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Cycle question

1K views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  jaysee 
#1 ·
Cycling my 20 gallon with three zebra danios and today my ammonia reading was finally zero, and got my first nitrite reading which was 5.0ppm. Should I do a partial water change and if so how much/often? Or should I just use Prime to neutralize and just leave it alone? Also, I'm noticing what I assume is some brown algae here and there on the tank walls and the resin decor. Should I be doing something about this?

BTW, I can't believe how excited I got about finally getting new readings!

Thanks

Dan
 
#2 ·
I would try not feeding for a few days and see if the nitrItes drop down.


I also like planted tanks also. LOL


my .02
 
#4 · (Edited)
Brown algae is diatoms which will go away on their own, in time. That's common in a new tank.

Nitrite is every bit as toxic as ammonia so yes definitely need to continue with the water changes. Once nitrite goes to 0, ammonia remains at 0, and nitrates start climbing, you are in the clear with water changes all the time.

Whether you need to actually do a water change or just dose with prime is dependent on the readings. If you have a low concentration, you can often do water changes every other day dosing between. If you have a high concentration, as you do, definitely water change, and a massive one at that. For 3 danios is a 20 you should not need to do water changes every day.

I agree, no need to feed more than a couple times a week while cycling.
 
#5 ·
Ok thanks. Tested the water again today and nitrites were still 5.0, and I tested for nitrates and they were at 20ppm. So I went ahead and did the 50% water change and used some Prime for the new water. Should I be trying to vacuum the gravel, too or will this screw things up at this point?
 
#6 ·
When you are cycling you really should dose the whole tank. When you're cycled you can just do the new water but when you're having water quality issues there's no good reason to hold back.

No you shouldn't need to do anything with the gravel at this point, especially with a restricted feeding schedule. That's not to say that you CANT. I just didn't think it's necessary for that relatively short period of time.
 
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