Very strange!

[RSidetrack]

Okay, so I have my 5 gallon that I was about to start cycling today and had initially cycled it before, I just stopped since the light died. Out of curiosity I ran the tests on the tank and it has 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and the Nitrates are through the roof! Realize I cycled this tank months ago - I have not been putting any more ammonia in at all, what could be causing this?

[JustOneMore20]

Did you ever change any water or is it the same water? Any live plants or anything that could have broken down.

If there was some waste in there, it could have broken down over time, and kept the tank cycled.

[RSidetrack]

Water has only evaporated never been changed out - no live plants - it was a fresh tank that I had cycled for four weeks. Maybe residual Nitrates left over? Should I change the water out before trying to cycle again? I have had the filter on the entire time.

Edit:
The nitrates are off the chart for both my test kits, the higher one being over 200 ppm

[Obsidian]

Holy Cow.

Maybe a cow fell in? :P

What about bugs? is it possible some big bug(s) fell in? (much more likely than my cow theory, but the cow theory is more fun).

[RSidetrack]

Originally Posted by Obsidian

Holy Cow.

Maybe a cow fell in? :P

What about bugs? is it possible some big bug(s) fell in? (much more likely than my cow theory, but the cow theory is more fun).

Wow, a cow would explain 200ppm - bugs are possible we have had flies and such, it is pretty well covered but they do try to find water. I don't see any remains or anything so they would have decayed. So what I did was I put some ammonia in just for the heck of it, going to check it tomorrow and see if it is gone. If so - I am guessing it is cycled, but I know 200+ppm on nitrates is not good - how would I go about lowering it?

[emc7]

how would I go about lowering it?

100% water change.

ammonia>nitrite>nitrate is a one-way process so there is no way of knowing when the last of the nitrate was made or if the tank is still cycled. Change 100% of the water and add some ammonia source and see what happens.

[RSidetrack]

Originally Posted by emc7

100% water change.

ammonia>nitrite>nitrate is a one-way process so there is no way of knowing when the last of the nitrate was made or if the tank is still cycled. Change 100% of the water and add some ammonia source and see what happens.

Thanks, I will do that first thing tomorrow as I am about to go to bed. I will post my results - if it is still cycled that will be amazing! Although I figured it probably wouldn't still be cycled as bacteria need ammonia to feed.

[GoodMike]

have you ever tested your tap water? if your tap even has 5 ppm nitrates, and you top off only.... then the amount of nitrates is never lowering, only being concentrated everytime you add more tap water, and eventually would result in very high nitrates

[RSidetrack]

Yes, I tested my tap water - there are no Nitrates in it. Also, since my other aquarium has shown 0 nitrites and 0 nitrates for the week it has been cycling now I would assume none are in the water at all.

It was because of my previous cycle, I added ammonia for 2 months straight until I was ready for fish but the light ballast went bad so I just stopped - never changed water, just kept topping it off. This must be why the levels were so high.

I added the ammonia last night as I said and this morning it was the same with 0 nitrites, which means the bacteria were definitely dead. I did a 100% water change and have started cycling again. Still working on the light ballast though.

[VincentM]

......I don't cycle.... but my water conditioner takes care of Nitrites and Nitrates, as well as Ammonia..... even keeps PH at 7.0


EDIT:: I should also add, in the 6 months of owning fish..... none have died.

[justintrask]

......I don't cycle....

None have died, but I'm sure you've done some unseen damage due to mega stress on the fish

[VincentM]

All my fish are super healthy and have a relaxed sort of style to them. Now I just have Gimpy and he only gets stressed when the stupid sumer heat has his tank up to 80degrees.... I wish I could do more than just put frozen water bottles in the tank for him... But I can't afford a chiller.

[GoodMike]

no water conditioner "takes care" of that stuff....

[COM]

Well... some claim to "neutralize" ammonia and nitrite on the label. I think that's pure BS.

All tanks need to have well-established bacterial colonies to deal with ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and other lovely toxins. I find that nitrate will build up to a toxic level within two weeks on any tank regardless of filter media, tank size, or fishload. Water changes are key and water conditioners like Tetra AquaSafe or API StressCoat are essential to keeping your fish healthy and happy.

[Obsidian]

Think of it this way:
A smoker starts to smoke and there is some damage to their lungs. They can run they can play they can have a ball and for all intents and purposes they look healthy and great. Everyone knows that smoking is bad, but hey, thats 40 years from now right? Even if this person stops at a fairly young age the damage has already happened. From there on out its a toss up. Toss a coin: might live to be 100, might get lung cancer at 40 and die.

Once the fishes gills have been burned from the ammonia and nitrite the damage has been done. You are now at the coin flippage stage. Fish gills are less able to heal than peoples lungs, just keep that part in mind. 6 months in the life of your fish is not a whole lot. Most fish will live a lot longer in captivity than is realized, because it is so common for them to die that everyone just assumes that is their natural life span.

Now with all that said you can still do a fish cycle and go with it. Many people did that for many many years because they didn't know any better. In the 50s no one knew that smoking was bad either. Now the hobby "knows better" but some continue to do with fish because it has always worked for them, or because they have used "throw away fish." What it comes down to is that they are your fish and you can do whatever you want with them. The best thing to keep in mind is that they are live creatures and deserve the best we can give them.

Back on topic:
Sidetrack I would watch this cycle a little closer than most because I am guessing it will cycle faster than usual due to what it has already been through. It may not, but I would think it would be worth keeping a closer eye on. And don't worry about the light. You do not need a light to cycle a tank. You have time to figure that one out Worst case scenario get a glass top and put one of those reading lamps that swing around over it.

[RSidetrack]

Originally Posted by Obsidian

Back on topic:
Sidetrack I would watch this cycle a little closer than most because I am guessing it will cycle faster than usual due to what it has already been through. It may not, but I would think it would be worth keeping a closer eye on. And don't worry about the light. You do not need a light to cycle a tank. You have time to figure that one out Worst case scenario get a glass top and put one of those reading lamps that swing around over it.

Thanks Obsidian - I was considering that then I decided to get creative and rewire a ballast from one of those new fluorescent swirl lights that I had dropped and broken. Works great! Since the wattage is low enough the ballast easily handles it and now the tank is illuminated nicely.

I am watching the cycle, right now the Ammonia concentration is staying high (5 ppm) no nitrites, but I still have a few Nitrates after the water change, I am guessing residual from filter media and water I was unable to get out. However, I will keep a close eye on it and if it cycles faster that will be great, if not then it should be about a week behind my 29g which is fine

[VincentM]

Okay let me clear some stuff up on my end... I keep a close eye on my Ammonia levels, Nitrates and nitrites... I am in no way simply tossing fish into water.... I do water changes weekly and use Tetra stress coat. I have been doing the same thing for my new tank as I have done for my other tanks all my life. I don't lose fish to any unknown reasons... I only ever lose them because they came from bad stock with sicknesses and such.

I've seen my fishes gills and they show no sign of being burned or other damages. His coloration is beautiful, and aside from his store-bought handicaps, he seems to be quite happy... Now I am no expert, and I don't pretend to be.... But if I haven't simply found a fish dead, and can't explain it.... I must be doing something right

[GoodMike]

so my question would be what identified to you that your dead fish died from somthing other than ammonia/nitrite burns?

[VincentM]

Parasites, ich, and old age

I end up giving fish away a lot, cause I am a sort of fish rescue... When people happen to have to many fish they give them to me and I relocate them.. I've just now started keeping fish longer than 3 months.... I had my previous fish for six months, the little Demekins... I gave them away to people seeking fish, and now I am keeping the Moor for myself

[TheOldSalt]

Uhm... the swirly bulb you broke.. where exactly did you break it, and what became of the glass and dust? Depending on your answer, that just might be the cause of your problem.