 If he pulls the fish and doesn't add it back until the nitrite spike has come down, what food source will the ammonia oxidizing nitrifiers have to sustain themselves during this time period? Depending on his water parameters, that can take over a week. If he returns the fish at that time, he will just experience another cycle...unless he adds some type of ammonia as a food source (fishless cycle).

I'm not sure if EMJAY is familiar with the fishless cycle so I just wanted to clear that up, just in case.


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

Judazzz said:


> Actually, you don't add the fish as soon as the ammonia level drops... In a cycling tank, a decreasing ammonia level should be followed by a nitrite spike (this is the moment the nitrite-"consuming" bacteria come into play). I would add the fish as soon as the nitrite spike has passed by, because from then, nitraite will be quickly converted into nitrates (by the bacteria mentioned earlier), which in turn you can remove by doing water changes.
> As soon as both spikes have passed by, the tank is cycled...


 as far as I am aware the fish are already in the tank and the alternative tank has some much smaller piranhas, they are 1.5" where the larger ones are 4-5"
I think that EMJAY is looking for what he should do, and in my opinion this is not what would be the "reccomended method".
I think that he should leave the tank to cycle, and then he should start to do water changes, if the fish are looking distressed, ill or behaiving in a strange way I would suggest to do small water changes (around 10%)
I read on another post that his piranhas are not eating, I think that he should not attempt to feed them any more McDonalds and he should add a goldfish or two and let the piranhas eat them as they want, but I wouldn't add many goldfish as they will cause more tank pollution.
I think that this would not cause any of the piranhas to die, because piranhas are hardy fish, and I have never seen or heard of them dyeing due to cycling, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I have never seen or heard of it.

This is not usually what I would reccomend (having fish in the tank during a cycle) but I think that the alternatives in this case are more undesiarable.
I think that the fish need to settle and not be moved back and forth, also they will eat the baby piranhas in the smaller tank.


----------



## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

OK, but I was more or less responding to what Marco said....


----------



## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

marco said:


> you should let the tank cycle for at lease 2 weeks. the amonia and nitrate levels will hit the roof and then come back down. thats when you add the fish. you can add the fish before that or w/e but they will be stressed as hell.


 just like marco said, but don't forget a sorce of ammonia, you ned to put pre ammonia in the tank or have some fish in the tank to produce ammonia. hold off on the water changes till the cycle is done.


----------



## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

here is a link to your other post with advice on for you

http://www.piranha-fury.com/forum/pfury/in...t=ST&f=3&t=1707


----------



## bobme (Feb 17, 2003)

Is this like his 5th time posting this topic?


----------



## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

bobme said:


> Is this like his 5th time posting this topic?


 get used to it,its a common question. I ve seen thet same question asked like 20 times


----------

